by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Colossians 2:8-23<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. Though only a minority, there are several denominations who believe that worship should\ntake place on the Sabbath – the seventh day of the week\n A. Those adhering to the ideas that the Sabbath day regulations of the Old Testament\nshould be keep today are very vocal\n B. Let us examine some of their objections to worshiping on Sunday and see how we\nought to answer – Colossians 4:5-6\n
II. Objections to the ending of the Sabbath explained<\/p>\n
A. Jesus told people to keep the Ten Commandments – Matthew 19:16-22<\/p>\n 1. Jesus told the young man that he needed to keep the commandments and\nlists six of the Ten Commandments as examples\n 2. Though the commandment for keeping the Sabbath day was not listed, we\nunderstand that Jesus was telling the young man to keep all the commands\nof God.\n 3. The man thought he had kept the commands and want to know what more\nwas needed.\n
4. Jesus told him two more<\/p>\n
a. Sell all he had and give to the poor<\/p>\n
b. Follow Jesus<\/p>\n
c. Notice that neither of these are found in the Old Testament<\/p>\n 5. What the argument ignores is that a change in the law took place when\nJesus died on the Cross – Colossians 2:13-14\n a. The change was necessary to bring salvation to the uncircumcised\n(the Gentiles)\n b. As a result we are not to be judged by the keeping of the shadow\nthings (the former things, such as food and drink regulations,\nfestivals and the keeping of Sabbaths) – Colossians 2:16-17\n
6. What about Matthew 5:19-20?<\/p>\n
a. Jesus is teaching a Jewish audience. <\/p>\n b. The people needed to understand that though the law was soon to\nbe fulfilled, they could not become Christians at that time by\nrebelling against the current law.\n B. Christians are spiritual Israel, so the Ten Commandments would apply to us in a\nspiritual way – Romans 2:23-29\n
1. The Jews were charged with claiming to keep the law, but failing to do so.<\/p>\n 2. True Jews were not those who kept the law outwardly (i.e. being\ncircumcised in the flesh) but those who kept it inwardly.\n 3. The point is that the nation of God’s people would no longer be based on\nblood lines or physical markings – Romans 9:6-8; I Peter 2:9-10\n 4. But what is ignored is that circumcision was a requirement of the Old Law\n– Genesis 17:11, 14; Leviticus 12:3\n a. Yet Paul stated that the uncircumcised in the flesh would be the\ntrue Jew today.\n b. How could that be unless the law’s requirements changed? –\nRomans 7:6\n (1) Note that Paul illustrates the law with the tenth\ncommandment – Romans 7:7\n
c. Circumcision was replaced with baptism – Colossians 2:11-13<\/p>\n 5. Hence, the changing of physical Israel to spiritual Israel does not imply that\nthe laws given to physical Israel were transferred to spiritual Israel.\n a. Go back again to Colossians 2:16-17 and see that Sabbath keeping\nwas a mere shadow of reality\n b. It represents something that came later in Christianity, but it wasn’t\nthe reality – it wasn’t carried forward into the Law of Christ.\n C. Christ didn’t come to destroy the law, but to magnify it. For instance, he enhanced\nthe law by saying lust was equivalent to adultery – Matthew 5:27-28\n
1. The problem is that the quote is inaccurate – Matthew 5:17-18<\/p>\n a. Jesus did not say that he came to magnify the law, but to fulfill the\nlaw. He further stated that the law would remain until all was\naccomplished.\n b. The word “fulfill” is from the Greek word pleroo<\/i>, which means\n“Fill, make full, supply fully, complete”\n (1) It was used to state that prophecy was fulfilled, or\ncompleted – Matt 1:22; 2:15, 17, etc.\n
(2) By extension, it also means coming to an end.<\/p>\n (a) When you fill up a car, you stop pumping gas\nbecause no more can be added.\n
(b) Luke 7:1 – Jesus finished his speech<\/p>\n
(c) Acts 19:21 – Paul finished his work in Ephesus<\/p>\n
(3) Jesus was the conclusion to the law – Romans 10:4<\/p>\n 2. But in completing the law, it does not mean that Jesus left us lawless – II\nCorinthians 3:5-11\n a. Notice that the glory of the old law was fading, but what remains is\nmore glorious\n
b. What remains is a new covenant<\/p>\n
c. Hebrews 8:6, 13<\/p>\n d. And\n in case you would argue that the Ten Commandments were not a part of the covenant\n – Deuteronomy 4:13\n
III. Objections to Sunday being the Christian’s day of worship explained<\/p>\n A. Acts 20:7 says nothing about worship, rest, or the Sabbath, let alone indicating it\nwas a new commandment to worship on that day.\n 1. The first day of the week was the day the disciples came together\n(assembled).\n
a. They come together as a church – I Corinthians 11:18<\/p>\n
b. That is what “church” means, an assembly<\/p>\n
c. Paul assembled (came together) with the church – Acts 11:26<\/p>\n d. Coming together as a church was for the purpose of worship – I\nCorinthians 14:23, 26\n
2. It was the day the assembled disciples broke bread.<\/p>\n
a. They come together to eat – I Corinthians 11:33<\/p>\n
(1) What is eaten is the Lord’s Supper – I Corinthians 11:23-26<\/p>\n b. Breaking of bread can be a reference to the Lord’s supper – I\nCorinthians 10:16\n
(1) It recalls the institution – Luke 22:19<\/p>\n
(2) Listed in with other parts of worship – Acts 2:42<\/p>\n 3. The first day of the week is also the day contributions were to be collected\n– I Corinthians 16:2\n
4. We are commanded to follow the examples<\/p>\n
