There is a general misunderstanding that the Sabbath was changed from Saturday to Sunday, or from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week. Many folk regard Sunday as the Christian Sabbath. Some believe that the New Testament requires people to do on Sunday what the Old Testament required people to do on the Sabbath. You may be surprised to learn that this is not so.

No Change to the Sabbath.

The Sabbath or seventh day was the day that God rested from his work of creation (Gen 2:2-3). On the first day, in contrast, God began his work of creation. That was the day he made light, and made night and day (Gen 1:3-5). God did not rest on the first day of the week, so he would have no reason to change the Sabbath day of rest to the first day of the week.

The New Testament never regards the first day of the week as the Sabbath. We read, for examp[le, "when the Sabbath was over... very early on the first day of the week..." (Mrk 16:1-2). Here are two distinct days recognised, one as having ended, and another as having begun.

It is similarly clear in all other New Testament passages mentioning the Sabbath or the first day of the week, that the first day of the week is not regarded as the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the same day as ever, the seventh day, and the first day is the day following the Sabbath day.

Popish Presumption

Occasionally we hear comments to the effect that the actual day of the week that we observe as holy does not matter, so long as we observe one day in seven. However "God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it." Who dares declare another day for sabbath keeping? It may be that no less a personage than a pope of Rome presumed to do so. We listen to God not popes.

No Christian Holy days

There is no commandment given by Christ that Christians should keep the Sabbath. Nor is there any command that the first day of the week should be kept holy as a day of rest. Many people assume such commands, but when asked to find them in the New Testament they cannot.

Certainly the first day of the week is the proper day for Christians to assemble in order to observe the Lord’s Supper and take up the weekly collection (Acts 20:7, 1Co 16:1-2). We would have that well understood. However that does not make Sunday a Sabbath rest, nor does it make the first day of the week a holy day.

Holy Convocations, and Holy Days

We should not confuse a holy convocation (worship assembly) with a holy day. The distinction is made very clear in the instructions God gave about the festival of unleavened bread (Lev 23:1-8). Both the Sabbath and the first day were "holy convocations" that is to say they were days appointed for worship assemblies. However, only the seventh day was a holy day of rest. In the same way, although we Christians have a holy convocation on the first day of the week, this does not make that day a holy day of rest.

The Lord’s Day

There is a link, to be sure, between the expressions "the Lord’s supper" and "the Lord’s day" (Rev 1:10). The Greek word for "Lord’s" is (kuriakos). This word is unique to these two expressions in scripture (1Co 11:20, Rev 1:10). Nothing else is described as .

This strikes me very strongly as a connection between the day and the supper. Apparently it strikes others so too, because on the strength of it many call the first day of the week "The Lord’s Day". However this is hardly enough to support an observance of the first day as a holy day. It merely helps to support our associating a particular day with the Lord’s Supper, rather than observing the Lord’s Supper on any day we please.

No Holy Days in Pure Christianity

When we meet to remember Christ who died on the cross, we understand that he nailed to that cross all requirements to observe holy days (Col 2:14-17). It would seem inconsistent of Christ to abolish holy days by his cross, and then ordain one by his resurrection.

The observance of holy days is rather looked down upon by Paul. He approves of a person who does not "regard one day above another" and who "regards every day alike" (Rom 14:5-6). Paul would hardly approve of that attitude if Sunday was ordained by God to be observed as a holy day. Holy days, like laws about foods, are a nuisance to those who wish to practice pure Christianity, the original religion and faith that Christ instituted. On one hand, we try not to offend people who have a lot of unnecessary religious baggage and regard one day as more holy than another. On the other hand we try not to offend Christ by adding stuff to the religion he gave us.

The Day of Christ’s Resurrection

Christ arose on the first day of the week. But he did not die on that day, he was not buried on that day, and he did not ascend into heaven on that day. Why should the day on which he arose be more special than the day on which he died, or was buried, or was taken up into heaven? Each of these things is as important as the other, so the day on which one of them occurred is no more important than the other days.

The Christian Sabbath

You should not take the above to mean that there is no Christian Sabbath. I am merely saying that Christians do not observe the seventh day or the first day as a holy Sabbath. There is a Christian Sabbath of which the Old Testament Sabbath is a type or symbol. This Sabbath rest is eternal life in heaven. The Hebrew writer teaches this in chapter 4 of his letter. He shows that God’s rest and the Christian’s sabbath is a future day, and in the days of our lives on this earth we must "labor to enter into that rest". This means that if we observe the seventh day of the week as our Sabbath, or transfer the nature of that Sabbath to the first day of the week, we have gone back to mere shadows and symbols and have erred (Col 2:16-17).

More about the Christian Sabbath

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