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Is Sunday Really Sacred?


Copyright c by Joe Crews.
  All rights reserved.

One of David's most beautiful prayers is recorded in Psalm
43:3. "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead
me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy
tabernacles."
This same earnest petition to understand God's Word should
be in the heart of every sincere seeker for truth. A
willingness to learn and to obey must characterize all of
those who expect to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit. To
such, the beautiful promise of the beatitude will be
fulfilled. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness: for they shall be filled." Matthew
5:6.
But it does no good to pray for the truth if we have no
intention to obey it when God answers our prayer. One of
the greatest favors God can bestow upon us is to give a
knowledge of His Word.  And the most presumptuous thing
anybody can do is to pray for an understanding of God's
will and then refuse to obey, for any reason whatsoever,
when the answer comes.
Many people are guilty of pulling the Bible down to match
their poor, weak experience, instead of bringing their
experience up to meet the requirements of the Word. There
is only one great acid test of truth, and that is the
Bible. Every religious thought, every book we read, and
every sermon we hear should be measured by the infallible
rule of the inspired Scriptures.  It does not matter what
we were taught as children, or what the majority is
following, or what our emotional feelings lead us to think
or believe. Those factors are perfectly invalid as a test
of absolute truth. The ultimate question must be answered:
What does the Word of God say on the subject?
Some people think that if they are sincere in what they
believe, God will accept them and save them. But sincerity
alone is not enough. One can be sincere, and be sincerely
wrong. I remember driving to West Palm Beach, Florida,
several years ago. At least I thought I was going there.
It was night, and I had not seen any road signs for quite
awhile. Suddenly my car lights picked up a sign which
read, "Belle Glade 14 miles." Heartsick, I realized that I
was traveling in the opposite direction from West Palm
Beach. I was on the wrong road. No one could have been
more sincere than I was that night, but I was sincerely
wrong. Now, I could have continued on down the road saying
that somehow, somewhere up ahead I might find West Palm
Beach. Instead, I turned the car around and went back to
the place where I took the wrong turn and got on the right
road leading to West Palm Beach. That was the only right
thing to do.

Closed Minds and Majority Rule

God's Word has a lot to say to those who are willing to be
corrected. The people to be the most pitied are those who
have closed minds. They will resist any information which
varies from their personal views. Their minds are made up,
and they don't want to be bothered by the facts. This is
especially true concerning the subject of the Sabbath.
Multitudes have inherited opinions about the day to be
observed weekly, and they find it very difficult to look
objectively at any other viewpoint. Many of them know that
one of the Ten Commandments requires the keeping of the
seventh day of the week. They also know that the seventh
day is Saturday. Yet they tenaciously follow the tradition
of observing a different day from the one God commanded.
They worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, for
which there is no biblical command.
Why do they do it? Most Sundaykeepers have simply accepted
the practice of the religious majority in the community
where they were raised, assuming that it has to be right
because so many are doing it. Is this a safe assumption?
Has the majority usually been right in religious matters?
The Bible clearly answers these questions in the negative.
Every available source of information reveals that in
religious matters, at least, the majority has always been
wrong. Jesus Himself said, "And as it was in the days of
Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man."
Luke 17:26. Only eight people went into the ark to be
saved from the flood. Christ taught that only a comparable
few would be saved at the end of the world. Said He,
"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and
broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many
there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate,
and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few
there be that find it." Matthew 7:13, 14.
It is very true that the great majority of Christians
today, including many famous evangelists and theologians,
are keeping Sunday instead of the seventh-day Sabbath.
That fact alone should not overimpress anyone. Taken by
itself, in the light of Christ's words, it should raise a
flag of warning. Truth has never been popular with the
masses. And those in the majority today, as in all past
ages, are not really looking for truth as much as they are
looking for a smooth, easy, comfortable religion which
will allow them to live as they want to live.
What, then, should be the test of the Sabbath truth? Just
one thing, and one thing only--the Word of God.
Unfortunately, millions have never studied the Bible for
themselves on this subject. I propose that we test the
Sundaykeeping practice of this majority group and find out
if it is correct. If it is biblical, then all of us should
accept it and faithfully keep every Sunday. If it is not
supported by the Scriptures, then we should diligently
search the Word until we find the day which our Lord has
endorsed for us to keep.
The most honest way I know to approach this subject is to
take a look at absolutely everything that the Bible says
about the first day of the week. There are only eight
texts in the New Testament which make any reference to
Sunday, and by carefully studying these verses we can be
certain that all the evidence for consideration is before
us. If there is any biblical authority for keeping the
first day of the week, it will have to be found in one of
these verses.
Are we willing to face the consequences of this kind of
exhaustive study? Here is where our prejudice will be
tested! Can we open our minds completely to whatever this
objective search reveals? These are not trick questions.
Personally, I do not care which day is found to be the
Sabbath. If the Bible teaches it, I will gladly keep
Monday, Thursday, Friday, or Sunday. Long ago I decided to
be a Christian and to follow the Word of God wherever it
would lead, regardless of my feelings. It makes no
difference to me which day I keep holy, as long as it is
the one commanded in the Bible! I hope you feel the same
way as we begin our examination of every single reference
in the New Testament which mentions the first day of the
week.

