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Saturdays and Sundays: Sabbath or Sanctified?
Not sure if it’s the debater in me or the theologian. But has anyone else noticed the way so many Christian folks casually refer to Sabbath days and Sundays? Let me give you an example. Several years ago I was presiding over a worship service at a small country church. The usher dujour was called upon to pray before the offering was collected. And in his prayer he said, in effect, “Lord, we thank You for this beautiful Sabbath day.” There’s just one problem here. Sunday is not the Sabbath day. Never has been. Never will be. Saturday is the Sabbath. Look it up. Seventh day is Sabbath. Saturday is the seventh day. Crisis averted? I wish!
Some argue that Sunday is the “Christian Sabbath”….whatever that means. In my estimation, this is even more in error. If Sunday is not the Sabbath, then what is it? Glad you asked! Sunday is The Lord’s Day. A very subtle (and biblical) transition takes place in the first century and followers of The Way begin gathering on the first day of the week….Sunday….The Lord’s Day.
Another aspect of this discussion that really grinds my gears is the great misunderstanding of the purpose for which the Sabbath and The Lord’s Day are designed. Sabbath is for rest. The Lord’s Day is, well, for The Lord! It’s a day of worship, celebration, renewal, and excitement. Those things are rarely associated with rest! Just today a godly gentleman in our congregation shared with my how his heart is broken over the lost condition of his neighbor. When my friend attempts to reach out to his neighbor and invite him to church, the response is that “Sunday is my only day to rest”. Two problems with that answer: Sunday is NOT your day, and The Lord’s Day is NOT for rest.
If you’re tired and need rest, tell you boss that you’re going to be taking a day or two off for getting caught up with things at home and taking it easy. You say he wouldn’t understand? Then what makes you think that God receives this type of response in the affirmative?
Saturday is the Sabbath day, the day for rest. Sunday is The Lord’s Day, the day for worship. Worship is active not restful!
How is your weekend shaping up?
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Tony Foeller is the Senior Pastor of Anna First Baptist Church in Anna, Illinois. He has served churches in Dadeville, MO, Marion, IL, Greenville, IL, and Parma, Ohio. He’s married to Cheryl and has three kids in the youth group...that explains the gray hair! His hobbies include golf, fishing, hunting, and writing. He can be reached through his personal blog or the church’s web site. http://www.annafirst.com | pastortony.wordpress.com
This post has been viewed 563 times and was added on December 20, 2006 by Tony Foeller. Filed under: Leadership Issues Family Balance for the Church Leader Share this post with a friend right now! View reactions to this post at other blogs... You can really help us out by subscribing to our free RSS feed with your favorite feed reader, or here at Bloglines. Also, you can add us to your favorites at Technorati.
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Posted by Jeremy Bachmann
Tuesday, December 26, 2006 at 12:44 AM
Post Your Comments:Pastor Tony,
As you noted, the seventh day is the Sabbath. On the seventh day God “rested and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:17). But, he didn’t rest because he needed it (Isaiah 40:28). He’s God! He did it to set an example for human beings to follow (Exodus 20:11). God not only made the Sabbath on that day, but he blessed it. All this occurred before the institution of the Ten Commandments. I think the “rest” language refers more to a cessation of worldly activity than a recovery from fatigue. Christ set our example by healing, preaching, praying, and picking grain on the Sabbath.
I’m not so sure about the justification for a “subtle and biblical” transition to Sunday in the first century. I don’t know of any evidence of Christian weekly Sunday worship before the second century. The evidence does indicate that by the middle of the second century some Christians were voluntarily observing Sunday as a day of worship (see Justin Martyr). If you know of something, please show me.
The Lord’s Day is mentioned only once in scripture--in Revelation 1:10 when John “was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day.” In the Bible, however, the only day referred to as the Lord’s special possession is the Sabbath (Exodus 20:10, Isaiah 58:13, Mark 2:28). Also, there’s no Biblical precedent to indicate God would apply that term to the first day of the week, or Sunday. The Lord’s Day may be the Sabbath in this example. Nowhere does the Bible command us to observe any weekly day other than the Sabbath. It doesn’t declare any other day of the week blessed or holy.
Dedicating your Sunday to worshiping the Lord is an awesome and wonderful use for it. And, certainly, we have centuries of tradition behind Sunday worship. Still, I think there is a Sabbath on the seventh day of the week, it is for the Lord, and it, too, is a Biblical day of worship, celebration, renewal and excitement.
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