August 31, 2002
The Sabbath
What is the Sabbath? Why do we still have to keep the
Sabbath? What day is the Sabbath?
Hopefully, the paragraphs
below will help answer these questions.
1.
Regarding the purpose of the Sabbath.
The Sabbath was instituted by God from the creation of the world as a "day
set apart" for rest following God's example. We can think of this as the creative
connotation of the Sabbath. This is further explained by Mark 2:27 which
says that the Sabbath was made for man not vice-versa. Pastor Tomulet mentioned
in a discussion on this topic that physical, spiritual, and moral necessity
requires a time of rest. In this
context, we can say that the Lord instituted the Sabbath for us to be able to regain
spiritual and physical strength after the six days dedicated to our work. There is another connotation of the Sabbath
– a redemptive connotation. For the biblical people of Israel, this
signified deliverance from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15). The Sabbath was an opportunity for them to remember God's
bringing them out of Egypt. According to Colossians 2:16-17, this Sabbath was a
shadow of things to come. For the Christian, the Sabbath is an opportunity to
remember and thank the Lord for His redeeming us from the bondage of sin. Redemption from sin was completed with
Christ's victory over death shown in His resurrection on the first day of the
week (Sunday). (This is also a good argument for worshipping on Sunday and not
on any day that we may choose. More on
this further down.)
2.
Regarding the observance of the Sabbath as part of the Mosaic Law. It
is important to realize that the Sabbath existed apart from the Law. The Lord instituted it from the creation of
the world (Genesis 2:2). Also, the Jews
were required to keep it even before the Law was given to Moses (Exodus
16:23). Its observance is not
instituted by the fourth commandment but is definitely emphasized and expounded
upon in the fourth commandment and the rest of the Mosaic Law. To further the argument, the Fourth
Commandment says that we are to "Remember the Sabbath to keep it
holy." It refers to the Sabbath as
an already-existing institution. Looking at the Sabbath this way, it is not
hard to conclude that it is a perpetual commandment.
3.
Regarding the distinction between the Sabbath as an institution and the day it
is kept on. From Genesis
2:2, Exodus 16:23, Deuteronomy 5:15, and many other texts in Leviticus that
deal with the practices (ceremonial laws) that accompanied the Sabbath it is
clear that the Sabbath has to be a certain day not any day or any
person's choice of a day. There is
however a distinction between the Sabbath, as an institution, and the day it is
kept on. Any change in the day that it is kept on is only by God's authority
since He's the Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). The argument for this comes from the fourth commandment. We are told to keep the Sabbath (not
the seventh day) holy and again at the end of verse 11 of Exodus 20 it says,
"The Lord blessed the Sabbath" (not the seventh day). Oh, one
more interesting detail, the word "sabbath" means "rest" or
"ceasing", not "the seventh day".
4.
Regarding the Christian Sabbath - the first day of the week. The arguments for identifying the Sabbath
with the first day of the week after the resurrection of Christ are basically
historical and fall under two categories: inspired historical sources
(the apostles) and uninspired, but authentic, historical sources (early
historians, politicians, and Church fathers).
In
John 20:19 we are told that the disciples were gathered together on the first
day of the week (the day of the Lord's resurrection). The Lord Jesus "came and stood among them." It might seem like a bit of a stretch to use
this one instance as the sole piece of evidence for what I am trying to
prove. We are also told, however, in
verse 26 of the same chapter that they were gathered together again "a
week later", on the first day of the week (this time Thomas Didymus was
with them as well). Also, according to
the method for determining the Feast of the Ingathering (Leviticus 23:15-16),
which coincided with the Pentecost, it can be seen that that took place on the
first day of the week when the apostles were "all together in one
place" (Acts 2:1). I do think the
fact that Christ's resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit happened on
the first day of week is not without significance. Also, it is significant that the apostles,
fully aware of their duty to follow God's moral laws (including the Sabbath),
met together on the first day of the week and didn't consider keeping the
Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) a requirement (Colossians 2:16).
In
Acts 20:7 we are told about Paul's visit to Troas. It says that on the first day of the week the believers came
together to break bread (to have communion).
It is important to see this verse in context. Luke mentions that they were in Troas for seven days. However, Paul waited until the day right
before his departure (the first day of the week) to talk to the people. Why would he have done that if any day could
be used for public worship or if the believers there gathered on a random day?
In
1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Paul tells the Christians in Corinth to set aside their
love offerings for the church in Jerusalem on the first day of the week. Tithing and alms-giving were and are seen as
an act of worship (Philippians 4:18). Why do that on the first day of the week
if any day is just as good for public worship?
From
these two last texts, it can be safely inferred that Paul taught the churches
that he started to worship on the first day of the week. (More historical proof
will be given below.)
In
Revelation 1:10, John says that he was "in the Spirit on the Lord's
Day." This is the only place in the Bible where the phrase "the
Lord's Day" is found. Throughout Church history, there has been almost
unanimous agreement that John is referring to Sunday here. This verse implies
John's worshipping on the first day of the week and calls that day the
"Lord's Day." Seen in
conjunction with Isaiah 58:13 where God calls the Sabbath "my holy
day," Revelation 1:10 produces another argument for identifying the
Christian Sabbath with the first day of the week (a specific day).
Pliny
the Younger (governor of Bithynia, AD 100) wrote a letter to Emperor Trajan to
ask about how he should treat the people accused of being Christians. In the
letter he says that the Christians met "before daylight to sing a hymn to
Christ as God and bind each other in an oath, (not to some crime but) to
refrain from theft, robbery and adultery, not to break faith, and not to betray
trusts" (quoted in Systematic Theology by R. L. Dabney). In a letter written a few years later,
Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (AD 107 or 116) identifies the day of the meeting
as the Lord's Day.
Justin
Martyr (died about 160 AD) says that believers were accustomed to meet "on
the day which is denominated Sunday for the reading of Scripture, prayer,
exhortation, and communion." The reason given for this is, "because
this is the first day on which God, having changed the darkness and the
elements created the world; and because Jesus our Lord on this day rose from
the dead" (quoted in Systematic Theology by R. L. Dabney).
The
most important is probably Eusebius, bishop of Caesarea who lived at the time
of the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). In a
commentary on Psalm 92 (A Psalm for the Sabbath Day) he says, "On this
day, which is the first of the Light, and of the true Sun (a play-on-words with
reference to the name of the day – Dies Solis), we assemble after the
interval of six days and celebrate holy and spiritual Sabbath" (quoted in Systematic
Theology by R. L. Dabney).
The
historical evidence would be insufficient to warrant a change in the day of
worship if seen separately from the authority given by God to the
apostles. If the change had been wrong
or a better alternative had existed we can be sure the apostles would have done
something about it. Paul and Peter, as
you know, were not exactly shy when it came to correcting the infant Church.
I
hope this was useful and interesting at the same time. I know there might be
some other aspects that you might have thought of but, I do hope the ones
included were relevant and sufficiently well presented.
Sorin
Voicu-Comendant
sorinvc@sbcglobal.net