How the Church changed to Sunday Worship
The change from observing the Sabbath on Saturday to celebrating worship on Sunday is a topic that has generated significant debate, particularly regarding the role of the Roman Catholic Church. Historically, the biblical Sabbath was observed on the seventh day of the week (Saturday), a practice that continues in Judaism. However, the early Christian Church gradually transitioned to Sunday worship, which later became codified as a replacement for the Sabbath.
### Historical Development
While there is no biblical mandate changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, historical circumstances and interpretations led to this transition.
The transition from Saturday to Sunday worship began in the early Christian community. The shift was largely motivated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which is believed to have occurred on the first day of the week (Sunday). This event was seen as a foundational moment for Christianity, prompting early Christians to begin gathering on Sundays as a way to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection. Evidence of this practice can be found in early Christian writings, such as those by Ignatius of Antioch and Justin Martyr, who spoke of Christians meeting on “the day of the sun” (Sunday) as early as the second century A.D.
Constantine
Constantine's Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. granted religious tolerance throughout the empire and favored Christianity, leading to increased integration between church and state. This integration often resulted in aligning church practices with Roman customs to unify the empire under a common religious framework. Sunday, being associated with the Sun god Sol Invictus and a day of rest in Roman culture, was strategically adopted as a day for Christian worship to distinguish Christian identity from Jewish practices.
The formalization of Sunday as the primary day of worship can be traced to Emperor Constantine. In 321 A.D., Constantine issued an edict stating that “**On the venerable day of the Sun let the magistrates and people residing in cities rest, and let all workshops be closed**”. This decree aligned with the existing practice of Christians meeting on Sundays (Note: Christians at this stage still practiced the 4th Commandment to Rest on the Sabbath), giving it official recognition within the Roman Empire. It is important to note that Constantine's edict did not explicitly change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday but rather recognized Sunday as a day of rest and worship, which was already a practice among many Christians.
The Council of Laodicea, around 363 A.D., played a further role in solidifying Sunday as the day of worship. The council decreed that Christians should “not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but shall work on that day; but the Lord's Day they shall especially honor”. This was a deliberate effort to differentiate Christian practice from Jewish tradition and elevate Sunday, referred to as “the Lord's Day,” in honor of Jesus’ resurrection.
The decree from the Council of Laodicea in A.D. 337, which stated that Christians should not "Judaize by resting on the Sabbath," reflects a significant shift in early Christian practice influenced by socio-political factors. By this time, Christianity had undergone substantial transformation under the Roman Empire, particularly following Emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity and his subsequent influence on the church.
### Scriptural Interpretations and Traditions
Jesus rebuked adherence to man-made traditions over divine commandments (Mark 7:6-9).
The decision regarding the observance of Sunday as a day of worship, rather than the traditional Jewish Sabbath on Saturday, was made under the ecclesiastical authority of these church leaders.
The Canon 29 from this council specifically states: "Christians shall not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but shall work on that day; but the Lord's Day they shall especially honor." This reflects an effort by the early church to distinguish itself from Jewish customs and practices.
### Under What Authority?
The authority exercised by the Council of Laodicea was ecclesiastical rather than scriptural. Church councils often derived their authority from being representative gatherings of church leadership tasked with interpreting and implementing doctrine for their congregations. However, it is critical to understand that their decisions were not infallible nor universally accepted at once; instead, they represent an attempt to guide practice based on their understanding at the time.
### Catholic Church's Authority
The Roman Catholic Church claims the authority to have made this change based on its role in interpreting and guiding Christian doctrine. This authority is rooted in the Church's belief that it has been divinely entrusted with the power to bind and loose, as described in Matthew 16:19. Various Catholic writings openly state that the Church, by its authority, transferred the solemnity of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. For example, James Cardinal Gibbons, a prominent Catholic leader, acknowledged that “the Church changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday,” and this was done without explicit scriptural directive but through the Church's interpretation and sense of its own power (SabbathFacts).
James Cardinal Gibbons, in "The Faith of our Fathers," stated: “But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.”
The Catholic Mirror, an official publication of the Catholic Church, has also asserted this authority, stating: “The Catholic Church, for over one thousand years before the existence of a Protestant, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.” This claim highlights the Church's stance that it holds the authority to establish such changes in practice, which are not explicitly commanded in Scripture.
Stephen Keenan, in "A Doctrinal Catechism," further stated: “Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept? Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her—she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.”
