Sabbath or Sunday

[scottmaciver]

Hi all,
I've wondered for a while now whether or not it is correct for us to refer to the Lord's Day as Sunday rather than the Sabbath, which seems to be the tendency much of the time within the church. I don't mean to be pedantic in any way and am interested to hear your views.

Blessings,
Scott

 

[LawrenceU]

Well, since Sabbath means 'seventh'. . . ( I know it actually doesn't literally. )

I don't think that it really matters. If we are going to avoid referring to it as Sunday because of religious connotations the for then sake of consistency we would have to rename every other day of the week and all the months from January to July.

 

[TexanRose]

I read an article once that made the following argument: God didn't name the other days of the week, but he named the Sabbath, so we ought to use the name He has provided rather than the name the world uses, which is Sunday.

I would disagree with that reasoning because it seems to me (I'm no Bible scholar) that the name Sabbath is intended to refer to how the day is used. Weren't other days besides the seventh day called Sabbaths in the OT? So Sunday is the day of the week, and the Sabbath is what we do with it.

Since the fact that it is the Sabbath generally has an impact on whatever is taking place on that day, I generally refer to the day as the Sabbath. For instance, I will say "Sabbath dinner" instead of "Sunday dinner" because the fact that it is the Sabbath changes how the meal is prepared (mostly the night before), how I set the table (a little more nicely than usual), the topics of conversation at the meal, etc. But if a baby happens to be born on the first day of the week, I will say that the baby was born on a Sunday.

 

[BobVigneault]

The Scriptures make no mention of a Christian Sabbath as opposed to a Jewish Sabbath, these are inventions by church tradition. I see no reason to call Sunday the Sabbath. Sunday can be called the Lord's Day as long as you don't mix it up with any of the Day of the Lord judgments mentioned in Scripture. Calling it Sunday pays homage to the Sun god so we are in a fix. I guess the safest is to go with common convention and call it the Lord's Day.

 

[Willem van Oranje]

It is best to refer to it as the Sabbath or the Lord's Day. Sunday is a word of pagan origin. However, for the sake of clarity, since people are more familiar with "Sunday", it must sometimes be used. There are many people who simply don't know that there is a such thing as a Sabbath or Lord's Day for Christians, and they also need to know when the church is gathering for worship, so that they may join in.

---------- Post added at 10:26 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:21 AM ----------

The Scriptures make no mention of a Christian Sabbath as opposed to a Jewish Sabbath, these are inventions by church tradition. I see no reason to call Sunday the Sabbath. Sunday can be called the Lord's Day as long as you don't mix it up with any of the Day of the Lord judgments mentioned in Scripture. Calling it Sunday pays homage to the Sun god so we are in a fix. I guess the safest is to go with common convention and call it the Lord's Day.

So what day of the week do you think the author of Hebrews was referring to when he said, "So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God," Hebrews 4:9 ?

 

[Herald]

Scott, you asked a great question. Our own traditions sometimes exceed the plain teaching of scripture. Oh, don't get me wrong. The seventh day is blessed from creation (Genesis 2:3), and we are to observe it as the confessions rightly conclude. I prefer calling it the Lord's Day (as my brothers have so rightly pointed out), but not out of some obligation to do so. Rather, it is a fitting designation. We just need to be careful of elevating our terminology into a quasi-sacrament.

 

[he beholds]

Scott, you asked a great question. Our own traditions sometimes exceed the plain teaching of scripture. Oh, don't get me wrong. The seventh day is blessed from creation (Genesis 2:3), and we are to observe it as the confessions rightly conclude. I prefer calling it the Lord's Day (as my brothers have so rightly pointed out), but not out of some obligation to do so. Rather, it is a fitting designation. We just need to be careful of elevating our terminology into a quasi-sacrament.

The seventh day is still Saturday, no?

 

[Herald]

Scott, you asked a great question. Our own traditions sometimes exceed the plain teaching of scripture. Oh, don't get me wrong. The seventh day is blessed from creation (Genesis 2:3), and we are to observe it as the confessions rightly conclude. I prefer calling it the Lord's Day (as my brothers have so rightly pointed out), but not out of some obligation to do so. Rather, it is a fitting designation. We just need to be careful of elevating our terminology into a quasi-sacrament.

The seventh day is still Saturday, no?

