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Ask FGBC #27: Why the shift from Saturday to Sunday worship?

Jim Butler · 2024-11-22 · 1,942 words · 11 min

Ask FGBC Anything

Okay, why did it shift from Saturday 
to Sunday for worship? Go ahead. You want me to go? 
Why did it shift? It's to commemorate the resurrection 
of our Lord. He arose on the first day and 
he inaugurated the new creation on the first day, which the old 
creation does point ahead to. So it's interesting, a lot of 
people who kind of balk at the idea that the fourth commandment 
applies for the first day. They'll say there's no command 
in the New Testament. But what's interesting is there 
was no command actually until, explicit command until Exodus 
as well. But there was still, it is a 
creation ordinance that the Sabbath, God sanctified the Sabbath day 
and made it holy. We work six days and then we 
rest on the seventh. But that all points ahead to 
a consummation, it points ahead to something greater, it points 
ahead to a completion, and that comes in Christ Jesus, who rests 
first and then, who worked first, sorry, so that we might rest. 
And so people also don't forget that there are eighth day Sabbaths 
in the Old Testament. Pentecost is an eighth day Sabbath, 
Jubilees is an eighth day Sabbath that are all pointing ahead to 
something far greater. So as well, even in the Old Testament, 
when Sinai is mentioned, the fourth commandment looks back 
to creation and the in Exodus 20, and it also recognizes redemption 
in Deuteronomy chapter five. So all that theology plays an 
important role when it comes to the new covenant and how the 
fourth commandment applies for us in the new covenant, not to 
mention Isaiah 56 and Isaiah 58 that speak about that, especially 
56 with the eunuch, it looks ahead to the eunuchs who would 
come in to Acts chapter eight, which also talks about the Sabbath 
there as well. So, it is a blessed time of rest and a blessed day 
that still looks ahead to a far greater consummation. One thing 
people seem to try to get us with is that Jesus is our rest. 
And I believe Jesus is my rest and there is a greater rest that 
is coming. But I do think Hebrews 4.9 does very clearly say there 
still remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. And what's 
interesting is the word that is used for rest throughout chapter 
four is pretty much the same until you get to verse nine and 
it changes to a Sabbath keeping rest. And then also the writer, 
I think Dr. Barcelos points this out and 
is getting the garden right, but Hebrews four, And he probably 
refers to someone else, Beal, probably, when it comes to chapter 
10, connecting it with creation. 410. Sorry, 410. For he who has 
entered his rest has himself also ceased from his works as 
God did from his. So it changes to a singular name. 
They're referring, I think, to Christ. It's not us, Christ has 
worked and entered his rest, just as God did from his. So 
there is a new creation or creation connection there, looking at 
Christ who has rest, who's worked for us, that we might rest in 
him. But even as we still work in 
this lower world, we start with rest as we still anticipate that 
final consummation. So there is a theology, and I 
do think there is some biblical war in the New Testament. Another 
thing as well, as Jesus does say, the Sabbath was not made, 
man was not made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath was made for 
man. And he could have referred to Israel there, but he does 
tarken it back to creation as well. So with the fact that it's 
a creation ordinance and we're of the new creation with the 
eighth day Sabbaths with Hebrews 4 with Jesus' consummation, with 
the fact that, you know, the early church, they met on the 
first day, they met on the Lord's day. All those things highlight 
why, namely, it's to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ 
and the inauguration of new creation. And I would add in terms of law, 
we hold to what's called the three-fold division of the law. So, you've got the moral law 
of God revealed in the Ten Commandments, you have what's called ceremonial 
law in the Old Testament that regulated worship, tabernacle, 
priesthood, temple, those sorts of things, and then judicial 
law, where judicial law basically governed the body politic for 
life in the land. So, the fourth commandment is 
moral law. You need to remember the Sabbath 
day. There is ceremonial or better positive aspects of it as well. So, positive law is something 
that God commands based on the covenant, based on a particular 
circumstance, based on something going on. It's not moral law. It's not a reflection of his 
moral perfection, but it rather is, you know, don't eat from 
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That's a positive 
law. So the fourth commandment has the moral aspect, one day 
out of seven, you worship God. But there's the positive aspect, 
which means whatever covenant you're in dictates what day that 
will be on. So the moral principle, meet 
for worship of the living and true God. The positive element 
is Saturday Sabbath keeping in the old covenant, Sunday Sabbath 
keeping in the new covenant. And again, I would echo that 
410, Hebrews 410, I think really does corroborate in the theology 
there in Hebrews 4, the parallel between the Father in creation 
and the Son in new creation, the Son ceasing, resting from 
