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What We Believe and Why - Vol. II
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

Copyright - Lester Hutson - 1982
This material is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of Dr. Lester Hutson.

 

Chapter Twenty One
Why We Meet on Sunday
(Part 2)

 

INTRODUCTION: TEXT: Acts 20:7

III. THE REAL ISSUE BETWEEN KEEPING THE SATURDAY SABBATH AND WORSHIPPING UPON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LAW AND GRACE.

A. The Sabbath represents law and the Lord's Day represents grace.

1. The keeping of the Sabbath was given under law and the law's only design was to bring us to Christ, who is grace. Galatians 2.16 clearly states, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Galatians 3:21-22 says, "Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." As to the law, Galatians 3:24-25 says, "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." "Schoolmaster" is from the Greek word "PEDAGOGUE," meaning "boy leader." The reference is to a slave boy, who taught nothing, but whose job it was to take the children of the master to school. The law, including the keeping of all its Sabbaths, could never justify its keepers. It couldn't ever teach them how to be pious and good enough. It wasn't supposed to do so. It was only "a shadow" of Him who was to come, even Christ. (Hebrews 10:1)

2. Righteousness isn't in keeping the law. Righteousness is in Christ. (Romans 3:21-22) In fact, "Christ is the end of the law to everyone that believeth." (Romans 10:4) Those in Christ are not obligated to keep the law. They are under grace. Thus, listen to the divinely inspired words of Paul the apostle, "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 holy day, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. Wherefore if ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; Which all are to perish with the using;) after the commandments and doctrines of men? Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." (Colossians 2:13-23) What does keeping of the rituals of the law, including its Sabbaths do? It appeals to the flesh and does not honor the Christ who is the head of the church. God forbid that it be that way among those who have tasted the grace of God. Galatians 3:16-19 will tell you the law continued in effect until the promise (Christ) came. But, once He came, the law found its fulfillment and end. (Romans 10:4)

B. As these scriptural considerations prove, grace superseded the law.

1. Christ has made us free from the rituals and ordinances of the law, so that our glorying is not to be in circumcision or the keeping of the Saturday Sabbath. Our glorying is to be in one person and Him only, the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to Paul say it in Galatians 6:14-15, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature." No wonder then, Galatians 5:1 declares, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

2. Some insist on mixing the Sabbath into the Lord's Day. They say you should not do any work on Sunday, and that Sunday should be a day of rest. How unscriptural such advice is! Sunday is a day for worshipping the risen Savior not a day for resting or cutting out all activity. The care of Sunday should be that nothing interferes with the saints coming together to celebrate the resurrection of the Savior nor with their worship of Him.

3. Just as the tabernacle was superseded by the temple, and the temple by the church, likewise, the Sabbath was superseded by the Lord's Day. Folks, the Saturday Sabbath has given way to an ordinance of the church, (the Lord's Day), which is far superior to what the Sabbath ever was.

4. Some may argue that the Sabbath and the Lord's Day are basically the same, but that is not true. The Lord's Day is no more the same as the Saturday Sabbath, than the Lord's Supper is the same as the Passover. There may be resemblances between them just as there is between water and alcohol, but they are not the same. As Frank Stagg pointed out in his Commentary on Acts, the Lord's Day was altogether separate from the Sabbath in origin and character. It was not until a century after the resurrection of Christ that the unfortunate confusion of the Lord's Day with the Sabbath began.

5. Others have been so ignorant as to argue that the Roman Emperor, Constantine, originated Sunday worship. As the whole of this treatise proves, that is a ridiculous argument. Sunday, or first day of the week, worship originated with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Historically it is not difficult to see what Constantine did. In 321 AD. he passed a Roman law making Sunday worship legally common practice. But he did not originate Sunday worship. He merely made legal by Roman law what believers had already been doing for nearly 300 years. It is also noteworthy that Constantine only made Sunday worship mandatory for town people, not farmers. Agricultural people were to go right on with their planting and reaping duties on Sunday as on any other day.

IV. THE EVIDENCE CALLS ON CHRISTIANS TO MEET ON SUNDAY, NOT SATURDAY.

A. Sunday is the day upon which New Testament believers met for worship.

1. You will remember that Christ arose upon the first day of the week. (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-2,9; Luke 24:1-6 and John 20:1,19)

2. John records the fact that upon the day of the resurrection, Jesus met with the apostles, but Thomas was absent. (John 20:1-25) Then, exactly eight days later, the apostles (Thomas present) were assembled again. (John 20:26) I Corinthians 12:28 says these apostles constituted membership in the first church, and eight days after the first day of the week is the following Sunday. So, here were the members of the first church that ever existed on the face of the earth, meeting in assembly on the very first Sunday following the resurrection of Jesus. It was not on a Saturday. It was on a Sunday and they were not keeping the Sabbath. They were keeping the Lord's Day of the resurrection.

3. Now we come to Acts 20:7. Here was a church in Troas, a city of Asia Minor. It was the first day of the week, and they had come together to worship their risen Savior, particularly by the observance of the Lord's Supper. Its not that they came together to hear Paul preach. They came together as a usual custom. Paul was present at this particular gathering and he preached to the assembled church upon the first day of the week. Matthew Henry says, "There was a solemn assembly of the Christians that were there, according to their custom. and the custom of all churches." Some have argued, from verse 11, that they didn't eat the supper until the next day. But you will see the disciples (plural) broke bread in verse 7. The church together on Sunday evening, observed the supper, and before he left on Monday, Paul ate a meal (not the Lord's Supper) in preparation for his journey.

4. I Corinthians 16:2 sheds further light upon the fact that the Bible churches met on Sunday. This verse says, "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." It is not that they specially got together on that Sunday to receive an offering. No. Their custom was to meet each Sunday for worship, and Paul instructed them to take an offering while they were together. Again, note that their meeting occurred on Sunday, not Saturday.

5. The Bible is our rule and manual of practice. Whatever in the Bible God approves, we should follow as His will in the matter. He did approve Sunday worship, and that is Biblically the right day of worship for every child of God. Some may sincerely think Saturday or some other day is right, but a person's being sincere doesn't make him right. It is the light of truth that matters, and the light of truth we've examined points to Sunday worship, not Saturday rest.

B. Historically, Sunday worship has been the practice of believers since the resurrection.

1. They were persecuted, and many were killed, but those early Christians never lost sight of that weekly meeting on the first day of the week. For hundreds of years, it was just a Monday to Jews, and another day to Romans, but for the saints of God, it was the Lord's Day.

2. And, no doubt, no observance has stamped Christianity on the world more than the keeping of the Lord's Day. Wherever it is known, the keeping of the first day of the week as a day of worship testifies of the risen Savior.

3. We will not take the time to do so here, but a setting forth of the historical data on the subject will clearly establish Sunday, not Saturday, as the day which has been kept by Christians down through the ages of time since the resurrection of Christ.

C. In conclusion, let us view by comparison and contrast, what we've seen in this study regarding the Sabbath and the Lord's Day.

SABBATH LORD'S DAY

Saturday ----- Sunday

Day of Rest ----- Day of Worship

Origin: Sinai ----- Origin: Resurrection

Given to Jews ----- Given to Christians

Local ----- Universal

Capital Offense ----- Voluntary Compliance

Law ----- Grace

Inferior Way ----- Superior Way

 

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"