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For anyone who likes church history, Justo
González is a familiar name. His two-volume
work, The Story of Christianity, is
frequently read in seminaries and Bible
colleges. . . González is
[writing]
a history of the first day of the week. He
points out that, “In the earliest days,
worship consisted of Sabbath-keeping and
resurrection-celebrating on two different
days. In time, the former decreased and the
latter persisted, but as González observes,
“the notion that Sunday has taken the place
of the Sabbath is notably absent from early
Christian literature.’”
[1]
When the Jerusalem Council
came together in Acts 15 to determine what
Gentile Christians must observe, Peter
encouraged the Church leadership not to
place the Gentiles under the yoke of the Old
Covenant Law (Acts 15:10-11). According to
the council, circumcision and
keeping the laws of the Mosaic Covenant were not required of anyone
under the New Covenant.
“In the Book of Acts 20:7, The first day
of the week [was] Sunday, the day the church
gathered for worship, because it was the day
of Christ’s resurrection. (cf. Matt. 28:1;
Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; 1 Cor. 16:2). The writings of the early church
Fathers confirm that the church continued to
meet on Sunday after the close of the New
Testament period. Scripture does not require
Christians to observe the Saturday Sabbath:
1) The First command to keep the
Sabbath was not until the time of Moses
(Exod. 16; 20:8);
2) The Sabbath
was the ceremonial sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Exod. 31:16, 17; Ne. 9:14; Ezek. 20:12), whereas
Christians are under the New Covenant (2 Cor. 3; Heb. 8-10). There is no evidence in
the Bible of anyone keeping the Sabbath
before the time of Moses, nor are there any
commands in the Bible to keep the Sabbath
before God gave Israel the first Sabbath
command in Exodus 16:22-23.
3) There
is no command to keep any Sabbath days in
the New Covenant;
4) The Jerusalem
Council in Acts 15 did not order new
converts to keep the seventh day Sabbath;
“The final judgment of the Jerusalem
Council contains no reference to Sabbath
keeping. Circumcision was discussed and
deemed unnecessary (Acts 15:5-6; 15:19-20). If
Sabbath keeping were to be an essential part
of the New Covenant relationship with God it
would have been mentioned in the discussion
because it would have been an unfamiliar
practice to the Gentiles. Sabbath keeping
was not even discussed because it is not a
requirement for New Covenant believers’”
[2]
5) Paul never cautioned Christians about
breaking the Sabbath and in Galatians 4:10-11, Paul rebukes the Galatians for
thinking God expected them to observe
special days (including the Sabbath).
6) The New Testament explicitly teaches
that Sabbath-keeping was not a requirement
for the New Covenant Church (see Rom. 14:5, 12; Gal. 4:10-11; Col. 2:16-17).
7)
In Acts 20:7, ”to break bread” was the
common meal associated with the communion
service (1 Cor. 11:20-22).
8) In
Romans 14:5, Paul forbids those who observe
the Sabbath (these were no doubt Jewish
believers) to condemn those who do not
(Gentile believers).”
The Apostle
Paul wrote over one third of the New
Testament and never once told his Gentile
converts to keep the Mosaic Law or the
Sabbath. Not once. Paul gave his churches
instruction on everything they needed to
know about Christianity: morality, giving,
leadership principles, church organization,
theology and everything else they needed to
know to live the Christian life and never
even once commanded anyone to keep the
seventh day Sabbath. None of the other
apostles did either. Why?
“Sunday has
not replaced Saturday as the Sabbath. Rather
the Lord’s Day is a time when believers
gather to commemorate His resurrection,
which occurred on the first day of the week.
Every day to the believer is one of Sabbath
rest, since we have ceased from our
spiritual labor and are resting in the
salvation of the Lord (Heb. 4:9-11).”
[3]
We cannot live by both Law and Grace!
You must live by one or the other.
Christians are in no way required to keep
the seventh day Sabbath. We are not under
the Law of the Old Covenant. We are to rest
in Jesus for our salvation rest.
Matthew 11:28-30 says, “Come to me, all who
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in
heart, and you will find rest for your
souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden
is light.”
The New Covenant has done
away with all Old Covenant ceremonies,
Feasts and Holy days. The Holy days of
Judaism including the Sabbath, do not apply
to the Christian Church.
Colossians 2:13-17 says, “When you were dead in your
sins and in the uncircumcision of your
sinful nature, God made you alive with
Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14
having canceled the written code, with its
regulations, that was against us and that
stood opposed to us; he took it away,
nailing it to the cross. 15 And having
disarmed the powers and authorities, he made
a public spectacle of them, triumphing over
them by the cross. 16 Therefore do not let
anyone judge you by what you eat or drink,
or with regard to a religious festival, a
New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. 17
These are a shadow of the things that were
to come; the reality, however, is found in
Christ.” (NIV)
Galatians 4:10-11
says, “You observe days and months and
seasons and years! I am afraid I may have
labored over you in vain.”
