Sabbath: Sunday Service?
Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you. (Exodus 20:8 - 11)
Modern christian theology dictates that the day of worship is meant to be on Sunday. However, the last article of Bible 101, the topic of Sabbath was discussed and its impact in the life of the believer. How Sabbath is meant to be lived is therefore something that is meant to be lived and understood fully by many believers in today’s modern world. This leads to the ever present debate: why should the modern follower of Yahweh worship Him on Sunday and not Sabbath? What are the arguments that support Sunday as the Lord’s Day? Can these arguments be dispelled?
Christ rose on Sunday
That seems to be a general consensus as to why Christians today go to church on Sunday. However, there is a fallacy in the argument that tends to get overlooked. If basic theology is to be followed and Yeshua truly died on Friday, therefore He did not die for three days and three nights (Matthew 12:38-40), but only two. If one delves into the Holy calendar set by Yahweh Himself in the books of Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, one can see that Passover (the feast He was celebrating in Matthew 26:17) was on a Tuesday, making His death on a Wednesday and His resurrection on a Saturday Sabbath. This fits very well with the calendar and the writings of Daniel, when He says “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” (Daniel 9:27).
Early Christians celebrated on Sunday
The two most pervasive bible verses used to support the argument to go to church on Sunday is that of Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2. Each verse present their own specific problem. The first verse, that of Acts of the Apostles 20:7, speaks of a meeting between early believers led by Paul. Further reading, specifically near the end of the verse presents that Paul had been preaching since the previous Sabbath - as Yahweh counts days from sunset to sunset - and that this had just been an extension of the preaching that He was giving. The second reading, that of 1 Corinthians 16:2 seems to be more complex, but can be simply understood by understanding who Paul is speaking to. He is talking to the people who follow the law and the Sabbath, knowing well that they cannot buy, sell or use money during Yahweh’s sacred period (Nehemiah 10:31), therefore the next best day would be on the first day of the week, Sunday.
Christians chose to worship Sunday
The idea that Christians chose to worship on Sunday and that trumps Yahweh’s holy day is blasphemous in nature. It presents the idea that we are above God in any way. However, He asks His creation to “Remember the Sabbath and to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8 - 10) as it is “a sign between us so they would know that I the LORD made them holy” (Ezekiel 20:12). The question that arises with this argument is the following: who is the sovereign in your life, you or Yahweh? The answer to that is the source of your salvation and will determine your eternity.
In the end, there is no bible verse that discards the idea of Sabbath. The only thing that discarded Sabbath was us humans, when we forgot the love that the Lord gave us to rest. Sunday service is something that was created by man to celebrate something that was unfounded. The Bible is clear in its instructions on how to praise the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We should know that praising Him is at His appointed times and how He wants us to do it, so that we may see the true glory that He has planned for us all.