The Lord’s Day

By

Shelby G. Floyd

May 27, 2006

 

 

The Seven Day Week Originated With God

 

The division of time into days, months and years is based upon natural law. That is, it is decreed by the sun, moon and stars. The further division of time into hours, minutes and seconds is artificial, arid sanctioned by men. But, the division of time into seven day weeks was ordained by God in the beginning. It is as old as time and is as universal as the human race. The seven day week then, takes its origin from the fact that in six days God created the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he ceased from all his labors, and sanctified the seventh day. (Genesis 2:1-3.)

 

The Sabbath Day Given As a Memorial of Deliverance

 

For twenty-five hundred years there is no indica­tion in the scriptures that God ever commanded any patriarch to keep the Sabbath day. But after the children of Israel had been delivered from Egyptian bondage, and after they had traveled for fifty days, God gave them the Sabbath day, as a day of rest and a day of commemoration from their deliverance. When Moses went upon the mountain and received the law, the fourth commandment was, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.” (Exodus 20: 8-11.) Thus, the Sabbath day was for 1500 years a special day in the religion of the Jews. They were not to do any work but were to use that day as a day of worship, reverence and respect for God. But the Jewish law was taken out of the way when Jesus was nailed to the cross. (Colossians 2: l4.) Christians have never been under the law of Moses. (Deuteronomy 5: 1-5.) That law included the Sabbath day. (Deuteronomy 5: 15.)

 

Christians Are Commanded To Keep the First Day of the Week

 

While Christians are not to keep the Sabbath day, they are commanded to observe and. to keep “the Lord’s day.” When the apostle John was an old man, he was in exile on The Isle of Patmos, for the testimony of Jesus and the word of God. (Revelation 1: 10) While on that island, John said, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” (Revelation 1: 10.) The phrase, “in the Spirit” no doubt indicates that his thoughts, feelings and sym­pathies were with the brethren who were meeting on the Lord’s day to worship God, on the mainland of Asia Minor, While John could not be with them in body, he could be with them in spirit, as they gathered around to observe the Lord’s supper, and. to worship God in spirit and in truth. “God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24.)   What is the day that is styled by John as “the Lord’s day?” We can get an idea what that day is by a review of the day that held a special place in the worship and life of the Christians in the first century. Our Lord Jesus Christ was raised on the first day of the week. When Jesus died upon the cross the hopes and the ambitions of the apostles died with him. But after three days and three nights Jesus was raised early on the first day of the week, (Luke 24: 1-12.) Jesus then appeared to Mary Magdalene and the other women as they came out on the first day of the week to embalm his body. Jesus also met with his apostles at least twice upon the first day of the week after his resurrection.  (John 20:19-29.)

 

The Church Was Established on the First Day of the Week

 

On the first day of the week in the city of Jer­usalem the church had its beginning. The Holy Spirit according to promise came upon the apostles on the first day of the week. All of this happened on the day of Pentecost, which was invariably fixed on the first day of the week. (Leviticus 23: 15-21.)

 

The Lord’s Supper Was Observed on the First Day of Every Week

 

When Paul was on his third missionary journey, he was in a hurry to go to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, which would afford him an audience of Jews to which he could preach the gospel. But while on the journey to Jerusalem he came to Troas, and stayed there seven days,

 

“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 continu­èd his speech until midnight.” (Acts 20: 6-8.)

 

Luke does not say that they met upon a first day of a week but that they met upon the first day of the week; the definite article as applied to the first day, indicates that it was a stated or fixed day. Therefore, the break­ing of bread was fifty-two times a year. If they broke bread fifty-two times a year, then they met upon the first day of the week fifty-two times a year. Both of them stand or fall together. The disciples at Troas were steadfast in their observance of the Lord’s Day. In further proof of the necessity to observe the Lord’s Day is the commandment that Paul gave to the churches of Galatia and Corinth. Paul commanded that they lay by in a treasury upon the first day of every week as the Lord had prospered them. This was to be done in order that Paul would not need to go from house to house and. gather the collection when he came, but it would be in order since they would have laid by in store upon the first day of every week, (1 Corinthians 16: 1-2.) All of this indicates that the church had a special day set aside in which to worship God, and we are forced to the conclusion that this is the first day of the week, the day which John styled “the Lord’s day.” There is a tendency in our day to take the Lord’s Day and make it our own day. More business establishments’ are being opened for commerce on the Lord’s Day. The Lord’s Day is being advertised and emphasized as a day of pleasure; a day of travel; a day of enjoyment. We ought to use the Lord’s Day for which it was intended. Every Christian needs to observe the Lord’s Day in order to be stronger spiritually, and. to please the Lord. Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved