Question: Why
worship on Sunday, not Saturday?
Answer: We greatly appreciate all questions which are submitted to Bible Questions. This is a great deal of misapprehension regarding Sunday and Saturday worship. Perhaps we can remove some of this misunderstanding.
The Jews worshipped on the sabbath. "Keep the sabbath day to sanctify it," the decalogue stated, "as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee" (Deut. 5: 12). Labor on the sabbath or the seventh day of the week was forbidden (Deut. 5: 13,14). To disregard the sabbath day law, was a capital offense (Num. 15: 37-41). The Ten Commandment Law, including the sabbath day law, was given to physical or national Israel, not to Gentiles, as such (Deut. 5: 1-3). The Jews also offered animal sacrifice, were to avoid certain foods, and were forbidden marriage with other nations (Lev. 4, II, Nehe. 13). Jesus kept the sabbath because he lived and died under the Law of Moses (Gal. 4: 4, I Pet. 2: 22).
The first day of the
week is associated with Christians. Jesus was resurrected on the first day
of the week (our Sunday, Matt. 28: 1). The church was established on Sunday, the gospel
was first preached in its fullness, and remission of sin as a result of Jesus' blood were
all begun on Sunday (Acts 2). It was on the first day of the week when Christians came
together to observe the Lord's Supper (Acts 20: 7). It was also on Sunday that Christians
gave of their means into the treasury of the
local church (I Cor. 16: 1,2).
The law, containing the sabbath day ordinance, has been "nailed to the cross" (Col. 2: 14). Thus, we are to let no man judge us "in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holiday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days" (Col. 2: 16). The sabbath day was part of God's covenant with the Jews; the first day of the week is the day associated with Jesus' new covenant or testament (Heb. 8; 9).