Is Sunday sacredness in the Bible?

[Hobie]

The Bible is quite silent on Sunday sacredness, in fact its not there, so those who claim they follow 'Solo Scriptura' or the "Bible Only" Protestant Churches contradict themselves by observing it as a replacement for the Sabbath. Many say that the reason it is held as the day of worship is since Jesus rose on the first day, or because the Holy Spirit was given to the early church on the Day of Pentecost, or that Paul broke bread and ate on the first day at Troas, or had offering brought to him on the first day to take to those suffering in Jerusalem. But the scriptures, history and logic verify that none of the arguments are valid. Nowhere it the Bible does it declare Sunday sacredness, or is the day of worship changed by Christ or the Apostles.

Many Christians believe and teach that Sunday is the "Christian sabbath" or that a change was made by God to the Sunday observance, but scripture says nothing on this. Now lets look at how the belief was held by the Reformers as they knew Sunday sacredness was not scriptural.....

The Reformers held that Sunday observance was not juris divini (of divine law), but only quasi juris divini (of semidivine law); yet they did would not allow that the claim that it could be changed and appointed by the authority of the Roman Catholic church (Augsburg Confession of 1536, part 2, art. 7, "Of Ecclesiastical Power"). However the Protestant churches held to the idea of Sunday sacredness, and followed the Catholic practice of Sunday observance. This is not found in the Bible, and Christ confirmed that as Creator He made the Sabbath for man, and He kept the Sabbath:

Mark 2:27-28 King James Version (KJV)
"27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath:
28 Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath."

Christ observed the Sabbath and He set an example for us to follow:

Luke 4:16 King James Version (KJV)
"16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read."

The practice of observing the first day of the week as Sabbath has no sanction either in Christ or in the New Testament. Jesus kept the Sabbath and He went to on Sabbath to the synagogue to worship, and nowhere does scripture have anything contesting this. We find it in many text:

Luke 4:17 King James Version (KJV)
"17 And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,"

The Sabbath was not only for going to church in order to worship but also to hear God’s Word. On the Sabbath day we find Christ in His mission to teach, to relieve the oppressed, to heal every kind of disease, and to restore those who are brokenhearted and without hope. And Christ did even more:

Luke 4:31-41 King James Version (KJV)
"31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ."

We also see how on the Sabbath day Christ handled the demon-possessed man who confronted Jesus, and He rebuked the evil angels just as He rebuked the Devil himself.

Mathew 4:1-11 King James Version (KJV)
"1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."

Notice He states "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve", worship is important. Now much of the Christian world reverences Sunday or holds to Sunday sacredness, but did God know that this attempt to change His holy Sabbath would occur? Lets look:

"And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. " Daniel 7:25

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." Acts 20:28-30

God predicted that from within the church itself, there would arise men who would attempt to change what He had set from Creation and His holy law. So the prophecy has shown to be true, and it has come to about as the Sabbath and those who kept it were swept away, and a substitute put in.

 

[Hobie]

Nowhere in the scriptures do you find one word which sanctions Sunday worship, you can search in the Old as well as the New Testament there is nothing. The word Sunday itself is not found in the Bible, you only see the number of the days so that it is clear what day is which. In the New Testament the first day of the week is mentioned eight times. In none of the eight instances is the first day said to be a day of worship, never is it said to be the Christian substitute for Sabbath, and neither do the texts suggest that the first day of the week should be regarded as a memorial of Christ's resurrection. Lets look in this study by Kenneth Strand, 'The Sabbath in Scripture and History' at each of the eight New Testament passages that mention the first day of the week.

Matthew 28:1, "After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake...." Jesus was crucified on Friday. He rested in the tomb over the Sabbath and rose early on Sunday morning. The verse indicates that the women disciples returned to the tomb at the very first opportunity after the death and burial of Jesus. Because the Sabbath came so soon after His burial, they could not approach the tomb again until after sundown on Sabbath evening.(The Sabbath began at sundown on the sixth day and ended at sundown on the seventh day; compare Lev. 23:32; Neh. 13:19; Mark 1:21, 32) Early Sunday morning was the most convenient time for them to visit the tomb.

Mark 16:1, 2, "When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb." Mark records the same events as Matthew with the additional information that the women visited the tomb early on the Sunday morning for the express purpose of anointing Jesus' body with spices.

Mark 16:9, "Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons."This verse simply records that, after His resurrection early on the Sunday morning, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.

Luke 23:54 * 24:1, "It [the day of Jesus' death and burial] was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared." The Sabbath came a few hours after Jesus' death on the cross. The women disciples "rested the sabbath day according to the commandment" (Luke 23:56, KJV). Then very early in the morning of the first day they visited the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus. The fact that they observed the Sabbath rest is sufficient indication that Jesus had never attempted to change the day or to suggest that after His death the first day would replace the Sabbath. Writing years after the event, Luke gave not the slightest hint that, even though the women disciples of Jesus observed the Sabbath, such a practice was no longer expected of Christians. He simply recorded that the Sabbath day "according to the commandment," which Jesus' followers were careful to observe, was the day after the crucifixion day (Friday), and before the resurrection day (Sunday.

