Who changed the Sabbath?

Ever wonder why Christians keep Sunday as their official day of weekly worship? In today's world, it's more than an acceptable question. With all of the so-called prophets, religious zealots and millions and millions of spiritual seekers that are genuinely looking for answers, it's important to fully understand the difference between the Sabbath and The Lord's day. (Sunday)

It is often said that the Roman Catholic Church is responsible for the Protestant movement. At first glance, that is a valid claim to make. After all, Martin Luther was originally a Catholic and is responsible for the formation of the Lutheran Church. But what about the other Protestant churches? They must have spun off of the Catholic Church, correct? To answer that question, a quick look at the history of the Christian faith must be taken.

On the day of Pentecost found in Acts 2, the apostles received the Holy Spirit. First, the prophets told the world that this day would come, then Jesus told his followers the same. Christ's disciples were first told by Jesus that he was going to Heaven and would no longer be with them, but further instructed them to wait as the Great Counselor (The Holy Spirit) would come upon them. By doing so, this allowed them to begin Christ's great commission and that was to go to all nations and preach the word of Jesus--- build the Church.

It's very easy to see, therefore, that the Christian Church started on the Day of Pentecost. Catholics believe that from there Peter became the fist vicar or Pope. However, Peter's appointment was made by Christ himself in Mathew 16:18-19:

"And I say unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shalt be loosed in heaven."

What is important to understand here is that Peter was a direct disciple of Jesus. And Jesus appointed Peter the first official "lead pastor" if you will. The text says that Jesus gave Peter a spiritual job to do. This job was to make disciples of Christ; and that the message would not be defeated by evil. Jesus was simply asking Peter to spread His Gospel and make more disciples.

In the beginning of Christianity, believers met in private, as Christians had to hide their faith from the Roman leaders. Around 45 A.D. Peter had set up the church in Rome. Under Roman Emperor Nero, Christians were being persecuted. Around 64-67 A.D., Peter was imprisoned and crucified for his faith.

For the next 300 or so years, Christianity was known as an offshoot of Judaism.

When Constantine came to power in 306 A.D., Christians were being persecuted and killed in record numbers, just as Christ told his followers they would be. Christianity was illegal. When Constantine was said to have become a Christian, he declared it legal at the Council of Milan in 313 A.D.

In 321 A.D., Constantine declared: "On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed." Now keep in mind that at in 321 A.D., the papacy did not exist and division in the Roman Empire was evident. The day of "rest" was geared toward the Roman Empire itself, not a religious group. For at least 200 years prior, the true Christian Church had already been worshipping on Sunday, The Lord's day, which it adopted as the day to celebrate the day of Christ's resurrection (Acts 20, 1 Corinthians 16).

In 325 A.D., the Council of Nicea was Constantine's attempt to unify the Roman Empire. His vision was to use Christianity to do so. The result was not what Constantine had hoped for. What resulted was even more division--the Christian Church remained, however, Constantine's new Roman (Catholic) Church became a new religion: a mixture of Christianity and Roman paganism.

Now, with that brief history lesson, it's easy to see that true Christianity is not a spin-off of the Roman Catholic Church-- it's completely the other way around.

Who, then changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday? Was it Constantine and the Catholic Church? The answer: No. NOBODY changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.

What happened to the Sabbath?

Nothing. It's impossible to change the Sabbath. God created it. It will always be the Sabbath. The Sabbath was created by God and given to the Jews as a reprieve and day of rest.

In the Old Testament, strict penalties were handed down for not keeping the Sabbath. And keep in mind that the early Christians were Jews. God gave the Sabbath to Jews. As Gentiles began being born again into the Christian Church, it became a bit of a dilemma for all involved.

As Jews, the apostles wrestled with how they would be able to accept non-Jews into their new faith. Before Christ, it was possible for a Gentile to convert to Judaism by being circumcised. However, after the ministry, death and resurrection of Christ, a new faith came out of the Jewish people. The apostles came to the only logical conclusion found in Acts 15:

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.”

