Why do Christians make Sunday the day for worship? Isn’t this in direct contradiction of the Fourth Commandment to ‘Keep the Sabbath Day (Saturday) holy’?
In the famous story of Moses bringing the Ten Commandments, written by God, to the Israelites, the fourth commandment clearly states …
“Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.
Six days you shall labour and do all your work.
But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns.
For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day;
therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.”
Exodus 20:8-11
Saturday is the day of rest because it is day on which God rested. Why then, did Christians from very early on begin marking Sunday, the first day of the week as the day for worship?
Biblical scholar Dr Brant Pitre unpacks the history and theology for making Sunday, the Day of Lord.
Creation was in 6 days and, ‘ it was good’. “And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it;” So worship becomes the Sunday. hat is what I would say if asked
Exodus 20:8–20:11: “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 manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”
The actual word would mean seven not six