Is Sunday Really Sacred?


Copyright c by Joe Crews.
  All rights reserved.

One of David's most beautiful prayers is recorded in Psalm 
43:3. "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead 
me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy 
tabernacles." 
This same earnest petition to understand God's Word should 
be in the heart of every sincere seeker for truth. A 
willingness to learn and to obey must characterize all of 
those who expect to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. To 
such, the beautiful promise of the beatitude will be 
fulfilled. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst 
after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew 
5:6. 
But it does no good to pray for the truth if we have no 
intention to obey it when God answers our prayer. One of 
the greatest favors God can bestow upon us is to give a 
knowledge of His Word.  And the most presumptuous thing 
anybody can do is to pray for an understanding of God's 
will and then refuse to obey, for any reason whatsoever, 
when the answer comes. 
Many people are guilty of pulling the Bible down to match 
their poor, weak experience, instead of bringing their 
experience up to meet the requirements of the Word. There 
is only one great acid test of truth, and that is the 
Bible. Every religious thought, every book we read, and 
every sermon we hear should be measured by the infallible 
rule of the inspired Scriptures.  It does not matter what 
we were taught as children, or what the majority is 
following, or what our emotional feelings lead us to think 
or believe. Those factors are perfectly invalid as a test 
of absolute truth. The ultimate question must be answered: 
What does the Word of God say on the subject? 
Some people think that if they are sincere in what they 
believe, God will accept them and save them. But sincerity 
alone is not enough. One can be sincere, and be sincerely 
wrong. I remember driving to West Palm Beach, Florida, 
several years ago. At least I thought I was going there. 
It was night, and I had not seen any road signs for quite 
awhile. Suddenly my car lights picked up a sign which 
read, "Belle Glade 14 miles." Heartsick, I realized that I 
was traveling in the opposite direction from West Palm 
Beach. I was on the wrong road. No one could have been 
more sincere than I was that night, but I was sincerely 
wrong. Now, I could have continued on down the road saying 
that somehow, somewhere up ahead I might find West Palm 
Beach. Instead, I turned the car around and went back to 
the place where I took the wrong turn and got on the right 
road leading to West Palm Beach. That was the only right 
thing to do.
 
Closed Minds and Majority Rule

God's Word has a lot to say to those who are willing to be 
corrected. The people to be the most pitied are those who 
have closed minds. They will resist any information which 
varies from their personal views. Their minds are made up, 
and they don't want to be bothered by the facts. This is 
especially true concerning the subject of the Sabbath. 
Multitudes have inherited opinions about the day to be 
observed weekly, and they find it very difficult to look 
objectively at any other viewpoint. Many of them know that 
one of the Ten Commandments requires the keeping of the 
seventh day of the week. They also know that the seventh 
day is Saturday. Yet they tenaciously follow the tradition 
of observing a different day from the one God commanded. 
They worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, for 
which there is no biblical command. 
Why do they do it? Most Sundaykeepers have simply accepted 
the practice of the religious majority in the community 
where they were raised, assuming that it has to be right 
because so many are doing it. Is this a safe assumption? 
Has the majority usually been right in religious matters? 
The Bible clearly answers these questions in the negative. 
Every available source of information reveals that in 
religious matters, at least, the majority has always been 
wrong. Jesus Himself said, "And as it was in the days of 
Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man." 
Luke 17:26. Only eight people went into the ark to be 
saved from the flood. Christ taught that only a comparable 
few would be saved at the end of the world. Said He, 
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and 
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many 
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, 
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few 
there be that find it." Matthew 7:13, 14. 
It is very true that the great majority of Christians 
today, including many famous evangelists and theologians, 
are keeping Sunday instead of the seventh-day Sabbath. 
That fact alone should not overimpress anyone. Taken by 
itself, in the light of Christ's words, it should raise a 
flag of warning. Truth has never been popular with the 
masses. And those in the majority today, as in all past 
ages, are not really looking for truth as much as they are 
looking for a smooth, easy, comfortable religion which 
will allow them to live as they want to live. 
What, then, should be the test of the Sabbath truth? Just 
one thing, and one thing only--the Word of God. 
Unfortunately, millions have never studied the Bible for 
themselves on this subject. I propose that we test the 
Sundaykeeping practice of this majority group and find out 
if it is correct. If it is biblical, then all of us should 
accept it and faithfully keep every Sunday. If it is not 
supported by the Scriptures, then we should diligently 
search the Word until we find the day which our Lord has 
endorsed for us to keep. 
The most honest way I know to approach this subject is to 
take a look at absolutely everything that the Bible says 
about the first day of the week. There are only eight 
texts in the New Testament which make any reference to 
Sunday, and by carefully studying these verses we can be 
certain that all the evidence for consideration is before 
us. If there is any biblical authority for keeping the 
first day of the week, it will have to be found in one of 
these verses. 
Are we willing to face the consequences of this kind of 
exhaustive study? Here is where our prejudice will be 
tested! Can we open our minds completely to whatever this 
objective search reveals? These are not trick questions. 
Personally, I do not care which day is found to be the 
Sabbath. If the Bible teaches it, I will gladly keep 
Monday, Thursday, Friday, or Sunday. Long ago I decided to 
be a Christian and to follow the Word of God wherever it 
would lead, regardless of my feelings. It makes no 
difference to me which day I keep holy, as long as it is 
the one commanded in the Bible! I hope you feel the same 
way as we begin our examination of every single reference 
in the New Testament which mentions the first day of the 
week. 