Resurrection on Sunday

Let's begin with the first Gospel. Matthew writes, "In the
end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first
day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to
see the sepulchre." Matthew 28:1. Here we have some very
interesting proof that the Sabbath could not possibly be
the first day of the week. According to this record the
Sabbath was ending when the first day was beginning. They
are two successive days. On the basis of Scripture no one
could truthfully call Sunday the Sabbath. It would be both
confusing and unbiblical.
The substance of Matthew's testimony is simply that the
women came at dawn on the day following the Sabbath and
found that Jesus was already risen. This harmonizes
perfectly with the next Gospel, which adds a few more
details. Notice that Mark equates the dawn with "the
rising of the sun." He wrote, "And when the sabbath was
past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and
Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and
anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of
the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of
the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us
away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?" Mark 16:1-
3.
These parallel Gospel accounts clear up a common
misconception that has arisen over the meaning of
Matthew's words "as it began to dawn toward the first day
of the week." Some have interpreted this to be just before
sundown on Saturday evening. Since the Hebrew reckoning
would establish the end of the Sabbath at sunset, they
assume that the women came just before the first day was
ushered in at sundown.
Here we see the value of comparing text with text. Mark's
words make it impossible to hold the view that the women
came Saturday night and found the tomb empty. The very
same women are listed by him as coming at sunrise Sunday
morning, but they were asking the question, "Who shall
roll us away the stone?" Obviously, if they had been there
the night before and discovered an empty tomb, they would
have known that the stone was already removed from the
door. Thus, we can understand clearly that Matthew's
"dawn" is referring to the early morning visit at sunrise
on Sunday morning.
The third New Testament reference to the first day is a
simple narrative statement in Mark 16:9, "Now when Jesus
was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared
first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven
devils." Little comment is needed here, because the verse
is only repeating the same story of the resurrection early
on Sunday morning. The important thing to note is that
nothing is said in any of these texts about the first day
of the week being holy. There is no intimation of anyone
observing the day in honor of the resurrection.