The Catholic Church also teaches that this change was in line with the tradition of the apostles and early Christians. However, many Protestant groups and Christian apologists have criticized this change, arguing that there is no biblical basis for altering the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. They often refer to passages like Daniel 7:25, which speaks of changing “times and laws,” as a prophecy that points to such alterations made by religious authorities.
### Early Church Fathers' Perspectives
While some early church fathers such as Justin Martyr and Ignatius of Antioch noted a shift towards Sunday worship as a celebration of Christ’s resurrection, there was no unanimous decree from Christ or His apostles explicitly changing the Sabbath to Sunday. The move towards Sunday observance gained traction more formally under Roman influence during Constantine’s reign when Sunday was declared a day of rest in A.D. 321.
In Mark 7:6-9, Jesus criticizes religious leaders for prioritizing human traditions over God's commandments: “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition.” This rebuke underscores Jesus' emphasis on adhering to divine law rather than human-imposed traditions.
### Persecution of Sabbath-Keeping Christians
Throughout history, there have been accounts of persecution against Christians who continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. Following the formalization of Sunday worship by the Roman Catholic Church, those who held to the original Sabbath observance were often marginalized or even persecuted. The Council of Laodicea's decree, which explicitly forbade Christians from “Judaizing by resting on the Sabbath,” marked the beginning of a systematic effort to suppress Sabbath observance. Christians who refused to comply with Sunday worship were labeled heretics, and in some cases, faced excommunication or other forms of persecution.
During the Middle Ages, the Inquisition targeted various groups who diverged from the teachings of the Catholic Church, including those who observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Historical records indicate that groups such as the Waldensians and certain Anabaptist communities faced persecution for their adherence to Saturday Sabbath observance. These Christians were often forced to practice their faith in secret to avoid arrest, imprisonment, or execution.
The Sabbath-keeping movement persisted despite these challenges, with small groups of believers continuing to honor the seventh day as the Sabbath. The survival of these communities is a testament to their resilience and commitment to what they believed was the true biblical commandment. Their persecution highlights the tension between ecclesiastical authority and individual conviction in matters of faith and religious practice.
### Calendar and Reckoning of Time
The change from Saturday to Sunday worship is also linked to the broader topic of calendar systems and the reckoning of time. The biblical Sabbath, as described in Genesis, begins at sunset and ends at sunset the following day. This understanding of time differs significantly from the Roman reckoning, where a day is counted from midnight to midnight. The Bible consistently emphasizes that the day begins at sunset, as seen in Genesis 1:5 and other passages that describe the evening preceding the morning.
The weekly cycle as established in Genesis is a seven-day cycle starting with Sunday and ending with Saturday, with the seventh day being the Sabbath. This unbroken cycle has been observed throughout history, despite attempts to modify calendars or alter the structure of the week. The shift to Sunday worship, therefore, represents not only a theological change but also a divergence from the original biblical reckoning of time.
The Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII, also played a role in standardizing time and aligning religious observance with the new calendar system. While the Gregorian reform aimed to correct inaccuracies in the Julian calendar, it did not alter the weekly cycle itself. The uninterrupted seven-day cycle remained intact, preserving the sequence of days but aligning the calendar year more closely with the solar year. Despite these changes, the Catholic Church maintained its authority to designate Sunday as the day of worship, further distancing Christian practice from the original Sabbath observance.
### Influence of Sun Worship and Pagan Practices
The influence of sun worship and pagan practices also played a significant role in the shift from Saturday to Sunday worship. The early Christian community faced pressures to distance themselves from Jewish customs and align more closely with the practices of the Roman Empire. The day of the sun, Sunday, was already popular among Romans as a day dedicated to the sun god, Helios, or Apollo. Constantine himself, even after converting to Christianity, retained his affinity for the sun god, which influenced his decision to promote Sunday as a day of rest and worship. This alignment with sun worship helped make Sunday more palatable to Roman converts and further distanced Christian practice from Jewish traditions.
The Edict of Constantine in A.D. 321 declared Sunday as a day of rest for the entire Roman Empire, using the phrase "On the venerable Day of the Sun," explicitly linking it to the worship of the sun. This decree was not initially intended to establish a new Christian Sabbath but was aimed at honoring the sun god. Over time, however, Sunday observance became conflated with Christian worship, and the Church began to emphasize Sunday as the new Sabbath, in place of the seventh-day observance.
