ppl who worship God on Sunday(Jehovahs/Sunday worshipers/Catholics, whoever else), have a q. 4 u?

Question

why do u worship on Sundays'? even the calendar says the 7th day is Saturday. dont all of your religions call for the 7th day? im SDA (seventh day adventist) & i know why we do, but i dont understand why u dont.what reason does your religion have. my mom is sunday worshiper to, but she dont know iether, & this has bin bugging me for awhile.(i was raised SDA by my dad who changed from Sunday when he grew up.not sure why)

Answer 1

The reason that the Old Covenant called for a Sabbath day was to remind the Israelites of how God rested after establishing Creation, and how they themselves are called to a similar rest (i.e., Heaven). Well, Christians celebrate a Sunday Sabbath (e.g. Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2, etc.) because that was the day on which Christ completed the New Creation by rising from the dead, and thus rising to a New Covenant in which we share. For the work of the Old Covenant was concluded on a Friday (the day He died --under the Law). And then He rose again to a new and eternal "rest". This is why our Sabbath in Christ is on a Sunday and not on Saturday with the Jews. We have inherited a New Covenant. We are no longer under the Law.

We do not find one command in the New Testament to keep the Sabbath of the Old Testament. And not one threat for anyone working on that day. Paul mentions the Sabbath once in fourteen Epistles, then shows that is was abolished and nailed to the cross (Col 2:14-17). We do find in Matt 24:20 which seems equivalent to a command, it states: “And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.” Jesus is speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem, and safety of Christians in fleeing out of a doomed city. That their flight may not be in winter because of the bad roads, therefore their escape would be difficult. Not on the Sabbath because the gates of Jerusalem were closed and locked on that day, hence escape would be impossible. The Lord was simply providing for the safety of the Christians that were still living among the Jews in Jerusalem. The Jews would have kept the Sabbath and locked the gate doors. This does not prove that the Christians should follow the Sabbath law.

Many use the example that Jesus kept the Sabbath. But Jesus was also born under the law. He was also circumcised. Should we be circumcised as well? Our Lord commanded his disciples to do all that the scribes taught as well (Matt 23:2-3). Are these obligatory upon us now? Adventist themselves admit they are not. While Jesus lived as a Jew under the Jewish law, He kept that law – circumcision, Passover, Sabbath, and all. But it ended at the cross (Col 2:14). But the women kept the Sabbath “according to the commandment” (Luke 23:56). The women rested while Jesus was in the grave dead. He had not risen yet.

Every mention of the Sabbath in the Book of Acts is in connection with Jewish worship. The jews kept their Sabbath, and assembled on that day. Paul, as his custom was, availed himself of this opportunity to preach the gospel to them, and so reasoned with them on the Sabbath days.

I must stress though that Jesus was not opposed to the honoring of the Sabbath, but He was opposed to a way of life in which strictness of observances conflicted with other and greater values. To Jesus, people were more important than rules. The observance of the Sabbath day remaining in those Christian groups that still live under Jewish legalism have the freedom to do so as long as it is not done in the sense of fulfilling the law. Saint Paul teaches that justification arising from legalism shows that they have fallen from grace.

Some religious organizations claim that Christians must not worship on Sunday but on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. They claim that, at some unnamed time after the apostolic age, the Church ‘changed’ the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday. However, passages of Scripture such as:

- “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.” (Acts 20:7)

- “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.” (1 Cor 16:2)

- “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Col 2:16-17)

and
- “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet” (Rev 1:10)


The second example shows that collections were made on Sunday but not necessarily broke bread on that day. As you can see from these examples, only one concretely shows that there was breaking of bread on the first day of the week (Sunday). From these examples we find that Christians from early on called their day of worship the Lord’s Day which was celebrated on the first day of the week. St-John mentions that he was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day in passing as if this expression is not uncommon. We can therefore see that calling the day of worship the Lord’s Day to be a common expression, but which day is the Lord’s Day? Is it the Sabbath day (Saturday) or Sunday? Even if we find it expressly mentioned in Acts 20:7 we can find other examples in the early writings of the Church such as

1) The Didache which was written in AD 70 and states: “But every Lord’s day…gather yourselves together and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions…”

2) Letter of Barnabas written in AD 74: “We keep the eighth day[Sunday] with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead”

The Lord’s Day is Sunday, the day of the resurrection.

3) Ignatius wrote (c. 100 AD):
“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 His death”.


So, the Christian tradition of worshipping on Sunday instead of Saturday is found both in Scripture and contemporary writings.

God Bless
Robin

Answer 2

Isaiah 1:13 - God begins to reveal His displeasure with the Sabbath.

Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2,9; John 20:1,19- the Gospel writers purposely reveal Jesus' resurrection and appearances were on Sunday. This is because Sunday had now become the most important day in the life of the Church.

Acts 20:7 - this text shows the apostolic tradition of gathering together to celebrate the Eucharist on Sunday, the "first day of the week." Luke documents the principle worship was on Sunday because this was one of the departures from the Jewish form of worship.

1 Cor. 16:2 - Paul instructs the Corinthians to make contributions to the churches "on the first day of the week," which is Sunday. This is because the primary day of Christian worship is Sunday.

Col. 2:16-17 - Paul teaches that the Sabbath was only a shadow of what was fulfilled in Christ, and says "let no one pass judgment any more over a Sabbath."

2 Thess. 2:15 - we are to hold fast to apostolic tradition, whether it is oral or written. The 2,000 year-old tradition of the Church is that the apostles changed the Sabbath day of worship from Saturday to Sunday.

