Why Sunday?
Ex 20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. KJV
The question is often asked why most Christians meet on Sunday instead of Saturday. Let’s look first at the definition of the word in both Hebrew and Greek sincere will be looking at it it from the OT and NT sides.
OT:7676 shabbath (shab-bawth’); intensive from OT:7673; intermission, i.e (specifically) the Sabbath:
KJV - (+every) sabbath.
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
NT:4521 sabbaton (sab’-bat-on); of Hebrew origin [OT:7676]; the Sabbath (i.e. Shabbath), or day of weekly repose from secular avocations (also the observance or institution itself); by extension, a se’nnight, i.e. the interval between two Sabbaths; likewise the plural in all the above applications:
KJV - sabbath (day), week.
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
God rested on the seventh day of creation. Hence it was an intermission. He went back to work on the eight day doing what He does as God. This was designed to set up the pattern for man created in His image. God rested on the seven days and six days shall a man work and he is to rest on the seventh.
OT:7673
shabath (shaw-bath’); a primitive root; to repose, i.e. desist from exertion; used in many implied relations (causative, figurative or specific):
KJV - (cause to, let, make to) cease, celebrate, cause (make) to fail, keep (sabbath), suffer to be lacking, leave, put away (down), (make to) rest, rid, still, take away.
(Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
Note that the word for rested in Genesis 2:2 is the root of the word translated Sabbath. There were other sabbath days in the Law. Our word holiday came from holy day so in essence are man made sabbaths or intermissions from servile work. The purpose of the Sabbath is to give man a break from work every six days, which one study I read proved to be the best for our mental and physical health. I do not find that surprising since God created us and knew what the Fall would do to us.
So the purpose of the Sabbath is provide man rest and opportunity to thank God for the week and to think upon His goodness, glory, etc. We are to separate ourselves once day out of seven from our normal day’s activities.
Now, the Jews got really detailed and came up with all sorts of rules concerning the Sabbath and basically got crazy with it and yet Jesus broke all their rules for they forgot the spirit of the Sabbath and got wrapped up in letters and hypocrisy as they would find loopholes so that they could do all they wanted to do or at least the leaders anyway.
Mark 2:27-28
27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man , and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. KJV
You see Jesus taking them back to the purpose of the Sabbath. It was made for man. Why? In a fallen world you needed a day of rest or you would break down and die much sooner as we can see with many of our people who work 80 hours a week and go weeks with out a day off or rotating shifts and such.
Now, we have to remember that we are Gentiles and we are in the New Testament so some things changed. We see the disciples meeting on the first day of the week. Several things probably led to that but they wanted to worship on the day Christ arose being most likely the main reason. Now, what is a sabbath? It is an intermission or break from work. Technically, that can be any day in a seven day cycle. In the OT it was really Friday night at 6PM until Saturday night at 6PM. Most Christians who wish to practice the OT sabbath don’t do it correctly. They do it in a Roman calendar style, not a true Jewish/biblical style. The early Church was keeping the spirit and purpose of the Sabbath, just on another day.
Acts 20:77 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. KJV
1 Cor 16:1-3
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
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.
3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. KJV
Note that this was happening long before the pope so to argue that it is something unique to the papery is invalid. Christians were worshiping on Sunday centuries before there was a pope or beginnings of the Roman Catholic Church.
Acts 21:25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. KJV
The Jews had a hard time giving up many aspects of the Law since we were now under the Law of Christ and not Moses. They wanted the Gentiles circumcised and keeping the Law. Paul had to argue against this before the Jerusalem Council and this was the final outcome of that meeting. No mention of circumcision, the Sabbath or other holy days. The Gentiles did not have to become Jews and the Jews did not have to become Gentiles to be Christians. At some point, as the Jews would mature in Christ they would leave the Law behind but Acts was a transition period. There was a lot to learn about the New Covenant and what were ingredients of the new wine and what was an old wine bottle.
Over the centuries the Law and grace were “merged” by many groups and that really messed things up. Even the Reformers did not reform enough. The Church and Israel must be kept separate or you come up with all sorts of strange rituals and doctrines. The Church is a parenthetical bubble between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel. We are not replacing the Jews or nullifying the promises to Abraham and David. They are merely on hold until the the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Rom 14:4-6
4 Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks. KJV
Gal 4:9-1
9 But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?
10 Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years. KJV
Paul had to deal with keeping grace and law separate all the time. The Jews and Gentiles in the church he, not Peter, established at Rome. Here is where we see that all the days and other things in the Law were no longer required for as well as the dietary laws. If I choose to have my sabbath on Sunday or any other day of the week then that is my sabbath and it is before the Lord that I regard it. If some group wants to set their day as Saturday even though they do it in a Roman versus a Jewish way, so be it.
The caution is to not judge the other for that choice. No one goes to Hell if they choose another day as long as they have a seventh day somewhere. The Galatians had trouble with the Law and grace issue. They were saved by grace but some of the Jews that could not let go had convinced them they had to be circumcised and all that to be perfected in Christ and Paul called that bondage and told them to back off from all that for they had fallen from the teaching and principles of grace. So Sunday is keeping the Sabbath if we are resting from servile work and worshiping. However, like the priesthood, it is the busiest day of the week for preachers and yet we are not guilty of defiling the Sabbath. For most preachers, Monday is their Sabbath for they take that day off and rest. We can get locked up in the letter of the Law or seek the spirit and true purpose of it.