a. Paul commanded that we imitate him – I Corinthians 4:16; 11:1<\/p>\n
b. Note others who also follow – Philippians 3:17<\/p>\n B. The early church also worshiped on Pentecost, so why don’t you keep Pentecost\nas well?\n 1. The New Testament mentions that the church started on the day of\nPentecost; however, it does not mention that the church celebrated\nPentecost or observed any of the regulations for Pentecost. It simply\nmarked the time when the church began. – Acts 2:1\n 2. Pentecost always fell 50 days after the feast of Unleaven Bread. Since the\nfeast ends on a Saturday, this means that Pentecost always falls on a\nSunday.\n 3. Hence, the church does happen to worship on Pentecost, not to celebrate\nthe Jewish feast, but because the times happen to coincide.\n C. Mainstream Christianity worships on Sunday only because the Catholic Church\nand Emperor Constantine changed the day of worship to Sunday.\n
1. Constantine ruled about AD 330<\/p>\n 2. Acts 20:7 – Paul’s visit shows that Christians met on the first day of the\nweek.\n 3. I Corinthians 16:2 – Paul’s instruction implies that Christians met on the\nfirst day of the week.\n 4. Didache, between 80 and 140 AD, “But every Lord’s Day, gather\nyourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having\nconfessed your transgressions, so that you sacrifice may be pure.” [Didache<\/em>, chapter 14]\n 5. Ignatius, about 107 AD, “If, therefore, those who were brought up in the\nancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no\nlonger observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s\nDay, on which also our life has sprung up again in Him…Let us therefore\nno longer keep the Sabbath after the Jewish manner, and rejoice in the days\nof idleness; for "he that does not work, let him not eat." …let every friend\nof Christ keep the Lord’s day as a festival, the resurrection day, the queen\nand chief of all the days [of the week]” [Epistle to Magnesian<\/em>, chapter 9]\n 6. Aristides, about 125 AD, “However, [the Jews,] too have erred from true\nknowledge. In their imagination, they think that it is God whom they serve.\nActually, by their type of worship, they render their service to the angels\nand not to God. For example, they do this when they celebrate Sabbaths.” [The Apology of Aristides the Philosopher<\/em>, XIV; Ante-Nicene Fathers 9.276]\n 7. Justin Martyr, about 160 AD, “Is there any other matter my [Jewish]\nfriends, in which we Christians are blamed, than this: that we do not live\nafter the Law … and do not observe Sabbaths, as you do?” [Dialogue with Trypho<\/em>, chapter X; Ante-Nicene Fathers 1.199]\n 8. Justin Martyr, about 160 AD, “There was no need of circumcision before\nAbraham. Nor was there need of the observance of Sabbaths, or of feasts\nand sacrifices, before Moses. Accordingly, there is no more need of them\nnow.” [Dialogue with Trypho<\/em>, chapter XXIII; Ante-Nicene Fathers 1.206]\n 9. Justin Martyr, about 160 AD, “And on the day called Sunday, all who live\nin cities or in the country gather together to one place. And the memoirs of\nthe apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time\npermits. Then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs\nus and exhorts us to imitate these good things. Then we all rise together\nand pray. And, as we said before, when our prayer is ended, bread and\nwine and water are brought. Then, the president in like manner offers\nprayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability. And the people assent,\nsaying “Amen.” Then, [the Lord’s Supper] is distributed to everyone, and\neveryone participates in [the bread and wine], over which thanks has been\ngiven. And a portion of it is sent by the deacons to those who are absent. …\nBut Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because\nit is the first day on which God … made the world. And Jesus Christ our\nSavior rose from the dead on that same day.” [First Apology<\/em>, chapter 47]\n 10. Eusebius, citing Irenaeus, about 180 AD, “This custom of not bending the\nknee on Sunday is a symbol of the resurrection, through which we have\nbeen set free by the grace of Christ.” [Fragments from the Lost Writings of Iren\u0107us<\/em>, Fragment 7]\n 11. Tertullian, about 197 AD, “We devote Sunday to rejoicing for a far\ndifferent reason than sun worship. … Others … suppose that the sun is the\ngod of the Christians … because we make Sunday a day of festivity.” [Testimony of Tertullian<\/em>, chapter 7]\n 12. Tertullian, about 197 AD, “Just as the abolition of fleshly circumcision and\nof the old Law is demonstrated as having been consummated at its specific\ntimes, so also the observance of the Sabbath is demonstrated to have been\ntemporary.” [An Answer to the Jews<\/em>, "Of the Observance of the Sabbath;" Ante-Nicene Fathers 3.155]\n 13. Anatolius, about 270 AD, “It should not be lawful to celebrate the Lord’s\nmystery of Easter [i.e. the Lord’s Supper] at any other time but on the\nLord’s Day, the day on which the Lord’s resurrection from death took\nplace.” [The Paschal Canon of Anatolius of Alexandria<\/em>, Section X]\n 14. Victorinus, about 280 AD, “And let this become a rigorous fast, lest we\nshould appear to observe any Sabbath with the Jews. For concerning [ther\nSabbath[, Christ himself, the Lord of the Sabbath, says by His prophets that\n“His soul hates.” In His body, He abolished this Sabbath.” [On the Creation of the World<\/em>].\n 15. The evidence is solid that early Christian, long before Constantine,\nworshiped on the first day of the week and not the seventh day.