The law given to Moses was part of the old creation, we are of the new creation in Christ Jesus. We keep the first day, a day of new beginnings, restoration, redemption, liberation...
John 20:19
Acts 20:7
1 Corinthians 16:2
Revelation 1:10 the only mention of "the Lord's day" written by John. The adjective kyriake ("Lord's") often elided its noun, as in the neuter kyriakon for "Lord's [assembly]", the predecessor of the word “congregation or ekkelsia); the noun was to be supplied by context.’’
The Epistle of Barnabas (around 100 A.D. all the disciples of the Apostles still alive), the writer most likely being a Jewish believer in Messiah around 100 A.D., we see reflected an early tradition of the followers of “the Way” which says, “we also worship on the first day, which is the eighth day“! The Jewish believers observed both. In 15:6-8 he says, “We keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead"
The Didache 14:1 (also around 100 A.D.) says “14:1 And on the Lord's own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks, first confessing your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.” Which the Bible shows was the 1st day (the day they gathered to break bread)
Ignatius of Turkey (110 A.D. a disciple of John who wrote Revelation, and successor of Peter in Antioch, sat under his teaching 2 years) "If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death-whom some deny, by which mystery we have obtained faith, and therefore endure, that we may be found the disciples of Jesus Christ” and also “And after the observance of the Sabbath, let every friend of Christ keep the Lord's Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the days…(Epistle to the Magnesians chpt. 9)
In his letter to the Trajians here is what he was taught by John and Peter “ During the Sabbath He continued under the earth in the tomb in which Joseph of Arimathaea had laid Him. At the dawning of the Lord's day He arose from the dead”
Justin Martyr, First Apology, chpt. 67, (around 130 A.D. only 30 years after John’s death though Justin was disciple of the Palestinian Bishops after James) writes regarding our gathering together that it was on “the first day after the Sabbath, remaining first of all days, called however the eighth, according to the number of all the days of the cycle, and remaining the first“.
“through Him who rose from the dead on the first day after the Sabbath, our Lord Jesus Christ… For the first day after the Sabbath, remaining the first of all the days, is called, however, the eighth, according to the number of all the days of the cycle, and [yet] remains the first". (Justin, Dialogue 41:4)
“ ...those who have persecuted and do persecute Christ, if they do not repent, shall not inherit anything on the holy mountain. But the Gentiles, who have believed on Him, and have repented of the sins which they have committed, they shall receive the inheritance along with the patriarchs and the prophets, and the just men who are descended from Jacob, even although they neither keep the Sabbath, nor are circumcised, nor observe the feasts. Assuredly they shall receive the holy inheritance of God.” (Dialogue With Trypho the Jew, 150-165 AD, Ante-Nicene Fathers , vol. 1, page 207)
Clement of Alexandria (170 A.D. in Egypt) says, “He does the commandment according to the Gospel and keeps the Lord's day, whenever he puts away an evil mind . . . glorifying the Lord's resurrection in himself. “
Bardesanes of Syria (his apologetic on “On Fate” 180 A.D.) says “Wherever we are, we are all called after the one name of Christ Christians. On one day, the first of the week, we assemble ourselves together .”
Cyprian (Carthage North Africa around 230 A.D.) Epistle 58, sec. IV tells us “The eighth day, that is, the first day after the Sabbath, and the Lord's Day.”
Athanasius (325 A.D. of Greece) "The Sabbath was the end of the first creation, the Lord's day was the beginning of the second, in which he renewed and restored the old in the same way as he prescribed that they should formerly observe the Sabbath as a memorial of the end of the first things, so we honor the Lord's day as being the memorial of the new creation" (On Sabbath and Circumcision 3).
So those of the churches founded by Apostles, and long before any popes, no matter where they founded them and appointed their Apostolically instructed leaders, they all were instructed (by the Apostles or their chosen students) this same consistent doctrine. The Lord's day is the day Christ rose from the dead and that is the day upon which we gather to sing psalms, break bread, and read from the writings for as long as daylight permitted.
