Is there scripture that says Christians worshiped and met on Sunday?
I find it interesting that the verses that you have quoted on the Sabbath issue do not necessarily talk about Sabbath or Sunday worship directly, it feels like you trying to convince me because they are open to 'interpretation' if you know what i mean. I would have loved verses that directly talk about Sabbath or Sunday worship not verses that generalize this issue or make the issue subjective. . . . I believe and I am convinced that the devil is behind this lack of clarity on this subject. This is because i strongly believe in this issue lies a truth that the devil is trying to hide from God's people. I am not sure what and why but I am determined to find the truth for myself by researching and reading the bible and asking God alone to reveal to me what lies beyond. The devil manipulates the truth to mislead people and i think he has done a good job to cause confusion on this topic. This ongoing debate tells me that worshiping God in the way he said he wants to be worshiped is probably one of devil's greatest threats as it gives more power and triumph to God and not him. I would also like to encourage you to continue searching for the truth incase you have been mislead, I know you are learned but maybe, just maybe, there is still something you can discover. What is message of Exodus 31 concerning the Sabbath?
Answer: The key is verse 31. Speaking of the Sabbath God said, "It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." (Exodus 31:17) The Sabbath was given to Israel alone as a special sign of them being God's chosen nation. It was not given to Christians in this dispensation as that would negate its special significance as being a sign between God and Israel. Prior to Exodus 16:23 there is no mention of anyone keeping a Sabbath day. Christians observe the principle of one day of rest and worship and worship God on Sunday the day the Lord was resurrected. Israel rejected the Savior and His resurrection. The early Christians came together on Sunday to mark the day as a day to honor the Lord, worship Him and rest, because it was the day of His resurrection. (See Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2)
Answer: (*) God first gave the Sabbath as a duty to man in the book of Exodus and that was to the Nation of Israel exclusively. It is true that the Sabbath originated at the completion of the creation (Gen. 2:1-3), but that was God's rest, not man's. There is no record in Genesis that God gave the Sabbath to mankind, and there is no record of men keeping the Sabbath before Israel in the wilderness. Nehemiah 9:13,14 plainly states that the Sabbath was first given to Israel. Seventh-day Adventists, Seventh Day Baptists and others teach that men kept the Sabbath from the days of Adam onward, but this is contrary to the Bible's own record.
Exodus 31:12-18 says the Sabbath was a special sign between God and Israel. If mankind in general had been given the Sabbath following creation, it could not have been a special sign for Israel. The fact is that the Sabbath belongs to the nation of Israel and not to any other people. It is also important to note that the Sabbath will be an eternal possession of Israel (Exod. 31:16). This sign will never be annulled or transferred to another people. This explains why the prophets foretell that Israel will keep the Sabbath even after the kingdom of Christ is established on earth (Isa. 66:23). It also explains why Jesus Christ mentioned the Sabbath in His prophecies of the Tribulation (Matt. 24:20). Israelites in the land of Palestine still keep the Sabbath today.
In their writings to the churches, the Apostles only mentioned the Sabbath three times.
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(1) The Sabbath is a symbol of salvation rest in Christ. "For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." (Hebrews 4:3-9)
*(2) The N.T. believer is not bound to keep the Sabbath or the ordnances given to Israel. (Col. 2:13-17). "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:13-17).
(3) The N.T. believer has liberty in the matter of holy days (Rom. 14:1-23). Those who teach that the Sabbath is binding upon the Christian, are going contrary to what the Apostles taught. In Romans 14 Paul is clearly addressing and correcting the false view that keeping of certain days and practices and judging others by them. The biblical principle is that there are weaker believers who lend towards having thinking certain legalist ideas. H instructs believers to not judge the weaker brothers nor put stumbling blocks in the way of others by legalist practices and a judgmental spirit.*
*(4) Nine of the Ten Commandments are repeated in the New Testament with the exception of the fourth which is to keep the Sabbath Day.
*(5) Jesus foretold of the day coming when men would worship the Lord is spirit. "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)
*(6) Believers today in this the Church Age are not under the "Old Covenant" but under the New Covenant God has given to us. (Heb. 8:13-13) "For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ." (John 1:17)
*(7) God speaks of the Sabbath rest as it applies to believers in Hebrews 4:1-5. Believers today have a day of rest and to honor the Lord on the day of His resurrection as practiced by the first century Christians we worship the Lord on Sunday. Further more true believers worship the Lord continually every day.
