Saturday Worship

Throughout my Christian life, people have been trying to convince me that Saturday is the one and only sanctified holy day of worship.  Normally, these folks are from the Seventh Day Adventists, but others legalistically point to Saturday worship.

Some of the arguments are, of course, to cite the Fourth Commandment, the fact Jesus apparently worshipped in the synagogues on the Sabbath, and Paul entered the synagogues on the Sabbath.

To take these in the order I gave them, the Fourth Commandment (Ex. 20:8-11) commands us to rest on the seventh day.  It also says to keep that day holy.  It does not actually command us to keep that day for worship, but it was an obvious time for worship as all other days were work days.

The Sabbath legalists say this means we are to worship on the seventh day and the commandment was never rescinded.  Well, the issue here is the Mosaic Law.  Jesus fulfilled the Law (Matt. 5:17; Rom. 8:1-4).  So, we are no longer under the Law.  We are now under grace, so, unless it is repeated in the New Testament, we need not abide by it.  It has been fulfilled.

As to the second and third points, Jesus entered the synagogues on the Sabbath Day because Jesus was an observant Jew.  The Law was not fulfilled until His sacrifice was complete.  He was just observing the Jewish custom of worshipping on the Sabbath.  As for Paul, he entered the synagogues on the Sabbath because they were the fullest, he would have the largest audience on the Sabbath.  But does the New Testament tell us to worship on the Sabbath?

It would seem the early church met on Sunday as an observance of Christ’s resurrection occurring on a Sunday. 

Acts 20:7 (ESV)
⁷  On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (ESV)
¹  Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. ²  On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

Really, though, we’re not to consider one day over another.  Most of the church does meet on Sunday today as a remembrance of Jesus’ resurrection, but we could meet any day we like.  The Holy Spirit, through Paul, tells us no one day is special and we are not to judge those who hold one day as special or we will have to answer to God:

Romans 14:5-12 (ESV)
⁵  One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.
⁶  The one who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. The one who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God, while the one who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
⁷  For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
⁸  For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.
⁹  For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
¹⁰  Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;
¹¹  for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
¹²  So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.

Colossians 2:16 (ESV)
¹⁶  Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are not to bicker over little things.  The job of the “Accuser of the Brethren” has been taken (Rev. 12:10).  We are to love one another.  Let’s not get legalistic in our examination of others.  Our job is not to act as the Holy Ghost Police.  Let us worship freely and joyfully together no matter the day.