(This is not a personal letter.)
PRECEDENCE
Apostolic instruction teaches us that one day may be precedent above another according to the religious tenets of some; and that every day may be regarded without precedence according to the religious tenets of others. The important matter is that the believer is fully persuaded in his own mind as how he chooses to think about precedence or non-precedence of days. A person who doubts or does not know why he does something is not enjoying life to its fullest; for God wants every Christian to be happy and confident: "One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind" (Rom. 14:5 [INT]).
A pitfall that a Christian is susceptible to fall into is judging another servant of God who may not think exactly the same as he does. How one may think in this regard is a God-given privilege, and no one has the right to despise a brother of a contrary opinion in this matter because God has received him. Paul gives a sharp reproof: "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth of falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand" (Rom. 14:4 [KJV]). Also, "He who respects the day has the Lord in mind in doing so, and he who eats meat has the Lord in mind when he eats, since he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains has the Lord in mind no less, since he too gives thanks to God" (Rom. 14:6 [NEB]).
A heterodox doctrine sprung forth due to the partial interpretation of the Scriptures by the professing students and scholars of the post-early church era. They failed to promote the grace and knowledge concerning the fulfillment of Christ in relationship to the third (depending on how you count it and from what text, particularly the Hebrew) commandment given at Mount Sinai. You may think I've miscounted but actually it was the way I counted it from a particular Hebrew text in this instance. However, you do not have to count it just as I have done, and I don't recommend that you do, but you should know that it may be counted in different ways under different observations. The Roman Catholic Church built into its religious tradition the observance of Sunday; and even though the Reformation hundreds of years later brought in many great theological developments and reproofs, the protestant churches didn't turn away from constraining people to observe Sunday. Many teachers, theological and secular, Christian and non-Christian, have fostered a misunderstanding for doctrine which is contrary to the grace of God for centuries in this aspect.
The sabbath day is the seventh day of the week, or what we know as Saturday; actually, Friday eve until Saturday eve. The Hebrew word shab-bawth' means intermission; it is a rest.
"Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 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, not thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Ex. 20:8-11 [KJV])
Paul evangelized in Antioch among the Jews and Gentiles 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" (Acts 13:42 [KJV]). He also taught in Corinth on the sabbath: "And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks" (Acts 18:4 [KJV]).
The day following the sabbath, the first day of the week, is what we call Sunday. The verses Mk. 15:42-16:9 make this distinction quite clear. "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" (Mk. 16:1, 2 [KJV]). Jesus was crucified on what we refer to as Friday and arose on what we refer to as Sunday. The "sabbath" and "first day" are mentioned in respect to chronological order in these two verses: thus it may be clearly seen that they are different--the latter is subsequent to the former --days of the week (realizing that Jesus arose on the third day).
The aforementioned proponents simulated the first day of the week for the sabbath; the apostles did not instruct or imply as such. However, the early Christians did innovate a distinguished celebration. Perhaps verses Acts 20:6, 7 connote a New Testament tradition being established at Troas by the disciples' breaking of bread on the first day of the week (although there is no specific implication to rest and not do any work the whole day as the Jews once refrained on the sabbath day): "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" (Acts 20:7 [KJV]). But when Paul was speaking with the Jewish law-oriented believers (although there is no implication of any inclination among the people to have regard for the first day of the week, nor did he encourage them to) he warned concerning "observance" in its strict sense: "Therefore, do not let anyone judge (evaluate) you in meat or in drink, or in regard of a feast or new moon or sabbaths: Which are a shadow of things being about to come; but the body is of Christ" (Col. 2:16, 17). Although verses Colossians 2:16, 17 do not specifically refer to a sole perspective of observing or not observing the sabbath day as a day of rest and no work, they do imply that a higher standard of spiritual understanding is expected in regard to any day generally, and that the conformity of the requirement of those once special days being a shadow of things to come is not equivalent to the superior reality of the brilliance of grace and truth which shines through the minds of believers who have served God in obedience of faith. Christians are encouraged and anticipated to walk in the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding (Col. 1:9), to whom God did desire to make known what the riches of the glory of this mystery are among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory (Col. 1:27); see verses 25 and 26.