Resurrection on Sunday

Let's begin with the first Gospel. Matthew writes, "In the 
end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first 
day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to 
see the sepulchre." Matthew 28:1. Here we have some very 
interesting proof that the Sabbath could not possibly be 
the first day of the week. According to this record the 
Sabbath was ending when the first day was beginning. They 
are two successive days. On the basis of Scripture no one 
could truthfully call Sunday the Sabbath. It would be both 
confusing and unbiblical. 
The substance of Matthew's testimony is simply that the 
women came at dawn on the day following the Sabbath and 
found that Jesus was already risen. This harmonizes 
perfectly with the next Gospel, which adds a few more 
details. Notice that Mark equates the dawn with "the 
rising of the sun." He wrote, "And when the sabbath was 
past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and 
Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and 
anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of 
the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of 
the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us 
away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" Mark 16:1-
3. 
These parallel Gospel accounts clear up a common 
misconception that has arisen over the meaning of 
Matthew's words "as it began to dawn toward the first day 
of the week." Some have interpreted this to be just before 
sundown on Saturday evening. Since the Hebrew reckoning 
would establish the end of the Sabbath at sunset, they 
assume that the women came just before the first day was 
ushered in at sundown. 
Here we see the value of comparing text with text. Mark's 
words make it impossible to hold the view that the women 
came Saturday night and found the tomb empty. The very 
same women are listed by him as coming at sunrise Sunday 
morning, but they were asking the question, "Who shall 
roll us away the stone?" Obviously, if they had been there 
the night before and discovered an empty tomb, they would 
have known that the stone was already removed from the 
door. Thus, we can understand clearly that Matthew's 
"dawn" is referring to the early morning visit at sunrise 
on Sunday morning. 
The third New Testament reference to the first day is a 
simple narrative statement in Mark 16:9, "Now when Jesus 
was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared 
first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven 
devils." Little comment is needed here, because the verse 
is only repeating the same story of the resurrection early 
on Sunday morning. The important thing to note is that 
nothing is said in any of these texts about the first day 
of the week being holy. There is no intimation of anyone 
observing the day in honor of the resurrection. 

