Q & A: Why Do Christians Worship on Sunday Instead of on the Sabbath?
Answer:
Sabbath means “rest.” The first reference we find in the Bible about taking a Sabbath rest is God’s command in Exodus 16:23-26: “He told them, ‘This is what the Lord commanded: Tomorrow will be a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath day set apart for the Lord’” (verse 23).
Observance of the Sabbath day was a part of the Law given exclusively to Israel; it was included in their covenant with God which provided their redemption. Under the Law, the people of Israel were commanded not to do work of any kind on the seventh day of the week (Saturday) but to take a physical rest and to worship God (Exodus 20:8-11). This day served as a reminder that God created the earth in six days and rested on the seventh (Genesis 2:2-3), that He delivered Israel from the bondage of Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:14-15), and that His promised Messiah would bring the true rest of redemption (Genesis 3:14-15).
Some question whether having church services on Sunday violates God’s Law. They wonder where the tradition of Sunday church services originated.
From Scripture we learn that there was not a law for what day believers were to worship (Galatians 4:9-11; Colossians 2:16). We know the disciples frequently met on Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Revelation 1:10). Some have suggested it is possible believers began meeting on Sunday in honor of the Lord’s resurrection. Others point to it later becoming official when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire under Constantine. But no new command dictated that day.
The important thing to remember is that Jesus came to redeem us from the law of sin and death so we could have true spiritual rest and fellowship with God—not just one day a week but every day, not through what we do, but through what He did on the cross to provide for our right-standing with God (Romans 11:6, Ephesians 2:8). As Christians, we can gather together at any day, time or place, and Jesus said He would be right there with us (Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:24-25)!