SUNDAY NOT THE SABBATH by Dudley Marvin Canright

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Oct 17, 1878

SUNDAY NOT THE SABBATH.

By Dudley Marvin Canright

THOSE who keep Sunday claim that the first day of the week should be kept to commemorate the resurrection of Christ on that day. But this is wholly without Bible authority. The first day is never called the Sabbath, the Christian Sabbath, the Lord's day, or a holy day of any kind. There is not even a reference to such a thing, nor an intimation of it in the Bible. Neither Jesus nor the apostles ever kept it. No command is given for any one to keep it. God never rested on it, nor blessed it, nor sanctified it. There is no penalty for its violation nor regulation for its observance.

Reader, think of these facts. What do they mean? Paul says, "Where no law is, there is no transgression," Rom. 4:15. As there is no law of God for keeping the first day, there can be no sin in working on it, for Paul says again, "Sin is not imputed when there is no law," Rom. 5:13. Why then keep Sunday? God does not leave men to guess at their duty, but he states plainly whatever he wishes done. Does he wish men to keep the seventh day? How plainly he has said so! Ex. 20:8-11. How plainly baptism and the Lord's supper are enjoined! Mark 16:15, 16; 1 Cor. 11:23-26. So if the Lord wished us to keep the first day, would he not have plainly said so? Certainly; but he has not. Let us examine every text in which the first day of the week is mentioned in the New Testament. Thus we shall learn all the Lord has said about it. There are but eight. Here is the first: "In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher." Matt. 28:1. This is all Matthew says about it. He relates how the angel opened the tomb, how the women saw him, ran to tell the apostles, and met Jesus on the way; but not a hint is given about any change of the Sabbath, not a word is said about keeping the first day to honor the resurrection. Think of this.

Next, Mark mentions the first day twice. "And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun." "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene." Chap. 16:2, 9. This is all the mention he makes of the day. He tells how the women saw the angel, how they went and told the apostles, how the apostles doubted, verse 11, how two of them went into the country, and met Jesus, and how Jesus came in while they were eating supper, and reproved them for their unbelief, verses 12-14. Here again there is a profound silence about any change of the Sabbath or any sacredness for the first day. There is not the slightest intimation of any such thing. Read the whole chapter and see for yourself.

Luke mentions the first day only once. "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them." Chapter 24:1. What does this say about the change of the Sabbath? Nothing. What intimation is there here that the first day then became a holy day? The candid reader will admit that there is not the slightest reference to such a thing. Yet these are the texts always relied upon by Sunday-keepers to sustain their position. Luke does state that two of the disciples went that day seven and a half miles afoot to Emmaus. Verse 13. What were they going out there for? Evidently on business. Jesus walked with them and made himself known to them. Verses 15-31. Then they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others. Fifteen miles they walked that day. Not much of a Sabbath! It was nearly night when they got back, verse 29, yet as late as that, few of the apostles believed in the resurrection of Jesus. Mark 16:12, 13. While they were eating supper, and doubting, and disputing about the resurrection, Jesus came in, and upbraided them for their unbelief. He took fish and honey from the table, and ate before them, to convince them. Luke 24:38-43. Certainly, then, they were not keeping that day, to commemorate an event in which they did not yet believe! The absurdity of such a view is too evident to need farther notice.

John mentions the first day twice, stating substantially the same as the others. "The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Chapter 20:1. She ran and told Peter and John. They then went to see if it were so. Later Jesus appeared to Mary, and sent her to tell the others. Verses 11-18. "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." Verse 19. This is all that John says of the first day. Reader, how much do you find here about the change of the Sabbath. Like the others, John is as silent as the grave upon the subject. He makes no reference to it. He simply states the events which occurred at the resurrection of Jesus. There he leaves it.

But were not the apostles assembled together when Jesus met them? Yes, in their own house, eating supper. John 20:10; Mark 16:14. And where else should they be? Even then Thomas was off on business somewhere. John 20:24. So there is no evidence here of any religious meeting held on that day.

John mentions the first day twice, but does not call it the Sabbath, the Lord's day, nor by any other sacred title. He says nothing about the disciples keeping it, nor records any intimation from the Lord that they should. There is not even an inference to that effect in the four gospels, and the whole argument in favor of it is pure assumption.

Another Sabbath meeting is claimed from verse 26: "And after eight days again his disciples were within and Thomas with them; then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you." First, this meeting was not on Sunday, but was as late as Monday evening. It was "after eight days" from the previous Sunday evening, verse 19. After eight days is not on the eighth day. Count from Sunday evening. After one day would take us to Monday evening; after two days, to Tuesday evening; and so on, till "after eight days" bring us to the next Monday evening. Hence this meeting was on Monday evening. Just one week is "after seven days," as the reader will see by 1 Chron. 9:25, 32. Then "after eight days" is one day more than a week.