Locating the True Sabbath

One of the most complete word pictures of resurrection 
events is found in the Gospel of Luke, and here we read 
the fourth reference to the first day of the week. "This 
man (Joseph of Arimatha) went unto Pilate, and begged the 
body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in 
linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, 
wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the 
preparation, and the sabbath drew on." Luke 23:52-54.
Before reading further, let us carefully examine the 
inspired description of this crucifixion day. The vast 
Christian majority agrees that these events transpired on 
the day we now call Good Friday. Here it is called the 
"preparation" day, because it was a time for making 
special arrangements for the approaching Sabbath. In fact, 
the text states very simply that "the sabbath drew on." 
This means that it was coming up next. 
What else happened on that day Jesus died? "And the women 
also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after, 
and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And 
they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and 
rested the sabbath day according to the commandment." 
Verses 55, 56. 
During the rest of that fateful Friday the devoted women 
bought the anointing materials and made further 
preparation for their Sunday morning visit to the tomb. 
Then, as the Sabbath was ushered in at sunset, they 
"rested the sabbath day according to the commandment." 
This identifies that holy day as the specific weekly 
Sabbath of the Ten Commandments and not the Passover or 
some other feast-sabbath which could have fallen on any 
day of the week. 
The very next verse tells what the women did on the day 
following the Sabbath. "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." Luke 24:1, 2. 
First of all, we notice that the women came to do their 
regular labor on the day of the resurrection. Modern 
churches refer to that particular first day of the week as 
Easter Sunday. There can be no doubt that Jesus was raised 
sometime during the dark hours of that early morning. In 
none of the Gospel recitals do we have any evidence that 
the women, or anyone else, attached any sacredness to the 
day on which the resurrection took place. 
Luke's account of that eventful weekend proves beyond any 
question that the true seventh-day Sabbath can still be 
precisely located. He describes the sequence of events 
over three successive days--Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 
Jesus died on the preparation day, and the Sabbath was 
approaching. Christians now refer to it as Good Friday. 
The next day was the Sabbath "according to the 
commandment." Since the commandment plainly designates 
that "the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord," that 
Sabbath had to be Saturday. 
It is very interesting to note that Jesus rested in the 
tomb on the Sabbath from His work of redemption, just as 
He had rested from His work of creation on the Sabbath. 
On the day following the Sabbath, Jesus rose. Today it is 
referred to as Easter Sunday, but the Bible designates it 
"the first day of the week." In the light of these 
indisputable, historical facts to which all Christianity 
subscribes, no one can plead ignorance of the true 
Sabbath. It is the day between Good Friday and Easter 
Sunday. Luke's record is such a perfect chronological 
account of those three days that even the most simple and 
uneducated can locate the biblical seventh day on our 
modern calendar. 
Now we are prepared to examine the fifth New Testament 
statement concerning Sunday. "The first day of the week 
cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto 
the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the 
sepulchre." John 20:1. There is very little new 
information in John's description of the resurrection. 
Like all the other writers he gives no indication 
whatsoever that the first day of the week was ever counted 
holy or kept holy by anyone. So far, the significant 
common thread in all the Gospel stories has been a total 
absence of such evidence. 

For Fear of the Jews

John mentions the "first day" again in the same chapter, 
and this has often been misinterpreted as a reference to 
Sunday worship. "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. 
Even though this gathering behind locked doors took place 
on the same day as the resurrection, was it a special 
commemoration of that event? The circumstances make it 
impossible for such to be the case. The text plainly 
states that they were gathered there "for fear of the 
Jews." The frightened disciples had already learned that 
the tomb was empty, and they expected momentarily to be 
charged with stealing away the body of Jesus. They huddled 
together in the locked room for protection and 
reassurance. 
The fact is that they did not believe Christ had been 
resurrected from the dead. Mark's account reveals that 
they totally rejected the testimony of Mary and the other 
disciples who brought word of actually seeing the 
resurrected Lord. "And she went and told them that had 
been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when 
they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of 
her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form 
unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the 
country. And they went and told it unto the residue: 
neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the 
eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their 
unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not 
them which had seen him after he was risen." Mark 16:10-
14. 
On the basis of these words, we must quietly pass over 
that embarrassing Sunday afternoon meeting in the closed 
room. It was not an occasion of unrestrained joy over the 
resurrection, as some have portrayed it. In fact, there 
was not even any recognition on the part of the disciples 
that a miracle had taken place. They were fearful, 
depressed, and unbelieving. When Jesus appeared to them He 
spoke words of strong rebuke because of their lack of 
faith and because they had rejected the testimony of their 
own companions. How misleading it is to make this a happy 
memorial service honoring the resurrection! 
Thus far we have carefully studied six of the eight New 
Testament references without finding a single instance of 
Sunday observance. In fact, every one of them reveals a 
consistent, total ignorance of any recognition of the 
first day of the week for worship, prayer, rest, or 
honoring the resurrection. The Gospels were written 
several years after the events transpired, giving ample 
opportunity to the Holy Spirit to inspire the authors with 
the full facts. Jesus told His disciples that the work of 
that Spirit was to "guide you into all truth." John 16:13. 
If first-day observance had been any part of truth, then 
the Holy Spirit would have been divinely obligated to 
reveal it to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So said our 
Lord. 
Now we turn to the two remaining references. If we find no 
evidence in these texts, we will have to abandon the 
search, for there is nowhere else to look. Paul and Luke 
are the final witnesses who mention the first day of the 
week, and both of them have been grossly misrepresented in 
what they said. 

No Sundaykeeping in Corinth

In 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Paul wrote: "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 
hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I 
come ... whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them 
will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem." 
Please carefully notice what the apostle said, and also, 
what he did not say. Many have assumed that a religious 
meeting was held and a collection plate passed. This is 
not the case. Paul was writing special appeals to the 
churches in Asia Minor, because many of the Christians in 
Jerusalem were suffering greatly for lack of food and 
daily necessities. Paul asked the church at Corinth to 
gather food, clothing, etc., and store it up at home until 
he could send men to transport it to Jerusalem. The 
expression "lay by him in store" in the original Greek 
gives the clear connotation of putting aside at home. Even 
Sunday advocates agree to this.
There was no service held on the first day of the week. 
The gathering up and storing was to be done on that day. 
Why did Paul suggest that this work be done on Sunday, and 
what was involved in getting it done? 
First of all, the letter would have been shared with the 
church on the Sabbath when they were all gathered for 
worship. The first opportunity to do the work would be the 
next day--the first day of the week. Keep in mind that 
there was an apparent food shortage in Jerusalem, and the 
need was not primarily for money. Such famine conditions 
were not unusual in areas of the Middle East, as Luke 
reminds us in Acts 11:28-30. 
The church in Rome gives a clue as to the special needs of 
those suffering Christians "But now I go unto Jerusalem to 
minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of 
Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for 
the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased 
them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the 
Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual 
things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal 
things. When therefore I have performed this, and have 
sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain." 
Romans 15:25-28. 
Here the apostle touches a tender spot in his eloquent 
appeal. The Roman Christians owed a great debt of 
gratitude to the mother church in Jerusalem which had sent 
teachers to evangelize them. Paul urges them to return 
carnal, or material, gifts in appreciation of the 
spiritual truths received from them. What kind of gifts 
did Paul have in mind? It is very interesting that he 
describes it as sealing to them "this fruit." The Greek 
word used here is "karpos," which is the universal term 
used for literal fruit. It can also have the connotation 
of "fruits of one's labor." 
This throws light on Paul's counsel to the Corinthian 
Christians to do their work on the first day of the week, 
"so that there be no gatherings when I come." Such work as 
gathering and storing up produce from garden and field 
would certainly not be appropriate on Sabbath. In these 
verses, Sunday is identified once again as a day for 
secular activities and gives no indication of religious 
observance.
 


