Doctrine and Polity Committee Releases Second Paper
Members of the Church of God Doctrine and Polity (D&P) Committee have released a paper with extensive research on observance of the Sabbath Day and its significance.
The paper, titled, “Should Christians Keep the Sabbath Day,” was written by Dr. Lee Roy Martin, a member of the D&P Committee and professor at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary. His research includes extensive Biblical references and more than a dozen historic quotations from religious leaders through the ages regarding the Sabbath.
The paper is the second released by the D&P Committee, the first being a defense of the denomination’s stance on total abstinence from beer, wine, and liquors, authored by chairman Dr. French Arrington. Both papers are located on the Church of God website (www.churchofgod.org) under the BELIEFS tab on the home page. They are also available in Spanish at the site.
The Doctrine and Polity Committee exists to routinely examine the belief statements, doctrines, and polity in place within the structure of the denomination. The group considers amendments reflective of modern culture and offers recommendations for modifications employing extensive biblical research.
Serving alongside Arrington and Martin is a group of ministers, scholars and academicians. They include Dr. Terry Cross and Dr. Jerald Daffe, professors in the School of Religion at Lee University, professors at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary Dr. David Han, Dr. Lee Roy Martin, and Dr. Steven Land, and Dr. Victor Pagan, retired leader with Church of God World Missions. Second Assistant General Overseer Dr. J. David Stephens serves as executive liaison.
The D&P Committee will be offering several more papers in the coming months. The following is the document, “Should Christians Keep the Sabbath Day.” For additional readings and appendices, please visit www.churchofgod.org and click on BELIEFS:
Should Christians Keep the Sabbath Day?
Are Christians required to keep the Sabbath Day? Should Christians worship on Saturday? Some Christian groups insist that the Old Testament law of the Sabbath is still in force today and that Christians must worship on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. The purpose of this brief article is to explain why Christians worship on Sunday rather than on the Sabbath (Saturday).
Definitions
It may be helpful for the sake of clarity to define the terms sabbath and Sabbath Day. The word sabbath is a Hebrew word that means cease or rest. The Sabbath day refers to the Jewish day of rest that is prescribed in the Ten Commandments: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8. All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version). The Sabbath Day is observed on the seventh day of the week (from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday), because it was on the seventh day that God ceased or rested from the work of creation (Genesis 2:2-3).
The Position of the Church of God
The Church’s official position is found in the Church of God Practical Commitments:
Sunday is the Christian day of worship. As the Lord’s Day, it commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead (Matthew 28:1) and should be employed for worship, fellowship, Christian service, teaching, evangelism, and proclamation (Acts 20:7; Romans 14:5, 6; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Colossians 2:16, 17).
The first published listing of the Church of God Teachings cites Hosea 2:11; Romans 13:1-2; 14:5-6; and Colossians 2:16-17 as evidence that Christians are not obligated to keep the Sabbath (Church of God Evangel, August 15, 1910, p. 3). The position of the Church of God that Christians are not required to observe the Sabbath is supported by the teachings of the New Testament and by Church history.
The New Testament Teaching on the Sabbath
The New Testament teaching on the Sabbath can be considered from three perspectives: 1. The Old Testament ceremonial laws, 2. Specific references to the Sabbath, and 3. Examples of Christian worship.
1. The Old Testament ceremonial laws. The question of the Sabbath is directly related to the overall Christian use of the Old Testament ceremonial laws. Although Christianity arose from Judaism, the Sabbath Day (along with the sacrifices, circumcision, and food laws) is part of the ritual law from the Old Covenant that was fulfilled in Jesus Christ; and, therefore, is not required for Christians. It has been argued that the Sabbath requirement precedes the Law, but that argument is clearly false. Although God “blessed” the Sabbath Day in Genesis 2, He gave no command to observe the Sabbath, rest on the Sabbath, or worship on the Sabbath until Exodus 20:8. In any case, the practices of sacrifice and circumcision both preceded the law of Moses, and these are not binding upon Christians because they too have been fulfilled in Christ (Galatians 6:15; Colossians 2:11).