John 20:1, "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb."Mary Magdalene visited the tomb early the first day of the week. Nothing is said of Sunday as a day of worship or rest.

John 20:19, "When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said,'Peace be with you.'" On the evening of the first day of the week the disciples were assembled behind locked doors "for fear of the Jews." Jesus appeared to them at that time. The passage does not say that henceforth Sunday was to be the day for worship. Since it was the evening of the first day of the week that Jesus appeared to the disciples, it was after sundown. According to Jewish reckoning this was actually the beginning of the second day (Monday; compare Gen. 1:5, 8). A week later when Thomas happened to be present, Jesus met with the disciples again (verse 26). But, writing years later, John records nothing regarding Sunday as a day of Christian worship. John's narrative gives no warrant for regarding Sunday as a substitute for the Sabbath or as a day to be distinguished by Christians above any other day of the week. And there is no indication in the passage that Sunday should ever be observed as a memorial of Christ's resurrection.

Acts 20:7, "On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul was holding a discussion with them; since he intended to leave the next day, he continued speaking until midnight."Since the meeting was held at night on the first day of the week, it may have been Saturday night.

According to Jewish reckoning, the Sabbath ended and the first day of the week began at sundown of the seventh day. If it were Sunday evening, the event gives no suggestion that Sunday should be observed as a day of worship. The following verses record that Paul preached a sermon on Thursday. The next day after the meeting recorded in Acts 20:7 (Monday), Paul and his party set sail for Mitylene (Acts 20:13, 14). The following day (Tuesday) they arrived opposite Chios (verse 15). The next day (Wednesday) they passed Samos (verse 15), and the day after that (Thursday) they arrived at Miletus (verse 15). The elders of the church of Ephesus met Paul at Miletus, and he preached to them (Acts 20:16-36). Because a Christian service was held on Thursday, do we conclude that Thursday is a day for regular Christian worship replacing the observance of the seventh-day Sabbath? A religious service on Sunday, Thursday, or any other day certainly did not make that day a replacement for the seventh-day Sabbath or a day of regular Christian worship and rest. There is no special significance in the disciples breaking bread at this first-day meeting, for they broke bread "daily" (Acts 2:46). We are not told that it was a Lord's Supper celebration, nor are we told that henceforth Sunday should be the day for this service to be conducted. To read Sunday sacredness or Sunday observance into Acts 20:7 is to do violence to the text.

1 Corinthians 16:1, 2, "Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave the churches of Galatia. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. And when I arrive, I will send any whom you approve with letters to take your gift to Jerusalem. "These verses may be literally translated from the Greek as follows: "And concerning the collection for the saints, as I instructed the churches of Galatia, so also you do. On the first day of the week let each of you place (or 'lay') by himself, storing up whatever he might be prospered, so that when I come there might be no collections." (Italics supplied.) The phrase "by himself" (par' heauto), followed by the participle "storing up" or "saving" (thesaupizon), rules out the possibility that this is a reference to an offering taken up in a worship service. The Christian believer was to check his accounts on Sunday and put by at home the money that he wished to give to Paul for the support of the church. When Paul arrived, then the offerings of each individual would be collected.

None of these eight New Testament references to the first day of the week (Sunday), provides any evidence that Jesus or His disciples changed the day of worship from the seventh to the first day. Nor is the first day of the week represented as a time to memorialize the resurrection of Christ. Whatever significance was given to Sunday in the later history of the church, it had no basis in the teaching or practice of Jesus and His apostles and is not sanctioned in Scripture. Jesus instructed His disciples to observe the Sabbath after His death and Jesus and the apostles kept the seventh-day Sabbath and instructed others to do likewise, so it wasn't changed by them. The record of the book of Acts establishes that the apostles consistently kept the Sabbath day as a time for worship and fellowship. So the origin of the change to Sunday worship is from another source.. it never was sanctioned in any way in scripture.

 

[speak 2 my heart]

Hello friend

I completely and totally agree with you concerning the Sunday Sabbath, the Scriptures do not uphold any special ceremonial or devoted day set for observance or dedication and worship to the Lord. In Scripture every single day and every moment is to be set aside for serving the Lord.

one thing i have noticed is that the Hebrew word for " sleeping or resting " is expressed in two words

1.... “✒ נוּחַ “ - nûach . noo'-akh “ - Meaning ✒= to rest, settle down ; let fall down, comfort, lay down, let down, quiet down

And the other Hebrew word for rest is

2... . “✒ שֵׁנָה “ - shênâh . shênâ' - Meaning ✒= literally to sleep


However , the Hebrew word “✒ וישׁבת “ is the Hebrew word - shâbath -

this is the Hebrew word used in - Gen 2:2 ✒::2 on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he “ Ceased / RESTED “ on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.