But suppose it had been on the first day of the week. It does not say it was the Sabbath, or that there was any sacredness to the day. They were not even holding a meeting. They were "within," that is at home. Verse 10. "Then the disciples went away again unto their own home." This is where they were in verse 26. See Acts 1:13. Jesus came because Thomas was there. But there is not a word or even a hint about any sacredness of the day.

The next time Jesus met them was on a fishing day, John 21:1-9. They all went fishing, and toiled all night, but caught nothing. In the morning Jesus stood on the shore, and told them where to cast the net to get a good draught. Was this on Sunday? Then it is a working day. If it was not on Sunday, then Jesus met with them on any day as it happened. So we see in Acts 1:1-4, that his farewell meeting with them was on Thursday. It was on the fortieth day after his resurrection. Verse 3. By a moments reckoning it will be seen that it fell on Thursday, as all agree. Thursday is ascension day the world over.

So the claim that Jesus always met with his disciples on the first day of the week is utterly false. As we have seen, the day of his resurrection was one of the greatest confusion among his apostles; the next time he met them was on Monday evening, the next time was a fishing day, and the last time was on Thursday. So much for the example of Christ.

A desperate endeavor is made to find evidence for Sunday keeping on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:1-4. But there is not the remotest hint of it here. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind." Verses 1, 2. Then the Holy Spirit rested upon them. Well, what has that to do with Sunday keeping? It is not mentioned nor even referred too. It is not stated what day of the week it was, as that was a matter of no importance. It was the Pentecost which was so signalized, and not the day of the week. But did n't it come on the first day of the week? No. The best scholars, even among those who observe Sunday, admit that Pentecost fell that year upon the Sabbath or Saturday.

Next, Acts 20:7-11, is supposed to furnish some little proof for first day observance. "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, and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together." Then a young man fell down, and was restored by Paul. And when he "had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed." We notice, 1. The first day is not called the Sabbath, the Lord's day, or by any sacred title. 2. This is the only religious meeting upon the first day recorded in the New Testament. This is remarkable if that was their common day of meeting. Against this we have a record of eighty-four Sabbaths which Paul kept, and on which he preached. See Acts 13:14, 44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:1-4. 3. Nothing is said about its being their custom to meet that day. 4. There is no record that they ever met on that day before or afterwards. 5. But what ends the whole matter is the simple fact that it was only an evening meeting. When they assembled, Paul began to speak to them, and "continued his speech till midnight." After breaking bread, he again talked "till break of day," and then went on his journey. Evening meetings are frequently held on all days of the week. No one thinks of calling them holy days for this reason. So in the above case; it does not furnish the slightest evidence that it was a holy day. Moreover, this was not an ordinary meeting, but a very uncommon one. It was Paul's farewell meeting. Verse 25. Hence it lasted all night. A dead man was raised. This is why it was mentioned, and not because of any sacredness of the day. Not a particle of evidence here, then, for Sunday observance. Only one more text mentions the first day; 1 Cor. 16:2: "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come." From this a public meeting for Sabbath worship on the first day is inferred. But what is said here about keeping that day as a Sabbath, or even holding meetings that day? Not an intimation of such a thing is given. It is said when they come together meetings they should bring their gifts, nor that they should put them into the public collection box, nor any thing of that nature. "Let every one of you lay by him in store," is the direction. That is, at home, by himself. The original Greek term means by himself, at home, as the best critics say on this passage.

The "Lord's day" of Rev. 1:10 is the seventh day as may be seen by Ex. 20:8-11; Isa. 58:13; Mark 2:28.

Now, reader, you have before you every text that mentions the first day of the week in any manner. You must see that they are as silent as the grave as to any sacredness of that day, or any example for keeping it, or any commandment that any one should observe it. Nowhere in the Bible is it called Sabbath, Christian Sabbath, Lord's day, holy day, or sacred day. Neither Jesus nor his disciples observed it. No blessing is pronounced upon it, no law is given respecting it.

But should we meet, then, to celebrate the resurrection of Christ? Yes, but the Lord never told us to keep Sunday for that purpose. Paul says the gospel embraces the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, all of which we must "keep in memory." 1 Cor. 15:1-4. The broken bread and red wine in the Lord's supper commemorate his death. "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come." 1 Cor. 11:26. Next Jesus was buried in the tomb, and then raised out of it. God has given us baptism, burial in water, as the fitting memorial of this. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism." Rom. 6:4. We are buried in the water just as Jesus was in the earth. Then we are raised up out of the water "also in the likeness of his resurrection." Verse 5. Again, "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him." Col. 2:12. Baptism, then, is the divinely appointed memorial of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is appropriate. To be buried in the water and raised out of it, looks like the burial and resurrection of Christ, which it commemorates.

Then why keep the first day? It is simply because you have been brought up to keep it. It is a Catholic tradition without any foundation in the word of God. Be careful how you make void the law of God by your traditions. D. M. CANRIGHT.