In this document, ESV refers to the English Standard Version of the Bible (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025)). Hebrew and Greek text also contain references to Strong's numbers, enclosed in <>
In this blog I continue my thoughts from my previous blog about the Two Not-so-Great Commandments.
1. You must pay your tithe to the church
2. You must go to church on Sundays
Commandment #2: You must go to church on Sundays.
I will break this into two parts:you shall go to church
and
on Sunday.
I wonder what kind of look you would get if, in the first century, one Christian asked another, "did you go to church last week?"
The word church comes from the Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía <G1577>), meaning a congregation or assembly. It never referred to a place or building. (For a complete listing of the use of ekklēsía in the Bible click here.) It was something you were a part of not a place you went to. Yet in our contemprary English we have switched its meaning to refer to a building—a type of building that did not even exist in the time of the writers of the New Testament. In that time you could go to a church meeting, but you couldn't go to church. (One of the nice things I liked about the Thai language was that they had a term they could use for the church building apart from the term for the church itself.)
Consequently, there is no reference in the Bible about "going to church" at all. Not once. If someone tells you the Bible says to go to church on Sunday or any other day, ask for a reference.
That does not mean that meeting together with other believers is not important. It is very important. We read in Hebrews 10:24, 25 (ESV):
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
For some more about meeting together with other believers, see my sermon notes on "Growing Healthy Families".
The idea of going to church on Sunday seems to be a tradition that combines a very loose adaptation Old Testament laws about the sabbath to the life of the Christian Church. In fact many Christians call Sunday the Sabbath Day, even though they don't celebrate it on the same day of the week and they don't celebrate it the way it was commanded in the Old Testament. So following are some insights from the Bible about the Sabbath Day.
1. What is Sabbath?
Sabbath essentially means rest (Strong’s Hebrew <H7676>= שַׁבָּת shabbath).
The commandment about the Sabbath Day appears in Exodus 20:
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11, ESV)
It was held on the seventh day of the week (i.e. Saturday). (Exodus 16:26; 20:10; 23:12; 31:15; 34:21; Leviticus 23:3; Deuteronomy 5:14) The term sabbath is also used in the Bible to refer to the Sabbath Year (every seventh year), which was supposed to be a year for the land to rest. The command to do this was never observed, which serves as the basis for the number of years Judah spent in exile. (see below)
God took this pretty seriously as those who did not keep it were to be put to death. And it was supposed to be observed by the people of Israel forever.
12 And the LORD said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ” (Exodus 31:12–17, ESV)
How did one keep the Sabbath?
According to the commandment about keeping the Sabbath Day, one kept the Sabbath Day holy by not working! There is no reference in the commandment about going to the tabernacle or the temple on the Sabbath Day. Following are some of the commands related to the Jewish Sabbath Day.
They weren’t supposed to cook or gather food on the Sabbath:
Exodus 16:22-26 (ESV)
22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the LORD; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.”
Stay home:
Exodus 16:29 (ESV)
29 See! The LORD has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Remain each of you in his place; let no one go out of his place on the seventh day.”
No working:
Exodus 20:8-11 (ESV)
8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,
10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 23:12 (ESV)
12 “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.
Exodus 31:12-17 (ESV)
12 And the LORD said to Moses, 13 “You are to speak to the people of Israel and say, ‘Above all you shall keep my Sabbaths, for this is a sign between me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I, the LORD, sanctify you. 14 You shall keep the Sabbath, because it is holy for you. Everyone who profanes it shall be put to death. Whoever does any work on it, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. 15 Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death. 16 Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. 17 It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”
There is a social justice element to this as even the slaves were not supposed to work.
Not even fires were to be lit (i.e., no cooking):
Exodus 35:2-3 (ESV)
2 Six days work shall be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a Sabbath of solemn rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it shall be put to death. 3 You shall kindle no fire in all your dwelling places on the Sabbath day.”
Note that in post-exilic period they refused to buy from non-Jews on the Sabbath as well:
Nehemiah 10:31, ESV
31 And if the peoples of the land bring in goods or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. And we will forgo the crops of the seventh year and the exaction of every debt.
2. Going to church on Sunday
When the commandment about the Sabbath Day was given. There was no temple. There was no church building. In fact, even the tabernacle had not yet been constructed.Adult Jewish men had to appear before God (i.e., go to the temple or tabernacle) three times a year for Passover, Pentecost and the Festival of Booths. They did not have to go every Sabbath Day. The table below shows which days the adult men had to appear before God.
