Expert: Cooper P. Abrams III - 11/14/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hi Cooper P. Adams
I just accidentally landed on this website and the discussion about Sabbath worship caught my attention. What I want to understand is after reading the book 'National Sunday Law' by Marcussen, I have found no justification whatsoever to Sunday worship, yes it maybe because Jesus rose on Sunday but the bible does not at any point say the day of worship has been changed. you argued that Saturday worship is not necessarily relevant for today, but how is it that some things are relevant today and some are not and who decided what is? even if Saturday worship was for ancient days is it such a bad thing to just worship on that day simply because Jesus rested on that day? and because this is the only day he set aside to worship him? why change it, this is what i really want to understand, why change the day? i think just as the bible was relevant in ancient times it is in every bit relevant today. after all are we not supposed to keep all ten commandments including the one that says to keep the Sabbath holy, why is it that all the commandments have remained the same yet this commandment has been changed? is this the only commandment that does not apply to modern days, because we know for sure that the commandment 'thou shalt not kill' is very relevant today, is there a possibility that as Sunday worshipers we simply have underestimated how important this day is to God, as he alone set it apart to worship him and never at any point said it had been changed to Sunday? why then not just keep this day holy, just to be on the safe side in case he was also addressing people of today not only ancient Israel?   


ANSWER: Hi Sharon,
   Historically from the early church in the 1st Century Christians have always worshiped on Sunday.   Many have tried to disprove this such as the Seventh Day Baptists, and the Seventh Day Adventists and several cults.  However, they ignore history and the clear teachings of the New Testament.
   The Ten Commandments were given to Israel as their constitution and civil laws.  They were not given to believers in the Church Age.  We are individual believers joined together in a local assembly.  We are not a nation and have a different situation than did Israel.  

   Note what Paul said, "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:   Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ. (Colossians 2:16-17)
   Paul was addressing the same misunderstanding about Christians keeping the Sabbath as we have today.  In the early churches there were many Jews and they kept the Sabbath and worshiped also on Sunday.  But, as Jews, they did keep the Sabbath.  Many Jews did not understand the new covenant that God was making to believers in the new dispensation.  Believers since Pentecost are the Bribe and Body of Jesus Christ.   We have a different position in God's family than do the Jews.   The whole Book of Hebrews was written to Jews and explains this.

   No where in the Epistles (letters) written to the churches are believers, in this dispensation...the Church Age told to worship on Saturday or keep the Sabbath.  The above verse plainly states that truth.    Even in the Gospels where the Sabbath is mentioned often, it was to Jews not to Gentiles.  Jesus never in the Gospel accounts said to keep the Sabbath...in fact He criticized the Jews for their hyprocrisy concerning the Sabbath and the OT laws.  
   Christians keep all the principles of the Ten Commandments and do so in liberty because we love God and want to live righteous lives.   "But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter."  (Romans 7:6)  If we are under the law and have to keep the Sabbath and the OT laws...why did God tell us this?
    Christians have always worshiped the Lord on Sunday to remember His resurrection.  There is no command to worship on Sunday, because God does not give laws to Christians, but rather principles and truths to live by.
    The law to keep the Sabbath was given by God to teach Israel to worship the Lord.  He made it a law and with the law carried a penalty.  Note what Paul said about the law..."Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3:24-25)
    Christian worship the Lord out of thankfulness and love...not because God makes us worship Him by forcing us to keep a law.  The law to the Jews taught them about worship....Christians do not need a law to teach them because we have God's word and the principle of worship is already established.  We love the Lord and want to worship Him.
     Churches who insist on Sabbath worship are all doctrinally in error in many ways, not just about the Sabbath.  They teach a false gospel of grace plus one's works.  They teach that a Christian must do good works and if they do not they will lose their salvation.  They ignore God very word on the matter which says, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
   We do not work, merit or earn our salvation, but are keep by the power of God unto the day of redemption.
   "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,  Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)
    We do work...and serve the Lord out of love, respect and devotion to our Savior, but not to keep ourselves saved.
    These modern day Sabbath keeps are not Jews and the law was not given to them.  They are just like the Judaizers of Paul's day who tried to force the law on Gentile believers.  Galatian was writtne to a church that was being disrupted because of Judaizers teaching false things.   Paul repeated condemned their error.   Paul's comments in Galatians 1 were addressed to those who had perverted the Gospel and were teaching law keeping to Christians.
    I hope this helps.  You can find more at my web site:
   http://bible-truth.org/FAQ-Sabbath.html
  I you have further comments or question please write.  Lots of people are confused about this.  The author of the book you read is just one of many many more.  However, we should follow God's word...not the opinions and false assumptions of people who really do not know the Bible and who practice false doctrine.
Cooper Abrams
Romans 12:1-2

