There is no doubt that MAJORITY of Christians go to Church every Sunday. Most mega-churches today find their parking lots full of cars every first day of the week. Even Sunday is marked red on our calendar. In spite of the exponential number of people keeping Sunday as their day of worship, does this really square with what the Bible teaches? Does the scripture reveal to us the true day of rest and worship? And most importantly, does Jesus go to church every Sunday? The answer may shock you.
Jesus custom of keeping the Sabbath
From the scripture, it is very clear that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master, did not keep Sunday as His Sabbath day. In FACT, there is no single indication that He kept it or He gave instruction that His followers should deviate away from the true day of worship to Sunday.
The Book of Luke has this to say about the custom of Jesus Christ.
“And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his CUSTOM was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read” (Luke 4:16).
From this scripture, it is very clear that Jesus kept the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship to God. It is Jesus CUSTOM – habit, tradition, practice, routine, norm – to keep the Sabbath day. But, which day is the Sabbath day?
“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…” (Exodus 20:8-10).
As we look into our calendar, it is obvious that the seventh day is Saturday and Sunday is the FIRST day of the week. Even any dictionary or encyclopaedia will immediately tell you that Saturday is the seventh day while Sunday is the first day.
Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath
Aside from being a habit of Christ going to the synagogue every Saturday, He also declared that He is actually the LORD of the Sabbath.
“And he said unto them, ‘The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the Sabbath’” (Mark 2:27-28).
There are two important facts that we should notice here.
First, Jesus said that the Sabbath was made for MAN and not for the Jews or Israelites only. Jesus is actually saying that the Sabbath is made for the WHOLE of MANKIND and not just for the few. So, it is not true that the Sabbath was only given to the Jews and they should be the only one keeping it and not Christians.
Second, Jesus said that He is the Lord of the Sabbath – the seventh day, Saturday and NOT Sunday. When we keep Saturday Sabbath, we are worshiping and following God’s commandment. Now, you have to ask the question:
If Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, then who is the lord of Sunday? Who does people worship every Sunday mass or service?
Well, if you look into the history of Sunday-keeping, you will soon find out that it is the day of the venerable sun. Ancient pagans consider the first day of the week as their day set aside for worship of the SUN.
Conclusion
Jesus Christ is our Master and whoever wants to follow Christ MUST follow His footstep and how he lived this life. We cannot say that we believe and worship Jesus and the Father while doing something that is contrary to what They actually teach and require of us.
Jesus NEVER kept Sunday as the Sabbath day nor will He ever do. Prophecy tells us that the Sabbath is here to stay today and to the day Jesus returns here on the Earth (Matthew 24:20). Even if you read Genesis to Revelation, there is no single scripture that transfer the sacredness and holiness of the Sabbath on Sunday. But rather, history tells us that it was the Roman Catholic Church that made changed.
It is up to you whether you will follow Jesus Christ, our creator and savior, and keep the seventh-day Sabbath or you will follow vain human-devised traditions and keep Sunday.
Jesus kept the Sabbath, will you?
Free Booklet:
Sunset to Sunset: God’s Sabbath Rest
Beyond Today Program:
Additional Reading:
Names for Saturday in Many Languages Prove Which Day Is the True Sabbath
Was the Sabbath Changed in the New Testament?
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The command to obey the 7th Day Sabbath is not repeated in the New Covenant because it is a command that is no longer binding. Every Old Covenant command has been abrogated (Hebrews 8:13) – the only Old Covenant commands that a Christian has to obey are those that are repeated in the New Covenant. Interestingly, every one of the commands from the Decalogue are repeated in the New Covenant, but the command to obey the 7th Day Sabbath is not.
Hi Marc,
Thanks for your comment.
The 7th Day Sabbath was not explicitly repeated because it is the common practice at that time. 🙂
Moreover, are you telling me that the Ten Commandments are already done away with? That we are free to steal, kill, and commit adultery? Why choose only 9 and disregard 1?
In Acts, we have read Gentiles keeping the Sabbath. Wouldn’t it be the perfect time for them to teach these gentiles to stop keeping Sabbath and keep Sunday?
Why do we always twist the scripture when we clearly see the command of God?
