Difference between revisions of "Question: Why do Mormons follow the practice of most Christians by resting and worshiping on Sunday?"

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Question

The Old Testament commands men to rest on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week. Why do Mormons then follow the practice of most Christians by resting and worshiping on Sunday?

Answer

We believe the Lord's day (Revelation 1꞉10) to be the first day of the week.

This understanding is not unique to the Latter-day Saints; in fact, it has its origins early in the Christian century.

Ignatius (died A.D. 98–117) was taught by John the Apostle, and he understood what the Lord's day meant in John's Book of Revelation. He said

if, then, those who walked in ancient customs came to a new hope, no longer sabbathing, but living by the Lord's day, on which we came to life through Him and through his death....

Ignatius makes a distinction between "sabbathing" (i.e. observing the Jewish Sabbath on Saturday) and the "Lord's day" (the first day of the week). He continues:

let every friend of Christ keep the Lord’s Day as a festival, the resurrection-day, the queen and chief of all the days [of the week]. Looking forward to this, the prophet declared, “To the end, for the eighth day,” on which our life both sprang up again, and the victory over death was obtained in Christ, whom the children of perdition, the enemies of the Saviour, deny, “whose god is their belly, who mind earthly things,” (Phillipians 3꞉18-19) who are “lovers

of pleasure, and not lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof,” (2 Timothy 3 4). These make merchandise for Christ, corrupting His word, and giving up Jesus to sale; they are corrupters of women, and covetous of other mens possessions, swallowing up wealth insatiably; from whom may ye be delivered by the mercy of God through our Lord Jesus Christ!^[1]

Here he gives a little more detail on the Lord's day. It is the "eighth day," or the first day of the week, and can be understood in Justin Martyr's (A.D. 100–165) teachings as such:

The command of circumcision, again, bidding [them] always circumcise the children on the eighth day, was a type of the true circumcision, by which we are circumcised from deceit and iniquity through Him who rose from the dead on the first day after the Sabbath, [namely through] our Lord Jesus Christ. For the first day after the Sabbath, remaining the first of all the days , is called, however, the eighth, according to the number of all the days of the cycle, and [yet] remains the first.^[2]

Justin also wrote:

the day of the sun is the day on which we all gather in a common meeting, because it is the first

day, the day on which God, changing darkness and matter, created the world; and it is the day on which Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead for He was crucified on the day before that of “kronos” (Greek counter part of the Roman god Saturn which is where Saturday gets its name); and on the day after that of “kronos”, which is the day of the sun (Sunday), He appeared to His Apostles and disciples, and taught them these things which we have also submitted to you for your consideration.

He also taught

and on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together in 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 imitation of these good things^[3]

Here, Justin points out that Christians worshipped on Sunday.

He also says : “But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, 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.” (Ante-Nicene Fathers 1:186, chap. 67, First Apology of Justin) The Epistle of Barnabas which purports to have been written by Barnabas, Paul's missionary companion, reads, "Lastly he says to them, I cannot stand your new moons and your Sabbaths. Consider what he means by it: the Sabbaths, he says, that you now keep are not acceptable to me, but only those which I have made, when resting from all things I shall begin the eighth day, that is, the beginning of the other world." Wherefore, also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, the day also on which Jesus rose again from the dead. And when He had manifested Himself, He ascended into the heavens. (Epistle of Barnabas, chap. 15, Ante Nicene Fathers, 1:147)

St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.) says again in his sermon 251 de temp. “the Apostles decreed that Sunday must be kept holy” and “every lover of Christ celebrates the Lords day, consecrated to the resurrection of Christ, as the queen and chief of all days.”

