One of the criticisms about the LDS church is that we cannot be true followers of Christ because we do not worship on the Sabbath Day (Saturday). Well if worshipping on Sunday makes us non-Christian then I believe we are in good company. Let us look at the scriptures to see what the intent of God is, in relation to Sabbath day observance.
Why was the Sabbath Given?
The story in Genesis starts by telling us the work of God’s creation then Gen 2:2-3 says, "And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." From this scripture we learn that God blessed this last day of creation as a day of rest! The Sabbath day was to remind us of his creation and that all men need to keep holy the day that God "sanctified". Next, we turn to the instruction God gave to his people Israel.
Gods commands to Israel about the Sabbath.
Ex 31:14-17 Here the Lord commands "Ye shall keep the Sabbath...for it is holy unto you". Because the people were so poor in their observance he added "everyone that defileth it shall surely be put to death"(vs14). Mosaic Sabbath observance had to be strictly held or else it would bring God's promised punishment: physical death. To show the Lord meant physical death and not some form of spiritual death, we have a scriptural example. In Num. 15:32-36 we find a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath and the word of the Lord is to put him to death by stoning. “And while the children of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man that gathered sticks upon the Sabbath day. And the Lord said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones without the camp”(Num 15:32,35). This is a small example of what is recorded about Sabbath day worship, but it should show the importance God placed on this day of rest!
What did Christ teach about the Sabbath?
In Matt 12:8 Jesus claims the rights over the Sabbath “For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.” Not only does this mean that he could do according to his own will and pleasure, but he could make changes in the Sabbath. This is shown in the scriptures many times when he tried to teach the Scribes and Pharisees. Just look at Luke 14:5-6 “And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the Sabbath day? And they could not answer him again to these things.” Here the leaders of the people were perverting the laws of God by condeeming righteous acts, yet making exceptions to those laws for their own benefit (see Luke 13:13-16) Jesus could have restored the Mosaic form of the Sabbath but he doesn’t appear to. In Mark 2:27 The Lord who was being accused of Sabbath breaking said "the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." Because the Sabbath is made for man, it can also be changed for man according to the will of the Lord.
Remembering the Lords atonement!
Christ throughout the New Testament taught about his sacrifice he would make. He wanted his disciples to remember what he had done for them so he introduced the sacrament. Just read Mark 14:22-24 it says in verse 22, "Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it". Why? This was, in his words, to represent "my body". Verse 24 tells us he took the cup and blessed it and said "this is my blood of the new testament which is shed for many". In the account of Luke 22:19 Christ says "this do in remembrance of me". This clearly showed that Jesus wanted his followers to remember his sacrifice that he was going to make.
A day given to remember the Lords Resurrection!
The Lord showed his disciples that his sacrifice was real by making his appearance to them after his resurrection. In John 20:1, Christ makes his appearance to Mary on the 1st day of the week (if Saturday is the last day of the week, this would make Sunday the 1st day of the week). “The first day of the week come Mary Magdalene early…Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master”(John 20:1,16). In John 20:19 Jesus again shows himself to his apostles “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” Because of these events the Disciples began meeting on the first day of the week, and John even names it “the Lords Day"(Rev 1:10).
The Disciples meet on the Lords day.
Why didn't Jesus come on the Sabbath day? The Sabbath occurred the day before he came. The apostles would have been worshiping that day according to Jewish law. Is it because Christ is showing them a "New Testament" (Mark 14:24)? An example in Acts 20:6-7 says that Paul the apostle met with the saints in Troas. The account says they stayed there 7 days, yet it wasn't until the 1st day of the week that "the disciples came together to break bread" (1 Cor 10:16). In addition to partaking of the sacrament, Paul used this time to worship and preach. Paul could have partaken of the sacrament and gathered the saints on the Sabbath, but instead he did it on the first day of the week to remember “the Lords Day”(Rev 1:10).
Paul expressly tells the saints in Corinth that he would set them in order as he had done to the Church in Galatia. "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come."(1 Cor 16:1-2) Why did Paul want the churches to make these preparations? Because he didn't want them to be gathering these things when he came, he wanted them to "rest from their labors".
Remember that Paul the apostle was of the strictest sect of the Jews (Philip 3:4-5), he would have been an advocate for Sabbath day observation. Yet Paul teaches the Jewish believers the importance of the Lords day in Heb 4:2-11. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his”( Heb 4:2,4-6,8-10).
In these verses we see how the Sabbath day of rest was to be a reminder of the eventual rest of God (Heb 4:4,10)! We learn that the gospel was preached to ancient Israel “but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith”(Heb 4:2) And Finally “if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterwards spoken of another day”(Heb 4:8) Because of the unbelief of the children of Israel, they never entered into the rest that the prophets Moses and Joshua promised them from the Lord! So another day of rest was spoken of that was to remind the believers of the impending rest of the Lord!
Modern day revelations confirm what is found in the Bible.