Locating the True Sabbath

One of the most complete word pictures of resurrection
events is found in the Gospel of Luke, and here we read
the fourth reference to the first day of the week. "This
man (Joseph of Arimathµa) went unto Pilate, and begged the
body of Jesus. And he took it down, and wrapped it in
linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone,
wherein never man before was laid. And that day was the
preparation, and the sabbath drew on." Luke 23:52-54.
Before reading further, let us carefully examine the
inspired description of this crucifixion day. The vast
Christian majority agrees that these events transpired on
the day we now call Good Friday. Here it is called the
"preparation" day, because it was a time for making
special arrangements for the approaching Sabbath. In fact,
the text states very simply that "the sabbath drew on."
This means that it was coming up next.
What else happened on that day Jesus died? "And the women
also, which came with him from Galilee, followed after,
and beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid. And
they returned, and prepared spices and ointments; and
rested the sabbath day according to the commandment."
Verses 55, 56.
During the rest of that fateful Friday the devoted women
bought the anointing materials and made further
preparation for their Sunday morning visit to the tomb.
Then, as the Sabbath was ushered in at sunset, they
"rested the sabbath day according to the commandment."
This identifies that holy day as the specific weekly
Sabbath of the Ten Commandments and not the Passover or
some other feast-sabbath which could have fallen on any
day of the week.
The very next verse tells what the women did on the day
following the Sabbath. "Now upon the first day of the
week, very early in the morning, they came unto the
sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared,
and certain others with them. And they found the stone
rolled away from the sepulchre." Luke 24:1, 2.
First of all, we notice that the women came to do their
regular labor on the day of the resurrection. Modern
churches refer to that particular first day of the week as
Easter Sunday. There can be no doubt that Jesus was raised
sometime during the dark hours of that early morning. In
none of the Gospel recitals do we have any evidence that
the women, or anyone else, attached any sacredness to the
day on which the resurrection took place.
Luke's account of that eventful weekend proves beyond any
question that the true seventh-day Sabbath can still be
precisely located. He describes the sequence of events
over three successive days--Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Jesus died on the preparation day, and the Sabbath was
approaching. Christians now refer to it as Good Friday.
The next day was the Sabbath "according to the
commandment." Since the commandment plainly designates
that "the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord," that
Sabbath had to be Saturday.
It is very interesting to note that Jesus rested in the
tomb on the Sabbath from His work of redemption, just as
He had rested from His work of creation on the Sabbath.
On the day following the Sabbath, Jesus rose. Today it is
referred to as Easter Sunday, but the Bible designates it
"the first day of the week." In the light of these
indisputable, historical facts to which all Christianity
subscribes, no one can plead ignorance of the true
Sabbath. It is the day between Good Friday and Easter
Sunday. Luke's record is such a perfect chronological
account of those three days that even the most simple and
uneducated can locate the biblical seventh day on our
modern calendar.
Now we are prepared to examine the fifth New Testament
statement concerning Sunday. "The first day of the week
cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto
the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the
sepulchre." John 20:1. There is very little new
information in John's description of the resurrection.
Like all the other writers he gives no indication
whatsoever that the first day of the week was ever counted
holy or kept holy by anyone. So far, the significant
common thread in all the Gospel stories has been a total
absence of such evidence.

For Fear of the Jews

John mentions the "first day" again in the same chapter,
and this has often been misinterpreted as a reference to
Sunday worship. "Then the same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the
disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus
and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto
you." John 20:19.
Even though this gathering behind locked doors took place
on the same day as the resurrection, was it a special
commemoration of that event? The circumstances make it
impossible for such to be the case. The text plainly
states that they were gathered there "for fear of the
Jews." The frightened disciples had already learned that
the tomb was empty, and they expected momentarily to be
charged with stealing away the body of Jesus. They huddled
together in the locked room for protection and
reassurance.
The fact is that they did not believe Christ had been
resurrected from the dead. Mark's account reveals that
they totally rejected the testimony of Mary and the other
disciples who brought word of actually seeing the
resurrected Lord. "And she went and told them that had
been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when
they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of
her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form
unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the
country. And they went and told it unto the residue:
neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the
eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not
them which had seen him after he was risen." Mark 16:10-
14.
On the basis of these words, we must quietly pass over
that embarrassing Sunday afternoon meeting in the closed
room. It was not an occasion of unrestrained joy over the
resurrection, as some have portrayed it. In fact, there
was not even any recognition on the part of the disciples
that a miracle had taken place. They were fearful,
depressed, and unbelieving. When Jesus appeared to them He
spoke words of strong rebuke because of their lack of
faith and because they had rejected the testimony of their
own companions. How misleading it is to make this a happy
memorial service honoring the resurrection!
Thus far we have carefully studied six of the eight New
Testament references without finding a single instance of
Sunday observance. In fact, every one of them reveals a
consistent, total ignorance of any recognition of the
first day of the week for worship, prayer, rest, or
honoring the resurrection. The Gospels were written
several years after the events transpired, giving ample
opportunity to the Holy Spirit to inspire the authors with
the full facts. Jesus told His disciples that the work of
that Spirit was to "guide you into all truth." John 16:13.
If first-day observance had been any part of truth, then
the Holy Spirit would have been divinely obligated to
reveal it to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. So said our
Lord.
Now we turn to the two remaining references. If we find no
evidence in these texts, we will have to abandon the
search, for there is nowhere else to look. Paul and Luke
are the final witnesses who mention the first day of the
week, and both of them have been grossly misrepresented in
what they said.