Paul's Longest Sermon

This brings us to the final reference which could provide 
any support for Sunday sacredness. In Luke's history of 
the early church he describes the dramatic farewell 
meeting which Paul had with the believers in Troas. This 
account in the book of Acts has been grievously distorted 
by those who grasp for any tiny excuse to justify their 
disobedience of God's commandments. Because it is the only 
record in the New Testament of a religious meeting being 
held on the first day of the week, we should examine it 
with special care and interest. 
The full context reveals that it was a night meeting. "And 
we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened 
bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we 
abode seven days. 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. And there were many lights in 
the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And 
there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, 
being fallen into a deep sleep: ... and fell down from the 
third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and 
fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not 
yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was 
come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked 
a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.  And 
they brought the young man alive, and were not a little 
comforted. And we went before to ship, and sailed unto 
Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he 
appointed, minding himself to go afoot." Acts 20:6-13. 
There are some very unusual things about this all-night 
meeting in Troas. First of all, it had to be a solemn, 
poignant occasion for the speaker and congregation, as 
well. In verse 25 Paul declared, "And now, behold, I know 
that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom 
of God, shall see my face no more." 
It is obvious that this farewell meeting was held on the 
dark part of the first day of the week. There were lights 
in the room, and Paul preached until midnight. It is 
important to understand the Jewish way of reckoning time. 
Days were not counted according to the pagan Roman method, 
from midnight to midnight. In the Bible the day begins at 
evening. Genesis describes all the days of creation week 
in the same way--"The evening and the morning were the 
first day ... the evening and the morning were the second 
day," etc. In other words, the evening always comes first 
in the day.
This explains why the Sabbath is described in these words, 
"It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, ... from even 
unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath." Leviticus 
23:32. But when does the evening begin according to the 
Bible? "And at even, when the sun did set, they brought 
unto him all that were diseased, and them that were 
possessed with devils." Mark 1:32. Since the Pharisees 
taught that it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, the 
people waited till the Sabbath was over before bringing 
their sick to Jesus. So they brought them "at even, when 
the sun did set." Moses wrote, "Thou shalt sacrifice the 
passover at even, at the going down of the sun." 
Deuteronomy 16:6. 
In Nehemiah we are given another description of the 
beginning of Sabbath. "And it came to pass, that when the 
gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I 
commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that 
they should not be opened till after the sabbath." 
Nehemiah 13:19. This definitely places the first moments 
of the Sabbath at sunset, when it is beginning to be dark.
Now we are ready to apply this sound Bible principle to 
the first-day meeting of Paul in Troas. The night setting 
would require that it be held on Saturday night. The 
Sabbath ended at sundown, and the first day of the week 
began.  Paul, who had stayed a full seven days so that he 
could be with the people over the Sabbath, decided not to 
leave with the ship on Saturday night. Instead, he 
fellowshipped all night long with the believers and then 
walked twenty miles across the peninsula on Sunday morning 
to join the boat at Assos. 
Incidentally, this boat was manned by Paul's missionary 
companions, including Luke, who chronicled the highlights 
of the carefully scheduled voyage. It is very significant 
that they would not go out to sea until the Sabbath was 
over on Saturday night. Toiling at the oars and sails 
would have been no more proper for a holy day than Paul's 
twenty-mile walk across the isthmus on Sunday morning. 
Neither Paul nor his fellow travelers would have indulged 
in those secular activities on God's holy Sabbath. 
Why Eutychus 
Dropped Out of Church

