The Lord's Day

by G.K. Kennedy, Sydney | Category: General | Nov 1980

In two places in the Holy Scriptures there is a Greek word, an adjective, kuriakos, derived from kurios, meaning "lord". The two places are 1 Corinthians 11:20 (the Lord's supper) and Revelation 1:10, where it refers to the first day of the week (as is hereafter shown), and it is to be distinguished from the genitive or possessive kuriou (meaning 'of lord') which occurs in many other places, such as 2 Thessalonians 2:2. The meaning of kuriakos is "of or for a lord or master". However, since kuriakos is an adjective, there is no exact English equivalent which can be used to translate it, although 'lordly' is sometimes used. The words 'imperial' and 'dominical' have also been used.

The "Lord's Day" of Revelation 1:10 is not the same as the "Day of the Lord" which is a period of time over 1,000 years long, beginning at the end of the Great Tribulation and finishing with the passing away of the heaven and earth before the Great White Throne Judgement (Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2-3; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10).

If the apostle John had been in the Spirit (Rev. 1:10) on the day of the Lord then most of the Revelation would not have been written because most of the contents of the Revelation have 6ccurred or will occur before that Day begins. The apostle John was in a certain place (the island of Patmos Rev. 1:9) on a certain day (the Lord's or Lordly day - verse 10). The question then remains whether this Lord's Day is the weekly sabbath day or the first day of the week, Saturday or Sunday.

There are a number of references to the first day of the week as the Lord's Day in very early writings, dating from about 100 A.D., that is very shortly after the book of the Revelation was written, which most commentators place at about 95 A.D. Ignatius (martyred 115 A.D.) makes a difference between the sabbath and the Lord's Day and affirms that the latter is the resurrection day. The "Epistle of Barnabus" (about 120 A.D.) indicates the general practice of early Christians in regard to the "eighth day", which is the first day of the week. The "Didache" or "Teaching of the Apostles" (120 A.D. or earlier) says, "On the Lord's own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks". Justin Martyr, Ireneus and Tertullian (140-200 A.D.) refer to Sunday, the first day of the week, being the Lord's Day. No evidence whatsoever exists that Christians in the early centuries regarded the sabbath as the Lord's day or that they ever kept the Lord's supper on the sabbath day.

Having now noted that the Lord's day is not the same as the Day of the Lord and having heard the testimony of the early fathers (so-called) that the Lord's day was the resurrection day, we will now consider the keeping of the sabbath.

Whether or not it is the Christian's present duty to keep and observe the sabbath day has been a problem for some children of God. They read the ten commandments and ask if it is not right that the other nine should be obeyed and if so then why not that commandment which says, "remember the sabbath day". In this paper we look at the question of sabbath day observance, and firstly we answer the question with which we have begun. The other nine commandments are all repeated in the New Testament as part of the present will of God. On the other hand there is no reference whatever by example or instruction to a Christian observance of the sabbath (seventh day).

It will help us to understand the place of the sabbath day if we look at the Biblical references to it, and note also where the Bible does not refer to it. The first reference to the sabbath day (sabbath means rest) is in Genesis 2:2-3 where God rested because His work was finished and it was very good in His sight. (But note that it was not called the sabbath day). That rest was for God and it followed a finished work which had been according to the will and word of God. Adam had no part in the doing of that work - it had been God's work - and Adam was brought into the enjoyment of it. Adam's first full day on earth was the day of God's rest in which Adam was given the wonderful privilege of enjoying the work of God in all its completeness:

"the works were finished from the foundation of the world" (Heb. 4:3).

Adam was not commanded to rest every seventh day. God put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it and He gave no commandment to Adam to observe a sabbath day. The only commandment was that he should not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Every day was Adam's responsibility to dress and to keep the Garden. Adam in his innocence did not observe the sabbath day because he was in the full enjoyment of God's finished work.

After the Fall Adam was put out of the Garden of Eden. God gave him no commandment to keep the sabbath day but rather said to him: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life" (Gen. 3:17). Sin brought a curse and with that curse came toil and there was no rest, no sabbath.

For 2,500 years from the time of the Garden of Eden there was no commandment and no provision concerning the sabbath day. Noah is not commended because he kept the sabbath nor was the world condemned in the Flood because they kept it not. Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in their covenants with God had no obligation to keep the sabbath. Job, who may have lived during the time of the Egyptian bondage, seems to have known nothing of the sabbath although we are told much of his righteousness and good works.