The first Christians were Jews and they continued to keep the law as Jesus did. But Gentiles were never compelled to keep the laws given to Israel. In the end of the 1st Century, most believers were saved Gentiles. They did not worship on Sunday and nowhere in the NT are Christians told to keep the Sabbath.
The first day of the week. Christians worship the Lord on this day because of the following Bible facts:
BIBLE EVIDENCE THAT EARLY CHRISTIANS WORSHIPPED ON SUNDAY THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK:
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1. On the first day Jesus rose from the dead (Mark 16:9).
2. On the first day Jesus first appeared to his disciples (Mark 16:9).
3. On the first day Jesus met with the disciples at different places and repeatedly (Mark 16:9-11; Matthew 28:8-10; Luke 24:34; Mark 16:12-13; John 20:19-23).
4. 4. On the first day Jesus blessed the disciples (John 20:19).
5. On the first day Jesus imparted to the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).
6. On the first day Jesus commissioned the disciples to preach the gospel to all the world (John 20:21; with Mark 16:9-15).
7. On the first day Jesus ascended to Heaven, was seated at the right hand of the Father and was made Head of all (John 20:17; Ephesians 1:20).
8. On the first day many of the dead saints arose from the grave (Matthew 27:52-53).
9. The first day became the day of joy and rejoicing to the disciples (John 20:20; Luke 24:41).
10. On the first day the gospel of the risen Christ was first preached (Luke 24:34).
11. On the first day Jesus explained the Scriptures to the disciples (Luke 24:27,45).
12. On the first day the purchase of our redemption was completed (Romans 4:25).
13. On the first day the Holy Spirit descended (Acts 2:1). Pentecost was on the 50th day after the Sabbath following the wave offering (Leviticus 23:15,16). Thus Pentecost was always on a Sunday. Therefore God instituted the "ekklesia" or local church on the first day of the week which is Sunday. This is indisputable evidence of God approving of Sunday as the day of worship for Christians.
14. The Christians met to worship on the first day (Acts 20:6,7; 1 Co. 16:2). Sunday is "the Lord's Day" (Re. 1:10) (D.M. Canright, Seventh-day Adventism Renounced).
Evidence from extra biblical sources:
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The Didache (c. A.D. 120) declares that “every Lord’s day” the Christians gather themselves together and “break bread” (ANF.VII.381).
The Epistle of Barnabas (c. A.D. 120), in discussing such things as incense, new moons, and sabbaths, says that the Lord “abolished these things” in deference to “the new law of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ANF.I.138). Later, it is affirmed: “Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead” (I.147).
Justin Martyr (A.D. 140) declared that “on the day called Sunday” the primitive Christians met for worship. He further stated that this was the day on which Christ was raised from the dead (I.186).
Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 194) spoke of the one who “keeps the Lord’s day” as “glorifying the Lord’s resurrection in himself” (ANF.II.545).
Tertullian (A.D. 200) argued that the “old law” had been consummated; thus the “observance of the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been temporary” (ANF.III.155). Elsewhere he says that “Sabbaths are strange” to Christians, and that they share together “the Lord’s day” (70).
Eusebius (A.D. 324), known as the “father of church history,” stated that sabbath-observance does not “belong to Christians.” On the other hand, he asserted that Christians “celebrate the Lord’s days . . . in commemoration of his resurrection” (26,113).
Noted historian Philip Schaff concludes: “The universal and uncontradicted Sunday observance in the second century can only be explained by the fact that it had its roots in the apostolic practice” (478-479).
*(Should Christians Keep the Sabbath, http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/read/should_christians_keep_the_sabbath )
(*)(Most of the above material is from David Cloud, "Way of Life Encyclopedia of Bible and Christianity", 2000 except where noted. I have added some additional material which is marked with a asterisk.)
Answer: You a correct that the devil is the source of the confusion. He is a liar and the father of lies. However, the lie is that Christians are to worship on the Sabbath. Please carefully read the following. The point the New Testament makes is that we are not under the law. It was the law given to Israel that God required Sabbath worship. The sixth commandment was a law and required of Israel. Until the Jews left Egypt and God made them a nation...they did not worship on the Sabbath. The law was given to Israel as a special sign between God and Israel as Exodus 31:17 states.
