There is disagreement in the world today as to which day Christians are to assemble to worship God. Some hold
to the old Jewish Sabbath, while others contend that it should be upon the first day of the week. The only way to
settle the matter is to go to the Bible and let it supply the answer.
When was the Sabbath First Given? A proper understanding of this will help us to determine which day is
applicable today. Exodus 16:23, "And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord bath said, To morrow is the rest
of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which
remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning." Neh. 9:13-14, "Thou earnest down also upon mount
Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgements, and true laws, good statutes and
commandments: And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedest them precepts, statutes, and
laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant..." From the above it is evident that God gave the sabbath to these people
when He gave Moses the Law. The contention that the sabbath is from the beginning is false and cannot be proven.
But let us notice also:
To Whom Was the Sabbath Given? Again we go to the Bible, this time Deut. 5:2-3, "The Lord our God made a
covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us
here alive this day." This passage tells us exactly with whom the covenant was made. God did not make it with their
fathers, but with them and them alone. Notice also Ex. 31: 16 17, "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the
sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. 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." These passages definitely prove that the sabbath was given by God to the children of Israel or
the Jewish people. The Gentiles never observed it. There is no record that Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob ever kept the
sabbath, the reason being that they all lived before the giving of the law. Next let us notice that the:
Nature of the Institution Necessarily Limits it to the Jews and Their Land.
1. No work was to be done. Ex. 20: 10, "But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt
not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy
stranger that is within thy gates..:"
2. They were to abide in their places. Ex. 16:29, "See, for that the Lord bath given you the sabbath, therefore he
giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on
the seventh day."
3. They could not kindle a fire. Ex. 35 :3, "Ye shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath
day."
4. The penalty for violation was death. Ex. 31:14-15, "Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you:
every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off
from among his people."
From the above, the following observations can be made. Since God nowhere has restrained other people from
working on the seventh day, it logically follows that the institution applied to the Jews only. The same is true with the
statute to abide in their houses. Moreover, the climate of their land was such that they could go without building a
fire. But this would not be true in colder climates. Therefore the institution must have been limited to the Jews and
their land.
The Law of the Sabbath Done Away In Christ. Col. 2:14, "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..."The law, then, was nailed to
the cross. It passed away and was superseded by another law, the law of Christ. What about this new law? Is the law
of the sabbath included in it? Are we still obligated law of Christ. What about this new law? Is the law of the sabbath
included in it? Are we still obligated to keep it as some claim we are? Did it continue right on over even though there
was a change in covenants? Well, let us go to verse 16 and see, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in
drink:, or in respect of any holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days."
According to this, no man bas the right to bind sabbath keeping on me or you. Because the law which the sabbath
belonged to passed away, the sabbath did also. It is no longer in existence as a holy day. If the sabbath is no longer
binding, then what day is? In order to answer that question, we must go to the New Testament and find out. In doing
so, let us notice the following facts:
1. The resurrection of Christ was on the first day of the week. Luke 24: 1-3, "Now upon the first day of the
week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices.which they had prepared, and
certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found
not the body of the Lord Jesus."
2. Christ met with his disciples on the first day of the week. 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."
3. The Holy Spirit came to remain on Earth on the first day of the week. Acts 2: 1-4, "And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from
heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and
began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance." This all happened on the day of Pentecost.
And Pentecost always fell on the first day of the week. For proof of this let us read from Lev. 23: 15, "And ye shall
count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave offering;
seven sabbaths shall be complete: Even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and
ye shall offer a new meat offering unto the Lord" This quotation includes verse 16 also, in order to show that
Pentecost (which means fiftieth) always fell on the day following the seventh sabbath. Of course, since the sabbath
was on the seventh day, then Pentecost always fell on the first day of the week.
4. The church of Christ was established upon the first day of the week. Bearing in mind what we learned
about Pentecost, let us now notice Acts 2:47. "Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord
added to the church daily such as should be saved." Since Pentecost fell on the first day of the week, it then
logically follows that the Church was established on the same day.
Next, we need to locate the day upon which New Testament Christians are commanded to assemble. First of all
we go to Heb. 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting
one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." In this passage we have the command to
assemble, but the day is not specified. Let us now see if we can locate the day. 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 mid night." Thus the Holy Spirit specifies the day upon which the early
disciples met to observe the Lord's Supper. As added proof that they customarily met on this day, let us notice 1
Cor. 16:1-2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so
do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God bath prospered him, that there
be no gatherings when I come."
In Rev. 1:10 we read the following: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of
a trumpet..." Adding all the information up that we have gleaned from the New Testament, we can safely conclude
that upon the first day of the week, or the Lord's day, the disciples assembled to break bread. It was on this day that
they worshipped the Lord in spirit and truth. Not upon the sabbath. Since the sabbath was given to the Jews only, as
a part of the law of Moses, and since that law has been done away in Christ, it follows that we are no longer bound
by it. My friend, if you are not Jewish, you never did have a right to keep the sabbath. But even if you are a Jew, you
have no right to observe it today, because the law to which it belonged no longer exists.
