Sabbath or The Lord’s Day (Sunday)?



If Jesus kept the Sabbath then why do some Christians not keep the Sabbath?


Sabbath: The seventh day of the week among the Hebrews, the day being counted from sunset to sunset, that is, from Friday evening to Saturday evening.


There is an impressive amount of evidence in Scripture that show Christ and the apostles changed their day of corporate worship from Saturday to Sunday. In Jesus’ early earthly ministry, he started to prepare the way in changing the Sabbath by showing special honor to Sunday throughout the New Testament. We know that Jesus raised from the dead on a Sunday and that he appeared to the disciples on that same Sunday evening. The Sabbath was set aside specifically for Jews to rest and worship. Sabbatarians argue that because Jesus observed the Sabbath that we should imitate him in this. This however, fails to consider that Jesus was still under the old covenant. He enunciated a new covenant at the Last Supper, this happened to be on Sundays. It was on Sunday that the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven on to the apostles at Pentecost. 


Jesus being the son of God and God himself, had the authority to change the Sabbath if he wished. When the disciples were chastised in Mark 2:23-28, Jesus pointed out that


“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath. Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the sabbath” (v. 27-28)


This means that the Sabbath was created to benefit man by giving himself rest and time for worship.


Let's take a look at Paul’s letters with regards to the Sabbath. In Galatians 4:10, he urges the Galatians not to subject themselves to the Law of Moses. Paul writes,


“You have come to know God . . . how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elements, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days, and months, and seasons, and years! I am afraid I have labored over you in vain.”


Paul worries about the Galatians keeping the Jewish festivities calendar, which would render the labor to save them vain (see Galatians 5:2-5). 


In Colossians 2:14-16, Paul mentions the sabbath by name. He states that Christ “canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands . . . Therefore,


"let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a sabbath.”

Paul here states that the Jewish festive calendar, including the sabbath days, is not binding on Christians.


Luke records that Sunday was observed by the Early Christians from the start:  In Acts 20:7 he writes “On the first day of the week when we gathered to break bread”. To “break bread” refers to the celebration of the Eucharist which is mentioned in Matthew 26:26 and Mark 14:22. Paul arranged for the Corinthians to gather their offertory collections on Sunday 1 Corinthians 16:2. John records in Revelation 1:10 that he was granted a vision of heaven’s own worship while he himself was “caught up in spirit” on “the Lord’s day.” Not the Sabbath. 


In Acts 20:7, Paul says


“On the first day of the week, when we gathered together to break bread.”


Luke 24:30-31 records that, on the road to Emmaus, Cleopas’s and an unnamed disciple’s “eyes were opened,” and they recognized Jesus “in the breaking of the bread.”


According to Luke 24:1, 13, this encounter happened to be on the first day of the week. Paul not once in all of his letters says, “On the Sabbath, when we gathered to break bread.” This breaking of bread mentioned in Luke 24 and in Acts 20 always occurred on the first day of the week.


In I Corinthians 16:1-2, we read:


“Now concerning the collections that are made for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, so do ye also. On the first day of the week let every one of you put apart with himself, laying up what it shall well please him.”


John’s disciple Ignatius of Antioch tells us in his Letter to the Magnesians that


“the Lord’s day” is not the ancient Sabbath; therefore, “the Lord’s day” must refer to Sunday. (See This Rock, September 1994, “The Fathers Know Best.”)


One main element is rooted in The Old Testament Sabbath in natural law which binds it to Christians as it does to the Jews. That is to set aside suitable time for the purpose of divine worship. However, we Christians have never been bound to the Old Testament Sabbath. This was given as a law to the Jews and Jesus fulfilled the law and became the Lord of The Sabbath. We should separate sufficient time for rest and worship. We don't have to do this on a Saturday, since Jesus eliminated the law of Moses.


The argument of Sabbathians is that Paul only went to the synagogue on Saturday (Acts 13:14, 44, 18:4). Paul obviously would preach the Gospel to the Jews first and then to the gentiles. The Sabbath was the only way to make certain that he could preach to a large number of the Jews as that is when they congregated (Acts 13:15 and 18:4). However, every time Paul is mentioned in reuniting for worship and the breaking of the bread, it would happen on the first day of the week; Sunday. (1 Corinthians 16:2) Paul tells them when to contribute their offering: every first day of the week. Why? This was the day the early Church met for worship and it stays the same today. (Mark 16:9, see also Mark 16:2 and Luke 24:1).


In the book of Revelation, John tells us that he wrote the book because of a vision he saw “on the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). 


The New Testament is clear that the holy day Christians are bound to keep is not the Sabbath of the Old Covenant, because Colossians 2:16-17 says:


“Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in regard to food or drink or in respect to festival, or a new moon or a Sabbath day—things which are a mere shadow [Greek, skia] of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.”


Therefore, do not let anyone judge you for keeping Sunday as your day of rest and worship.


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