ii) "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant."

Exodus 31:16.
 

iii) "It is a sign between ME and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." Exodus 31:17.

Also God reiterates this command in Ezekiel 20:12, 20.

 

iv) "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them." Exodus 20:12.
 

v) "And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you." Exodus 20:20.
 

Notice that God says on four occasions that sabbath-keeping is a sign between God and Israel, and that the Sabbath is to be kept throughout their generations, forever.

"Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth ... the giving of the law..."

Romans 9:4.
 

2. Early Church Writers Before 300 AD Observed Sunday.

They Never Once Say That They Observed Saturday.

For example, Barnabas (100 AD), Ignatius (107 AD), Justin Martyr (145 AD), Tertullian (180 AD), Victorinus (280 AD), Bardaisan (154 AD), Cyprian (200 AD), Irenaeus (178 AD) all write that Christians met on the Sunday. They never refer to Christian's day of worship being the Saturday sabbath.

The Edict of Laodicea (320 AD) officially confirmed a long established practice.
 

This is significant because SDA's say that the Catholic church after 320 AD changed Saturday worship to Sunday worship. This theory is nowhere found in Church Father's writings, but instead Sunday as the Christian day of worship has always been the rule.
 

The early church writers, many of whom were taught by the apostles, refer at least 14 times to Sunday as being the day of meeting together for worship.

The SDA Church has never successfully refuted these historical facts.
 

Church Fathers Observing SUNDAY, not SATURDAY, are:
 

1. Justin Martyr 100-165 AD (Volume 1, Page 186).

"And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read ... But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead."
 

2. Ignatius (110 AD), Bishop of Antioch.

"If then those who walk in the ancient practices attain to newness of hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but fashioning their lives after the Lord's Day on which our life also arose through Him, that we may be found disciples of Jesus Christ, our only teacher."
 

3. The Epistle of Barnabas 120-150 AD.

"Your new moons and your sabbaths I cannot endure". Isaiah 1:13.

"You perceive how He speaks: your present sabbaths are not acceptable to me, but that which I had made in giving rest to all things, I shall make a beginning of the eighth day, that is a beginning of another world. Wherefore also, we keep the eighth day with joyfulness, a day also in which Jesus rose from the dead."
 

4. Bardaisan (born 154 AD).

"Wherever we be, all of us are called by the one name of the Messiah, namely Christians and upon one day which is the first day of the week, we assemble ourselves together and on the appointed days we abstain from food."

 

5. The Teaching of the Apostles 160 AD (Volume 8, Page 668).

"The Apostles further appointed: On the first day of the week let there be service and the reading of the Holy Scriptures, and the oblation: because on the first day of the week our Lord rose from the place of the dead, and on the first day of the week He arose upon the world, and on the first day of the week He ascended up to heaven."
 

6. Tertullian 150 - 240 AD (Volume 3, Page 70).

"The Holy Spirit upbraids the Jews with their holy-days. Your Sabbaths, and new moons, and ceremonies" says He, "My soul hateth" By us, to whom Sabbaths are strange, and the new moons and festivals formerly beloved by God ..."
 

7. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, 200-258 AD.

"The Lord's Day is both the first and the eighth day."
 

8. Ad Nationes 217 AD (Volume 3, Page 123).

"Others, with greater regard to good manners, it must be confessed, suppose that the sun is the God of the Christians, because it is a well known fact that we pray towards the east, or because we make Sunday a day of festivity."
 

9. Victorinus 280 AD (Volume 7, Page 342).

"And let the parasceve become a rigorous fast, lest we should appear to observe any Sabbath with the Jews, which Christ Himself, the Lord of the Sabbath, says by His prophets that "His soul hateth;" which Sabbath He in His body abolished, although, nevertheless, He had formerly Himself commanded Moses that circumcision should not pass over the eighth day, which day very frequently happens on the Sabbath, as we read written in the Gospel."
 

10. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, 155 AD (Volume 8, Page 773).