Romans 14:5 says, “One person esteems one day as
better than another, while another esteems
all days alike. Each one should be fully
convinced in his own mind.”
If you
teach someone to keep the Old Covenant Law -
you are teaching a false gospel.
Galatians 5:1-4 says, “For
freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm
therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke
of slavery. 2 Look: I, Paul, say to you that
if you accept circumcision, Christ will be
of no advantage to you. 3 I testify again to
every man who accepts circumcision that he
is obligated to keep the whole law. 4 You
are severed from Christ, you who would be
justified by the law; you have fallen away
from grace.” (cf. Acts 15:10; 1 Tim. 6:1)
______________
From Sabbath to Lord’s
Day: “When did the Christian Church switch
the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?”
“No specific names or dates are
associated with the church’s shift from
observing the holy day on Saturday to
observing it on Sunday. At first, especially
when many Christians were converted Jews,
their holy day was Saturday. However,
because the Resurrection and the beginning
of Creation had both occurred on the first
day of the week (Sunday), the church soon
observed that day instead. (More Gentiles
were becoming Christians as well, which
contributed to a desire to shake off Jewish
customs.) By the end of the first century,
Sunday worship was the norm. We can assume
the change caused some friction, for in
Colossians 2:16 Paul admonishes, “Therefore
do not let anyone judge you by what you eat
or drink, or with regard to a religious
festival, a New Moon celebration or a
Sabbath day.”
It’s important to note
that the Sabbath was not simply moved;
Christians altered the observance as well as
the day. Hallmarks of the early Christian
“Lord’s day” celebration, according to
Justin Martyr (ca. 100-ca. 165),
[4]
included readings from Scripture
(particularly the Gospels), a sermon,
communal prayer, and Communion—very
different from Jewish Sabbath observance. By
Jewish standards, Christians don’t keep the
Sabbath at all.” [5]
From “The Lord’s
Day: Sabbath or Sunday”
The earliest
reference we have to the Lord’s day, besides
the vague comment made in the Book of
Revelation 1:10, is in the letter to the
Magnesians written by Ignatius of Antioch in
A.D. 110:
“If those who have been
brought up in the ancient order of things
[i.e., converted Jews] have come to the
possession of a new hope, no longer
observing the Sabbath but living in
observance of the Lord’s day, on which also
our life has sprung up again by him and his
death … The Lord’s day is the day on which
“our life has sprung up again by him.” In
other words, it is the day of Jesus’
resurrection, the first day of the week.”
[6]
Dr. Samuele Bacchiocchi proved
that Ellen G. White was wrong about who
changed the Sabbath and when!
Dr.
Samuele Bacchiocchi, one of the Seventh-day
Adventist’s top scholars wrote in an E-mail
message to the “Free Catholic Mailing List”
on February 8, 1997 and said:
“I
differ from Ellen White, for example, on the
origin of Sunday. She teaches that in the
first centuries all Christians observed the
Sabbath and it was largely through the
efforts of Constantine that Sundaykeeping
was adopted by many Christians in the fourth
century. My research shows otherwise. If you
read my essay “HOW DID SUNDAY-KEEPING BEGIN”
which summarizes my dissertation, you will
notice that I place the origin of
Sundaykeeping by the time of the Emperor
Hadrian, in A. D. 135.”
[7]
Dr.
Bacchiocchi could not site one quote from
the Early Church Fathers that said they kept
the Sabbath.
Scripture has a warning
to any Christian who thinks they can live by
the Old Covenant Law.
Galatians 3:1-5; 3:10-12
says, “O foolish Galatians! Who has
bewitched you? It was before your eyes that
Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as
crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this:
Did
you receive the Spirit by works of the law
or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so
foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you
now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you
suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it
was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the
Spirit to you and works miracles among you
do so by works of the law,
or by hearing
with faith. . . 10
For all who rely on
works of the law are under a curse; for it
is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not
abide by all things written in the Book of
the Law, and do them.” 11 Now it is evident
that no one is justified before God by the
law, for “The righteous shall live by
faith.” 12 But the law is not of faith,
rather “The one who does them shall live by
them.”
Christians are free to worship God on any
day of the week they choose.
Sunday,
the Lord’s Day, is not a requirement under
the New Covenant. Neither is keeping the
seventh day Sabbath of the Old Covenant. God
is not concerned that we keep Old Testament
rituals, rules or requirements. He wants our
hearts to be filled with His love and grace.
We are free to worship God every day of the
week (Acts 15; Heb. 12:28-29; Ps. 51:15-17; Gal. 5:16-18).
Reference:
1. See:
7 Things You Should Know About the Lord’s
Day
2. See:
The Sabbath & Sunday by Pastor J. Mark
Martin
3. Adapted from:
Are the Sabbath laws binding on Christians
today?
4. See:
Quotes About the Sabbath
5. See:
When did the Christian church switch the
Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?
6. See:
The Lord’s Day: Sabbath or Sunday
7. See:
Samuele Bacchiocchi, Seventh-day Adventist
Historian Refuted
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