The decision to abandon the requirements of the ceremonial law came early in Christian history. When a significant number of Gentiles began to convert to Christianity, disputes arose about whether the Gentile Christians would be required to observe the Jewish laws about circumcision, dietary restrictions, Sabbath observance, and so forth. Paul, Barnabas, Peter, James, and other Church leaders met in Jerusalem and decided, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that it was not necessary for Christians to observe the Sabbath rules and other aspects of “the law of Moses” (Acts 15:5-29). The decision of the “Jerusalem Council” is confirmed by the book of Hebrews, which declares that the Old Covenant has been replaced by the New Covenant, for the Old Covenant has passed away (Hebrews 8:13).
Although Christians are not “under the law” as a means of salvation, we are still required to live righteously (Romans 6) and to keep God’s commandments (1 John 5:2). The New Testament instructs believers to obey all the Ten Commandments except for the commandment to keep the Sabbath Day. The Sabbath commandment is the only one of the Ten Commandments that is not repeated in the New Testament.
Even after the decision of Acts 15, the Church experienced disputes about the Jewish rituals. Jewish believers tried to force everyone to obey the law of Moses, but Paul states clearly and repeatedly that Christians are not required to keep the laws regarding special days, kosher foods, and sacrifices. He goes so far as to rebuke Peter when he acquiesced to Jewish pressure (Galatians 2:11). Paul takes issue with the Galatians by asking, “But now after you have known God … how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?” (Galatians 4:9). What was the evidence of their turning back? Paul accused them, “You observe days and months and seasons and years” (Galatians 4:10). Paul also addresses the Sabbath in his letter to the Romans. In his discussion of Christian liberty, he deals with such issues as acceptable meats and drinks, and he also mentions the Sabbath question. Paul insists that Christians are free to observe or not observe the Sabbath according to their consciences. Paul states,
One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it. He who eats, eats to the Lord, for he gives God thanks; and he who does not eat, to the Lord he does not eat, and gives God thanks (Romans 14:5-6).
It is no longer necessary for believers to practice the Old Testament rituals because they have been fulfilled in Christ. They are the “shadow,” but Christ is the “reality.” We read in the Book of Hebrews: “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect” (Hebrews 10:1).
2. Specific references to the Sabbath. The reference to the rituals as shadows leads naturally to Paul’s word to the Colossian church. It seems that, once again, Jewish believers were attempting to force Gentile Christians to obey the law of Moses. Paul writes, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossian 2:16-17). Paul indicates clearly that Christians are obligated to follow neither the Old Testament food laws nor the Old Testament schedule of holy days. These laws are fulfilled in Christ.
As a good Jewish rabbi, Jesus obeyed all of the Old Testament laws. However, Jesus pointed out the legalistic attitudes of the Pharisees regarding the Sabbath Day. On one occasion, Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath and told him to take up his bed and walk (John 5:5-18). Jesus’ opponents seized the opportunity to criticize him:
For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God (John 5:16-18).
On another occasion, as Jesus and His disciples passed through a grain field on the Sabbath, the disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them. The Pharisees accused them of breaking the Sabbath, but Jesus replied, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). Jesus, therefore, taught that the Sabbath laws should not be a legalistic requirement or burden.
3. Examples of Christian worship on Sunday. The first Christians were Jewish, and for a short time they worshiped according to their Jewish laws and customs. We read in the Book of Acts that they worshiped in the temple (Acts 3:1; 5:21, 42) and the synagogues. Paul’s attendance at the synagogue, however, was a result of practical rather than theological considerations. In order to preach to the Jews, he needed to attend their meetings (Acts 13:14; 14:1; 18:4). Outside of evangelistic efforts, Paul reports that early Christians worshiped on Sunday, and they did not attend the Jewish meetings.
Sunday was chosen as the day of worship, because it was on Sunday that Jesus arose from the dead (Matthew 28:1). Because of the Resurrection, the Christians called Sunday the “Lord’s Day.” Also, the Church was established and the gospel was first preached in its fullness on Sunday (Acts 2). The following texts suggest that the earliest Christians worshiped on Sunday, the Lord’s Day:
• “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
• “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2).