No Sundaykeeping in Corinth

In 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2 Paul wrote: "Now concerning the
collection for the saints, as I have given order to the
churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of
the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God
hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I
come ... whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them
will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem."
Please carefully notice what the apostle said, and also,
what he did not say. Many have assumed that a religious
meeting was held and a collection plate passed. This is
not the case. Paul was writing special appeals to the
churches in Asia Minor, because many of the Christians in
Jerusalem were suffering greatly for lack of food and
daily necessities. Paul asked the church at Corinth to
gather food, clothing, etc., and store it up at home until
he could send men to transport it to Jerusalem. The
expression "lay by him in store" in the original Greek
gives the clear connotation of putting aside at home. Even
Sunday advocates agree to this.
There was no service held on the first day of the week.
The gathering up and storing was to be done on that day.
Why did Paul suggest that this work be done on Sunday, and
what was involved in getting it done?
First of all, the letter would have been shared with the
church on the Sabbath when they were all gathered for
worship. The first opportunity to do the work would be the
next day--the first day of the week. Keep in mind that
there was an apparent food shortage in Jerusalem, and the
need was not primarily for money. Such famine conditions
were not unusual in areas of the Middle East, as Luke
reminds us in Acts 11:28-30.
The church in Rome gives a clue as to the special needs of
those suffering Christians "But now I go unto Jerusalem to
minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of
Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for
the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased
them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the
Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual
things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal
things. When therefore I have performed this, and have
sealed to them this fruit, I will come by you into Spain."
Romans 15:25-28.
Here the apostle touches a tender spot in his eloquent
appeal. The Roman Christians owed a great debt of
gratitude to the mother church in Jerusalem which had sent
teachers to evangelize them. Paul urges them to return
carnal, or material, gifts in appreciation of the
spiritual truths received from them. What kind of gifts
did Paul have in mind? It is very interesting that he
describes it as sealing to them "this fruit." The Greek
word used here is "karpos," which is the universal term
used for literal fruit. It can also have the connotation
of "fruits of one's labor."
This throws light on Paul's counsel to the Corinthian
Christians to do their work on the first day of the week,
"so that there be no gatherings when I come." Such work as
gathering and storing up produce from garden and field
would certainly not be appropriate on Sabbath. In these
verses, Sunday is identified once again as a day for
secular activities and gives no indication of religious
observance.