Dr. Adam Clark, in his Commentary treating Revelation 1: 10, says: "'The Lord's day' the first day of the week, observed as the Christian sabbath, because on it Jesus Christ rose from the dead: therefore it was called the Lords day; and has taken place of the Jewish sabbath, throughout the Christian world." Dr. Thomas Scott, in his Commentary dealing with this same verse, says: "This was 'on the Lord's day' which can be meant of no other, than the day on which the Lord Jesus arose from the dead, even "the first day of the week": and it is conclusive proof, that the first day was set apart, and kept holy, by the primitive Christians, in commemoration of the great event: for on what other account could it have been thus mentioned!" In the Commentary of Jameson, Fausett, and Brown on this same passage this is recorded: ". . . on the Lords day--Though forcibly detained from Church communion with the brethren in the sanctuary on the Lord's day, the weekly commemoration of the resurrection, John was holding spiritual communion with them. This is the earliest mention of the term 'the Lord's day!' But the consecration of the day to worship, almsgiving, and the Lord's supper, is implied, Acts 20:7; One- Corinthians 16:2, cf. John 20:19-26. The name corresponds to 'the Lord's supper,' One- Corinthians 11:20. Ignatius seems to allude to 'the Lord's day' (ad. Magnes, 9) and Irenaeus in the Quaest. ad Orthod. 115 (in Justin Martyr). Justin Martyr Apology 2:98 &c. 'On Sunday we hold our joint meeting; for the first day is that on which God, having removed darkness and chaos, made the world, and Jesus Christ our Savior rose from the dead. On the day before Saturday they crucified Him, and on the day after Saturday, which is Sunday, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, he taught these things.' To the Lord's day Pliny doubtless refers (Ex 97, B 10), 'The Christians on a fixed day before dawn meet and sing a hymn to Christ as God.'"

In the Didache which was written around 140 A.D. it says “on the Lords day of the Lord gather together, break bread and give thanks, after confessing your transgressions so that your sacrifice may be pure.” Again, on the Lords day, Sunday, you want to gather together and have a sacrament meeting. Now the redundancy of “the Lords day of the Lord” in Greek indicates that the term “Lords day” had already become a common usage for Sunday, so much so that it is now used as a distinct term apart from its root meaning.

The Roman historians, Suetonius and Pliny, who lived and wrote in the first centuries of the Christian era, during the bloody martyr ages, are good witnesses in this problem. As they were neither Christians nor Jews, but heathens, and not concerned in the controversy in any respect, their incidental historic testimony is unimpeachable. They certify, in their simple accounts of the Christian martyrdom, that when persons were arrested on suspicion that they were Christians, tried and put to death under the imperial edict prescribing all the Christians and interdicting their worship on penalty of death, their persecutors propounded to them the question: "Dominicum servaste?" — "Hast thou kept the Lord's day?" The Christian responded: "Christianus sum" — "I am a Christian." "Intermittere non possum" — "I can not omit it." Then they proceeded with the bloody work of death.

It is a well-known fact that the Jewish Sabbath never was called "the Lord's day," but simply "the Sabbath day." If the primitive Christians had kept the seventh day, they would have been asked: "Sabbaticum servaste?" — "Hast thou kept the Sabbath day?" But this question never was asked by their persecutors. It is utter folly to deny that the Lord's day was kept from the Apostolic age.

It is a significant fact that the day of Pentecost, upon which day the apostles received their spiritual endowment by the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, “that year fell on the first day of the week.” Or Sunday. (see Smiths Bible Dictionary, Hackett and Abbott’s edition, vol. 2: art. Lords day, p. 1677. Also Bramhall’s work, vol. 5: p. 51, Oxford ed., Discourse on the Sabbath and the Lords day) “and when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in place.” It is very possible that all the believers were in "one place" was because they were worshipping together.

While the Old Testament does refer to the Sabbath many, many times, it is just that, the Old Testament. Laws, worship, and teachings were considerably different then. As Hebrews 7:12 says "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law." We know that the Priesthood, Temple worship, worship in general, and law was changed when Christ came. Now the change in law, spoke about in Hebrews, would include the Sabbath as well, it being part of the law. Also, if we did keep the sabbath spoken about in the Old Testament, would also have to keep the seventh month of every year, and the seventh year as sabbaths also. In the seventh year, the fields which you grew, was to be left to the poor, and the beasts of the field. You were to release all debts in this self same year. You were also to prepare all food the evening before the sabbath. We would be put to death for breaking the Sabbath (Ex. 31:14-17), wouldn't be able to kindle a fire on the sabbath (Ex 35:3). It is not the same sabbath spoken about in the Old Testament.

Acts 20:7 reads "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 continued his speech until midnight."

On Sunday, a group of followers of Christ gathered together in a house (where Church meetings were held in those days), where bread was broken (a term used for the sacrament (1 Corinthians 11:24), while a Church leader teaches of Christ. This sounds like a Church meeting held on the Sabbath

Endnotes

1. [note]  Irenaeus, "Ignatius to the Magnesians," in Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Philip Schaff (Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886)1:63. ANF ToC off-site This volume
2. [note] Justin Martyr, "Dialogue with Trypho," in Chapter 41 Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Philip Schaff (Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886)1:215. ANF ToC off-site This volume
3. Justin Martyr, "First Apology," in Chapter 67 Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Philip Schaff (Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1886)1:186. ANF ToC off-site This volume

Further reading

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