Here are all of the passages where this same exact Hebrew word - shâbath - " וישׁבת " is used - and what this word means in the manuscript intent.
Gen 2:2 rested - Gen 2:3 rested - Gen 8:22 cease - Exo 5:5 rest - Exo 12:15 put away - Exo 16:30 rested - Exo 23:12 rest - Gen 27:44 wait - Exo 31:17 rested - Exo 34:21 rest - Gen 45:10 stay / dwell - Lev 2:13 lacking - Lev 23:32 rest, - Lev 25:2 keep - Lev 25:18 stay / dwell -Lev 26:6 rid - Lev 26:34 rest - Lev 26:35 rest - Deu 32:26 cease - Jos 5:12 ceased - Jos 22:25 cease - Rth 4:14 left - 2Ki 23:5 put down - 2Ki 23:11 took away - 2Ch 16:5 cease -2Ch 36:21 kept Sabbath - Neh 4:11 cease - Neh 6:3 cease - Job 32:1 ceased - Psa 8:2 still -Psa 46:9 cease - Psa 89:44 cease - Psa 119:119 puttest away - Pro 18:18 cease - Pro 22:10 cease - Isa 13:11 cease - Isa 14:4 ceased - Isa 16:10 cease - Isa 17:3 cease - Isa 21:2 cease - Isa 24:8 ceaseth - Isa 30:11 cease - Isa 33:8 ceaseth - Jer 7:34 cease - Jer 16:9 cease Jer 31:36 cease - Jer 36:29 cease - Jer 48:33 fail - Jer 48:35 cease - Lam 5:14 ceased - Lam 5:15 ceased - Eze 6:6 cease - Eze 7:24 cease - Eze 12:23 cease - Eze 16:41 cease - Eze 23:27 cease - Eze 23:48 - cease - Eze 26:13 cease - Eze 30:10 cease - Eze 30:13 cease - Eze 30:18 cease - Eze 33:28 - cease - Eze 34:10 cease - Eze 34:25 cease - Dan 9:27 cease - Dan 11:18 cease - Hos 1:4 - cecase - Hos 2:11 cease, - Hos 7:4 ceaseth - Amo 8:4 fail - -

Over 66 total passages in the Old Testament - none of them are about resting or relaxing or sleeping.

 

[speak 2 my heart]

furthermore

In fact the Hebrew word “✒ שָׁבַת - shâbath - is very closely resembling the word “ sleep “ “ שֵׁנָה “

“ sleep “ “ שֵׁנָה “ - shênâh . shênâ' - meaning = literally to sleep, - - shênâh . shênâ' - meaning = literally to sleep,

shâbath and shênâh - are very closely related, but the vowel markings are the only difference - at the bottom of the characters. also ...... - the middle character " Bet - בַ - " which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet in " שָׁבַת - shâbath " and is is different in that......... the middle character " Nun - נ - which is the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet in “ שֵׁנָה - sleep “

and first characters of each word are different " He, hei: - ה " the fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet
the twenty-second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ...... ... Tav ת

and they are not pronounced the same and more importantly, not used in the same context at all whatsoever.

I do believe that this passage in Exo 31:17 is also mistranslated ☞ Exo 31:17 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed

The correct translation should say… ☞ Exo 31:17 for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he CEASED his spirit, saying that God ceased his - spirit

with the Sabbath, the main focus was to cease, stop, halt and finish come to an end of your labor, not so much focused upon the crawling into your bed closing the eyes and resting or sleeping all day. But preparations were to be made, everything was to be set up for the day of ceasing from labors and focus upon the Lord and his commandments.
the honest translation and understanding would be to say on the 7th day God = Ceased or Stopped or took away or put away his Spirit ..... this Hebrew word has absolutely nothing to do with resting .

 

[Hobie]

He ceased His work or labor on the seventh day, thus we see how the other six days were given to us for labor including the first day.

 

[mailmandan]

Leviticus 23:11: "And he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord for you to be accepted; on the day after the sabbath the priest shall wave it." The day after the sabbath is Sunday.

Look at Leviticus 23:15 - "You shall also count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day when you brought in the sheaf of the wave offering; there shall be seven complete sabbaths. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh sabbath; then you shall present a new grain offering to the Lord." This is the Feast of Pentecost. It was one of the compulsory feasts of Israel.

In Leviticus 23:21, God said, "On this same day you shall make a proclamation as well; you are to have a holy convocation. You shall do no laborious work. It is to be perpetual statute in all your dwelling places throughout your generations."

If you think this is only applying to "ceremonial" days, Leviticus 23 starts out talking about the weekly sabbath (see Leviticus 23:1-4). It is called an appointed time and a holy convocation, along with all the other feast days of Israel. No distinction is made by God between these holy days and the weekly sabbath. He includes them as being holy. This would mean that under the Old Covenant the First Fruits Sunday and the Pentecost Sunday were also holy. Jesus also rose from the dead on Sunday. (Matthew 28:1) I would not make any hasty decisions to disregard Sunday.