Why we don’t keep the Sabbath day?
We must worship according to the New Testament pattern.
1. Under the Old Testament, many things were practiced in worship which are not
authorized for Christians.
a. Keeping the Sabbath (Ex. 20:8-11).
b. Keeping various feasts and holy days (Ex. 23:14-18; Lev. 16;
23).
c. Worshiping at the temple in Jerusalem (1 Kings 8:25-53).
d. Animal sacrifices and vegetable offerings (Lev. 1-7).
e. Tithing (Lev. 27:30; Deut. 26:12,13).
f. Instruments of music, choirs and dancing (1 Chron. 25:1-7; 2 Chron. 29:25; Psa. 150).
g. A separate priesthood (Ex. 28:1 - 29:1).
2. The Old Testament pattern of worship is no longer binding today.
Worship is not tied to a building or place (John 4:20-24).
b. All Christians are priests (1 Pet. 2:5,9; Rev. 1:6).
c. The Old Law was taken away at the cross along with its worship and feast days (Col.
2:13-17; Heb. 7:12).
(Reference: Rutherford, The One True Church, p. 30-31 – World Video Bible School)
Why we worship on Sunday?
- The first day of the week is especially set aside by God as a day of worship.
1. Christ arose from the dead on the first day of the week (Luke 24:1).
2. Christ met with His disciples on the first day of the week (John
20:24-26).
3. The church of Christ began on Pentecost, which always came on the first day of the
week (Acts 2:1; Lev. 23:5,6, 15, 16).
4. The disciples met to worship on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7;
1 Cor. 16:1,2).
5. By the end of the first century, the first day of the week was commonly called “The
Lord’s Day” by Christians (Rev. 1:10).
- Some argue that the Sabbath (Saturday, the seventh day) is the day of worship
required of the church just as it was of Israel.
1. They credit either Constantine or the Pope with changing the day.
2. Constantine made Sunday an official day of rest because this was the day the
Christians already used as a special day of meeting for worship.
3. The sabbatarians do not understand the law has been changed and we are no longer
under the Sabbath law today (Heb. 7:12).
4. The Old Covenant (of which the Sabbath was a part) has been replaced by the New
Covenant (Heb. 8:6-13).
5. Nine of the Ten Commandments are found again in the New
Covenant; the only one missing is the fourth: “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it
holy.”
D. The command to keep the Sabbath day implied that every Sabbath day was to be
kept; the same is true with the first day of every week (1 Cor.
16:2).
(Reference: Rutherford, The One True Church, p. 30-32 – World Video Bible School)
