There are some who would maintain that the Apostles of Christ abandoned
keeping the seventh day Saturday Sabbath, and instituted in its place Sunday,
the first day of the week, dedicated to the celebration of the resurrection.
Note the following quote, which makes this claim:
The Old Law was but an image or foreshadowing of the Light and Truth that
was to come. When the Light came in the personality of Jesus, the old Mosaic
law having fulfilled its function of preparing the Jews for the coming of
the Messiah was abrogated as regards its ceremonial prescriptions in favor
of the new dispensation or law of Christ.
To signalize this transition from the old to the new law, the Apostles
transferred the observance to the Sunday, the first day of the week. Sunday
was chosen because on that day was wrought the greatest miracle of the
Christian religion, the resurrection of Christ from the dead. It was on
Sunday also that the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles and sent them
out to preach the Gospel to the world. Sunday is, therefore, the birthday of
the Christian Church.
Source: The Faith of Millions, by the Reverend John A. O'Brien,
PH. D., 4th Edition, copyright 1938, published by Our Sunday Visitor,
Huntington, Ind., page 394.
In this article we will explore the testimony of scripture on this subject
and determine if Sunday, the first day of the week, can be proved or disproved
as a holy day established by the Apostles to honor the resurrection.
The Testimony of the Old
Testament
In all of the Old Testament, the only place the first day of the week is
mentioned is in Genesis:
Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night.
And the evening and the morning were the first day.
Now nowhere in the creation account is the first day of the week of
creation blessed, sanctified, or declared holy. Did any day of creation
receive this kind of recognition from God?
Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that
in it he had rested from all his work which God created and
made.
In all of scripture, the seventh day of the week, the Sabbath, is the only
day which has been declared by God Himself to be blessed, sanctified (set
aside for a holy purpose), in memorial to His creation.
We are again reminded to observe the seventh day Sabbath in the
commandments given at Sinai:
Exo 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Exo 20:9 Six days
shalt you labour, and do all your work:
Exo 20:10 But the seventh day is
the Sabbath of the LORD your God: in it you shalt not do any work, you, nor
your son, nor your daughter, your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your
cattle, nor your stranger that is within your gates:
Exo 20:11 For in six
days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and
rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and
hallowed it.
The seventh day is declared to be a memorial to the creative power of God,
which should be observed and kept holy because God Himself has blessed and
hallowed the day.
On the sacredness of Sunday, the first day of the week, the Old Testament
is completely silent.
The Testimony of the New
Testament
The Gospel of Matthew
In the book of Matthew, there is but one reference to the first day of the
week:
Mat 28:1 In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first
day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the
sepulchre.
This verse just makes the statement that the women came to the tomb on the
first day of the week, after the Sabbath had passed. It is just commenting on
the timing of events. Matthew makes no statement that implies that Sunday, the
first day of the week, was now to be observed as a holy day. What makes this
particularly significant is that according to scholars, even Catholic
scholars, the book of Matthew was probably written about 70 A.D. or later.
(Catholic reasoning on the dating of Matthew can be found in the notes for the
New American Bible, and the New Jerome Bible Commentary.) Now, is it not
curious that a gospel written some 40 years after the time of Christ is
totally silent on the keeping of Sunday?
The Gospel of Mark
Now the book of Mark has twice the references of Matthew to the first day
of the week:
Mark 16:2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they
came to the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
Mark 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he
appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.
Mark 16:14 Afterward he appeared to the eleven as they sat at meat, and
upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they
believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.
Again, Mark comments on the timing of events, and makes clear that the
resurrection was indeed on Sunday, and the women came to visit the tomb on
that day, but there is not even the suggestion that the first day of the week
should be observed in perpetuity as a holy day. (The meeting of the eleven
Apostles on Sunday, at which the risen Christ appeared, will be dealt with in
the book of John.)
Catholic scholarship again places the book of Mark as having been written
in the 60's A.D. or later, but it too is entirely silent on Sunday
worship.
The Gospel of Luke
The book of Luke is attributed by Catholics to an even later date that
either Matthew or Mark. They date it to between 80 and 90 A.D. Luke, like
Matthew, has only one verse referring to the first day of the week:
Luke 24:1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning,
they came to the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared,
and certain others with them.
Luke also refers to the first day of the week only to establish the time
that the women came to the tomb, but says nothing further that can establish
it as a day to be sanctified or observed.
Again, in the book of Luke, a gathering of the apostles on resurrection
Sunday is recounted in Luke 24:33-53. This meeting will be dealt with below
when discussing John 20:19.
The Gospel of John
In the final gospel, dated by Catholic scholars to have been written
between 90 and 100 A.D., the testimony on the first day of the week is again a
mere two verses:
John 20:1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it
was yet dark, to the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the
sepulchre.
John is in complete agreement that the women arrived at the tomb on Sunday,
the first day of the week.