Are you an apostle sent to the church of Jesus Christ? The answer is no. You’re of that cult call seventh day Adventist. And that is not the church of Jesus Christ. You’re of the church of Ellen G White. I am saddened by the fact how easy Christ had made it for us to enter into life eternal but these man made religion is putting yolks on people kneck that our apostles didn’t even preach. Get to know Jesus Christ before time runs out on you.
Hi Dave,
I’m not SDA.
Christ said following Him will not be easy. In fact, He said, we should carry our cross daily (Luke 9:23) and the Apostles said that we should enter the Kingdom through tribulation (Acts 14:22).
Why not back up your claims with Bible verses? It’s easy to accuse people like what Satan does (Revelation 12:10).
Regards,
Joshua
Hi Joshua,
The belief in only 1 God was repeated several times in the New Covenant even though it was believed by all Christians (Rom. 3:30; 1 Cor. 8:4; Gal. 3:20; James 2:19). But they didn’t repeat the command to obey the 7th Day Sabbath.
I wrote in my first response, “the only Old Covenant commands that a Christian has to obey are those that are repeated in the New Covenant.” The command not to steal, murder and commit adultery are all in Romans 13:9.
In Acts some of the Gentiles attended the Jewish synagogue so they would of course meet on the Sabbath. This is when the Jews met – and yet no New Covenant command was ever given these Gentiles to obey the 7th day Sabbath.
Hi Marc,
If a law is not mentioned, does that mean that it is already abolished? Moreover, you could find numerous text in the NT that talks about the Sabbath. The Bible says, the Sabbath was made for man, not for the Jews alone. Jesus is the LORD OF THE SABBATH. So, who is the lord of Sunday?
Moreover, Jesus, the disciples, the early Christians are ALL Sabbath keepers even after the death of Jesus.
If you look at the history of Sunday worship, you can’t deny it is of pagan origin rather than a biblical command.
I mentioned Acts because if the Apostles are now teaching Sunday worship, why would they still gather during the Sabbath? Why not tell the Gentiles to go back tomorrow as we are going to keep Sunday already?
Regards,
Joshua
Hello Joshua,
If a law is not mentioned then it is abolished. Yes, that is correct.
Jesus is the Lord of everyday. He created them.
The Apostles gathered on the Sabbath to preach to the Jews. But they never said the 7th Day Sabbath command is still binding for the Christian. Not once.
Hi Marc,
Can you tell me where you read that Jesus is the Lord of everyday?
I have addressed your other questions on my other comments.
Regards,
Joshua
Hi Marc,
Where do you read that Jesus is Lord of every day? Right from the creation week, the seventh day is a special day, set apart from the rest of the week.
Why do we insist in having our own way? Wake up Marc. If we are going to keep one day for God, why not keep His God-ordained Sabbath rather than the pagan Sunday worship? Are we better than God to keep whatever day we want? Isn’t it hypocritical for us to say I believe in God and yet not do His commandments?
Read your Bible again. The Apostles preached not just to the Jews but also to the Greeks on the Sabbath.
Regards,
Joshua
Hi Joshua,
If an Old Covenant law is not mentioned in the New Covenant then it has been abolished.
I don’t see any Scripture that the early Christians were all Sabbath keepers. If they chose to worship that day then that is not really my concern. My concern is whether or not that they taught others MUST observe the 7th Day Sabbath command. I see nowhere that this occurs.
Hi Marc,
May I know in the Bible where it says that if it is not mentioned in the New Covenant, it has been abolished? Where do you read what is kept and what is not kept in the New Covenant?
Marc, you need to realize that early Christians are Sabbath keepers. They follow Christ and the Apostles who are Sabbath keepers. Are you telling me they are keeping Sunday?
Hebrews 4:9 tells us that there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
Regards,
Joshua
Hi Marc,
Sorry for the delay in my reply.
That’s actually a dangerous teaching Marc. Let me give you an example. In the OT, Beastiality is forbidden. Since it is not mentioned in the NT, are you telling me it is okay for people to have sex with animals?
Actually, the correct approach is this. Whatever is not clearly removed in the NT, then it abides and that includes the Sabbath. Can you give me a verse that says we should stop keeping the Sabbath?
Oh. I just gave you a lot of scriptures that early Christians are Sabbath keepers Marc.