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"It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." (Exodus 31:17)
Repeatedly the NT Epistles states Christians are not under the law. Paul, a Jew keep the law, but preached that Gentiles were not under the law. When he returned to Jerusalem after his last missionary journey he was thrown in prison for three years by the Jews...because he taught Gentile were not under the law. If God says we are not under the law...the matter is settled.
God is not impressed by a person keeping a law. Paul said "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20) The law was a school master to teach spiritual truth to the Jews. It never justified them to go through the act of law keeping if they did it without faith. The law pointed the Jew to righteousness...but many Jews kept the law out of compulsion...not out of love and respect of God. To them it was only a ritual and not spiritual.
Christians do not have to have a law to tell them to worship God. Believers do so because of a love and reverence of God and desire to honor Him. A child does not have to have a law given by their parents requiring them to love, honor and respect them. If the child loves their parents they do not need a law to make them love their parents and a law cannot make a child love their parents. This is why God said the law as a school master. It taught Israel they should honor and revere God, but if it did not come from their heart it was worthless. Therefore keeping a law and a particular day is not important..but the condition of the heart is.
The early Christians of the 1st Century knew this, as did the Apostles, and they worshiped on Sunday. The Jews continued to keep the Sabbath...because it was given to them by God, but in a short time the churches became predominately Gentile and not being Jews the did not keep the Sabbath. They Sabbath was not given to Gentiles as a special sign...only to Israel. Nowhere in the Epistles, written to the churches, is there a mention or a command to keep the Sabbath. Clearly, if it was important and a requirement from God He would have inspired the writers to state it.
If Christians are to keep this law...why not all the law? Jesus' half brother James, wrote the first book of the New Testament to be written said, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10) If we are obligated to keep one law we are obligated to keep it all.
Christians as I stated keep Sunday to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the most important day the world has ever seen. What does the Sabbath commemorate? It was a sign to the Jew and the pagans that Israel's God was Jehovah. Is Sabbath keeping really relative to us today, more than the resurrection of Jesus Christ? That the Apostles and the early church worshiped on Sunday is a historical fact. If worshiping on Sabbath was required by God...why did they worship on Sunday? If Sunday worship was wrong...why did God not tell us it was wrong and tell us to worship on Saturday?
All false religions focus on keeping laws, ceremonies and rituals. As I stated earlier...those groups who teach Sabbath keeping all have doctrinal errors in their belief system. They are unsound doctrinally in many areas. They all try to justify themselves by doing some work, or ritual. They miss the truth that serving and living for the Lord is a spiritual matter willing done from the heart. God says we are to worship in "spirit and truth."(John 4:24) Christians since the 1st Century have known this and worshiped on Sunday. True believers have never keep rituals except the two ordnances God gave which is them, Lord's Supper and Baptism. Doing neither of them justifies anyone, and are not required for salvation.
Christians love the Lord and follow His word. They do what the Bereans did and ". . .in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." (Acts 17:11) Christians are not under the law of Moses and we worship the Lord on Sunday, Monday and every day of the week. The Jew could not do that ... God gave the Jews no liberty to worship anything but on Saturday. We meet together on Sunday to honor His resurrection and worship together..but we worship Him all the time. Hebrews 10:19-25 (please read) state clearly that Christians have a "new and living way" (v20). The instruction in this passage, was written to Christian Jews and instructed them to not forsake the assembling of themselves together. No mention of Sabbath keeping to these Christians. Christians are Gentile believers...we are not a nation, nor God's chosen people, but His adopted sons and daughters. Please...believe God and live in the privilege of the liberty we have in Christ.
Answer: The answer is yes!
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"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." (John 20:19)
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"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." (Acts 20:7)
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"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." (1 Corinthians 16:2)
Therefore it is untrue that the Roman Catholic church began Sunday worship. The Roman Catholic church did not exist until 300 years after time of Christ and the early church. Yet, since the beginning of the early churches, Christians were meeting together on Sunday the first day of the week.....and they have always....met on Sunday to mark the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
