SABBATH OR SUNDAY ?
When Did Early Christians Meet Together ?
The Sabbath Versus Sunday Question...
Since the time when Jesus physically walked on the earth --and even before-- religious men have been trying to put their own imprint upon the Sabbath day, intending to make it more or less than what God had originally designed it to be. Clearly, the Bible states that the Sabbath is a special day.

"And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made: and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it." Genesis 2:2-3a

From this Scripture, we may rightly conclude that the Sabbath was sanctified by God, and was to be a day of rest. It is at this point, where God ends His description and purpose for the day, that some religious people want to add to it. (There is a great danger in adding to or taking away from the Word of God.)

The Bible does not indicate that the Sabbath was designated as a day of worship, but simply as a day of rest. Jesus Himself clarifies this principle in Mark 2:27-- "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." The Sabbath day was never intended to become a proving ground of a person's spirituality. It was designed by God as a special day of blessing for man in which he could rest from his labors.

Some Christians find themselves involved in intellectual battles, some attempting to prove that they are more righteous than another because they worship God on the Sabbath; and, other Christians argue that the Sabbath is no different than any other day. Biblically, both are in error.

1. The Sabbath Was Not God's Only Special Day.
God did make the Sabbath special. But, it was not the only day He made special. Throughout the Gospels, the Holy Spirit draws great attention to the fact that Jesus was resurrected on the first day of the week. (Mark 16:9, John 20:19) It would not have affected the power of His atonement had He chosen to keep the exact day unknown. However, the repeated reference which the Holy Spirit makes to the first day of the week shows us the special attention given to that day by God. This fact was not lost by the disciples in their later assemblings.

1. The Example of The Early Church Shows That The First Day of The Week Was To Be Held A Special Day.

In Acts 20:27, the Bible says:
"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

This Scripture not only states where they met to worship, (breaking bread in the Lord's Supper), and hear preaching on the first day of the week (Sunday), but this was not an extraordinary event. It was usual, and normal for them to do it on Sundays.

3. Sunday Gatherings Were Acknowledged and Commanded In The Word of The Lord.
1 Cor. 16:2 tells us that such meetings were encouraged by the Apostle Paul, so that sufficient offerings could be taken in advance of his coming. "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."

4. Sabbath Day was Not Required By God for Gentile Believers.
Great attention was given to the concerns of Jewish Believers that Gentiles were possibly not doing all that God wanted them to do. The Apostles prayerfully gathered together, and sought the Lord's wisdom in the matter. This is what God specified for the Gentile Believers:

"Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God; for it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Acts 15:19,28,29

Nothing was mentioned by God about Gentile Believers keeping the Sabbath Day as a day of worship.

5. Sabbath Day Observance Was A Covenant Between God and Israel, Not God and All Mankind.

The Bible tells us that Sabbath day observance was specifically required only of Israel.

"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." Exodus 31:16

"Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord." Leviticus 25:2

Some claim that they, as Believers, are the spiritual heir of a spiritually dead Israel. However, prophecy never speaks of Israel being permanently replaced by the Gentiles. In fact, the Scriptures take care to show us the danger of trying to become Jewish by doing the Jewish covenants and laws when we are not, in fact, Jews by blood. Such Scriptures are found in Revelation 2:9 and Galatians 3:1-5.

6. Sabbath Day Observance Is Usually Maintained By People Who Feel They Are Spiritually Jews.

This doctrine is often called "supercessionism". It implies that Jews can no longer be in the will of God, and therefore God has replaced them with Gentiles who will take over everything that is Jewish, including the land, promises to Israel and the law of Moses. Much of this doctrine is based upon the false interpretation of Scriptures such as Galatians 3:6-9.

"Know ye not that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." And,
"That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ." Galatians 3:14a

Consider the fact that Abraham was not a Jew (the Jewish people did not come into existence until the birth of the twelve sons of Israel) and in fact he lived two generations before there ever was a Jew. The promises that were given to Abraham were two-fold. One set of promises were related to Israel (for the land, and material blessings), while the other set was directed to Gentiles who would turn to God through Jesus Christ (and receive spiritual blessings).

The concept held by most Gentile Sabbath-day worshippers that our inheritance in Abraham by faith provides us the covenants of Israel is simply not Biblical, and certainly not good Bible scholarship.

7. The Bible Warns Against Gentiles Judging One Another's Spirituality On The Basis of Jewish Holy Days or Customs.

To the Gentile church at Colosse, the Lord states:
"Let no man therefore judge ye in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day, or in the new moon, or of the sabbath days." Colossians 2:16

The Sabbath Day, is in fact, a special day to the Lord. The first day of the week (Sunday) is also special, as we see throughout the Gospels and the New Testament. The Sabbath day should be observed as a day of rest, for the Lord ordained that we should have one day out of seven for the physical repair and restoration of our bodies. The failure to observe it will result eventually, in physical problems which could have been avoided.

Worship on Sunday, is just as clearly taught in the Bible. The failure to observe this special day with worship together with other Believers as a Biblical Church results in consequences of a spiritual nature. Our relationship with God, our dependence on Him, and our knowledge of Him will all be hurt.

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25




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