p. 167 | THE SABBATH OF THE LORD by Dudley Marvin Canright

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 18, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 11.

THE SABBATH OF THE LORD.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

THE CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION (CONTINUED).

THE new covenant, confirmed by the death of Christ, is God’s means of saving men from the transgression of his law. It is the last testament of Christ to men. It includes in itself all promises and blessings. Its object as regards character, is to write indelibly God’s law in the hearts of men. Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:8-12. Whatever Sabbath law was binding on men when that covenant was sealed by Christ’s death, is eternally binding. Whatever law was not binding at that time never can be. As a will cannot be altered in any way after the death of him who made and sealed it, so the testament of Christ cannot be altered in any way. Heb. 9:16-20; Gal. 3:15. “No man disannuleth or addeth thereto.” An addition made to a will one hour after it is confirmed by the death of the maker, is just as fraudulent and illegal as though it was made a thousand years after. The seventh-day Sabbath was in force when the new covenant was confirmed by the death of Christ; it forever remains in force. The first-day Sabbath, even though it had been introduced the day after the crucifixion (which it was not), comes in too late to receive legal recognition. There is evidence of divine foresight that it is not once mentioned previous to the time when the last will and testament of Christ was sealed with his own blood. If through the new covenant, mercy was to be revealed for pardon of first-day Sabbath transgressions, and grace for strength to observe it aright, it would certainly have been mentioned before that covenant was sealed. This silence is an emphatic negative of the Sunday Sabbath. But the seventh day, or the Sabbath of the Lord, remained in force; for not one jot or one tittle of the law of which it was a part was to be changed. Matt. 5:17-19.

We will now briefly examine some further evidences in regard to the Sabbath and Sunday.

1. The first day of the week is mentioned just eight times in all the New Testament. Six of these instances are as follows: Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19. Let the reader note these points: (1) All these texts refer to the same first day of the week, the day on which our Saviour rose from the dead. (2) In no instance is the day referred to as a Sabbath or a holy day unto the Lord in any way. (3) The day before that first day was the Sabbath; and it is so called by Matthew, seven years after the crucifixion (Matt. 28:1), by Mark thirty years after (Mark 16:2), by Luke thirty-two years after (Luke 23:56; 24:1), by John sixty-six years after (John 19:31; 20:1). Thus we see that Inspiration clearly distinguishes between the days as late as 97 A. D., by giving to the first day of the week no other title, while retaining the hallowed name of the day just before, the seventh day. (4) The first day was not regarded as a Sabbath by the disciples, for two of them went to Emmaus that day on business, seven miles distant from Jerusalem (Luke 24; Mark 16). They did not meet together to celebrate the day, as we showed in our last; for they did not believe that Jesus had risen from the dead (Luke 24:37; Mark 16:24).

2. The next occasion when Jesus met with his disciples was “after eight days” from that first day of the week. By no honest argument can this be shown to be the next Sunday. After eight days is certainly nine or ten days after; and counting that Sunday on which he rose as one, after eight days would carry us over to the next-week Monday. The next meeting of Jesus with his disciples was on a fishing occasion, and this might have been on the first day of the week, as the time is not revealed. John 21. There is certainly no evidence of Sunday sacredness here.

3. The first day of the week is next mentioned in Acts 20:7, and is the only Bible account of a religious meeting on that first day. But notice: (1) It was the evening of the first day, answering to our Saturday night, according to the Bible mode of reckoning time (Gen. 1, and other texts). That it was evening is shown by the many lights (Acts 20:8). (2) Paul preached, healed the young man, ate supper, and then preached till day-break, Sunday morning (verses 9-11). The apostle then starts out upon a journey of nineteen miles across the isthmus to Assos (verses 11-13); while Luke and his companions toiled all that day in rowing around the promontory which separated the two towns, a distance of about fifty miles (verse 13). Certainly neither Paul, Luke, nor his companions regarded the first day as holy. The day would probably never have been mentioned had it not been for the notable miracle then performed, and also to show that the apostle and Luke did not regard the day as a sacred rest-day.

4. The next and last mention of the first day of the week is 1 Cor. 16:2. That text merely states that the church at Corinth and the churches in Galatia had been instructed that each member was to “lay by him in store,” or store up, as God had prospered, for the poor saints at Jerusalem. The text does not even hint at first-day sacredness or assemblies. After the Sabbath was over, the week past, they were to lay by themselves what they could afford to give. All versions and translations of authority present the same idea, to “lay by himself, treasuring up,” at home. This certainly did not mean placing in a public fund.

5. Paul gave much instruction to the churches, but he never mentioned Sunday sacredness in any way. He does solemnly state to the Ephesian church: “I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you,” and “I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” Acts 20:20, 27. Yet we have no word that the apostle ever observed or taught to be observed a first-day sabbath.

6. The Sabbath was recognized by Jesus as an existing, sacred institution as late as the invasion of Judea and the destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70. In speaking of that event, he says, “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath-day.” Matt. 24:20. In winter they would greatly suffer, which would be a physical loss; on the Sabbath they could not well worship God in a hasty flight, and would thus meet a spiritual loss. This shows the regard Jesus had for the Sabbath, and the necessity of its being reverently held by the people thirty-nine years after his death, hence for all time.

7. The same high regard for the decalogue, which is so marked in the teachings of the Master, is shown in the writings of the apostles. Paul declares that the law reveals sin (Rom. 3:20; 7:7); that it is not made void by faith (Rom. 3:31); that it is holy, just, good, spiritual (Rom. 7:9-14); that the reason why men do not submit to its claims is that they are carnal (Rom. 8:7). James taught that it was binding in every particular; that the transgression of one commandment showed rebellion against the Lawgiver as much as transgression of all; that by that law we are at last to be judged (James 2:8-12). John declares that love to God is manifested by willing obedience to his commandments (1 John 5:3); and that he who claims to know God and yet transgresses known precepts, is a liar, and the truth is not in him (1 John 2:4).

8. The apostle Paul made the Sabbath a regular day of preaching and religious worship. At Corinth he associated with Aquila in tent-making, and preached every Sabbath for one year and six months (Acts 18:1-11). This was the apostle's custom (Acts 17:2), not in synagogues alone, but in byplaces (Acts 16:13); not to Jews alone, but also to Gentiles (Acts 13:42, 4); and this Sabbath so kept by Paul, and called Sabbath by Inspiration, was the seventh-day Sabbath, the same as was kept by the Jews (Acts 15:21).

The word of God furnishes no evidence for first-day observance; but what greater evidence could be asked than is supplied for the Sabbath of the Lord? Can an individual ask clearer, stronger, more positive evidence? Is not the grace of Christ to save from the transgression of the fourth commandment as well as the others? Is it not safe to follow in the footsteps of the Master? Can we not honor God's law and magnify the grace of Christ by turning our feet from transgression to obedience of all the divine precepts?

We will consider in our next the change and restoration of the Sabbath. M. C. W.