It was not until a people was redeemed out of slavery and had been baptized in the Red Sea that God took up the sabbath day with man. It is clear from Nehemiah 9:13-14 that God had not previously ordained sabbath keeping for man until Mount Sinai; "Thou... madest known unto them Thy holy sabbath". Because God made it known, it is clear that it was not previously made known. And then it was not until He made provision for them in the manna (Exod. 16:22-30). The children of Israel fed upon the divinely provided food; they rested in a provision which God gave them out of heaven (Neh. 9:15; John 6:31), 50 that it was made miraculously possible that they rested on the sabbath.

The Lord gave Israel the ten commandments, His holy law that was the covenant between Himself and them wherein He would be their God and they would be His people, the kingdom of God. Notice what the fourth commandment says: "Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work" (Exod. 20: 8-10). The sabbath day was relative to labour and work. The Law is all of works. The sabbath day existed because of man's work. He had to cease from work and rest unto God. The Israelite did not begin his week with rest. He worked and the prospect of rest was at the end. He looked forward to rest and not backward to it. If we understand the place of the Law (it is our tutor, guide or conductor to bring us to Christ) and if we learn its lesson we will see the significance of the sabbath. Before the cross of Christ men of faith looked forward to what was to come. The Christian today is not looking forward to when work will be finished but is resting on a finished work. Like Adam, who began his existence in the divine rest, the Christian today is resting in the finished work of Christ who said upon the cross: "It is finished".

In Exodus 31:12-17 God clearly defined the extent of sabbath day observance. Moses was commanded to speak to the children of Israel. It was a sign between God and them. "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath... a sign between Me and the children of Israel". God said to the Israelites "thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt... therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day" (Deut. 5:15). The sabbath belongs to that covenant made with Israel and has to do with their national identity as God's people whether in the past or future (e.g. Matt. 24:20, Isa. 66:23, Ezek. 46:1). During this present day of grace Israel is set aside nationally.

The sabbath day was a vital and integral part of the Law which was a shadow of the things to come (see Heb. 10:1). On that day the shewbread was set in order in the Tabernacle (Lev. 24:8 and note the end of the verse; would any make this applicable to Christians today?); extra lambs were slain on the sabbath day (Num. 28:9,10).

Under the terms of the sabbath day the Israelites could gather no sticks, light no fires, carry no burden, do no work, sell nothing and buy nothing. They were restricted in the distance of travel. I remember having a meal on a Saturday in a hospital canteen where a charge was made for the food. I offered to pay but my money was refused and yet the price was entered in a book so that I could pay later. That is legalism. The technicality of not taking the money did not mean that a sale had not been made. If the sabbath is still in force so are all its obligations. The sabbath was for a people which existed nationally separated from the Gentiles, not only religiously but in commerce and all else.

The sabbath and its obligations continued until the resurrection of Christ. From that time it is the first day of the week that predominates in the disciple experience. The first day of the week is not a sabbath. The sabbath precept was part of the Law. The Lord observed the sabbath, not as part of the New Covenant but of the Old. "God sent forth His Son... born under the Law" (Gal. 4:4) and having kept the Law perfectly He is now the end of the Law unto righteousness to every one that believes (Rom. 10:4).

Sometimes it is argued that the apostles observed the sabbath because they preached to the Jews on the sabbath (Acts 13:14,44; 17:2 etc.). It might just as readily be argued that they believed the temple to be God's house because they met there to preach (Acts 2:46; 3:1; 5:20). The fact is that they went to the places where the people were on the days that the people gathered. These were not the church gatherings of the Christians but the times when the apostles had a "word of exhortation for the people" (Acts 13:15). The church activities of disciples in fellowship together were more particularly marked out as being on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

There were those who tried to impose upon the Christians those things which belonged to the Law. This was done to the Colossians but Paul advised them in the Holy Spirit: "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day: which are a shadow of the things to come" (Col. 2:16-17). Now we have been discharged from the Law, having died to that wherein we were held (Rom. 7:6). Some try to circumvent these Scriptures by drawing an artificial distinction between 'moral' and 'ceremonial' law but the Word of God makes no such distinction. It was a 'whole law' (Gal. 5:3). "The bond written in ordinances" (Col. 2:14) is the law and it is now blotted out for the believer, having been taken out of the way by the cross.

We cannot cover here the significance of the first day of the week but it was foreshadowed in the Old Testament (e.g. Lev. 23:16). Nor have we space to speak of that sabbath rest described in Hebrews chapters 3 and 4 which remains for the people of God. That has to do with 'another day' (Heb. 4:8) which is an ever present 'today', not a repetitive seventh day of 24 hours, and it is associated with God's house (Heb. 3:6; Isa. 66:1) not with heaven as the believer's future home.

Most significantly, those who promote the sabbath observance are in proven error upon other matters of vital Biblical teaching. May we rightly divide the Word of God and prove the things that differ (2 Tim. 2:15).

G.K. Kennedy, Sydney | Nov 1980
General