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 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 decisive 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 emotions lead us to think or
believe. Those factors are 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. However, 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 that 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
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.
Chapter Two
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 that 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 wor****p on Sunday, the first day of
the
week, for which there is no biblical command.
Why do they do it Most Sunday keepers 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 over impress 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 m*****. 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 that 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
Sunday-keeping 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 the Scriptures do not sup****t it, then we should
diligently search the Word until we find the day that 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 that refer 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 that mentions the first day of the week.
Chapter Three
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 recordthe Sabbath was ending when
the first day was beginning. They are two successive days. Based on
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. He lists the very same women 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
im****tant 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.
Chapter Four
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 Arimathaea) 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 "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 that could have fallen on any day of
the week.
The 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, 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.
Chapter Five
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 wor****p. "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
cir***stances 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
shortly 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 notthem which had
seen
him after he was risen" (Mark 16:10-14).
Based on 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 ****trayed 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 wor****p, prayer, rest, or honoring the
resurrection. The Gospels were written several years after the events
transpired, giving many op****tunities 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.
Chapter Six
No Sunday-keeping 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 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 trans****t 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, the letter would have been shared with the church on the
Sabbath
when they were all gathered for wor****p. The first op****tunity 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 that 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.
Chapter Seven
Paul's Longest Sermon
This brings us to the final reference that could provide any sup****t
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.
Those who grasp for any tiny excuse to justify their disobedience of God's
commandments have grievously distorted this account in the book of Acts.
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. In addition, 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
****p, 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, 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 im****tant 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 until the Sabbath was over before bringing their sick to Jesus.
Therefore, 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 ****p on Saturday
night. Instead, he fellow****pped all night long with the believers and
then
walked twenty miles across the peninsula on Sunday morning to join the
boat
at Assos.
Incidentally, Paul's missionary companions, including Luke, who
chronicled the highlights of the carefully scheduled voyage, manned this
boat. 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.
Chapter Eight
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 ****p 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 very inappropriate on any kind of holy day.
Some have equated the breaking of bread with the communion service,
but
such a view cannot be sup****ted 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 Bible cannot confirm the contention that Paul celebrated the
Lord's
Supper with the believers in the upper room. 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 wor****p
service. The im****tance of that all-night session appears in the
miraculous
raising of the young man Eutychus, and 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 do***ents 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 ofthe 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. They don't realize 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).
Chapter Nine
The Day They Kept
Now that we have exhausted all possible sources for Sunday keeping
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 that
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 wor****p 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 wor****p 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 wor****p, and we would have to concur. But
what
possible arguments 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 Sunday keeping 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 sup****t 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
Sabbathkeeper, but Godhas 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 im****tant 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. Nevertheless, the
"things"
are always added when we trust Him and obey, regardless of the
cir***stances.
The real secret of keeping the Sabbath of the Lord is to have the
Lord
of the Sabbath in our hearts! It is love that 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 relation****p the basis of your
Sabbathkeeping, and it will be the happiest day of your week, for the rest
of your life!
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