John 20:18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen
the Lord, and that he had spoken these things to her.
John 20:19 Then
the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors
were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came
Jesus and stood in the midst, and says to them, Peace be to
you.
John 20:20 And when he had so said, he showed to them his hands
and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the
Lord.
Here we have the first recorded assembly of the disciples on the afternoon
of resurrection Sunday. Were they assembled to worship? Were they joyously
celebrating the resurrection? No. Until Jesus actually appeared to them they
thought He was still dead, despite having been told by Mary Magdalene that she
had seen the risen Lord! Until the disciples actually saw Jesus, they did not
believe He was risen (Mark 16:14), but upon seeing Him they too believed, and
then were glad at His resurrection.
Luke, in his Gospel, recounts what Jesus said to them at this same
meeting:
Luke 24:44 And he said to them, These are the words which I spake to
you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were
written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms,
concerning me.
Luke 24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they
might understand the scriptures,
Luke 24:46 And said to them, Thus it
is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead
the third day:
Luke 24:47 And that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem.
Luke 24:48 And youare witnesses of these things.
Luke 24:49
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry you in the
city of Jerusalem, until yoube endued with power from on
high.
What a splendid opportunity for Jesus to announce the abolition of the
seventh day Sabbath and the institution of the new Christian Sabbath on Sunday
to commemorate His resurrection! But it did not happen. Luke and John do not
mention any such announcement.
Now as it happens the disciples assembled again eight days later:
John 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and
Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the
midst, and said, Peace be to you.
Counting eight days (inclusively) from the resurrection day again brings us
to again to Sunday, and Jesus appears before all the disciples, to include
Thomas this time, who was previously absent. Another opportunity for Jesus to
announce the institution of the new Christian Sabbath of Sunday! But John's
account of that day makes no mention of a formal worship service. Jesus is
recorded only as performing a number of signs and miracles to demonstrate to
the disciples, even the skeptical Thomas, that He was indeed risen from the
dead. John in his account simply makes no mention at all of anyone observing
Sunday as a holy day to commemorate the resurrection.
That completes our examination of the Gospel testimonies on the first day
of the week, and without exception they are silent as to the apostles
observing Sunday as a holy day. How is it possible that these accounts in the
New Testament, all written over 40 years after the crucifixion, have neglected
to mention Sunday sacredness?
The Acts of the Apostles
Here in the second book attributed to Luke, written about 80 - 90 A.D., we
now come to one of the most frequently quoted verses to support Sunday
sacredness:
Acts 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came
together to break bread, Paul preached to them, ready to depart on the
morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
Clearly the disciples are meeting on Sunday, the first day of the week. It
might even be presumed by some that by "breaking bread" they celebrated the
Lord's supper that Sunday. The question that needs to be asked though, is why
were the disciples assembled on this day? What reason brought them together?
In context, it will be seen that Paul was departing the next day on his
journey to Jerusalem to be present during the Pentecost festival (v. 16). This
gathering was a farewell assembly with Paul, the last day the people at Troas
could meet with him, and that is why it lasted into the early morning hours.
In fact Paul talked with them all through the night and then left in the
morning at sunrise (v. 11).
Did Paul preach? Yes, without doubt, as verse 7 makes clear. Did they
celebrate the Lord's supper? Perhaps, yet even if they did, as some maintain,
there is no indication that that Sunday, or any Sunday, was being observed as
a newly instituted weekly holy day to commemorate the resurrection. The
breaking of bread did not indicate a special day of worship, or even that the
Lord's supper was being celebrated, as scripture tells us they met daily and
broke bread from house to house:
Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and
breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart,
This seems to indicate nothing more than eating what are called agape meals
of fellowship, which are not necessarily connected with a formal worship
service involving partaking in communion.
Now some will point to the celebration of Pentecost, found in Acts 2, and
rightly claim that this occurred on a Sunday. Since that year the 16th of
Nisan; the day of firstfruits; which was a type of the resurrection; fell on
Sunday, Pentecost would also fall on Sunday. However, those gathered in the
upper room on that day were gathered because it was Pentecost, not because it
was Sunday:
Acts 2:1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with
one accord in one place.
Had they been gathered to observe the resurrection, wouldn't Luke have told
us that this was the new day of the week for all Christians to observe? But,
you say, we do observe Pentecost always on a Sunday (Whitsunday).
Perhaps you do, but not by anything directed in scripture. Pentecost, like
Passover, is not tied to any particular week day. It is determined by the day
of the month of the biblical lunar calendar, which means it does not always
fall on Sunday. According to the scriptural calculation, Pentecost will most
likely be on (or about) the 6th day of the third month, Sivan, which will only
occasionally fall on the first day of the week. When the Catholic Church ruled
in the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. that the resurrection (Easter) would
always be observed on a Sunday (instead of the biblical 16 Nisan), this
automatically resulted in Pentecost being observed only on a Sunday, but this
change lacks any biblical support.