Now, can you give me a proof that Christians were keeping Sunday?
regards,
Joshua
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the NEW TESTAMENT; not of the LETTER, but of the spirit: FOR THE LETTER KILLETH, but the spirit giveth life. But if the MINISTRATION OF DEATH, WRITTEN AND ENGRAVEN IN STONES, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory WAS TO BE DONE AWAY: How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of CONDEMNATION be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For if that WHICH IS DONE AWAY was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of THAT WHICH IS ABOLISHED: But their minds were blinded: FOR UNTIL THIS DAY REMAINETH THE SAME VAIL UNTAKEN AWAY in the READING OF THE OLDld TESTAMENT; WHICH VAIL IS DONE AWAY WITH in Christ.
2 Corinthians:3:5-9,11,13-14
No law in Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, Deuteronomy or anywhere between Genesis and Malachi, still holds sway today. Some that are mentioned or referred to in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, or any other book of the OT where the writer was just referring to the OT to make a point or to describe something (eg that a certain sermon was delivered on a ‘sabbath day’) are irrelevant. If you think because the decalog with all its thou-shalts and thou-shalt-nots is abolished then it means you are allowed to kill, covet and commit adultery then you ain’t read “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, AS I HAVE LOVED YOU.” John:15:12
Lastly. Will Jesus Attend My Church? Does it matter? I wish He wouldn’t if it doesn’t result in my salvation. The Jews whose synagogues He went to almost always contradicted Him, and some were active at His crucifixion. The better question is, “What will I do if Jesus attended my Church?” And one of the most appropriate answer is “I hope I would not deny Him and communicate to Him that He died in vain by ignoring what He did on calvary and sticking to the laws of a covenant His death ended!! [For Christ is THE END OF THE LAW for righteousness to every one that believeth. Romans:10:4;
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Galatians:2:21]
One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: (Matthew 22:35)
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” (Matthew 22:36)
Jesus replied: “ ‘Love YAHUAH your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ (Matthew 22:37)
This is the first and greatest commandment. (Matthew 22:38)
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Matthew 22:39)
All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:40) To keep the Sabbath on the 7th day of creation of YAHUAH God Almighty is no longer the Law that you must observe in order to be saved lest Christ died in vain to abolish Old Covenant and establish the New Covenant with old law in it. The apostles of Lord Jesus Christ had a meeting in Jerusalem around 50 AD and apostle James, brother of Lord Jesus Christ filled with the Holy Spirit spoke in these words: “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (Acts 15:19)
Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. (Acts 15:20) While the key question was whether or not Gentiles Christians must be circumcised in the flesh like Lord Jesus Christ, the judgement delivered by the Body of Christ in the presence of Lord Jesus Christ by virtue of His promise where two or three gathered in His Name, He will be in their midst, this new law was thus formulated for the Gentiles: no circumcision in the flesh and hence the Sabbath day was no mentioned as the new obligation of Christians. If one willingly follow the Sabbath day with the Jewish worshippers there is no sin in it. But to put this yoke on Christians, it is legalist practice that strayed from the convention of the apostles and prophets after Christ. Shalom.
The 4th commandment is the only one of the 10 commandments that specifically identifies the Jews as its recipients. It is also the only one of the 10 not repeated in the NT. However the Holy Spirit established the church on a SUNDAY Pentecost Sunday to be precise.
The sabbath is repeated a lot of times in the NT. Moreover, we are the spiritual Israel. Sunday Pentecost didn’t change the Sabbath. If it did, why does the NT church still keeps the Sabbath years after Christ’s death? You need to realized Elizabeth that bible scholars, even the Catholic church, admit that Sunday observance is a man-made tradition and not rooted in the Bible.
Jesus shed his blood for our sins….I am not going or not going to heaven because I formally worship God on Sunday. We should be worshipping God everyday. Thank God that He will determine who will enter heaven and not selective “law keepers.” You over emphasize this.
Edith, let’s stop letting ourselves decide how to worship God.
Kindly can you forward a pdf format document on. WILL JESUS ATTEND YOUR CHURCH ON SUNDAY?
I thank you.
Hi Sherril! I’m afraid I don’t have that. However, if you want, I can send you a copy of our Sabbath booklet.