Why do Christians worship on Sunday?

WND ^ | 02/27/2011 | Joseph Farrah

[hope_dies_last]

Have you ever wondered why one of the Ten Commandments seems null and void – notably the one calling on believers to observe the Sabbath?

Ask your pastor or priest and you will probably hear it's because Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday... (or because the disciples broke bread on Sunday morning--after a daylong sermon that extended into the night hours the preceding Sabbath Day)

And then there's the little problem of this switch of worship days not being mentioned in the Bible – and the historical fact that most Christians continued observing the Sabbath for hundreds of years after Jesus rose from the dead.

So what happened? What caused the switch?

[vanilla swirl]

Not worth fighting about.
I learned a lot from the book “Pagan Christianity”

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_1_18?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=pagan+christianity&sprefix=pagan+christianity

[Tuscaloosa Goldfinch]

Romans 14: 1-9

Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord. Whoever eats meat does so to the Lord, for they give thanks to God; and whoever abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone.

If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.

[fr_freak]

To me, this whole issue is just another example of people arguing over how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Who cares? The commandment says to honor the sabbath. Do you really think it matters whether its Saturday or Sunday? Pick a day and honor it every week and I really don’t think God would care if it were Saturday, Sunday, or Wednesday for that matter. For this issue to be a dividing point amongst Christians, or between Christians and Jews, is beyond asinine.

[BipolarBob]

You are wasting your time, my time and others time.

Well, you fell for it again and now you are accusing others of delusion and wasting time? Jesus said "If you love me, keep my commandments". Do you love Jesus enough to keep the Sabbath OR are you afraid of ridicule?

[BipolarBob]

Because all the stores were closed on Sundays???

Oh that's a good one. Basing religion on man made traditions rather than the Bible. You do realize ReverendJames that reverend is mention only once in the Bible and then it is a reference to God?

[wild74]

Set aside one day a week for worship and you will be fine, doesn’t matter which days, when you argue this stuff you will find that whole denominations are built on this one premise. I have no problem with a group worshiping on Saturday or Sunday as long as you or obedient to God’s Word.

[Dave W]

It appears you haven’t read the other posts. Read them.

[johngrace]

St Justin Martyr. (110-165 AD). Justin lived from the close of the apostolic era and into the sub-apostolic era. He is thus an important link of Christian teachings for the second century AD. Like Ignatius, Justin eventually was martyred for his Christian faith by the Romans but thankfully he left to posterity volumes of writings about Christian life, belief and worship. below are some of the topics St Justin Martyr wrote about as genuine Christianity in his day.

Weekly (Sunday) Worship of the Christians:

“And we afterwards continually remind each other of these things. And the wealthy among us help the needy; and we always keep together; and for all things wherewith we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the DAY CALLED SUNDAY, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place (Church), and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read (Epistles and Gospel readings in Church), as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things (Sermon).

Then we all rise together and pray (Liturgy), and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and WINE AND WATER are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability (Priestly prayer of Holy Eucharist), and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is a distribution to each (Holy Communion), and a participation of that over which thanks have been given (Consecrated Host), and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons. And they who are well to do, and willing, give what each thinks fit (free will gifts); and what is collected is deposited with the president (Bishop/priest), who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.

BUT SUNDAY is the day on which we all hold our common assembly (Church), because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.” ibid, p. 185/6

[johngrace]

http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/9293.htm

[Cicero]

By the way, I looked up Bacchiochi, and he was not a Catholic. Wikipedia isn't always reliable, but I don't think they would have any motive to falsify this.

=============

Samuele R. Bacchiocchi (29 January 1938,[1] Rome, Italy – 20 December 2008[2]) was a Seventh-day Adventist author and theologian, best known for his work on the Sabbath in Christianity, particularly in the historical work From Sabbath to Sunday, based on his doctoral thesis from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was also known for his opposition to rock music, certain dress standards, alcohol and the ordination of women. He was one of the best known Adventist scholars outside of the Adventist church. . . .

He later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in theology from Newbold College in England, which was followed by a Master of Arts and Bachelor of Divinity at Andrews University in Michigan, United States; finishing in 1964. Bacchiocchi moved with his wife Anna to Kuyera, Shashamane district, Ethiopia, where he lectured in Bible and history.

In 1969 they returned to Rome where Bacchiocchi studied at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He was the first non-Catholic to be admitted since its beginning in the 16th century.

In other words, Gregorian University was indulging in some fashionable ecumenicism and admitted a Seventh Day Adventist who found--surprise--that the Catholic Church was the sun-worshipping Whore of Babylon. Then he went back to his Seventh Day Adventist job, where some of his colleagues criticized him for occasionally writing about matters other than the seventh-day Sabbath.

[VRWCmember]

If Friday, Saturday, and Sunday comprise the "weekend", and the work week begins on Monday, then those who observe the Sabbath on Sunday are keeping the Sabbath.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

The Jews, apostles and Jesus kept Gods law.

The exact day would be something that would be important to Pharisees.

Jesus didn't think much of Pharisees.

[agrace]

Agreed.

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[vicar7]

I worship on Sunday because that is when the Church Fathers worshiped per Justin Martyr. “”And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.” Justin was alive from 100 AD-150.

[BipolarBob]

No one can show exactly when the sabbath is or was and that it has been continued from Adam to present day.

Really? Why would God place a commandment on His people when they could not perform it properly? Clay calendars go back to Moses day showing the seventh day. Did Moses keep the real Sabbath , being as he met God face to face and received the Ten Commandments? Did Jesus keep the real Sabbath? You're saying something is too hard for you to do when the proof is tight there on your calendar. Why do we keep a 7-day week? It has nothing to do with celestial events, but only because God instituted it.

[Petrosius]

An example of the living authority of Jesus Christ exercised through Peter:

And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Matt.16:18,19

As wbarmy pointed out, this was the practice in the second century and 1 Cor. 16:2 shows that the Christian church even under Paul was gathering on Sunday, the first day of the week, rather than on Saturday, the seventh:

Now in regard to the collection for the holy ones, you also should do as I ordered the churches of Galatia. On the first day of the week each of you should set aside and save whatever one can afford, so that collections will not be going on when I come.
1 Cor. 16:1,2

[r9etb]

Sigh. I believe somebody once said, "Sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath."

Let's see now .... who said that. Oh, yeah -- Jesus said it. I suspect the day of the week wouldn't much matter to Him.

Joe Farrah -- what a fruitloop.

[BipolarBob]

as long as you are obedient to God’s Word.

That's the whole point!! Keeping the Sabbath holy is being obedient to Gods word. You are obedient to mans tradition. What did Jesus do? Did He keep the Sabbath or not?

[Wings-n-Wind]

Food for thought only---

Dr. Eugene Petersen (The Contemplative Pastor)
(Various emphasis mine)

**********

"There is hardly a detail in the gospel story that was not at the time (and still)...
......overlooked because unlikely,
............dismissed because commonplace,
...................and rejected because illegal.

But under the surface of conventionality and behind the scenes of probability,
--------- each was effectively inaugurating the kingdom-------:

illegitimate (as was supposed) conception,
barnyard birth,
Nazareth silence,
Galilean secularity,
Sabbath healings,
Gethsemane prayers,
criminal death,
baptismal water,
eucharistic bread and wine.

...Subversion."

******************