Nothing was mentioned about requiring Gentiles to keep the Jewish Sabbath.

It's also very important to understand that surprisingly, nowhere in Scripture is there a commandment that requires the Sabbath to include a worship service. Again, God gave the Sabbath as a day of rest. The commandment regarding keeping the Sabbath was a direct one from God to the Jews, directing them to act as He did when He created the world in six days and rested on the seventh. This is what makes the Sabbath holy. Cherishing something as "holy" is something that is done in one's heart.

God did not give the Sabbath to the Gentiles. Even if Gentiles converted to Judaism, their bloodlines still disqualified them as "true" Jews. Scripture is very clear on the fact that when a meeting took place on a Sabbath, it was a meeting of Jews, not Gentiles.

Didn't the early Christians keep the Sabbath?

When the Christian Church formed, early believers continued to keep the Sabbath. They did so for many reasons, mainly because it was customary for them to do so. However, the Bible is very clear that the first Christians began worshipping, resting, and meeting on several days of the week, including Sunday, which was called "The Day of The Lord." Let's examine Acts 2:46-47:

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Acts 20:7 tells us that: "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight."

Is it acceptable for Christians to keep the Sabbath?

Yes! In fact, one of the primary things Jesus wants us to do is worship Him every day! The rest is in Jesus Christ, not in a twenty-four-hour period of time. Because of that freedom, Christians may worship God on any day of the week they choose. However, if certain believers feel that they are more comfortable including Saturday-worship as part of their walk with the Lord, they are free to do so. But they should not be judged for it. See Colossians 2:16.

It's also very important to know that Christians have many freedoms in Christ. To be a Christian we are not required to do anything aside from believing in and accepting Jesus as Lord. Things like tithing, taking communion, or even attending services are not requirements. However, these things were made available to us in order to bless each other in the name of Jesus. These freedoms, therefore, should be guarded very carefully that they are not used as free passes to sin.

The Sabbath is still the Sabbath. The Lord's Day is still the Lord's Day. Nothing has changed, except that the Old Covenant between God and the Jews has been fulfilled by the New Covenant made between Christ and the Church.

Are Jewish people still required to keep the Sabbath?

Jesus' death and resurrection was something that was done to benefit all of mankind. It's important to understand that even the people written about in the Old Testament, primarily the Jews, were preached the good news of Jesus. However, their salvation was gone about in a slightly different way than we go about it today.

The prophets told of the coming Messiah (Jesus), which was the central focus of the Jewish faith. They were also given the law, which included the commandment of keeping the Sabbath. As time went on, God was very strict with the people of Israel in terms of His laws. Scripture tells us that God had some very important things in store for the people of Israel--that they would father a multitude of nations and tribes. God wanted them to stay as pure as they could in order for this to be accomplished. God also sent the most important message that the Messiah would come out of the Jewish people. Having faith in this truth and the law was the basis of their salvation. The early Jews were saved by believing in and looking forward to the coming Messiah, who would deliver the world from sin.

Today, the process of salvation is quite the same, however, there is one major difference: Jesus has already fulfilled all of the prophecies regarding the coming Messiah. To the Christian, salvation lies in the belief in Jesus Christ, who has come and died and was resurrected for the sins of the world, including the Jewish people.

Just as Gentile Christians were not physically required to keep the Sabbath after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Jews fall under the same saving grace if they accept Jesus as Lord and Savior (Messiah). There are certain things in the Old Ccovenant that are simply not required any longer: sacrificing of animals, dietary regulations, keeping of Holy Days and Feasts and keeping the Sabbath. Jesus Christ literally fulfilled these rituals with his own blood, therefore they are obsolete.

Most of today's Jewish people do not believe that Jesus Christ is the risen Messiah foretold by the Old Testament prophets. However, there are many Jewish organizations, such as Jews For Jesus that have accepted His truth and are filled with people that are walking in the same faith--the faith that God intended-- as the original Jewish disciples of Christ.

Based on these facts, all Christians--Jews and Gentiles--are part of the New Covenant, and are not required to keep any day as an official day of worship.