So, there is nothing in the book of Acts that leads us to believe that
Sunday had been set aside as a holy day of worship.
Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians
Continuing on to the next book of the New Testament, which according to
Catholic scholars was written between 52 and 57 A.D., we find what is probably
the single most quoted text used in an effort to "prove" Sunday worship:
1 Cor 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him
in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come.
Paul writes to the Corinthians that he is requesting an offering be
gathered for distribution to the needy saints in Jerusalem (v. 3). Paul is
recommending that each person, on the first day of the week, lay aside and
save by themselves a proportional amount of their income for the purpose of
this offering. In that way, when Paul arrives the necessary funds will be
already set aside and available.
1 Cor 16:3 And when I come, whomsoever you shall approve by your letters,
them will I send to bring your liberality to Jerusalem.
1 Cor 16:4 And
if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.
Upon meeting with Paul after his arrival at Corinth, the money that had
been saved up would be given to the designated courier and taken to Jerusalem
by Paul's direction. Most notably, Paul is not instructing the Corinthians to
observe Sunday, or even implying that funds are to be collected at a Sunday
worship service. He is saying that on the first day of the week each person is
to allocate and set aside in store (save) a portion of their funds. There is
no indication that the individual even need to leave home to do this, but
rather that the entire process was to be done at home.
It is also clear from the book of Acts, that Paul kept only the Sabbath day
in Corinth, and not Sunday:
Acts 18:1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to
Corinth;
Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and
persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Acts 18:11 And he continued there a
year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
That's 72 Sabbaths that Paul preached in Corinth. There can be no question
that Paul raised up a Sabbath keeping church in Corinth, a church that knew
nothing of observing Sunday as a holy day. So, while many will point
to 1 Corinthians 16:2 in the light of Tradition, and say that it refers to
passing the collection plate during a Sunday service, in context,
that is simply not indicated by the text.
That completes the entire testimony of the scriptures on the first day of
the week. Note that not once in the Gospels, or indeed the whole of the New
Testament, did Jesus Christ even mention the first day of the week,
much less declare it the new day of rest to replace the Saturday Sabbath. And
not once, according to the New Testament, were the Apostles gathered together
in worship on a Sunday for the declared purpose of honoring the
resurrection.
Not another verse in the remaining books of the New Testament even mention
the first day of the week. Now some may immediately object, and say, "But
there is another to consider, you have overlooked the Apocalypse." In that
case let us move to the last book of scripture.
The Revelation
Rev 1:10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a
great voice, as of a trumpet,
Here in John the Revelator's testimony, we have the one and only reference
in all of scripture to the "Lord's day." Is it prime evidence that Sunday was
the "Lord's day"? Is there any indication anywhere in scripture that this name
is to be applied to any particular day of the week? Certainly not in
Revelation. That exact phrase is not found anywhere else in scripture, but we
can find the following:
Mat 12:8 For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.
Mark 2:28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath.
Luke 6:5 And he said to them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the
Sabbath.
Here it is quite clear that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath day, referring
to the seventh day Sabbath, the one instituted at creation and written on
tables of stone by the finger of God.
However, the phrase the "Lord's day" has another probable meaning in
Revelation. In the Old and New Testament there are 25 specific occurrences of
the phrase "day of the Lord". I will quote but the last:
2 Pet 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in
the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein
shall be burned up.
The "day of the Lord" is plainly a reference to the second advent of
Christ, a day yet future. Is it not probable that when John says "I was in the
Spirit on the Lord's day" that he was taken in the spirit (mentally) to
witness the events surrounding the second coming? This is set out for us as
the very purpose of the book of Revelation:
Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him, to show
to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and
signified it by his angel to his servant John:
While Sunday has become known through Tradition as the Lord's day,
scripture does not designate it as such. So there is no scriptural evidence to
be found, that supports the claim that the apostles of Jesus Christ knew
anything about sanctifying Sunday and observing it as a holy day of
worship.
Now, does any of the New Testament give further evidence that Sunday
worship was unknown to the apostles?
Paul preaches in Antioch.
In Acts chapter 13, Paul arrives in Antioch (v. 14) and on the Sabbath day
he goes to the synagogue to preach (vs. 16-41). Now note what happens after
Paul concludes his sermon about Jesus, the Christ:
Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles
besought that these words might be preached to them the next
Sabbath.
Acts 13:43 Now when the congregation was broken up, many of the
Jews and religious proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas: who, speaking to
them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God.
Now at this point, I have to ask, if Paul was keeping Sunday, and preaching
during services on Sunday, how is it that he does not invite the Gentiles to
attend services the very next day, on Sunday to hear him preach again?