### Council of Laodicea and Further Enforcement
The Council of Laodicea, held in A.D. 364, further enforced the change from Saturday to Sunday worship. The council explicitly stated that Christians should not "Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but shall work on that day; but the Lord's Day they shall especially honor." The council threatened excommunication for those who continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath, demonstrating the Church's determination to establish Sunday as the official day of worship and to suppress Sabbath observance. Despite this, historical records show that many Christian communities continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath alongside Sunday worship for centuries.
### Controversy and Divergent Views
The shift from Saturday to Sunday worship remains controversial, particularly among denominations that emphasize a literal interpretation of the Bible. Some Christian groups, such as Seventh-day Adventists, argue that the Sabbath commandment remains unchanged and should still be observed on Saturday. They maintain that the Catholic Church’s authority to change the Sabbath is not supported by Scripture and view Sunday worship as a tradition that diverged from biblical teachings.
The observance of Sunday as a day of worship, instead of the biblical seventh-day Sabbath, is seen by some as a fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 7:25, which speaks of a power that would "think to change times and laws." This view is further supported by the fact that the change from Saturday to Sunday worship was not based on any scriptural mandate but rather on ecclesiastical authority and socio-political influences.
### The Imperative of Observing the Sabbath
#### Sabbath Established at Creation
The assertion that there is no Biblical evidence of anyone observing the Sabbath prior to its establishment for the Israelites in Exodus 16 seems to disregard the fundamental premise of Genesis 2:2-3. Here, God finished His work, rested on the seventh day, and sanctified it. This act of God resting and sanctifying the seventh day implicitly sets a precedent for mankind, whom He created in His image (Genesis 1:27), to follow suit.
#### Early Church Fathers and Sabbath Observance
Early church fathers like Ignatius of Antioch wrote in his Epistle to the Magnesians (Chapter IX), "If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord's Day..." This implies that early Christians were transitioning from observing Jewish customs like Sabbath-keeping to focusing on Christ's resurrection on what came to be known as 'the Lord's Day.'
#### Sabbath as One of Ten Commandments
The claim that only Israelites were judged by God for not keeping the Sabbath and that there are instances where working on the Sabbath was not considered sinful overlooks Jesus' words in Matthew 5:17-18. Here, Jesus stated that He did not come to abolish the Law or Prophets but to fulfill them. While it is true that Jesus criticized Pharisees for their legalistic approach towards Sabbath observation (Mark 2:27), He did not negate its observance but pointed out its purpose – for man's benefit.
#### Understanding 'Olam' (Forever)
While "olam" can mean an unknowable length of time or an ongoing obligation as stated by the prophet, it is also used in the context of God's everlasting covenant with His people (Genesis 17:7), thus indicating an unending commitment. Hence, when God says in Exodus 31:16-17 that the people of Israel shall observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a covenant forever, it connotes an ongoing commitment to Sabbath observance.
#### Commands Tied to a Specific Time or People
The assertion that many of God's commands were tied to a specific time or people may hold true for certain ceremonial laws. However, Sabbath observance as part of the moral law encapsulated in the Ten Commandments transcends time and cultures. This is because the Ten Commandments reflect God's character and standard for holy living, which is constant (James 1:17).
#### Christ’s Ministry and The Law
While it is true that Christ's ministry is superior to Moses' (Hebrews 8:6), this doesn't abolish the law. Instead, Christ fulfilled the law by living it perfectly and teaching its deeper spiritual implications (Matthew 5:17-20). His teachings on adultery (Matthew 5:27-28) and love (Matthew 5:43-48) do not replace the original commands but rather expand them.
#### Paul’s Understanding of The Law
In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul was addressing a particular situation where false teachers were imposing their own rules about physical practices. He was not declaring all such practices irrelevant. In fact, Paul himself observed the Sabbath and Jewish festivals (Acts 18:21; 20:16).
#### New Testament Silence On The Sabbath
While it's true that the New Testament does not explicitly command Sabbath observance, it frequently mentions it as an ongoing practice among Jesus' followers without any suggestion that it should be abandoned (Luke 4:16; Acts 13:14; Acts 17:2).
#### Romans 14 and Individual Conviction
Romans 14 encourages respect for individual convictions regarding certain observances; however, Paul was likely referring to special days of fasting or feasting, not the weekly Sabbath which was deeply rooted in God's creation order and Ten Commandments.