The New English Bible actually states that the meeting was 
held on Saturday night. The chief focus of the story seems 
to be upon the raising of Eutychus from the dead after he 
fell out the window. The dauntless Paul, after ministering 
on Sabbath and all night Saturday night, walked twenty 
miles on Sunday morning to join his companions in Assos. 
They had stayed with the ship as it sailed around the 
peninsula on Saturday night, after the Sabbath was over. 
That long journey on foot by Paul the next day would have 
been totally inappropriate on any kind of holy day. 
Some have equated the breaking of bread with the communion 
service, but such a view cannot be supported from the 
Scriptures. Luke assures us that those early Christians 
broke bread daily. "And they, continuing daily with one 
accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to 
house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of 
heart." Acts 2:46. 
The contention that Paul celebrated the Lord's Supper with 
the believers in the upper room cannot be confirmed by the 
Bible. The wording seems to indicate that it was a common 
meal they shared together. "When he therefore was come up 
again, and had broken bread, and eaten ..." Acts 20:11. 
Here we find that eating was associated with the breaking 
of bread. It is unlikely that the communion meal would be 
referred to in this manner. 
But even if that farewell meeting had included the 
celebration of Christ's suffering and death, it would not 
lend any credence to Sunday observance. We have seen from 
Acts 2 that bread was broken daily, and nowhere is the 
Lord's Supper linked to any particular day. It is surely 
obvious to anyone that the Troas meeting was not a regular 
weekly worship service. The importance of that all-night 
session appears in the miraculous raising of the young man 
Eutychus, and also in the fact that Paul would never see 
them again before his death. The particular time frame--
all Saturday night--has no spiritual significance 
whatsoever. Luke, the careful historian, does not even 
record any of the content of Paul's marathon sermon, 
although he faithfully documents the miracle of the 
resurrected youth. Apparently, it was the way Eutychus 
dropped out of church, and not the day on which it 
happened that Luke is seeking to establish. 
We have now completed an intensive examination of each one 
of the eight New Testament references to the first day of 
the week. Not one of them has offered the slightest 
evidence that Sunday was ever sanctified by God or 
celebrated by man. God's great infallible test-Book has 
revealed that the majority is following tradition instead 
of truth. Millions have been deceived into blind adherence 
to an empty pagan symbol. 
I am reminded of the story of a Russian czar who took a 
walk one morning in the border area of his extensive 
palace grounds. There he saw a soldier with a gun on his 
shoulder marching up and down near a deserted corner of 
the courtyard wall. He asked the soldier, who was 
apparently on sentry duty, what he was guarding. The man 
replied that he was only following orders and did not know 
why he was assigned to that particular spot. The czar 
asked the captain of the guard what the soldier was doing, 
but he had no idea either. The general in charge of the 
palace security was consulted, but he could give no reason 
for the assignment. Finally, the king ordered a search of 
the dusty military records, and the mystery was unfolded. 
Years and years before, the queen mother had planted some 
rose bushes in that corner of the courtyard, and a soldier 
had been sent to protect the tender plants from being 
trampled. Later, someone had forgotten to cancel the 
order, and the daily sentry ritual had continued through 
the years--soldiers with their guns, guarding nothing but 
an empty rose plot. 
Today there are millions of sincere Christians who are 
religiously trying to protect the sanctity of Sunday, not 
realizing that there is really nothing to guard. The first 
day of the week is just as devoid of holiness as the 
deserted courtyard of roses. Jesus said, "Every plant, 
which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted 
up." Matthew 15:13. 

