Should we rest on Sunday based on Easter Sunday?

Many Christians argue that Sunday, often referred to as the “Lord’s Day,” should replace the biblical seventh-day Sabbath for rest and worship because of its association with Easter Sunday, the day Christ rose from the dead. However, a thorough examination of Scripture reveals that this perspective lacks biblical support.

The Bible teaches that the seventh day, Saturday, is the Sabbath of the Lord, and no command exists in Scripture to change the Sabbath to Sunday. The change originated with the Catholic Church, not with Jesus or the apostles. Below, we will explore these claims and clarify the biblical position, using the New King James Version (NKJV) for all references.

The Biblical Origin and Permanence of the Seventh-Day Sabbath

Instituted at Creation

The Sabbath was established by God at the very beginning of creation:

“Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made” (Genesis 2:3, NKJV).

This verse shows that the Sabbath was not given exclusively to Israel but was part of God’s original design for humanity. God blessed, sanctified, and rested on the seventh day, making it holy.

Reinforced in the Ten Commandments

The Sabbath commandment is prominently placed in the Decalogue, underscoring its importance:

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work” (Exodus 20:8-10, NKJV).

This commandment does not indicate any future change to another day. It explicitly identifies the seventh day as holy.

A Perpetual Covenant

The Sabbath is described as a sign of the covenant between God and His people:

“It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed” (Exodus 31:17, NKJV).

This perpetual covenant does not suggest a transition to another day of worship.

Jesus and the Sabbath

Jesus Honored the Sabbath

Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus observed the seventh-day Sabbath. Luke records:

“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read” (Luke 4:16, NKJV).

Jesus upheld the Sabbath, using it as a day to teach and heal. He clarified its purpose, saying:

“The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Therefore, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27-28, NKJV).

Jesus emphasized the Sabbath’s benefit for humanity, affirming His lordship over it, not abolishing or changing it.

No Command to Change the Sabbath

Some argue that Jesus’ resurrection on Sunday signified a shift in the day of worship. However, Jesus never commanded His disciples to observe Sunday in honor of His resurrection. Instead, He instructed them to teach obedience to all His commands:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV).

None of Jesus’ commands include a change in the Sabbath.

The Apostles and the Sabbath

Continued Observance of the Seventh-Day Sabbath

After Jesus’ ascension, His disciples continued to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. For example, Paul and his companions attended synagogue services on the Sabbath:

“But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and sat down” (Acts 13:14, NKJV).

In another instance, Paul reasoned with Jews and Gentiles on the Sabbath:

“And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 18:4, NKJV).

These examples demonstrate that the apostles maintained the practice of Sabbath observance.

No Biblical Evidence of Sunday Worship

The New Testament contains eight references to the first day of the week, none of which designate it as a holy day of rest or worship. The most notable reference, often cited to justify Sunday observance, is Acts 20:7:

“Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (NKJV).

This passage describes a special meeting, not a regular weekly worship service. Breaking bread was a common practice among believers (Acts 2:46) and does not signify a sanctification of Sunday.

The Role of the Catholic Church in Changing the Sabbath

The Historical Change

The transition from Saturday to Sunday as the primary day of worship occurred centuries after the apostolic era. The Catholic Church openly acknowledges its role in this change. The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine states:

“Question: Which is the Sabbath day?
Answer: Saturday is the Sabbath day.
Question: Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?
Answer: We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.”

This admission confirms that the change was not based on biblical authority but on church tradition.

Tradition vs. Scripture

Jesus warned against elevating human tradition above God’s commandments:

“And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7, NKJV).

By resting on Sunday instead of the biblical Sabbath, many Christians follow a tradition that contradicts God’s explicit command.

Easter Sunday and Worship Practices

The Resurrection and the First Day of the Week

It is true that Jesus rose on the first day of the week (Sunday), as recorded in the Gospels:

“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb” (Matthew 28:1, NKJV).

While the resurrection is central to Christian faith, the Bible never equates the first day of the week with the Sabbath. Instead, it emphasizes the resurrection’s significance for salvation, not for altering the day of worship.

Commemorating the Resurrection Biblically

The Bible provides a way to commemorate Jesus’ resurrection: baptism. Paul explains:

“Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4, NKJV).

Baptism symbolizes the believer’s union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. It is the biblical means of honoring the resurrection, not Sunday worship.

The Seventh-Day Sabbath in Prophecy

The Little Horn and the Change of the Sabbath

The Bible predicted that the Little Horn (Papacy) of Daniel 7 will attempt to change God’s law:

“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws…” (Daniel 7:25a, NKJV).

An authoritative catechism for priests declares: “But the Church of God [that is, the apostate church] has in her wisdom ordained that the celebration of the Sabbath day should be transferred to ‘the Lord’s day’” (Catechism of the Council of Trent, Donovan translation, 1829 ed., p. 358).

Sabbath Observance in the End Times

The book of Revelation highlights the importance of obedience to God’s commandments in the final conflict between good and evil:

“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, NKJV).

The Sabbath, as part of God’s commandments, remains relevant for God’s faithful people in the last days (Revelation 12:17).

The Eternal Sabbath in the New Earth

The prophet Isaiah foretells that Sabbath observance will continue in the new heavens and the new earth:

“‘For as the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before Me,’ says the Lord, ‘so shall your descendants and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that from one New Moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the Lord” (Isaiah 66:22-23, NKJV).

This prophecy underscores the eternal significance of the Sabbath.

Conclusion

The Bible teaches that the seventh day, Saturday, not Sunday, is the Sabbath of the Lord. Neither Jesus nor His disciples observed Sunday as a holy day or authorized a change from the biblical Sabbath. The shift from Saturday to Sunday worship originated with the Catholic Church and is rooted in human tradition, not Scripture.

While the resurrection of Jesus on the first day of the week is a cornerstone of Christian faith, the Bible provides baptism as the appropriate way to commemorate this event. Observing Sunday as a replacement for the Sabbath lacks biblical support and contradicts the plain teaching of God’s Word.

God calls His people to return to true Sabbath observance as part of their covenant relationship with Him:

“If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable, and shall honor Him…then you shall delight yourself in the Lord” (Isaiah 58:13-14, NKJV).

By honoring the seventh-day Sabbath, Christians demonstrate their obedience to God’s commandments and their commitment to worship Him as Creator and Redeemer.