In His love
brother Paul
Brother Paul,
This post of yours (see above) was addressing my challenge concerning the Sunday Sacredness sometimes referred to as the "Lords Day." I simply inquired where in the bible did God institute the Sunday Sacredness in place of the 7th day Sabbath, and you provided the following verses: John 20:19, Acts 20:7, 1 cor 16:2 and alluded to Rev 1:10. The implication, of course, is that they (the apostles and Christian laity) gathered for worship on the first day of the week in these verses;therefore intimating that there was a sacred day (Sunday) in scripture to worship that celebrates the resurrection. You also provided quotes from the "church fathers" beginning in the second century as additional evidence of this point.
Before I address the matter, I will first state plainly, from a personal perspective, that it will take more then these verses for me to change from a thus saith the Lord (something stated explicitly as noted in Exo 20:8-11) and accept the implicit idea that God change his Holy day to Sunday. Not knocking anyone that does, but for me I need something more concrete. I do not think God can fault me for that being that He holds His word is the highest regard.
With that said I want to continue to state my position in Christian love and do not wish to step on anyone's toes.
John 20:19
Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
If the intimation is that them meeting together is evidence of worship, let us notice why they are meeting together. We know this is right after Jesus was killed. It says, the first day of the week,
they (the apostles) assembled for "fear of the Jews." They were so afraid even that they locked the doors . Clearly they were not meeting for worship.
Now if the implication is that Jesus visited them in the upper room on the 1s day, hence expressing divine approval, well scripture actually tells us he visited them many days for several weeks (Acts 1:3) before ascending to heaven in (Acts 1:2).
Acts 20:7:
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.
Few points here. Paul was preaching ready to depart
on the morrow and he continued his
speech until midnight. The facts are that he was preaching at midnight and on the morrow he was to depart. It is important to note that this was done according to God's time found in Gen 1:5 where the day begins at evening and according to Jewish custom. Therefor,
the 1st day spoken here is not Sunday but in fact Saturday night! In fact, some bible versions like the
Good News Bible translate it like this, "On
Saturday[a] evening we gathered together for the
fellowship meal. Paul spoke to the people and kept on speaking until midnight, since he was going to leave the next day. "
The final point on this verse is that Paul would pick up and leave on the next day (Sunday!). So not only did they fellowship Saturday night, he was traveling on Sunday! Quite the opposite of what you would expect if Sunday was sacred.
1 cor 16:2:
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.
The idea intimated here I suppose is that there worshiping together or having church, on Sunday and collecting money. Well we already know that they were gathering something for the Saints. That is there was a famine (Acts 11:27-29) and Paul was requesting that they lay something up in storage for the Saints effected by the famine ( cor 16:1, Acts 11:30). On the onset, it is probably safe to assume they were laying up food, not money, for the brethren.
The other point is that this
may not have been in a corporate setting at all but individually, in their homes. The
NASB translates it like this "On the first day of every week
each one of you is to [a]put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come." The
Weymouth version says " On the first day of every week let each of you put on one side and
store up at his home..."
We now come to Rev 1:10. Rev 1:10 in itself makes no intimation as to what the Lords day is. For that I think we can just see what the Lord Himself says the "Lords day" is: Mark 2:28 "Therefore the Son of man is
Lord also of the sabbath” Pretty clear to me that the Lord's day can only be the Sabbath day.
In regards to the proponents of Sunday Sacredness during the first, second, and third centuries, I can only say that we cannot put that over the word of God. Why? "Cursed is the man who makes flesh His arm" Jer 17:5. Second, we know from scripture there is to be a fallen away, and that there were antichrist, even in apostolic days. (1 John 2:18).
This is a lot of light so all I can say is be careful! Christians who advocated Sunday worship who are convicted of the Biblical evidence just provided do either one of two things at this point. They either resist and say
any day is OK and therefore I will just keep worshiping on Sunday. Or they simply choose to worship on the biblical Sabbath simply because God said it. But if you reject conviction, just remember that the heart gets that much harder against the truth.
The only unpardonable sin is blaspheming the Spirit of Truth (Holy Spirit). Jesus says
"Walk in the light while you have it, lest the darkness comes upon you." And in another place Paul rights, "For this cause ,
God shall send them strong delusion that they shall believe a lie"
However, if you are not convicted, so be it. I only put that out there for your own safety. This is not just any discussion, we are talking about Gods word. I always take it serious.
God Bless you,
MoG!
