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Question: Why has the sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday?Answer: In studying the Word of God, it is important that we pay attention to the Spirit of the Word and its facts and changes from the Old Testament to the New Testament.
In the beginning, the seventh day (Saturday) was the sabbath. If anyone did not rest, as God rested on the seventh day, he was stoned to death.
In the New Testament, the four Gospels bear out the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. He manifested himself afterward five different times on that same first day.
In the Book of Acts, it records that the day of Pentecost fell on the first day of the week.
For a scriptural basis in support of worship on the Lord's Day (Sunday), please read in conjunction Psalms 118:22-24 and Acts 4:10-11.
Notice the stone rejected by the builders in these passages, yet the stone that was rejected became the "head of the corner." The Psalmist is talking about Christ. He says in verse 24, "This is the day Jehovah hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it."
The difference between the sabbath and the Lord's day (from the Old Testament to the New Testament) is that the former is full of "shalt nots" and the threat of punishment of death if not obeyed; the latter is a day of rejoicing in celebration of Christ's resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit to us.
After Pentecost, the disciples gathered together, worshipped, and fellowshipped on the first day. (Read Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor. 16:2.)
On the sabbath in the Old Testament, people went to the synagogue to hear the law preached upon. The law does not save you from sin; only Christ Jesus accomplishes that. In the New Testament, they rejoiced, gave money, celebrated communion and the resurrection of Christ on the first day of the week. We are no longer under the law, but under grace.
The important principle that the sabbath establishes is the necessity of setting aside one day of the week for the Lord. That day is clearly identified in the New Testament as the Lord's day (Sunday).
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