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Well thank you very much for your response. I appreciate the fact that you quoted some scriptures, however I find it interesting that the verses that you have quoted do not necessarily talk about Sabbath or Sunday worship directly, it feels like the verses are trying to convince me because they are open to 'interpretation' if you know what i mean. i would have loved verses that directly talk about Sabbath or Sunday worship not verses that generalize this issue or make the issue subjective. Mr Adams I believe and I am convinced there is a reason why there is all this confusion around this topic, and I would like to believe that the devil is behind this lack of clarity on this subject. This is because i strongly believe in this issue lies a truth that the devil is trying to hide from God's people, i am not sure what and why but I am determined to find the truth for myself by researching and reading the bible and asking God alone to reveal to me what lies beyond. I think this issue goes deeper than just praying on Sunday or on Saturday, and that's why I think there is a lot of confusion. The devil manipulates the truth to mislead people and i think he has done a good job to cause confusion on this topic. This ongoing debate tells me that worshiping God in the way he said he wants to be worshiped is probably one of devil's greatest threats as it gives more power and triumph to God and not him. I would also like to encourage you to continue searching for the truth incase you have been mislead, I know you are learned but maybe, just maybe, there is still something you can discover. It's true when people say what you believe in is truth to you, but with me I don't know what to believe and I think that leaves room for me to discover the truth by reading God's word as someone seeking the truth.
Remember Mr. Adams that God loves you and because he loves you he wants you to know the truth about him and who he is so that when he talks to you, you can hear his voice with clarity and you are not mistaken, that way he is able to warn you about the dangers that lie before you. After all how can we really ever know God if we do not know the truth about who he is and what he expects from us. so continue seeking the truth, because it is in the truth were your,Cooper P. Adams, salvation lies.
Sharon


Answer
Hi Sharon,
  The point the New Testament makes is that we are not under the law.  The sixth commandment was a law and required of Israel.  Until the Jews left Egypt and God made them a nation...they did not worship on the Sabbath nor anyone else.   The law was given to Israel as a special sign between God and Israel as Exodus 31:17 states. As I state in FAQ on Sabbath on my web site ...if it was to everyone it wouldn't be a special sign between God and Israel.   In Bible times only Israel worshiped on the Sabbath pagans did not.
   Repeatedly the NT Epistles states Christians are not under the law.   Paul, a Jew keep the law, but preached that Gentiles were not under the law.  When he returned to Jerusalem after his last missionary journey he was thrown in prison for three years by the Jews...because he taught Gentile were not under the law.   If God says we are not under the law...the matter is settled.
    God is not impressed by a person keeping a law. Paul said "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20)   The law was a school master to teach spiritual truth to the Jews.  It never justified them to go through the act of law keeping if they did it without faith.   The law pointed the Jew to righteousness...but many Jews kept the law out of compulsion...not out of love and respect of God.  To them it was only a ritual and not spiritual.
    Christians do not have to have a law to tell them to worship God.   Believers do so because of a love and reverence of God and desire to honor Him.   A child does not have to have a law given by their parents requiring them to love, honor and respect them.  If the child loves their parents they do not need a law to make them love their parents and a law cannot make a child love their parents.  This is why God said the law as a school master. It taught Israel they should honor and revere God, but if it did not come from their heart it was worthless.  Therefore keeping a law and a particular day is not important..but the condition of the heart is.   
     The early Christians of the 1st Century knew this, as did the Apostles, and they worshiped on Sunday.  The Jews continued to keep the Sabbath...because it was given to them by God, but in a short time the churches became predominately Gentile and not being Jews the did not keep the Sabbath.   They Sabbath was not given to Gentiles as a special sign...only to Israel.   Nowhere in the Epistles, written to the churches, is there a mention or a command to keep the Sabbath.   Clearly, if it was important and a requirement from God He would have inspired the writers to state it.
   If Christians are to keep this law...why not all the law?   Jesus' half brother James, wrote the first book of the New Testament to be written said, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2:10)   If we are obligated to keep one law we are obligated to keep it all.
    Christians as I stated keep Sunday to remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ.    This is the most important day the world has ever seen.   What does the Sabbath commemorate?   It was a sign to the Jew and the pagans that Israel's God was Jehovah.  Is Sabbath keeping really relative to us today, more than the resurrection of Jesus Christ?   That the Apostles and the early church worshiped on Sunday is a historical fact.   If worshiping on Sabbath was required by God...why did they worship on Sunday?  If Sunday worship was wrong...why did God not tell us it was wrong and tell us to worship on Saturday?
    All false religions focus on keeping laws, ceremonies and rituals.  As I stated earlier...those groups who teach Sabbath keeping all have doctrinal errors in their belief system.  They are unsound doctrinally in many areas. They all try to justify themselves by doing some work, or ritual.   They miss the truth that serving and living for the Lord is a spiritual matter willing done from the heart.  God says we are to worship in "spirit and truth."(John 4:24)   Christians since the 1st Century have known this and worshiped on Sunday. True believers have never keep rituals except the two ordnances God gave which is them,  Lord's Supper and Baptism.   Doing neither of them justifies anyone, and are not required for salvation.  
   I doubt I have convinced you, but I have as best I can presented the reasons why Christians have always worshiped the Lord on Sunday.   I love the Lord and worship Him on
Sunday..Monday and every day of the week.   We meet together on Sunday to worship together..but we worship Him all the time.   Hebrews 10:19-25 (please read) state clearly that Christians have a "new and living way"(v20). The instruction in this passage, written to Christian Jews was to not forsake the assembling of themselves together. No mention of Sabbath keeping to these Christians.

   I hope this helps you to understand. Thank you for your question.
Cooper Abrams