#### Obeying the Law of Moses
In Matthew 23:1-3, Jesus acknowledges the authority of the scribes and Pharisees in teaching the Law of Moses, stating, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice." This instruction underscores that the teachings derived from Moses hold significant authority and should be observed, but it also highlights a critical distinction between mere outward observance and genuine practice.
#### Teaching and Observing All That Christ Commanded
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands His disciples to make disciples of all nations, "teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." This directive aligns seamlessly with His earlier instruction in Matthew 23. The new disciples are to follow the teachings rooted in Mosaic Law as well as the commandments given by Jesus during His ministry.
#### The Apostolic Practice
Acts 15:20-21 provides a clear example of how the early apostles adhered to this dual directive. They instructed Gentile believers to abstain from practices associated with idolatry, sexual immorality, and consumption of blood—practices which were clearly outlined in the Mosaic Law. The passage reinforces that Moses' teachings continued to be read every Sabbath in synagogues, indicating their ongoing relevance.
#### The New Covenant and the Law
Jeremiah 31:33 prophesies about a new covenant where God's law would be written on people's hearts: "I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people." Similarly, Ezekiel 36:26-27 speaks of a transformation where God's Spirit enables obedience: "And I will give you a new heart... And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." These prophecies affirm that under the new covenant established by Christ, the essence of God's law remains intact but is internalized rather than merely external.
Roman Catholic and Protestant Confessions about Sunday
The vast majority of Christian churches today teach the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, as a time for rest and worship. Yet it is generally known and freely admitted that the early Christians observed the seventh day as the Sabbath. How did this change come about?
History reveals that it was decades after the death of the apostles that a politico-religious system repudiated the Sabbath of Scripture and substituted the observance of the first day of the week. The following quotations, all from Roman Catholic sources, freely acknowledge that there is no Biblical authority for the observance of Sunday, that it was the Roman Church that changed the Sabbath to the first day of the week.
In the second portion of this booklet are quotations from Protestants. Undoubtedly all of these noted clergymen, scholars, and writers kept Sunday, but they all frankly admit that there is no Biblical authority for a first-day sabbath.
Roman Catholic Confessions
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of our Fathers, 88th ed., pp. 89.
“But you may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.”
Stephen Keenan, A Doctrinal Catechism 3rd ed., p. 174.
“Question: Have you any other way of proving that the Church has power to institute festivals of precept?
“Answer: Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her-she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is no Scriptural authority.”
John Laux, A Course in Religion for Catholic High Schools and Academies (1 936), vol. 1, P. 51.
“Some theologians have held that God likewise directly determined the Sunday as the day of worship in the New Law, that He Himself has explicitly substituted the Sunday for the Sabbath. But this theory is now entirely abandoned. It is now commonly held that God simply gave His Church the power to set aside whatever day or days she would deem suitable as Holy Days. The Church chose Sunday, the first day of the week, and in the course of time added other days as holy days.”
Daniel Ferres, ed., Manual of Christian Doctrine (1916), p.67.
“Question: How prove you that the Church hath power to command feasts and holy days?
“Answer. By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday, which Protestants allow of, and therefore they fondly contradict themselves, by keeping Sunday strictly, and breaking most other feasts commanded by the same Church.’
James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore (1877-1921), in a signed letter.
“Is Saturday the seventh day according to the Bible and the Ten Commandments? I answer yes. Is Sunday the first day of the week and did the Church change the seventh day -Saturday – for Sunday, the first day? I answer yes . Did Christ change the day’? I answer no!
“Faithfully yours, J. Card. Gibbons”
The Catholic Mirror, official publication of James Cardinal Gibbons, Sept. 23, 1893.
“The Catholic Church, . . . by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.”
Catholic Virginian Oct. 3, 1947, p. 9, art. “To Tell You the Truth.”
“For example, nowhere in the Bible do we find that Christ or the Apostles ordered that the Sabbath be changed from Saturday to Sunday. We have the commandment of God given to Moses to keep holy the Sabbath day, that is the 7th day of the week, Saturday. Today most Christians keep Sunday because it has been revealed to us by the[Roman Catholic] church outside the Bible.”
Peter Geiermann, C.S.S.R., The Converts Catechism of Catholic Doctrine (1957), p. 50.
“Question: Which is the Sabbath day?
“Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.
“Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
“Answer. We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”
Martin J. Scott, Things Catholics Are Asked About (1927),p. 136.
