by John Gilbert

Created on: July 01, 2009   Last Updated: July 04, 2009

The sabbath day is Saturday. Was in Old testament literature, is now and forever shall be. We as Christians no longer celebrate the Sabbath day because Christ Died for our sins on a Friday and rose three days later on Sunday. We Christians now celebrate the Lords day. Why we changed from celebrating the Sabbath (on a Saturday) to the Lords day (on a Sunday) is the true question.

To answer the questions we need to understand why the sabbath day was commanded to to the Isrealites from God through Moses. Sabbath means seventh. It comes from a word meaning to seven oneself. To seven oneself means to form a perferct covenant. Sound confusing, lets dig deeper. In Genisis we find that the world was created in six days and on the seventh day, God rested. Did God really need to rest? I doubt it. It again goes back to the idea of a perfect covenant and to seven oneself. To truly understand what lead up to God's old testament comandment, we need to walk through the old testament and see how God's favor is spreading.

God created Adam and Eve and commanded them to "go forth and multiply". In this simple nature he formed the first covenant, the marital covenant. Next the world was becoming corrupt and God decided to start over except he decided to save a family, Noah. He told Noah his family was in his favor and he also made a promise never to destroy mankind by a great flood again. So we have the marital covenant that began with Adam and Eve growing to a larger group, a family. Next, God grows his covenant to a tribe with Abraham and promising him and his tribe his blessing. God then extends his favor to a nation with Moses and the people of Israel. However, after saving the people, they become corrupt and God causes them to wonder about in the desert for forty years. He then forms a covenat (promise) with them to take care of them but asks that they remember whom is taking care of them by setting aside one day to rest and reflect. This day became the sabbath. God is sevening himself with the Isrealites thus making his promise perfect.

After Moses and the nation of Israel, God increases his favor to a kingdom through David. Thus the birth of the Jewish faith. The Jews kept holy the sabbath and still do to this day. God then grew his favor, his covenant, his promise to the entire world by sending his son, Jesus Christ to die for us. Jesus came and died so all of mankind could obtain salvation. Salvation was universal to all. By the way, Catholic means Universal and is the original religion that was born out of the covenant that begin with Adam and Eve, then expanded to a family with Noah, then expanded to a tribe with Abraham. then expanded to a Nation Moses and Israel, then a kingdom with David, then all of Mankind with Jesus.

So the old testament commandment of keeping holy the sabbath is replaced by keeping holy the day of Christs resurrection. Sure Jesus died for all of us. He was the sacrificial lamb of the passover feast. Equally, if not more important is his resurrection. Jesus conquered death. He gave all of mankind hope and proof that we would all be raised again into eternal life after we die. Of course it makes sense to make and keep holy the Lord's day, the day Jesus rose from the dead - SUNDAY! Besides that psychologically does it make sense to celebrate the day he died (in other words mourn) or the day he rose for the dead (in other words rejoice)? The answer is simple, God wants us to REJOICE !

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