Christians are under grace, not under the law. The Scriptures had to be fulfilled concerning the new covenant that God said he shall make with his people: "The time is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with Israel and Judah" (Je. 31:31 [NEB]). And also: "God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth" (Jn. 4:24 [NEB]). This new covenant was brought into effect and established by Jesus. The new covenant is better than the old one--fulfilling the old testament laws rather than destroying them. New covenant teachings repeal some old testament laws and practices, and extend others, for instance: Sacrifices and gifts were perfected by the sacrifice of Jesus obtaining eternal redemption for us (Heb. 9:10-12); turning the other cheek (active piety by means of non-retaliation, not passivity) rather than "a tooth for a tooth" (Mt. 5:38); cf. Ex. 21:24; allowing all meat to be eaten (including pork) rather than only specified meat (Acts 10:11); cf. 1 Tim. 4:5, Lv. 11:7, and II Maccabees 6:18 of the Apocrypha--see the New English Bible; also note the glorious virtue to abide within the O.T. covenant regulations at the cost of their lives (6:18-7:42); the Jews are no longer required to keep feast days and celebrations (Col. 2:16); cf. Ps. 81:3-5, Ne. 10:32, 33; circumcision of the flesh is no longer required (Acts 15:9); cf. Gn. 17:10, Acts 15:1; etc.
The verses Rom. 14:4-6 and Col. 2:16, 17 are the weapons (the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God) of a holy war--a perpetual, spiritual crusade against legalism, invading the stronghold of enmity of unprofitable traditions which have withstood grace and truth throughout Christiandom. The Christian ministry does not consist of hand-to-hand combat: our warfare is according to the fashion of the spiritual battle mentioned in II Cor. 10:3-6, for instance, "we demolish sophistries and all that rears its proud head against the knowledge of God" (II Cor. 10:5 [NEB]). See Eph. 6:10-18.
Both the sabbath and the first day of the week have an underlying significance, which is the person whom each points toward: the former in anticipation of Christ; and the latter in retrospect to Him. However, the first day of the week was the day appointed by Paul for collection, according to the prosperity the Lord had given Christians at Corinth: "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" (1 Cor.16:2 [KJV]).
I have had several contemplations concerning the term the "Lord's day," mentioned only once in the New Testament: "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day ... " (Rev. 1:10 [KJV]). I have re-written my former thoughts concerning this verse in case I may have seemed to have been presumptuous previously. Perhaps it denotes a day other than the sabbath, such as connoting the commemoration of the day of the Lord's resurrection or some other memorial, but I do not know. Another contemplation is that perhaps it is a day that belongs explicitly to God, rather than to Jesus.
However, it is easily understood that the author of the book of Hebrews attributed (having known the old covenant law) the sabbath day as the seventh day of the week: see Ex. 20:11. Jesus said, "It is finished" his last moment on the cross. He completed his work that God had given him to do in order that we might have life. God completed all the creation in six days and he rested on the seventh day. Jesus is the "rest" people need to enter!
"It is we, we who have become believers, who enter the rest referred to in the words, 'As I vowed in my anger, they shall never enter my rest.' Yet God's work has been finished ever since the world was created; for does not Scripture somewhere speak thus of the seventh day: 'God rested from all his work on the seventh day'?" (Heb. 4:3, 4 [NEB])
Jesus gives rest to those entering his covenant from the strife of sin. We are not instructed to observe the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, which are a shadow of things to come. Jesus is the fulfillment of those laws which were a premonstration to the rest, and peace, and glory, and refreshment, and beauty, and the holiness which God gives to those who believe on the one he sent. To follow the commandment of the Lord is to love your neighbor as yourself because love is the fulfillment of the law. Striving to keep a certain day holy (as to resting and not doing any work from eve to eve according to the structured religious form of the old covenant, and requiring the same standard from others) whether it be the sabbath, or the first day, or any other day does not completely suffice or accomplish the fulfillment of the law (the things beyond and superior to things which were a shadow of things to come). If one person does regard one day above another day, such a person does not have a right to exact the same regard from another person: see Rom. 14:4-6. Church administrations should not usurp authority over members of the body in such matters. Whether one chooses to regard one day above another, or to regard every day equal and the same is an individual prerogative. It behooves a believer to accept another believer whose precedence--or non-precedence may differ from his own.
Br. Ken
P.S.
There is a difference between commemorating the first day (Sunday) and keeping (observing) the sabbath day (Saturday) holy. The former is fine only it is gracious and fulfilling not to constrain anyone to keep it as ancient Israel used to observe the sabbath day. It is fine for Christians to gather together on any day or any time, whether it be the first day, the sabbath day, or any other day--the point is not to be legalistic about it.
May the Lord grant us that we be well pleasing unto him and approved by men, amen.
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Other commandment counting
references (although perhaps different theory or disagreeing
reasons):
Gesenius: Accents
NBD: Ten Commandments
God's people: Christians are under the New Covenant taught by God unto obedience through faith and works.
Events Of The Transformation:
Learn about the Council of Nicaea and other councils the quick way.
Calendrical Document (Mishmarot)
"Jewish" feigning of worship
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