"The mystery of the Lord's ressurection may not be celebrated any other day than on the Lord's Day."
 

SDA's have attempted to equate the Sabbath with the Lord's Day by linking Mark 2:28 with Revelation 1:10.

They reason that since "the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath"(Mark 2:27, 28), when John says that he "was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day" (Revelation 1:10). Jesus was just saying in Mark 2:28 that as Lord of all, He could do as He pleased on the Sabbath Day.

Early Christian writers never once say that Saturday was their common day of worship.
 

3. Early Christians Met on the First Day of the Week, Sunday, in:
 

i) "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow." Acts 20:7.

Early Christians met on Sunday for their agape love feast.
 

ii) "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye." 1 Corinthians 16:1.

"Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him ..." 1 Corinthians 16:2.

Note: Early Christians, when they met on Sunday, were to give money in the collection. They did not meet on Saturday. This order was also given to the churches of Galatia who met on Sunday.
 

iii) "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled ... Jesus stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." John 20:19.

"After eight days again his disciples were within, then came Jesus ..." John 20:26.

Jesus appeared on the Sunday, as well as the following Sunday that the disciples met.

 

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8

 

4. Paul When Discussing Sabbath-Keeping Never Commands Christians to Keep the Sabbath, Which He Surely Would Have if it was Meant for Christians.
 

i) "One man esteemeth one day above another (Seventh Day Adventists): another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind." Romans 14:5.

"... he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it." Romans 14:6.

Note: Paul here had a great chance to say "you must meet on Saturday", but he did not state either day as mandatory. Nor should we.

ii) "Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the SABBATH DAYS."

Colossians 2:16.

Note: Don't judge people as being wrong because they don't keep the Jewish Sabbath.
 

iii) "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is ..." Hebrews 10:25.

No mention here of the need to keep Sabbath Saturday.
 

5. Thirteen Times we are told that the MOSAIC LAW is FINISHED for Believers.

Question: SDA's say "But aren't we supposed to keep the Mosaic 10 Commandments laws?"

Answer:We are not under the Mosaic law, but under a different law in the Church Age, "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus", which is an internal Holy Spirit motivated law.

Sabbath keeping is never mentioned as part of this law.
 

i) "Ye are not under law, but under grace ..." Romans 6:14,15 and Galatians 5:18.
 

ii) "Ye are dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another (ie. to Christ)." Romans 7:1-4.

Note: As a woman is bound by the law to her husband as long as he lives, yet if the husband is dead, she is FREE FROM that LAW (v.2,3). So, Christians are become DEAD TO THE LAW, by the body of Christ, and we are MARRIED TO ANOTHER (Jesus Christ).

The Law is likened to the dead husband. This means that Christians' relationship to the Law has been severed.
 

iii) "Now we are DELIVERED FROM THE LAW, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in NEWNESS OF SPIRIT, and not in the oldness of the letter." Romans 7:6.

"Oldness of the letter" of the law is not how we serve.

This states that:

a) We are delivered from the law,

b) the law is dead, which held us,

c) we now serve in newness of the Law of the Spirit.
 

iv) "The LAW of the SPIRIT OF LIFE in Christ Jesus has made me FREE from the LAW OF SIN and DEATH." Romans 8:2.
 

This means that now we have Christ, we have the Holy Spirit, and we operate under a different law, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. We are now FREE from the Mosaic law of sin and death.
 

v.4 The righteousness of the law is possible to be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (by yielding to the leading of the Spirit daily).
 

v.9 Ye are NOT IN THE FLESH, but IN THE SPIRIT, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
 

v) "Christ is the END (5056) OF THE LAW for righteousness to every one that believeth." Romans 10:4.

Note: "END" (5056) means "termination, completion in respect to time."

"The law as a demanded obligation has come to an end because Jesus has fulfilled its demands and imparted his righteousness to those who believe. Christ has freed believers from its tyranny. The standards of righteousness come to us now not from outside by imposition, but from inside by the Spirit who writes the law upon our hearts."

