Expert: Sal - 9/27/2008

Question
Dear Sal:
 Did our Church change the sabbath day. A Seventh-day Adventist friend told me that God never changed the day for worship. She complained that the Catholic Church is leading people away from God by Sunday worship which she said is the Devil's day.

Thanks in advance,
Linda  

Answer
Dear Linda:

The Catholic Church did not change the Sabbath. God made it obsolete in the New Covenant. The Bible never calls the Sabbath a sign of the New Covenant. The Bible clearly calls the Sabbath a sign of the Old Covenant between God and the Israelites.

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘You must also tell the Israelites: Take care to keep my Sabbaths, for that is to be the sign between you and me throughout the generations, to show that it is I, the Lord, who makes you holy…So shall the Israelites observe the Sabbath, keeping it throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. Between me and the Israelites it is to be an everlasting sign…” (Exodus 31:12-13, 16-17).

What happened to this covenant? St. Paul said the first covenant became obsolete. “When he says, ‘a new covenant’, he declares the first one obsolete…” (Hebrews 8:13). Further St. Paul said it was Jesus who took away or made obsolete the entire first covenant including its sign. “In other words, he takes away the first covenant to establish the second” (Hebrews 10:9). Since St. Paul makes it clear that the first or Old Covenant is obsolete and was taken away we can be certain that the Sabbath as the sign of that obsolete, taken away covenant is not binding on Christians.

Further you can let your SDA friend know that the Sabbath was only given to the Israelites. It was never commanded of the Gentiles. Jesus never commanded Sabbath keeping for Christians. So why would we be required to keep an obsolete Jewish feast day?

Sunday is the Lord’s day not the Sabbath. No early Christian writer ever referred to the Sabbath as the Lord’s day that title was reserved for Sunday. The Devil has no “day” they all belong to God.

Finally, Linda, think about your friends complaint that Sunday is the Devil’s day. Can anyone really believe that the Devil rejoices because we worship and praise God on Sunday instead of Saturday? Can anyone really believe that the Devil is joyous when we encourage each other to avoid sin and do good works in Jesus’ name on Sunday instead of Saturday?    

God Be With You,
Sal