The Day They Kept

Now that we have exhausted all possible sources for 
Sundaykeeping without finding the smallest favorable 
evidence, let us turn to the inspired history of that 
early church. If they did not keep the first day of the 
week, which day did they observe? The book of Acts 
establishes a consistent pattern of seventh-day 
Sabbathkeeping. On one occasion Paul was petitioned by the 
Gentiles to hold an exclusive service for them on the 
Sabbath. "And when the Jews were gone out of the 
synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be 
preached to them the next sabbath. ... And the next 
sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear 
the word of God." Acts 13:42, 44. 
 There are some very interesting points in these dynamic 
verses which validate the Sabbath practices of Paul and 
his fellow Christians.  After preaching in the synagogue, 
where the Gentiles were not permitted to enter, Paul was 
besieged by the Gentiles with an appeal to preach to them 
"the next Sabbath." Many have charged that Paul only 
preached in the synagogues on the Sabbath because he had a 
ready-made crowd of Jews to work on. This is a false 
claim. In this instance, Paul made an appointment to 
minister to the Gentiles on the following Sabbath, and 
according to verse 43, many of those who heard him that 
day were "proselytes" to the faith. This means they were 
converts to Christianity, and Paul and Barnabas "persuaded 
them to continue in the grace of God." 
How interesting it is that their Sabbath worship is spoken 
of in the context of continuing in God's grace! Modern 
critics of the Sabbath try to label Sabbathkeepers as 
legalists who are aliens to the grace of the gospel. Not 
so the writers of the Bible, who constantly associate 
obedience with true salvation by faith. 
In Acts 16:13 we have positive proof that Paul kept the 
Sabbath even when there was no synagogue and no Jews. He 
was ministering in Greece, where there were only a few 
scattered Jews and no synagogue at all. What did he do on 
the Sabbath?  "And on the sabbath we went out of the city 
by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we 
sat down, and spoke unto the women which resorted 
thither." 
Even with no church to attend, the apostle sought out a 
spot where religious worship was carried on--a place of 
prayer by the river--and preached to those who went there. 
Surely no one can fail to discern Paul's deep commitment 
to the Sabbath as we follow him in this unusual outdoor 
mission. Just suppose this Macedonian experience had taken 
place on the first day of the week instead of the Sabbath. 
Without question it would be cited as absolute evidence 
for Sunday worship, and we would have to concur. But what 
possible argument can one present against this example of 
Paul in true Sabbathkeeping? 
Again, we read about Paul's customary practice in these 
words, "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, 
and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the 
scriptures." Acts 17:2. "And he reasoned in the synagogue 
every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." 
Acts 18:4. 
Finally, we cite the great apostle's personal testimony 
that he never kept one Sunday holy in his whole life. Just 
before his death, Paul made this emphatic statement to the 
Jewish leaders, "Men and brethren, though I have committed 
nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet 
was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of 
the Romans." Acts 28:17. 
Think for a moment! If Paul had ever deliberately broken 
the Sabbath, or kept another day than the seventh, he 
could not have declared truthfully that he had done 
nothing against Jewish custom. On the strength of this 
unqualified declaration by a man of unimpeachable 
integrity we close the search for Sundaykeeping authority 
in the Bible. It just is not there. 
Had we been able to find it, our religious obligation 
would, without doubt, be much easier to fulfill. We would 
have the support and example of most of the great 
religious institutions of the land, both Protestant and 
Catholic. 
But we are not looking for the most popular way or the 
most convenient way; we are looking for the Bible way. And 
we have found it. In all honesty, we must declare that the 
prevailing custom of keeping a different day from the one 
commanded in the great handwritten law of God is contrary 
to the Word which will finally judge us. No amount of 
popular, majority opinion can annul the weighty testimony 
of a plain "Thus saith the Lord." We must stand upon the 
Bible and the Bible alone for our doctrine on this 
subject. 
The Word of God declares, "The seventh day is the sabbath 
of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work." 
Exodus 20:10. Until we find some indication in the Bible 
that God retracted that moral law which He introduced to 
the world with such a fanfare of power and grandeur, we 
will accept the Ten Commandments as still relevant and 
binding today.  God said what He meant, and He meant what 
He said. 
Some argue that God exempts us from the fourth commandment 
because it is impossible to keep the seventh day in the 
competitive, industrialized society in which we have to 
earn a living. It is undoubtedly true that Satan has 
manipulated the economic world to the distinct 
disadvantage of the Sabbath-keeper, but God has never 
required the 
impossible. It is never necessary to break one of God's 
commandments for any reason.
You may say, "But my employer requires that I work on 
Saturday, and I can't let my family starve." The answer to 
that dilemma was given by our Lord long ago in the Sermon 
on the Mount. He said "But seek ye first the kingdom of 
God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be 
added unto you." Matthew 6:33. The preceding verse defines 
"these things" as food, clothes, and job. Jesus is simply 
telling us that if there is ever a conflict between 
obeying Him and obeying our employer, we should put Him 
first. Material considerations should never be made more 
important than doing God's will. 
In every case God honors the faith of a Christian who 
decides to keep the Sabbath regardless of what happens to 
his job. Many times God works miracles by making special 
arrangements for the Sabbathkeeper. In some cases He 
allows His children to be tested by losing their jobs, and 
then opens up better ones in response to their faith. But 
the "things" are always added when we trust Him and obey, 
regardless of the circumstances. 
The real secret of keeping the Sabbath of the Lord is to 
have the Lord of the Sabbath in our hearts! It is love 
which leads God's children to choose death rather than 
disobedience to one of His commandments. Jesus said, "If 
ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15. The apostle 
John defined love in these words, "For this is the love of 
God, that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5:3. 
Thus, it is not so much the question of a day as it is of 
a way--the way of obedience through love, or of 
disobedience through lack of love. Mark it down and never 
forget it! Keeping the Sabbath, even the true seventh-day 
Sabbath, is an operation in futility if it does not 
proceed from a heart full of love and devotion to God. 
Without love, all law-keeping becomes mechanical and 
miserable, but with love, every commandment becomes a joy 
and delight. Make this kind of personal love relationship 
the basis of your Sabbathkeeping, and it will be the 
happiest day of your week, for the rest of your life!

If you found this topic interesting, we would love to hear 
from you. We have bible studies as well as video and audio 
tape libraries. Send for our free catalog of study 
materials.
	Amazing Facts
	P.O. Box 680
	Frederick, MD 21701
Please let us know that you found this sermon on a bbs.