¾ The Complete New Testament Word Study Dictionary, by Spiros Zodhiates. Page 1376.
 

We are now under a NEW LAW from WITHIN called:

a) The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:2.

b) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the Law of Christ.

c) Whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty. John 13:34; James 1:25; Galatians 6:2.

d) If ye fulfil the royal law ... "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself" ye do well. James 2:8.
 

vi) In Galatians 3:23-25 Paul describes the law as:

a) a PRISON. "before faith came, we were KEPT UNDER THE LAW, SHUT UP ..." v.23.

We were shut up in the prison of the law, until faith in Christ came, then we were released from the prison of law by Christ, to serve in newness of Spirit.
 

vii) b) a SCHOOLMASTER that controlled us until Christ came.

"the LAW was our SCHOOLMASTER 3807 (a strict, disciplining slave who led boys from home to school) to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." v.24

But after that faith is come, we are "NO LONGER under a schoolmaster." v.25.

Note carefully: The Law brought conviction of sin to bring us to be saved by faith in Christ. Now that we are saved, we are NO LONGER under the Mosaic Law. This means that we are no longer under the Sabbath-keeping Law.
 

viii) Ephesians 2:15 "Having ABOLISHED 2673 in his flesh the enmity, even the LAW 3551 of COMMANDMENTS contained in ordinances 1378 ..."
 

Ÿ Ordinance 1378 dogma means decree of the Mosaic Law, external precepts.

Ÿ Law 3551 ("nomos" in Greek) means laws of the Mosaic statues, including:

a) laws of civil rights and duties, marriage, Levitical priesthood.

b) laws of external religious rites eg. purification, circumcision, sacrifices.

c) laws of hearts and conduct of men.

d) a code or body of laws.

Ÿ Abolished 2673 ("katargeo" in Greek) means to destroy, cause to cease, do away with, put an end to, a complete cessation.
 

Therefore, Christ completely abolished the Mosaic statutes, code and body of laws, contained in decrees.

Note: Christ ABOLISHED the LAW OF COMMANDMENTS.
 

ix) "For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a CHANGE ALSO OF THE LAW." Hebrews 7:12.
 

Note: The priesthood is changed from Levitical (v.11) to Christ. Therefore the Law of sin and death, is changed to the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ (Romans 8:2).

The Levitical priests received their authority from the Old Testament law, and since the Levitical priesthood has been changed, the Law has been changed. The Mosaic Law made no provision for a priest from Judah (Hebrews 7:14), so the entire system of Old Testament law has been changed and fulfilled in Jesus Christ and has therefore been taken out of the way ("Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us ... and took it out of the way" and, "Let no man judge you in ... sabbath days." Colossians 2:14,16).

The believer has been set free from the law (Galatians 5:1-6), and is dead to the law (Romans 7:1-4).
 

Objection: But does this mean that I am "free to sin?"

Answer: No. "Free from the law" does not mean "free to sin," but it means "free to do the will of God." We obey, not because of outward compulsion, but because of the inward constraint of the love for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14) doing the will of God from the heart (Ephesians 6:6). The indwelling Holy Spirit enables us to fulfil the "righteousness of the Law" as we yield to him (Romans 8:1-4).
 

x) "There is verily a DISANNULLING of the COMMANDMENT going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof." Hebrews 7:18.

Note: The Old Testament Law is now DISANNULLED 115 (or CANCELLED) by Christ.
 

xi) "He TAKETH AWAY the FIRST (Mosaic Covenant with Old Testament law, sabbath-keeping, etc) that he may ESTABLISH the SECOND (the New Testament new covenant of Christ)." Hebrews 10:9
 

xii) "If ye are led of the Spirit, YE are NOT UNDER the LAW."

Galatians 5:18.

This means that a Godly life is not lived under the rules of the Law, but is a life led by the Holy Spirit.
 

xiii) "Certain have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, ye must be circumcised, and KEEP THE LAW: to whom WE GAVE NO SUCH COMMANDMENT." Acts 13:19,20,24.
 