Paul's Longest Sermon

This brings us to the final reference which could provide
any support for Sunday sacredness. In Luke's history of
the early church he describes the dramatic farewell
meeting which Paul had with the believers in Troas. This
account in the book of Acts has been grievously distorted
by those who grasp for any tiny excuse to justify their
disobedience of God's commandments. Because it is the only
record in the New Testament of a religious meeting being
held on the first day of the week, we should examine it
with special care and interest.
The full context reveals that it was a night meeting. "And
we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened
bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we
abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when
the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached
unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued
his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in
the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And
there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus,
being fallen into a deep sleep: ... and fell down from the
third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and
fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not
yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was
come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked
a long while, even till break of day, so he departed.  And
they brought the young man alive, and were not a little
comforted. And we went before to ship, and sailed unto
Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he
appointed, minding himself to go afoot." Acts 20:6-13.
There are some very unusual things about this all-night
meeting in Troas. First of all, it had to be a solemn,
poignant occasion for the speaker and congregation, as
well. In verse 25 Paul declared, "And now, behold, I know
that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom
of God, shall see my face no more."
It is obvious that this farewell meeting was held on the
dark part of the first day of the week. There were lights
in the room, and Paul preached until midnight. It is
important to understand the Jewish way of reckoning time.
Days were not counted according to the pagan Roman method,
from midnight to midnight. In the Bible the day begins at
evening. Genesis describes all the days of creation week
in the same way--"The evening and the morning were the
first day ... the evening and the morning were the second
day," etc. In other words, the evening always comes first
in the day.
This explains why the Sabbath is described in these words,
"It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, ... from even
unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath." Leviticus
23:32. But when does the evening begin according to the
Bible? "And at even, when the sun did set, they brought
unto him all that were diseased, and them that were
possessed with devils." Mark 1:32. Since the Pharisees
taught that it was wrong to heal on the Sabbath, the
people waited till the Sabbath was over before bringing
their sick to Jesus. So they brought them "at even, when
the sun did set." Moses wrote, "Thou shalt sacrifice the
passover at even, at the going down of the sun."
Deuteronomy 16:6.
In Nehemiah we are given another description of the
beginning of Sabbath. "And it came to pass, that when the
gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I
commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that
they should not be opened till after the sabbath."
Nehemiah 13:19. This definitely places the first moments
of the Sabbath at sunset, when it is beginning to be dark.
Now we are ready to apply this sound Bible principle to
the first-day meeting of Paul in Troas. The night setting
would require that it be held on Saturday night. The
Sabbath ended at sundown, and the first day of the week
began.  Paul, who had stayed a full seven days so that he
could be with the people over the Sabbath, decided not to
leave with the ship on Saturday night. Instead, he
fellowshipped all night long with the believers and then
walked twenty miles across the peninsula on Sunday morning
to join the boat at Assos.
Incidentally, this boat was manned by Paul's missionary
companions, including Luke, who chronicled the highlights
of the carefully scheduled voyage. It is very significant
that they would not go out to sea until the Sabbath was
over on Saturday night. Toiling at the oars and sails
would have been no more proper for a holy day than Paul's
twenty-mile walk across the isthmus on Sunday morning.
Neither Paul nor his fellow travelers would have indulged
in those secular activities on God's holy Sabbath.
Why Eutychus
Dropped Out of Church

