In Exodus 20:8-11, the fourth commandment says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you will labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God.  For in six days, the Lord made all the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day.  Therefore, the Lord blessed the Sabbath Day and hallowed it.”

Why don't all Christians observe and worship Him on the Sabbath, which would be the seventh day, which is Saturday?  Also, when did this change to worshipping our Lord on Sunday happen, and who changed that?

Sincerely,
One Day At A Time

Dear One Day At A Time,

The Sabbath was a holy day for the Jews, not for Christians.  The Old Testament has a myriad of laws that are no longer binding in the New Testament: animal sacrifice, clean and unclean foods, and various festivals… just to name a few.  2 Cor 3 is an entire chapter devoted to explaining how the Old Law has been surpassed by the New Law.  2 Cor 3:3 especially clarifies the issue when it states that our law is “not in tables of stone”, a direct reference to the Ten Commandments that were written on stone tablets.

Gal 3:24-25 makes it clear that the Old Law was a tutor to bring mankind to Christ, but now that Christ has come, we are no longer under that tutor.  The Sabbath is a part of that Old Law.  In the New Testament, christians meet on the first day of the week to worship, take the Lord’s Supper (Acts 20:7), and take up a collection (1 Cor 16:1-2).  In short: different covenants, different days.

The Old Testament law given by Moses was a covenant with the Jews (Deu 5:1-5).  The New Testament law given in Christ is for all of mankind (Acts 2:38-39).

Who changed the law?  God did.

When did it change?  When the church began.

I was looking into your archives, and I noticed something about Jews keeping the Sabbath holy, not christians.  Can you explain that according to Scripture, since we are spiritual Israel?

Sincerely,
On Sabbatical

Dear On Sabbatical,

Christianity is the spiritual Israel (Gal 6:15-16).  Christianity has replaced Judaism and the Old Testament law.  Physical Israel was merely a shadow of that which was to come (Heb 10:1).  The law to obey the Sabbath was a part of the Old Testament law (Ex 20:8).  The Old Testament law has been replaced by a better covenant (Heb 8:4-7).  God tells us that when Christ died for our sins, He nailed the Old Law to the cross (Col 2:14).  Under the new law (the New Testament), we are told to no longer regard the Sabbath as holy (Col 2:16-17).  The things written in the Old Testament are a great example to christians (1 Cor 10:11), but they are no longer binding.  The Old Testament was a tutor to lead mankind to Christ, but now that Christ is here, we are no longer under that tutor (Gal 3:24-25).

I am looking for a lesson on the authority of worshipping on Sunday as opposed to serving the Lord on Saturday.  After reading about the Council of Laodicea and seeing that after Christ died 300 plus years later, the church seemed to take a change.  Although I have heard lessons on this subject, it has been some time, and unfortunately, I need a refresher.

Sincerely,
Ready For The Weekend

Dear Ready For The Weekend,

Christians have always worshipped God on Sunday.  The easiest place to see this in Acts 20:7 where Paul met with a congregation to worship on Sunday.  Furthermore, local congregations are commanded to gather together and take up a collection on Sundays (1 Cor 16:1-2).  The pattern of the church meeting on Sundays is established very early in the New Testament.  Sunday worship is the Biblical pattern of worship – not Saturdays.

     We were having a discussion at work with regards to which day is the Sabbath day, and what we picked up on Google is that Saturday is the Sabbath day, and if so, we would really like to know why it is now on a Sunday and which verse in the Bible states that Saturday is the Sabbath day.  Thanks for your time in educating us in the Word of the Lord.

Sincerely,
Weekend Wonderer

Dear Weekend Wonderer,

Saturday is the Sabbath day… but Christians don’t have to worry about keeping the Sabbath.  The word ‘sabbath’ means ‘rest’.  The Sabbath day was a day that the nation of Israel was told to rest, stop working, and make holy to the Lord (Ex 31:15).  This rule was so strict that a man was once stoned for collecting firewood on Saturday (Num 15:32-36).  However, this was a Jewish command, not a Christian one.  The Sabbath was part of the Old Testament law – a law that Christians are no longer under (Gal 3:23-25).  We are specifically told not to let anyone bind the Sabbath on us (Col 2:16).  Christians worship Christ on the first day of the week – Sunday (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 16:1-2).  If you’d like more information on the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament, we have a video tutorial on the subject here.