Heb. 4:8-9 - regarding the day of rest, if Joshua had given rest, God would not later speak of "another day," which is Sunday, the new Sabbath. Sunday is the first day of the week and the first day of the new creation brought about by our Lord's resurrection, which was on Sunday.

Heb. 7:12 - when there is a change in the priesthood, there is a change in the law as well. Because we have a new Priest and a new sacrifice, we also have a new day of worship, which is Sunday.

Rev 1:10 - John specifically points out that he witnesses the heavenly Eucharistic liturgy on Sunday, the Lord's day, the new day of rest in Christ.

Matt. 16:19; 18:18 - whatever the Church binds on earth is bound in heaven. Since the resurrection, Mass has been principally celebrated on Sunday.

Answer 3

Christians don't observe the Sabbath the way it was commanded under Mosaic Law, because we are not bound by the law of the Hebrews. The same goes for any of the other "holy days" that Israel was commanded to keep.

We are Gentiles under the covenant of Grace. The NT is emphatic that salvation could never come about thru the Mosaic Law (Acts 13: 39; Rom. 3: 20; Gal. 3: 24; 5:4)

The important thing is that we set aside time to worship God--no matter what day we do it on. We also gather for the purposes of edification.

Some churches do have Sat. night services and many Catholic churches have Sat. night mass, but it really doesn't matter either way, because it is not the observance of certain days that leads to salvation and it is not the Gospel that Christ preached.

Answer 4

I am LDS (Mormon) and here in America we attend church on Sundays. In other parts of the world church is on Fridays, like in the UAE (United Arab Emirates) along with the moslem religions. I presume their are some places it is held on Saturday also, Possibly in strong Jewish areas, but I don't know for sure.
Some thoughts on this:

Is our existing calender correct? has leap year day always been inserted through the centuries? If not this alone could account for 1 inaccurate day every four years during the time it was not followed correctly, thus moving the true sabbath every 4 years.

I see the commandment as to set aside one day in seven to worship and call a sabbath. It really doesn't matter the day, as we really don't know what day God originally called the seventh, and mans calendars and other records have not been entirely correct.

I say follow the spirit or intent of the law, and don't fret so much on the details we really have no way of knowing about for sure. God will judge us on the intent of our heart, as well as how we keep the commandments as we understand them.

This dose not even address the time zone questions, for instance here in America right now it is Thursday, in Russia right now it is Friday. At what location in the world is the time set for the exact day to call the Sabbath? If it is Saturday in Israel, do we need to worship in America on Friday to be the correct day for us? Or if it is Saturday in America dose Russia need to worship on Sunday to match the correct day?

Answer 5

Personally I think it is more correct to worship God 7 days a week. The Sabbath is never said to be a day of worship but instead a day of rest. Come Friday night I am exhausted and need a day of rest. I am ready to go again by Saturday night so the stresses of the Lord's day aren't that over whelming. So keep the Sabbath but keep it as a day of rest as it was intended not a day of worship. Then meet with God's people, worship Him, enjoy the goodness that is our God. And do it everyday not just on the Lord's day... Jim

Answer 6

Excellent idea to question. We should always be in search of the truth. The Sabbath day of rest is the law under the Old Covenant. Under the New Covenant that Jesus brought, we gather together on the first day of the week. Actually, this is more in tune with the concept of giving God the first of everything. To my knowledge, there is no indication that the New Testament church worshiped on the seventh day.

Answer 7

For Christians the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the first day of the week (Sunday) replaces the Sabbath as the day of ceremonial observance of the Commandment to keep the Lord's Day holy.

Here is the link: http://www.nccbuscc.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt1art3.htm

The Catholic Church follows the teaching and practice of the Apostles. In the 20th chapter of the Act of the Apostles, the church in Troas gathered on the first day of the week, Sunday.

The first Christians were Jews. They went to temple or synagogue on the Sabbath (Saturday) with fellow Jews.

Then they gathered on the first day of the week, the day on which Jesus rose from the dead (Sunday), with fellow Christians to tell stories of Jesus and share Eucharist. See Acts 20:7.

Later Gentiles joined Christianity. The Apostles, filled with the Holy Spirit, decided that the Gentiles did not have to covert to Judaism. Therefore, they only attended on Sundays and did not have to abide by Jewish dietary laws.

This biblical practice inspired by the Holy Spirit has been followed ever since.

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that worship should be particular to a certain day of the week. Jehovah's Witnesses readily acknowledge that the weekly Jewish sabbath corresponds to Saturday, but also understand the bible to teach that Christians need not observe the sabbath.

(Colossians 2:16-17) Let no man judge you in eating and drinking [that is, adhering to the Jewish kosher laws] or in respect of a festival ...or of a sabbath


When Jehovah's Witnesses schedule their public talk on Sundays, they do so as a matter of convenience to the congregation and interested persons.

Learn more:
http://jw-media.org/people/worship.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/index.htm?article=article_07.htm

Answer 9

The sabbath was given to the Israelites to commemorate their deliverance and to act as a sign of their covenant relationship with God. (Ex. 31:16, 17) That cannot be said of Christians.

Christians are not under the law covenant, because Christ fulfilled that law when he died upon the torture stake. “For Christ is the end of the Law.” (Rom. 10:4)

Answer 10

Christ rose from the dead on Sunday. The early Christians (who were also Jews) called Sunday the "Lord's Day" and met on that day to celebrate the Lord's Supper.