I was referring to the seventh day in regards to the creation narrative. The church recognizes the first day of the week as the Lord's Day, or Christian Sabbath. Of course, even that fact is disputed among Christians; but this thread wasn't started to debate the legitimacy of worshipping on the first day of the week. That's a topic for another thread.

 

[he beholds]

Scott, you asked a great question. Our own traditions sometimes exceed the plain teaching of scripture. Oh, don't get me wrong. The seventh day is blessed from creation (Genesis 2:3), and we are to observe it as the confessions rightly conclude. I prefer calling it the Lord's Day (as my brothers have so rightly pointed out), but not out of some obligation to do so. Rather, it is a fitting designation. We just need to be careful of elevating our terminology into a quasi-sacrament.

The seventh day is still Saturday, no?

I was referring to the seventh day in regards to the creation narrative. The church recognizes the first day of the week as the Lord's Day, or Christian Sabbath. Of course, even that fact is disputed among Christians; but this thread wasn't started to debate the legitimacy of worshipping on the first day of the week. That's a topic for another thread.

I totally wasn't debating the legitimacy of worshipping on the first day of the week! I believe that is what we are called to do. I was just making sure that people didn't think it was the seventh day! Sunday is the first day. I've not actually met any Christian who would dispute that; even the pagan calendars agree.

 

[21st Century Calvinist]

It is certainly not a sin to use the word Sunday. I guess it's fine to use the terms Sabbath or Lord's Day in context. However, I do not believe it is helpful to have a church noticeboard that says "Sabbath Services...." Everyone knows when Sunday is, sadly not everyone knows when the Sabbath or Lord's Day is. I am however fine with the wording on our church's worship guide: "The Lord's Day, October 17, 2010"

 

[Andres]

It is certainly not a sin to use the word Sunday. I guess it's fine to use the terms Sabbath or Lord's Day in context. However, I do not believe it is helpful to have a church noticeboard that says "Sabbath Services...." Everyone knows when Sunday is, sadly not everyone knows when the Sabbath or Lord's Day is. I am however fine with the wording on our church's worship guide: "The Lord's Day, October 17, 2010"

 

[jawyman]

I usually enjoy a Sabbath rest on the Lord's Day.

 

[rbcbob]

I remember a minister once saying to me that Christians should cease, in general conversations, to refer to the first day of the week as Sunday. I pointed out that as he was most often surrounded by believers that he might want to get out more and put his recommendation to the test out in the workaday world. While there may arise occasional opportunities to expound upon the use of “Lord’s day” rather than “Sunday” I suggest that it would prove less than helpful in communication whether written or oral, business or pleasure, official or casual.

I have no problem with any Christian making such a change but I don’t think that it is very practical.



Bob

 

[Poimen]

"The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28). Jesus has not ceased to be the Lord of the Sabbath. So if Christians worship Him on His day (i.e. the Lord's Day), it must either be: 1) the Sabbath or 2) something different. If the latter then the fourth commandment either ceases to exist (which cannot be) or we must worship God on the Sabbath and the Lord's Day. But the very lordship of Christ requires us to see & understand His fulfillment of the commands (Matthew 5:13) not their continuation in their original framework. The lordship of Christ is best seen in His resurrection on the eighth day, as in that event He conquered and was declared the victor.

 

[MarieP]

I remember a minister once saying to me that Christians should cease, in general conversations, to refer to the first day of the week as Sunday. I pointed out that as he was most often surrounded by believers that he might want to get out more and put his recommendation to the test out in the workaday world. While there may arise occasional opportunities to expound upon the use of “Lord’s day” rather than “Sunday” I suggest that it would prove less than helpful in communication whether written or oral, business or pleasure, official or casual.

I have no problem with any Christian making such a change but I don’t think that it is very practical.



Bob

It was interesting in Pastor Jim's sermon yesterday how he was talking about how a Jewish Christian would have gone to the church in Antioch and said, "What!? These Gentile believers aren't keeping the Sabbath!? I went on Sunday though, and they met then..." So it does depend in upon the context in which you are speaking. "The Sabbath" would have denoted something different to 1st century hearers than it does to us.

 

[Scott1]

Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter XXI
Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day

....

VII. As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He has particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto him:[34] which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week: and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week,[35] which, in Scripture, is called the Lord's Day,[36] and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath.[37]

Lord's Day, Sabbath, Christian Sabbath, or help orient someone unfamiliar with "Sunday"- don't get hung up on the terminology.