Post by foxjj on Oct 17, 2019 16:21:30 GMT
The Sabbath And Sunday
In Genesis 2:2-3 we read that the The Lord rested after finishing His work of creation: ”By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” This is where we get the name Sabbath, which is from the Hebrew Shabbat meaning rest. The day that we now know as Sunday became the first day of the week because the early days of the week did not have names, but were known as the first day, then the second day etc. The seventh day which we now know as Saturday, became Shabbat.
The first believers in Jesus were Jewish, and the Book of Acts records how they would gather daily in the Temple where they would proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. On the first day of the week believers would gather in homes in order to break bread in commemoration of the Last Supper. This was not a religious rule but a popular practice because, it was on the first day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead. This day became known as the Lord’s Day as in Revelation 1:10: “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit,”
In the second century Justin Martyr wrote of the practice of believers gathering together on the Lords Day. These meetings included, readings from Scripture especially the Gospels, a sermon, communal prayer, and Communion. As for Sunday becoming the day of rest, this did not happen until the Emperor Constantine instigated it as a law around 321 AD. This law was for a rest from daily work, not a religious requirement. By the Middle Ages the Catholic Church had rules requiring members to attend Mass on Sunday. Thus, to some, Sunday became the new Sabbath.
When one has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they enter into His Rest (which means Sabbath). We who are born again are part of the New Covenant having been justified and experience God’s peace and rest day by day. Consequently, we are no longer under the Law, or religious requirements as Paul wrote: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) And so we attend Church on Sunday, not because it is a religious rule, but because we remember and celebrate our Savior’s resurrection.
Today, let us give thanks for the gift of God’s Rest.
John Joseph Fox.
In Genesis 2:2-3 we read that the The Lord rested after finishing His work of creation: ”By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.” This is where we get the name Sabbath, which is from the Hebrew Shabbat meaning rest. The day that we now know as Sunday became the first day of the week because the early days of the week did not have names, but were known as the first day, then the second day etc. The seventh day which we now know as Saturday, became Shabbat.
The first believers in Jesus were Jewish, and the Book of Acts records how they would gather daily in the Temple where they would proclaim that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. On the first day of the week believers would gather in homes in order to break bread in commemoration of the Last Supper. This was not a religious rule but a popular practice because, it was on the first day of the week that Jesus rose from the dead. This day became known as the Lord’s Day as in Revelation 1:10: “On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit,”
In the second century Justin Martyr wrote of the practice of believers gathering together on the Lords Day. These meetings included, readings from Scripture especially the Gospels, a sermon, communal prayer, and Communion. As for Sunday becoming the day of rest, this did not happen until the Emperor Constantine instigated it as a law around 321 AD. This law was for a rest from daily work, not a religious requirement. By the Middle Ages the Catholic Church had rules requiring members to attend Mass on Sunday. Thus, to some, Sunday became the new Sabbath.
When one has accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they enter into His Rest (which means Sabbath). We who are born again are part of the New Covenant having been justified and experience God’s peace and rest day by day. Consequently, we are no longer under the Law, or religious requirements as Paul wrote: “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17) And so we attend Church on Sunday, not because it is a religious rule, but because we remember and celebrate our Savior’s resurrection.
Today, let us give thanks for the gift of God’s Rest.
John Joseph Fox.