Thinking about the Lord's Day

My most recent sermon was an exposition of Mark 2:23 - 3:6, wherein Jesus declares, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." Put another way, the Sabbath was instituted to be a blessing to people, not to put them under bondage. The Pharisees thought they had the final word on this issue with all their extra-biblical rules and regulations, but Jesus proved otherwise. After declaring His lordship over the Sabbath, Jesus "went on from there and entered their synagogue" (Matt. 12:9). He took the battle to them, demonstrating his lordship "on their turf" by healing a disabled man in the synagogue. Yes, the Sabbath was instituted to bring blessing, not bondage.

As a follow-up to the morning sermon, we posed some specific questions in our Community Groups that evening, narrowing our conversation to one particular line of discussion which had to do with our observance of the Lord's Day. Here are the questions we raised:

• What were Sundays like for you growing up, in terms of how it was observed by your family or community? Was it considered a "day of rest"? If so, what was and wasn't allowed?
• Consider the following statement by Fred Zaspel: "For those who rest in Christ, every day is a Sabbath." Do you agree? Why or why not?
• In Scripture, the first day of the week (Sunday) is referred to as "the Lord's Day," obviously because it was on this day of the week that Christ rose from the dead. Even if one does not regard Sunday as the "Christian Sabbath," do you think there are practical considerations that should make this day different from any other day of the week? Why or why not?
• What do you think of a church's having a Saturday night service in addition to, or in lieu of, a Sunday morning service? Would this be appropriate? Why or why not?

In an effort to help the TruthWalk readership to continue to think through these issues, I recommend that you read Pastor Steve Weaver's paper, "Is The Lord's Day the Christian Sabbath?: A Biblical and Theological Examination." I do not know Pastor Weaver personally but thought that his synopsis of this issue was well-researched, pointed, and concise. (You can give the paper a careful reading within a span of 15 minutes.)

Bottom line: As Lord of the Sabbath, Christ redirects our attention from the Sabbath to himself. The Sabbath finds its fulfillment in Him, as does all the law. Therefore, Sabbath requirements are no longer morally binding on Christians. Christians should make worship of Christ alone a requirement for this day.

Whatever conclusions and convictions you arrive at on this issue, I think it behooves all of us to consider the following testimony and exhortation by Don Whitney:

One example of how the Lord has been shaping my life is to conform more to His Word has to do with my beliefs and practice on the Lord's Day. Most conservative, Bible-believing Christians I know seem to make few choices about their Lord's Day activities based on Scripture. Rather they base their choices on their culture--their family culture, church culture, or the culture of society at large. So whether they go to the mall, watch football, play golf, eat out, take a nap, work in the yard, or whatever, they do what they do more because of the traditions of their family, church, or community than because of what the Bible says. If everyone in the church talks about or watches the big NFL game on Sunday, they probably will too. Or if they do not watch the game, it's only because they don't like football or have something else they would rather do or must do. Regardless, the decision is not made for biblical reasons.

As I examined the Scriptures pertaining to this issue, my habits on the Lord's Day were transformed. The Bible has directed me on this matter in ways that are refreshing, restorative, and recreative for my soul, mind, body and family. In summary, I have understood the Bible to teach that my greatest privilege and first responsibility on the Lord's Day is to worship Him with His people. Also, because the first day of the week is called in Scripture "the Lord' s Day" (Revelation 1:10), the day should be observed uniquely for the Lord, and every activity should be evaluated by that fact. However you choose to spend the Lord's Day, I appeal to you to base your decisions and actions on the revelation of God.

- Don Whitney, Ten questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, pp. 36-37

This blog post will not be the final word on this issue. I myself continue to wrestle with some of the questions posted above, thinking through their practical implications for me personally and for us as a church collectively. May God help us to grow in wisdom, that we might walk with the Lord in the light of His Word.