“Nowhere in the Bible is it stated that worship should be changed from Saturday to Sunday …. Now the Church … instituted, by God’s authority, Sunday as the day of worship. This same Church, by the same divine authority, taught the doctrine of Purgatory long before the Bible was made. We have, therefore, the same authority for Purgatory as we have for Sunday.”
Peter R. Kraemer, Catholic Church Extension Society (1975),Chicago, Illinois.
“Regarding the change from the observance of the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday, I wish to draw your attention to the facts:
“1) That Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe the Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man.
“2) We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. Besides the Bible we have the living Church, the authority of the Church, as a rule to guide us. We say, this Church, instituted by Christ to teach and guide man through life, has the right to change the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament and hence, we accept her change of the Sabbath to Sunday. We frankly say, yes, the Church made this change, made this law, as she made many other laws, for instance, the Friday abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages and a thousand other laws.
“It is always somewhat laughable, to see the Protestant churches, in pulpit and legislation, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in their Bible.”
T. Enright, C.S.S.R., in a lecture at Hartford, Kansas, Feb. 18,1884.
“I have repeatedly offered $1,000 to anyone who can prove to me from the Bible alone that I am bound to keep Sunday holy. There is no such law in the Bible. It is a law of the holy Catholic Church alone. The Bible says, ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ The Catholic Church says: ‘No. By my divine power I abolish the Sabbath day and command you to keep holy the first day of the week.’ And lo! The entire civilized world bows down in a reverent obedience to the command of the holy Catholic Church.”
Protestant Confessions
Protestant theologians and preachers from a wide spectrum of denominations have been quite candid in admitting that there is no Biblical authority for observing Sunday as a sabbath.
Anglican/Episcopal
Isaac Williams, Plain Sermons on the Catechism , vol. 1, pp.334, 336.
“And where are we told in the Scriptures that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day …. The reason why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the church has enjoined it.”
Canon Eyton, The Ten Commandments , pp. 52, 63, 65.
“There is no word, no hint, in the New Testament about abstaining from work on Sunday …. into the rest of Sunday no divine law enters…. The observance of Ash Wednesday or Lent stands exactly on the same footing as the observance of Sunday.”
Bishop Seymour, Why We Keep Sunday .
“We have made the change from the seventh day to the first day, from Saturday to Sunday, on the authority of the one holy Catholic Church.”
Baptist
Dr. Edward T. Hiscox, a paper read before a New York ministers’ conference, Nov. 13, 1893, reported in New York Examiner , Nov.16, 1893.
“There was and is a commandment to keep holy the Sabbath day, but that Sabbath day was not Sunday. It will be said, however, and with some show of triumph, that the Sabbath was transferred from the seventh to the first day of the week …. Where can the record of such a transaction be found? Not in the New Testament absolutely not.
“To me it seems unaccountable that Jesus, during three years’ intercourse with His disciples, often conversing with them upon the Sabbath question . . . never alluded to any transference of the day; also, that during forty days of His resurrection life, no such thing was intimated.
“Of course, I quite well know that Sunday did come into use in early Christian history . . . . But what a pity it comes branded with the mark of paganism, and christened with the name of the sun god, adopted and sanctioned by the papal apostasy, and bequeathed as a sacred legacy to Protestantism!”
William Owen Carver, The Lord’s Day in Our Day , p. 49.
“There was never any formal or authoritative change from the Jewish seventh-day Sabbath to the Christian first-day observance.”
Congretationalist
Dr. R. W. Dale, The Ten Commandments (New York: Eaton &Mains), p. 127-129.
” . . . it is quite clear that however rigidly or devotedly we may spend Sunday, we are not keeping the Sabbath – . . ‘Me Sabbath was founded on a specific Divine command. We can plead no such command for the obligation to observe Sunday …. There is not a single sentence in the New Testament to suggest that we incur any penalty by violating the supposed sanctity of Sunday.”
Timothy Dwight, Theology: Explained and Defended (1823), Ser. 107, vol. 3, p. 258.
” . . . the Christian Sabbath [Sunday] is not in the Scriptures, and was not by the primitive Church called the Sabbath.”
Disciples of Christ
Alexander Campbell, The Christian Baptist, Feb. 2, 1824,vol. 1. no. 7, p. 164.