The New English Bible actually states that the meeting was
held on Saturday night. The chief focus of the story seems
to be upon the raising of Eutychus from the dead after he
fell out the window. The dauntless Paul, after ministering
on Sabbath and all night Saturday night, walked twenty
miles on Sunday morning to join his companions in Assos.
They had stayed with the ship as it sailed around the
peninsula on Saturday night, after the Sabbath was over.
That long journey on foot by Paul the next day would have
been totally inappropriate on any kind of holy day.
Some have equated the breaking of bread with the communion
service, but such a view cannot be supported from the
Scriptures. Luke assures us that those early Christians
broke bread daily. "And they, continuing daily with one
accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of
heart." Acts 2:46.
The contention that Paul celebrated the Lord's Supper with
the believers in the upper room cannot be confirmed by the
Bible. The wording seems to indicate that it was a common
meal they shared together. "When he therefore was come up
again, and had broken bread, and eaten ..." Acts 20:11.
Here we find that eating was associated with the breaking
of bread. It is unlikely that the communion meal would be
referred to in this manner.
But even if that farewell meeting had included the
celebration of Christ's suffering and death, it would not
lend any credence to Sunday observance. We have seen from
Acts 2 that bread was broken daily, and nowhere is the
Lord's Supper linked to any particular day. It is surely
obvious to anyone that the Troas meeting was not a regular
weekly worship service. The importance of that all-night
session appears in the miraculous raising of the young man
Eutychus, and also in the fact that Paul would never see
them again before his death. The particular time frame--
all Saturday night--has no spiritual significance
whatsoever. Luke, the careful historian, does not even
record any of the content of Paul's marathon sermon,
although he faithfully documents the miracle of the
resurrected youth. Apparently, it was the way Eutychus
dropped out of church, and not the day on which it
happened that Luke is seeking to establish.
We have now completed an intensive examination of each one
of the eight New Testament references to the first day of
the week. Not one of them has offered the slightest
evidence that Sunday was ever sanctified by God or
celebrated by man. God's great infallible test-Book has
revealed that the majority is following tradition instead
of truth. Millions have been deceived into blind adherence
to an empty pagan symbol.
I am reminded of the story of a Russian czar who took a
walk one morning in the border area of his extensive
palace grounds. There he saw a soldier with a gun on his
shoulder marching up and down near a deserted corner of
the courtyard wall. He asked the soldier, who was
apparently on sentry duty, what he was guarding. The man
replied that he was only following orders and did not know
why he was assigned to that particular spot. The czar
asked the captain of the guard what the soldier was doing,
but he had no idea either. The general in charge of the
palace security was consulted, but he could give no reason
for the assignment. Finally, the king ordered a search of
the dusty military records, and the mystery was unfolded.
Years and years before, the queen mother had planted some
rose bushes in that corner of the courtyard, and a soldier
had been sent to protect the tender plants from being
trampled. Later, someone had forgotten to cancel the
order, and the daily sentry ritual had continued through
the years--soldiers with their guns, guarding nothing but
an empty rose plot.
Today there are millions of sincere Christians who are
religiously trying to protect the sanctity of Sunday, not
realizing that there is really nothing to guard. The first
day of the week is just as devoid of holiness as the
deserted courtyard of roses. Jesus said, "Every plant,
which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted
up." Matthew 15:13.