Note: The Apostles never commanded us to keep the law of the Sabbath day, because we are under the law of the Spirit of life.

Seventh Day Adventists can be likened to these Judaisers as they trouble people with words and subvert people's souls, saying, "You must keep the law of the Sabbath day" or you're not saved.
 

Question 1: But doesn't the Law refer to the Ceremonial Law only, and not to the Ten Commandments?

Answer: NO. Because Romans 7:7 gives us an example of the Law as "Thou shalt not covet" (the tenth commandment).

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet."

If it is true that number 10 is dead to us, then it is also true that number four is dead to us also.
 

Questions to Sabbath-keepers:

"Ye shall kindle NO FIRE throughout your habitations UPON THE SABBATH DAY." Exodus 35:3.

Note: Seventh Day Adventists break the Old Testament sabbath by cooking food, burning a gas fire, driving a car with internal combustion etc, on the Saturday.
 

Question to Sabbath-keepers:

Note that every one of the 10 commandments, except number four, "Keep Sabbath day holy" are repeated to be kept by Christians in the New Testament.

We ask, "Why did God see fit to repeat every commandment except number four? Did God forget to repeat number four, while he took pains to repeat the other nine? Is God forgetful?"
 

1. 1 Thessalonians 1:9:Ye turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God.

2. Galatians 5:20: Works of flesh are ... idolatry.

3. 1 Timothy 1:20: That they may learn not to blaspheme.

4. [NOT COMMANDED IN THE NEW TESTAMENT]

5. Ephesians 6:1-3: Honour thy father and mother.

6. Galatians 5:21: Works of flesh ... murderers.

7. Galatians 5:19: Works of flesh ... adultery.

8. Ephesians 4:28: Let him that stole, steal no more.

9. Ephesians 4:15: Speaking the truth in love.

Ephesians 4:25: Putting away lying, speak every man the truth ..

Titus 2:3: Not false accusers ...

10. Ephesians 5:5: Nor covetous man who is an idolater.

Hebrews 13:5: Let your conversation be without covetousness.
 

CONCLUSION.

1. 14 times we are told that the Mosaic Law is finished for believers:

Romans 6:14, 15: "ye are not under law"

Romans 7:1-4: "dead to the law .. married to another"

Romans 7:6 : "we are delivered from law"

Romans 8:2 : "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."

Romans 10:4: "Christ is the end of the law ... to every one that believeth."

Galatians 3:23: "we were kept under the law, shut up" (like in prison).

Galatians 3:24, 25: "after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster" (law).

Ephesians 2:15: "Having abolished in his (Christ) flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments"

Hebrews 7:12: "priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law."

Hebrews 7:18: "there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before .."

Hebrews 10:9: "... He taketh away the first (Mosaic law), that he may establish the second." (new covenant)

Galatians 5:18: "... ye are not under the law."
 

2. There is no reference anywhere by the Ante-Nicene church writers of Christians meeting on the Saturday before 320 AD. Some of these men were taught by the Apostles. Did the Apostles get it wrong? Not likely.

Instead the early church writers refer at least ten times to SUNDAY being the day of meeting together for worship.
 

3. Saturday Sabbath was the sign of the Mosaic Covenant between God and the Jews only (Exodus 31:13, 16, 17; Ezekiel 20:12, 20).
 

4. Early Christians met on the first day of the week, Sunday in:

Acts 20:7: "upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them..."

1 Cor 16:1,2: "... upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store..."

John 20:19, 28: "... being the first day of the week, ..".
 

5. Paul when discussing Sabbath keeping, never commands Christians to keep the Sabbath, which he surely would have done if it was important for Christians as SDA's insist. Romans 14:5, 6; Colossians 2:16, 17; Hebrews 10:24, 25. Paul's visits to synogogues on Saturdays were just to witness to Jews. He never commanded Christians to attend church on Saturday.
 

Therefore, let us continue meeting on Sunday as the early Christians teach us.

 

.