Expert: Clive Heath - 1/5/2010

Question
Why do Christians claim to follow Jesus and deny the fact that the seventh day is the proper Sabbath to keep? The Bible is very clear as to the validity of the seventh day. The verses that tell you about not to worry what day to keep are speaking about the ceremonial sabbaths and have nothing to do with the seventh day Sabbath.These [holy days] were given to the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai along with the Ten Commandments. God commanded Moses to put the book of the law in the side of the ark of the covenant.You will find these laws in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,and Deuteronomy.They were given as laws and statutes for that time. In Col:2:14 it talks about the laws of ordinances that were contrary to us and were nailed to His cross,meaning that Jesus death fulfilled those laws. The Ten Commandments were written in stone to signify an eternal law. To deny any of these commandments is to deny Jesus. Why did Jesus say Remember the Sabbath day if it is not important to keep it?The only commandment that Christians have a problem with is the fourth commandment. James 2:10 says that to offend in one point one is guilty of breaking all the commandments. If Jesus had wanted Christians to keep another day He would have spoken of it. See Heb.4:8-11.Protestants today are keeping Sunday in homage to the Catholic church in spite of what they might believe. The Catholic church claim to have the power to change the Law of God and claim that it is the mark of Her authority according to their catechism.They also say that of all other denominations that the Seventh Day Adventists are the only ones that reason correctly.
thank you  

Answer
Hi Corwin,

Hope you are well and thank you for this question, I will do my best to answer it for you.

"And on the seventh day God ended his work, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctioned it, because in it He rested from all His work, which God had created and made" [Genesis 2: 2-3]
This being Saturday the last day of the week,from Friday evening beginning at sunset until SAurday evening at sunset.

No where in the Bible does it show any authority as to why it changed

So why did it chnge ........ The change from Sabbeth to Sunday apparently was made long after the writing of the New Tesatment.
No clear references to Sunday being the day of worship were found until the writings of Barnabas and Justin, AD 135 and 150, respectively.
Observance of Sunday as the primary day of worship seems to have solidified during the reign of Empero HadriaN [AD 117-135]who harshly perscacuted Jews through out the Roman Empire. Hadrian specifically prohibited practice of Judaism, including the observance of the seventh day Sabbeth.

This oppresion apparently influenced the early Christians in Rome to abandon the seventh day and turn to Sunday, this day being historically observed by the Romans as a day of veneration of the sun.

Within a few centuries the Sabbeth observed by Christians was virtually eliminated within the confines of the empire and replaced by Sunday.

Although, the Protestant Reformation brought some doctrinal changes, observance of Sunday as a day of rest and worship continued from the Roman Catholic Church into subseqent Protestant denominations. Whereas the Catholic Church claimed authority to establish its own times of worship, Protestant Churches generally justified Sunday observance on the grounds that the seventh day Sabbeth was replaced in the New Testament by worship on Sunday in honour of Christ'resurrection.

My own view is that Saturday is the real Sabbeth and I acknowledge that, but I also worsip on a Sunday for the fellowship of my Church.

I really do hope this helps.

Regards and God Bless

Clive