Seagoon, it was not the intent of my original post to bring up the argument of which day to worship on. I simply wanted to say that Sunday was the first day of the week. But after your last post, I feel obligated to respond.
First let me say that I have enjoyed reading your posts and have agreed with most of them up until now. They have been eloquent and well thought out, but have a few issues with your last.
The old seventh-day Sabbath, which was the Jewish Sabbath, is abrogated, and in the place of it the first day of the week, which is the Christian Sabbath, succeeds. The morality or substance of the fourth commandment does not lie in keeping the seventh day precisely, but keeping one day in seven is what God has appointed.
This is an opinion and not bible based. To say that the substance is in the keeping of one day and not the day appointed by God is to rewrite the law.
Christ said in Matthew Chapter 5 verse 18: For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. And in Luke 16:17 And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.
Not by ecclesiastic [church] authority. “The church,” says Mr Perkins, “has no power to ordain a Sabbath.”
But the church did just that. It’s a well documented fact that the Roman Catholic Church changed the day of worship to Sunday around 300AD as was mentioned twice in this thread already. Ask any Bishop. It is not a secret.
(1) The change of the Sabbath from the last day of the week to the first was by Christ’s own appointment. He is “Lord of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:28. And who shall appoint a day but he who is Lord of it? He made this day. “This is the day which the Lord has made.” Psalm 118:24. Arnobius and most expositors understand it of the Christian Sabbath, which is called the “Lord”s-day.” Rev. 1:10. Christ instituted the Sabbath, and thus it is called the Lord’s Day. Sunday is the day of resurrection; Christ rose on the first day of the week, out of the grave, and appeared twice on that day to his disciples, John 20:19, 26, which was to imply to them, as Augustine and Athanasius say, that he transferred the Jewish Sabbath to the Lord’s day.
Non of these texts say the day was changed to Sunday. Christ died on Friday, rested in his grave on Saturday and was raised on Sunday. Never once did He say that the Sabbath was changed to honor his resurrection.
Mark 16:1: And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2: And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
(2) The keeping of the first day was the practice of the apostles. “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.” Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2. Here was both preaching and breaking of bread on this day. Augustine and Innocentius, and Isidore, make the keeping of our gospel Sabbath to be of apostolic sanction, and affirm, that by virtue of the apostles” practice, this day is to be set apart for divine worship. What the apostles did, they did by divine authority; for they were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Jesus and his disciples were Jews. To say that they did not keep the Seventh day as the Sabbath is silly. The apostles preached the Word every day of the week. It is not surprising that they did it on Sunday in the above text, they also did it on other days of the week. Again, nowhere does it say they were keeping the day holy.
Acts 18:4 And he [Paul] reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
(3) The ancient church had the Lord’s day, which we now celebrate, in high estimation. It was a great badge of their religion to observe this day. Ignatius, the most ancient father, who lived in the time of John the apostle, has these words, “Let every one that loveth Christ keep holy the first day of the week, the Lord”s-day.” This day has been observed by the church of Christ above sixteen hundred years [Watson is writing in the late 1660s], as the learned Bucer notes. Thus you see how the seventh-day Sabbath came to be changed to the first-day Sabbath.
This is hearsay. I don’t see anything from the Bible here.
The grand reason for changing the Jewish Sabbath to the Lord”s-day is that it puts us in mind of the “Mystery of our redemption by Christ.” The reason why God instituted the old Sabbath was to be a memorial of the creation; but he has now brought the first day of the week in its place in memory of a more glorious work than creation, which is redemption. Great was the work of creation, but greater was the work of redemption. As it was said, “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former.” Hag. 2:9. So the glory of the redemption was greater than the glory of the creation. Great wisdom was seen in making us, but more miraculous wisdom in saving us. Great power was seen in bringing us out of nothing, but greater power in helping us when we were worse than nothing. It cost more to redeem than to create us. In creation it was but speaking a word (Psalm 148:5); in redeeming there was shedding of blood. 1 Pet. 1:19. Creation was the work of God”s fingers, Psalm 8:3, redemption was the work of his arm. Luke 1:51. In creation, God gave us ourselves; in the redemption, he gave us himself. By creation, we have life in Adam; by redemption, we have life in Christ. Col. 3:3. By creation, we had a right to an earthly paradise: by redemption, we have a title to a heavenly kingdom.
There is no arguing that redemption was the greatest gift to mankind, but that has little to do with changing the Sabbath day. The Sabbath is forever.
Isaiah 66:22, 23. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. 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, saith the Lord."
Christ might well change the seventh day of the week into the first, as it puts us in mind of our redemption, which is a more glorious work than creation."
He could have, but He didn’t. It’s dangerous to tamper with God’s law.
Deuteronomy 4:2. Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God.
Proverbs 30:5, 6. Every word of God is pure. ... Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.
What is boils down to is, the changing of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday is not biblical. You can read the Bible from the first word to the last and not find one verse that says the Sabbath day was changed. It is a matter of history that a Roman emperor changed it.
I believe that people from all denominations will be saved. Your walk with God is between you and Him. But I also believe that when you meet your maker and he asks if you have kept His commandments, you had better have a good answer.
This post is not meant to offend anyone (although I’m quite sure it has,) I just thought I should show the readers the other side of the coin.
Being that you’re a minister and have quite remarkable credentials, I know that your already firmly entrenched in you belief. Let us agree to disagree on this one and leave it at that. As I have said, I enjoy reading your posts and look forward to seeing a good deal more of your wisdom.