1. Passover (Pesach/Passover) (feast of unleavened bread (<H4682> מַצָּהmatstsah)) | Exodus 23:15; Leviticus 23:4-8; Deuteronomy16:1-8, 16; 2 Chronicles 8:13 |
2. Feast of Harvest (<H7105> קָצִירqatsiyr) / firstfruits Exodus 23:16 (Feast of Weeks (Shavout/Pentecost) (<H7620> שָׁבוַּע שָׁבוַּע שֶׁבוּעָהshabuwa`) | Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy16:9-12, 16; 2 Chronicles 8:13 |
3. Feast of Ingathering (<H614> אָסִיף אָסִף 'aciyph); Feast of Tabernacles / Booths (Sukkoth) (<H5521> סוּכָּהcukkah) | Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:33-44; Deuteronomy16:13-16; 2 Chronicles 8:13 |
Nowhere in the New Testament is there mention of the Apostles teaching the Gentiles (non-Jews) to observe the Sabbath.
3. Sabbath Year
The Jews were to observe a Sabbath Year—a year in which they did not plant a crop. This gave the land a chance to rest. But the Jews did not do this. God gave a prophetic message that Israel would be sent into exile for the same number of years as Sabbath Years that weren't observed.
• Leviticus 26:34
• Leviticus 26:43
• 2 Chronicles 36:21
Jeremiah later prophesied to confirm this timeframe
• Ezra 1:1
• Jeremiah 25:11, 12
• Jeremiah 29:10
Other references to the 70 years:
• Daniel 9:2
• Daniel 9:24
• Zechariah 1:12
• Zechariah 7:5
After exile, returnees promised to keep the Sabbath Year (Nehemiah 10:31)
4. Sunday
In the New Testament, Sunday is called the “first day of the week” from the Greek <G3391> μία (mia) = first + <G4521> σάββατον (sabbaton) = week, sabbath. (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2, 9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19; Acts 20:7)
Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday. (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19)
Disciples were meeting on Pentecost Sunday when the Holy Spirit Given (Pentecost is a Sunday, as it is the 50th day 7x7 Sabbaths (49) + 1
Disciples in Troas met to break bread on a Sunday (Acts 20:7)
So, we see that the disciples would meet on Sunday, but it is nowhere commanded. Nor does the Bible say they exclusively met on Sundays.
5. Sabbath Fulfilled in Christ
Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath
Matthew 12:7-8 (ESV)
7 And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless.8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27-28 (ESV)
27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28 So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”
Luke 6:5 (ESV)
5 And he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Sabbath and other special days are a shadow of Christ
Colossians 2:16-19 (ESV)
16 Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 7 These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.
This passage in Colossians suggests that if people wanted to keep the sabbath as a special day, it was okay, but not required. But in this case it probably referred to Jews wanting to keep the Jewish law about the Sabbath. But what does it mean by "shadow of the things to come"? Perhaps we can gain some understanding of that from Hebrews 4
9 So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, 10 for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
11 Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. (Hebrews 4:9–11, ESV)
Since Jesus has come we can rest from works—we don't have to do anything to win favor from God to go to heaven.
Summary
I knew a person who proudly boasted about his Sunday church attendance. This same person had no problem cooking a meal or cleaning up afterwards on Sunday. What I find ironic is that he was legalistic about a "law" that didn't exist (going to church on Sunday), while at the same time not actually keeping laws that did exist about the Sabbath in scripture (by cooking and cleaning up).
But even is Sabbath is not a law for the non-Jew and even if we experience Sabbath rest through faith in Jesus, there is something to be said for resting. God's concern appears to be that we take time to rest. By resting—and not working—we have to trust God to provide. This was especially true in the laws about the Sabbath Year. Would we trust God to provide for us if we took a year off from work? That would be difficult. No wonder the Jews never observed that law.
So many people in this world are enslaved to their lusts: for power, for money, for things, and for pleasure. If we're not careful we will devote our time to pursue those things or to make money to achieve them. Many go in debt for things that are not essential and end up enslaved to their debt and then spend so much time working to service that debt that they don't have time to serve God and others. Are we so busy pursuing the things of this world that we don't have the time or energy to keep the two Great Commandments:
37...“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37b–40)
Do we trust God to provide for us? Will we take time to seek after God and not just try to satisfy our desire for the things in this world?
Jesus calls us to trust Him to provide as we seek after the Kingdom of God:
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (Matthew 6:25–34, ESV)
