HOW SUNDAY BECAME THE DAY OF WORSHIP FOR CHRISTIANS

It is clear from the Bible that the Jews of Jesus's time kept the Sabbath on a day we now commonly call Saturday. There is no doubt that Jesus and all the Apostles kept the seventh day Sabbath as well. We find numerous evidences of this throughout the New Testament. Most Christians today, however, worship and refrain from doing any work on Sundays claiming it to be "The Lord's Day". But how did Sunday become the Lord's day? This articles traces the history and theology behind the change of the day of rest for Christians worldwide from Saturday to Sunday.

The history of how Sunday became "the sabbath" for millions of Christians is long but it can be summarized in this way: After the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the influx of the gentiles into the Jewish assemblies led the Jews to add an 18th benediction that put a curse on Christians ( Initially, there were 17 benedictions). It is important to remember that the early Christians used to meet in Jewish Temples rather than "churches" as "churches" hadn't been put up at that time. It was after their "excommunication" from the Jewish Temples that the Gentile believers begun to detach from the roots of their faith embittered by the treatment they got from the Jews. The early Christians began to embrace a mixture of paganism and biblical beliefs in their "churches", including elements of sun-worship (remains of which can still be seen in some Catholic and Orthodox Cathedrals), looking for interpretation of scriptures that would distance them from the Jewish roots. We see evidences of this in many doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church even to this day.

On March 7, 321 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine passed his famous National Sunday Law, which reads in part, “On the venerable day of the sun, let the magistrate and people residing in cities rest and let all workshop meetings be closed.” The question you may ask is; why did he refer to Sunday as "the venerable day of the sun"? Well, Sunday was the day the pagans used to assemble together to worship the sun, and refrain from work! Romans were originally pagans who practiced sun-worship. So, Rome, in an attempt to make it easier for the pagans to integrate into Christianity, substituted the Saturday Sabbath (a day blessed and ordained by the Almighty God) for a day the pagans observed for venerating the sun. This move had long been prophesied in the scriptures (Daniel 7:25). Even though, the move may have been made in good faith, it ended up changing the divine law of God of which Jesus had said that not a letter or character were to be altered until all was fulfilled (Mathew 5:18).

In AD 325, Pope Sylvester officially named Sunday the “Lord’s Day”, and in AD 338 Eusebius, the court bishop of Constantine, wrote, “All things whatsoever it was the duty to do on the Sabbath, we have transferred to the ‘Lord’s Day’ (the first day of the week) as more appropriately belonging to it.” By this single act, the Papacy effectively transferred the observance of the sabbath rest from Saturday to Sunday. This is the principal reason why many christian denominations even to this day worship on Sunday. The change from Saturday worship to Sunday wasn't a slow natural process as you'd imagine, no. It was an order from the papal power.  As you may have noticed, it wasn't done to honour God or to comply with any requirements of scripture, but just deliberately in exercise of human authority. No scriptures were quoted to support this change. Later on, theologians begun to misapply and misinterpret certain bible verses to support the change. 

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The Catholic Catechism as quoted here by www.askacatholic.com says, "We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea, (336 A.D.) transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." Notice again that the only reason given for the change is that the Catholic Church did it. Notice also that a claim is made that the Catholic Church (rather than God, Jesus or His Apostles), "transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday". Do you think that a mere human being can make something holy? I hope not. It's God who hallowed the sabbath day, giving it it's solemnity. There is nowhere in scripture where human have been given the authority to change God's law or make things holy contrary to God's will.

Unbeknownst to many Christians who argue in favour of Sunday worship, the original reason for the change of rest and worship day from Saturday to Sunday wasn't done to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus. Neither was it done because we are no longer under the law but under grace. All these reasons came latter and are contrary to the correct understanding of the scriptures. Sabbath keeping Christians have long had a problem with this, maintaining that the Laws of God (The Ten Commandments) cannot be added to or anything taken away from them as the Bible says of the law: "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you." Deuteronomy 4:2 (N.I.V).

Socrates Scholasticus Ecclesiastical History book 5, Ch. 22 records that the keeping of Sunday (instead of the Sabbath Day) started with Christians at Alexandria and Rome which at the time were well-known pagan centers. Rome and Alexandria are the two main origins of heretical doctrines that have plagued Christianity to this day including the veneration of Mary, Sun worship and the celebration of "the mass". The two cities were the pagan, polytheistic and scholarly capitals of the ancient world and together they paved the way in adulterating Christian doctrines with pagan beliefs and practices. Observance of Sunday rest is part of the traditions of men and pagan practices which crept into the church due to the influence of paganism.

It will come a time when Christians must decide who they want to obey: the Pope of Rome or God. Even though Christians today point the 'fact' the sabbath was given to the Jews and not gentiles (more on this here), and that Christians are not under the law but under grace, as the reasons why they observe Sunday, these were not the original reasons for the transfer.The fact that we are under grace but not under the law doesn't mean that we should break the law. Paul says in Romans 3:31 "Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law." (NLT). “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” John 14:15 (N.I.V). If it is not okay to kill, steal, commit adultery, lie, dishonor our parents, worship other gods and take the name of the God in vain then why do we think that it is okay to break the Sabbath willingly, week in week out? The law of God is indivisible and we either keep the whole of it or break the whole of it According to James 2:11 which says, "For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law."