• “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet” (Revelation 1:10).
Nowhere in the New Testament does it state that the early Christians met together for worship on the Sabbath Day (Saturday).
The Testimony of Church History
In addition to the New Testament references to Christians worshiping on Sunday, the earliest Christian document outside the New Testament affirms the practice of Sunday worship. Believers are given the following instruction: “And on the Lord’s own day gather yourselves together and break bread and give thanks, first confessing your transgressions …” (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, 14:1). This text states that Christians should meet on Sunday, and the activities listed involve sharing in the Lord’s Supper and confessing sins, as James instructed.
The early church fathers from the second and third centuries also report that Sunday was the Christian day of worship. Ignatius (c. AD 45-115), a disciple of the apostle John, wrote that Christians were “no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in observance of the Lord’s Day” (Epistle to the Magnesians, 8). Justin Martyr (AD 100-165), another early church father, wrote that Christians met for worship “on the day called Sunday.” The reason for Sunday worship, according to Justin, was that Sunday “is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead” (First Apology, 67).
There is no evidence that the early Christians met together for worship on the Sabbath Day (Saturday). Further testimony of reliable servants of God throughout Church history shows that Christians have consistently worshiped on Sunday. Several quotations regarding Sunday worship can be found in the appendix at the end of this article.
The Testimony of Pentecostal Believers
In an early issue of the Church of God Evangel, F. J. Lee (1875–1928), a leading figure in the denomination and namesake of Lee University, wrote a three-part article in which he argued against Sabbatarianism. Citing Hebrews 10:1, Lee stated, “The law is a shadow of good things to come.” He then turned to Colossians 2:16 and wrote, “So if the Sabbath is a shadow, and the real is Christ . . . , How important, that we turn away from the shadow and cling to the real.” According to Lee, a return to Saturday worship observance would be an act of backsliding and giving in to “the seducing spirit” (CGE 5:26 [June 27, 1914], p. 7). Lee continued–after examining Hebrews 3:18; 4:1, 3, 4, 10, he pointed out further that “it is plain enough, the [S]abbath was a shadow pointing to the time when people could be brought out of . . . bondage of sin, and into the Pentecostal Rest.” Lee explained that the law called for the observance of several special days, such as [P]assover, the [F]east of [T]abernacles, and the Sabbath. Each of these has teaching value, but they are shadows which are fulfilled in Christ (CGE 5:27 [July 4, 1914], p. 7).
Later in the same year, the testimony of L.B. Mosteller was published. Mosteller testified that his study of the Old Testament had “almost” convinced him to stop eating certain meats. He writes further, “With this seducing spirit, the keeping of the Sabbath was pressed upon me.” However, after much prayer and after attending the General Assembly, he states, “After being there and seeing the wonder working power of God the scales all fell from my eyes and I felt so free and sweet …” (CGE 5:50 [Dec 19, 1914], p. 4). Both Lee and Mosteller considered the requirement of Sabbath Day observance to be a dangerous practice that originated with a “seducing spirit.”
Conclusion
Observation of the Sabbath was part of the Old Testament ceremonial law that is not observed by the Church. There is no record in Scripture of Jesus or His disciples instructing or teaching that the keeping of the Sabbath or any other Jewish custom is necessary for the New Testament believer. The New Testament and Church history supports the Christian practice of worshiping on Sunday, the Lord’s Day.
Although the Church of God affirms Sunday as the “Christian day of worship,” the denomination has consistently focused on the quality of worship rather than the day of worship. Jesus declared that the outward aspects of worship (such as time and location) are peripheral, but the essential aspects of worship consist in the following:
1. Worship must come from the heart (Mark 7:6), and
2. Worship must be “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
It is the quality of our worship, not the day and location that will impact our witness to the world. The mission of the Church is to FINISH the Great Commission. We must not allow disputes over days and times of worship distract us from our commitment to Find, Intercede, Network, Invest, Send, and Harvest. Our deep spiritual worship will supply the inspiration, strength, and direction for our mission; and it will attract the lost who are hungry and thirsty for God.