Acts 13:44 And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together
to hear the word of God.
Why did the Gentiles have to wait until the next Sabbath
to hear Paul preach? This is a question for which the promoters of Sunday
worship cannot give a viable answer.
Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with
envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul,
contradicting and blaspheming.
Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been
spoken to you: but seeing youput it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy
of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.
Acts 13:47 For so hath
the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set you to be a light of the
Gentiles, that you shouldest be for salvation to the ends of the
earth.
The Jews in Antioch did not receive the Gospel message on the first Sabbath
that Paul preached to them. On the following Sabbath Paul did not enter the
synagogue, the crowd of eager Gentiles being so large that only the outdoors
could accommodate the multitude. The envious Jews were angered at Paul's
preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. And what was the response of the
Gentiles to the Gospel?
Acts 13:48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and
glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life
believed.
Acts 13:49 And the word of the Lord was published throughout
all the region.
Here Paul has preached to a multitude of Gentiles, not on a Sunday which
was his first opportunity, but on the following Sabbath, a Saturday. There can
only be one reason for this, Paul was not keeping Sunday. Sunday had not been
instituted as a day of worship, and none of the apostles were observing it as
a holy day.
Was the Sabbath still to be observed?
At this point it might be asked, is there any evidence from the New
Testament that indicates the seventh day Sabbath was to be observed
even after the crucifixion?
Mat 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples
came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be?
and what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?
Mat 24:15 When you therefore shall see the abomination
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
(whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the
mountains:
Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the
housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Mat
24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back
to take his clothes.
Mat 24:19 And woe to
them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those
days!
Mat 24:20 But pray you that your flight
be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:
Note that Jesus was speaking to His disciples. There are two
possible applications of the above text. The first is the destruction of
Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the armies of Rome. Note the parallel text in Luke to
verse 15:
Luke 21:20 And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed
with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is
nigh.
This verse makes clear that Jesus is warning His disciples of the
impending destruction of Jerusalem, and that they should pray that they will
not need to flee on the Sabbath. Why would that matter? Jesus as God intended
the Sabbath day to be one of rest and spiritual growth, not a day of panic;
fleeing from a invading army of persecutors. Jesus is affirming here, that 40
years after His death on the cross, the Sabbath would still be observed by
His disciples.
Many Christians today, while they might acknowledge an initial application
of Matthew 24:15-20 to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, will also maintain
that this passage applies most fully to an event yet future. They believe that
the antichrist will desecrate the temple at some future date, and that this
will signal the nearness of the second coming. If one subscribes to this
future timing, then Jesus is speaking of His disciples observing the Saturday
seventh day Sabbath all the way into a time that is even now still in the
future!
Not only was the Sabbath never rescinded, but scripture even makes clear
that in the future, all of mankind (those who are saved) will observe the
Sabbath when worshipping the Lord:
Isa 66:23 And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another,
and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me,
says the LORD.
Conclusion
Note the following comments from a Catholic viewpoint, again by the
Reverend John A. O'Brien:
... the Bible does not contain all the teachings of the Christian
religion, nor does it: formulate all the duties of its members. Take, for
example, the matter of Sunday observance, the attendance at divine services
and the abstention from unnecessary servile work on that day, a matter upon
which our Protestant neighbors have for many years laid great emphasis. Let
me address myself in a friendly spirit to my dear Protestant reader: You
believe that the Bible alone is a safe guide in religious matters. You also
believe that one of the fundamental duties enjoined upon you by your
Christian faith is that of Sunday observance. But where does the Bible speak
of such an obligation? I have read the Bible from the first verse of Genesis
to the last verse of Revelations, and have found no reference to the duty of
sanctifying the Sunday. The day mentioned in the Bible is not the Sunday,
the first day of the week, but the Saturday, the last day of the week. It
was the Apostolic Church which, acting by virtue of that authority conferred
upon her by Christ, changed the observance to the Sunday in honor of the day
on which Christ rose from the dead, and to signify that now we are no longer
under the Old Law of the Jews, but under the New Law of Christ. In observing
the Sunday as you do, is it not apparent that you are really acknowledging
the insufficiency of the Bible alone as a rule of faith and religious
conduct, and proclaiming the need of a divinely established teaching
authority which in theory you deny?
Source: The Faith of Millions, by the Reverend John A. O'Brien,
PH. D., 4th Edition, copyright 1938, published by Our Sunday Visitor,
Huntington, Ind., page 147.
As the Bible does not testify of Sunday sacredness to honor the
resurrection, it was clearly unknown to the Apostles and was neither observed
or commanded by them. Sunday sacredness is really nothing more than a Catholic
Tradition. If you are going to follow the precepts of the word of God in the
Bible and observe the day it enjoins, then there is really only one choice:
the keeping of the seventh day (Saturday) Sabbath as found in the Ten
Commandments of God.