His works on the day of His resurrection, and then the various passages. They were in Troas for a week 
and they met the first day of the week according to Acts Verse 
7, Paul tells them to set apart money on the first day of the 
week, 1 Corinthians 16, and then John is in the Spirit on the 
Lord's Day in Revelation 1. And that use, Lord's Day, there's 
only one other place in the New Testament where that convention 
is used, it's the Lord's Supper. So, it's kuriake, it's where 
we get the word Kirk. It's something possessed by or 
owned specifically by the Lord. So, the Lord owns every supper 
you'll ever eat, but there is something that is specific about 
the Lord's supper. God owns every day that you have, 
but there's something specific about the Lord's day. It is owned 
by Him, possessed by Him specifically. So, I don't think there's a lack 
of evidence in the New Testament that the church worshipped on 
the first day. And I don't think there's a lack of evidence that 
it was rooted in the fourth commandment and that perpetuity or that perpetual 
observance of a day in worship of God. So, moral law, meet, 
worship, glorify God. Positive law, Saturday Sabbath 
keeping in the old, Sunday, Lord's Day keeping in the new. And just 
to highlight the moral nature of the fourth commandment, as 
Pastor Butler said, there's a difference between moral and positive and 
moral transcends covenant. And so we would recognize that 
the moral law is written on the heart of man. And so you do actually 
see this reflected even in pagans who recognize there's still a 
time to worship. They don't know which time, they're 
obviously worshiping the wrong God, but When we consider the 
first four commandments, the first commandment deals with 
who we worship, the second, how we worship, the third, our demeanor 
and approach in worship, but the fourth does deal with the 
time of worship as well. And pretty much any pagan under 
the earth recognizes there's a time to worship. And thankfully, 
ours is regulated by the regular principle of worship and the 
new covenant as we commemorate what Christ has done on the first 
day. So working six, resting one is still binding even to 
people who are in neither the old or the new covenant? I think 
so. Yeah. And I think that's where 
our confession starts in terms of religious worship and the 
Sabbath day, the light of nature. That means general revelation. 
God's, you know, showing himself through the created order shows 
that there is a God who has lordship and sovereignty overall is just 
good and does good unto all. and is therefore to be feared, 
loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served with all 
the heart and all the soul and with all the might." Then it 
obviously says, but the acceptable way of worshiping the true God 
is instituted by Himself. So, it acknowledges that through 
general revelation, man knows God is. but because he's a sinner, 
he's going to twist that and distort that and do what he wants 
to do versus doing what God says to do. But the light of nature, 
I think, gets a lot, gets shortchanged, I think. And then in terms of 
the Sabbath day, paragraph 7, as it is the law of nature, that 
in general a proportion of time by God's appointment be set apart 
for the worship of God. So, by His word and a positive 
moral and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, 
He has particularly appointed one day in seven for a Sabbath 
to be kept holy unto Him. And then it speaks from the beginning 
of the world to the resurrection of Jesus, last day of the week 
from the resurrection of Christ until He comes again in glory, 
the Lord's day or Christian Sabbath. So, the light of nature is a 
very sort of, kind of a helpful ace in the hole for us. You know, 
the previous question about talking to homosexuals about their sin, 
at some level they know we're right. And that sounds probably 
bad or mean or vicious or unkind, but you know, what do sinners 
do? They try to suppress truth and 
unrighteousness, but they can't escape the law of God written, 
you know, on their heart distorted and messed up as it may be because 
of their own sin and their own suppression of things, it's nevertheless 
there. So, we kind of have somebody 
on our side in their heart. And I think if we're wise and 
loving, we can show them that. Can I just say one more thing 
about the Lord's day? A lot of people who kind of balk at the 
fourth commandment don't realize that it is such a delight. We're 
not trying to make it a drudgery, that God doesn't make it a drudgery, 
we make it a drudgery. But you know, I think it's Psalm 
92 does say the Sabbath is meant to be a delight and it's a blessing 
to go to the house of the Lord. And he knows we're not disembodied 
spirits. He understands we need rest. 
And the highest rest is worshiping him. And that's the highest privilege 
as well as to worship him. And so, a lot of people work 
hard six days a week, five days a week. And in this time, certainly 
six days with other things as well. But if we don't have time 
to read theology, there is time on the Lord's day to read theology. 
There's time to pray. There's time to come and worship. 
It is meant to be a great delight for the people of God. And if 
you understand it in that way, hopefully it changes your perspective 
on it, because the Bible does teach it and tell us that it 
is the light meant to be for our good. Amen.