\nConstantine could not have instituted a new practice since the practice pre-existed.\n 16. What Constantine actually decreed on March 7, 321 AD, “On the\nvenerable Day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities\nrest, and let all workshops be closed. In the country, however, persons\nengaged in agriculture may freely and lawfully continue their pursuits.”\n a. In other words, he established the first “Sunday closure law” or\n“Sunday blue law.”\n b. He didn’t change anything in regards to the activities of the church.<\/p>\nIV. It is clear from the Scriptures that worship was done on the first day of the week. It is\nclear from history that the early Christians understood this as well. \n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Colossians 2:8-23 I. Though only a minority, there are several denominations who believe that worship should take place on the Sabbath – the seventh day of the week A. Those adhering to the ideas that the Sabbath day regulations of the Old Testament should be keep today are very vocal B. Let…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[348,479,84],"class_list":["post-61778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-sabbath","tag-seventh-day-adventists","tag-worship"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":86813,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/observing-the-sabbath-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":61778,"position":0},"title":"Observing the Sabbath (Sermon)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 27, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 3:1-11 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A well-known, active group is the Seventh-Day Adventist \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They hold an odd mixture of beliefs: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They won\u2019t accept medical treatment, relying solely on prayer instead; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0They believe in modern-day prophecy, making many wild claims that never seem to come true; \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a03.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0And\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18993,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-sabbath-still-holy-and-set-apart\/","url_meta":{"origin":61778,"position":1},"title":"Is the Sabbath still holy and set apart?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Howdy, I came across your web site recently and have enjoyed reading the information about different subjects. I do have a question concerning the Lord's Sabbath. Is the Sabbath that Jesus sanctified in Genesis 2:3, referred to as 'My holy day in Isaiah 58:13, and of which He said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4361,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-should-christians-regard-the-sabbath\/","url_meta":{"origin":61778,"position":2},"title":"How Should Christians Regard the Sabbath?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"by Ken Weliever via The Preacher\u2019s Word The fourth commandment simply says, \u201cRemember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy\u201d (Exodus 20:7). First of all, it\u2019s important to remember the regulations, restrictions as well as the basis of the Sabbath. The text provides some insight. \u201cSix days you shall labor\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16466,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-sabbath-is-mentioned-more-than-the-first-day-of-the-week-so-isnt-that-the-day-we-should-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":61778,"position":3},"title":"The Sabbath is mentioned more than the first day of the week, so isn’t that the day we should worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 19, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I would like to say that you err on Sunday as God's true Sabbath. The Sabbath is mentioned 60 times in the New Testament as to 7 to 8 times for the first day of the week, which none of the first day of the week is about worship.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28037,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-paul-keep-the-sabbath\/","url_meta":{"origin":61778,"position":4},"title":"Did Paul keep the Sabbath?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I\u00a0read through\u00a0your article about the Sabbath\u00a0and how we don't have to keep it today.\u00a0 There are many scriptures I could cite to the contrary, but will only cite these few. In Matthew 24:20, \"breaking into what He was teaching about the time of the end just as the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27934,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-the-sabbath-day-no-longer-sanctified\/","url_meta":{"origin":61778,"position":5},"title":"Is the Sabbath Day no longer sanctified?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 25, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, Thank you immensely for all of the hard work you put into this website. I am a faithful member of the Lord's church and I am currently involved in personal evangelism with a student who is a Seventh-day Adventist. We have made great strides and she is a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61778","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61778"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61778\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}