The Day They Kept

Now that we have exhausted all possible sources for
Sundaykeeping without finding the smallest favorable
evidence, let us turn to the inspired history of that
early church. If they did not keep the first day of the
week, which day did they observe? The book of Acts
establishes a consistent pattern of seventh-day
Sabbathkeeping. On one occasion Paul was petitioned by the
Gentiles to hold an exclusive service for them on the
Sabbath. "And when the Jews were gone out of the
synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be
preached to them the next sabbath. ... And the next
sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear
the word of God." Acts 13:42, 44.
 There are some very interesting points in these dynamic
verses which validate the Sabbath practices of Paul and
his fellow Christians.  After preaching in the synagogue,
where the Gentiles were not permitted to enter, Paul was
besieged by the Gentiles with an appeal to preach to them
"the next Sabbath." Many have charged that Paul only
preached in the synagogues on the Sabbath because he had a
ready-made crowd of Jews to work on. This is a false
claim. In this instance, Paul made an appointment to
minister to the Gentiles on the following Sabbath, and
according to verse 43, many of those who heard him that
day were "proselytes" to the faith. This means they were
converts to Christianity, and Paul and Barnabas "persuaded
them to continue in the grace of God."
How interesting it is that their Sabbath worship is spoken
of in the context of continuing in God's grace! Modern
critics of the Sabbath try to label Sabbathkeepers as
legalists who are aliens to the grace of the gospel. Not
so the writers of the Bible, who constantly associate
obedience with true salvation by faith.
In Acts 16:13 we have positive proof that Paul kept the
Sabbath even when there was no synagogue and no Jews. He
was ministering in Greece, where there were only a few
scattered Jews and no synagogue at all. What did he do on
the Sabbath?  "And on the sabbath we went out of the city
by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we
sat down, and spoke unto the women which resorted
thither."
Even with no church to attend, the apostle sought out a
spot where religious worship was carried on--a place of
prayer by the river--and preached to those who went there.
Surely no one can fail to discern Paul's deep commitment
to the Sabbath as we follow him in this unusual outdoor
mission. Just suppose this Macedonian experience had taken
place on the first day of the week instead of the Sabbath.
Without question it would be cited as absolute evidence
for Sunday worship, and we would have to concur. But what
possible argument can one present against this example of
Paul in true Sabbathkeeping?
Again, we read about Paul's customary practice in these
words, "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them,
and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the
scriptures." Acts 17:2. "And he reasoned in the synagogue
every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks."
Acts 18:4.
Finally, we cite the great apostle's personal testimony
that he never kept one Sunday holy in his whole life. Just
before his death, Paul made this emphatic statement to the
Jewish leaders, "Men and brethren, though I have committed
nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet
was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of
the Romans." Acts 28:17.
Think for a moment! If Paul had ever deliberately broken
the Sabbath, or kept another day than the seventh, he
could not have declared truthfully that he had done
nothing against Jewish custom. On the strength of this
unqualified declaration by a man of unimpeachable
integrity we close the search for Sundaykeeping authority
in the Bible. It just is not there.
Had we been able to find it, our religious obligation
would, without doubt, be much easier to fulfill. We would
have the support and example of most of the great
religious institutions of the land, both Protestant and
Catholic.
But we are not looking for the most popular way or the
most convenient way; we are looking for the Bible way. And
we have found it. In all honesty, we must declare that the
prevailing custom of keeping a different day from the one
commanded in the great handwritten law of God is contrary
to the Word which will finally judge us. No amount of
popular, majority opinion can annul the weighty testimony
of a plain "Thus saith the Lord." We must stand upon the
Bible and the Bible alone for our doctrine on this
subject.
The Word of God declares, "The seventh day is the sabbath
of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work."
Exodus 20:10. Until we find some indication in the Bible
that God retracted that moral law which He introduced to
the world with such a fanfare of power and grandeur, we
will accept the Ten Commandments as still relevant and
binding today.  God said what He meant, and He meant what
He said.
Some argue that God exempts us from the fourth commandment
because it is impossible to keep the seventh day in the
competitive, industrialized society in which we have to
earn a living. It is undoubtedly true that Satan has
manipulated the economic world to the distinct
disadvantage of the Sabbath-keeper, but God has never
required the
impossible. It is never necessary to break one of God's
commandments for any reason.
You may say, "But my employer requires that I work on
Saturday, and I can't let my family starve." The answer to
that dilemma was given by our Lord long ago in the Sermon
on the Mount. He said "But seek ye first the kingdom of
God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be
added unto you." Matthew 6:33. The preceding verse defines
"these things" as food, clothes, and job. Jesus is simply
telling us that if there is ever a conflict between
obeying Him and obeying our employer, we should put Him
first. Material considerations should never be made more
important than doing God's will.
In every case God honors the faith of a Christian who
decides to keep the Sabbath regardless of what happens to
his job. Many times God works miracles by making special
arrangements for the Sabbathkeeper. In some cases He
allows His children to be tested by losing their jobs, and
then opens up better ones in response to their faith. But
the "things" are always added when we trust Him and obey,
regardless of the circumstances.
The real secret of keeping the Sabbath of the Lord is to
have the Lord of the Sabbath in our hearts! It is love
which leads God's children to choose death rather than
disobedience to one of His commandments. Jesus said, "If
ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15. The apostle
John defined love in these words, "For this is the love of
God, that we keep his commandments." 1 John 5:3.
Thus, it is not so much the question of a day as it is of
a way--the way of obedience through love, or of
disobedience through lack of love. Mark it down and never
forget it! Keeping the Sabbath, even the true seventh-day
Sabbath, is an operation in futility if it does not
proceed from a heart full of love and devotion to God.
Without love, all law-keeping becomes mechanical and
miserable, but with love, every commandment becomes a joy
and delight. Make this kind of personal love relationship
the basis of your Sabbathkeeping, and it will be the
happiest day of your week, for the rest of your life!

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