“‘But,’ say some, ‘it was changed from the seventh to the first day.’ Where? when? and by whom? No man can tell. No; it never was changed, nor could it be, unless creation was to be gone through again: for the reason assigned must be changed before the observance, or respect to the reason, can be changed! It is all old wives’ fables to talk of the change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day. If it be changed, it was that august personage changed it who changes times and laws ex officio – I think his name is Doctor Antichrist.’
First Day Observance , pp. 17, 19.
“The first day of the week is commonly called the Sabbath. This is a mistake. The Sabbath of the Bible was the day just preceding the first day of the week. The first day of the week is never called the Sabbath anywhere in the entire Scriptures. It is also an error to talk about the change of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. There is not in any place in the Bible any intimation of such a change.”
Lutheran
The Sunday Problem , a study book of the United Lutheran Church (1923), p. 36.
“We have seen how gradually the impression of the Jewish sabbath faded from the mind of the Christian Church, and how completely the newer thought underlying the observance of the first day took possession of the church. We have seen that the Christians of the first three centuries never confused one with the other, but for a time celebrated both.”
Augsburg Confession of Faith art. 28; written by Melanchthon, approved by Martin Luther, 1530; as published in The Book of Concord of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Henry Jacobs, ed. (1 91 1), p. 63.
“They [Roman Catholics] refer to the Sabbath Day, a shaving been changed into the Lord’s Day, contrary to the Decalogue, as it seems. Neither is there any example whereof they make more than concerning the changing of the Sabbath Day. Great, say they, is the power of the Church, since it has dispensed with one of the Ten Commandments!”
Dr. Augustus Neander, The History of the Christian Religion and Church Henry John Rose, tr. (1843), p. 186.
“The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intentions of the apostles to establish a Divine command in this respect, far from them, and from the early apostolic Church, to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to Sunday.”
John Theodore Mueller, Sabbath or Sunday , pp. 15, 16.
“But they err in teaching that Sunday has taken the place of the Old Testament Sabbath and therefore must be kept as the seventh day had to be kept by the children of Israel …. These churches err in their teaching, for Scripture has in no way ordained the first day of the week in place of the Sabbath. There is simply no law in the New Testament to that effect.”
Methodist
Harris Franklin Rall, Christian Advocate, July 2, 1942, p.26.
“Take the matter of Sunday. There are indications in the New Testament as to how the church came to keep the first day of the week as its day of worship, but there is no passage telling Christians to keep that day, or to transfer the Jewish Sabbath to that day.”
John Wesley, The Works of the Rev. John Wesley, A.M., John Emory, ed. (New York: Eaton & Mains), Sermon 25,vol. 1, p. 221.
“But, the moral law contained in the ten commandments, and enforced by the prophets, he [Christ] did not take away. It was not the design of his coming to revoke any part of this. This is a law which never can be broken …. Every part of this law must remain in force upon all mankind, and in all ages; as not depending either on time or place, or any other circumstances liable to change, but on the nature of God and the nature of man, and their unchangeable relation to each other.”
Dwight L. Moody
D. L. Moody, Weighed and Wanting (Fleming H. Revell Co.: New York), pp. 47, 48.
“The Sabbath was binding in Eden, and it has been in force ever since. This fourth commandment begins with the word ‘remember,’ showing that the Sabbath already existed when God Wrote the law on the tables of stone at Sinai. How can men claim that this one commandment has been done away with when they will admit that the other nine are still binding?”
Presbyterian
T. C. Blake, D.D., Theology Condensed, pp.474, 475.
“The Sabbath is a part of the decalogue – the Ten Commandments. This alone forever settles the question as to the perpetuity of the institution . . . . Until, therefore, it can be shown that the whole moral law has been repealed, the Sabbath will stand . . . . The teaching of Christ confirms the perpetuity of the Sabbath.”
Source of List of Confesions : Roman Catholic and Protestant Confessions about Sunday - Bible Sabbath Association
### Conclusion
The Sabbath, with its roots in Creation and its evolution through Christian history, remains a pivotal aspect of Christian life. A thorough examination of its biblical precedents and early Christian practices enables believers to embrace both tradition and transition, fostering an informed and balanced faith. Observance of the Sabbath should not be seen as optional, but rather as an integral part of Christian practice, reflecting the moral and spiritual principles that align with God's character and intent for humanity. The teachings of Christ do not abolish Mosaic Law but fulfill and internalize it within believers' hearts under the new covenant. Early Christian leaders like Paul reinforce a unified approach for all believers regardless of ethnicity—emphasizing one faith under one Lord.