The first day of the week – Sunday. What is a Christian suppose to do on Sunday?
I found it very interesting to discover how and when Sunday, the Lord's Day for the Christian church, supplanted the Jewish Sabbath.
The disciples gathered together for worship, but when did the disciples of the early Christian church first begin the custom of gathering together on Sunday to worship instead of Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath? I found it mentioned in the Book of Acts, chapter 20, verse 7. The Book of Acts was written by Luke describing the three missionary journeys of Paul between 44 AD and 58 AD.
Acts 20:7 says, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, preached to them.” I read the commentaries of Adam Clark, John Barnes, John Gill, Matthew Pool, and Matthew Henry. They all agree on the following:
1. The first day of the week called Sunday was the Lord's Day for the New Testament church replacing the Jewish Sabbath.
2. It became the custom of all, both in city and country, to meet in one place for religious worship. It appears that the apostles and the primitive churches did meet together for religious exercises.
3. Sunday, the first day of the week, became the day of worship because:
a. It was the day of the Lord's resurrection.
b. It was the day that the Lord first appeared to the apostles gathered in the upper room.
c. It was the day of Pentecost.
4. What took place at these gatherings?
a. The early Christians engaged in fellowship and the breaking of bread, which was the celebration of the Lord's Supper. At first a full meal was shared, but that custom was soon done away with.
b. A word of the Lord was preached so they could increase in knowledge and grace.
So this is how the early Christians began to worship on Sunday instead of Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. But what about resting on the Sabbath? Is the Christian Sunday supposed to be a day of rest? What about chapters 3 and 4 of Hebrews that states that we have entered into God’s rest? Don’t those chapters teach that we have entered into a state of rest instead of a rest that is only honored one day a week?
Stay tuned for my next blog as we discover more about the topic of rest.
John
Very interesting information Wallace! I had always thought Sunday was put into practice by Constantine when he made Christianity “legal”. I wonder too if possibly Jewish descendents possibly retained Saturday from their culture while others chose Sunday? Interestng to ponder for sure.
This being the case, i wonder then why so many Christians today no longer attend “religious activity” meetings on Sunday? I know there could be many answers way to much to go into here.. but it does cause one to ponder that too.
Thanks again for sharing your insightful study.
May 15, 2012 - 11:32 am