The Baptist Faith and Message: Article 8 The Lord's Day

Text of the Article: The first day of the week is the Lord's Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord's Day should be commensurate with the Christian's conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

as found in Revelation 1:10 “10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,”

not to confuse with the eschatological “the day of the Lord.”

One of the first practices we read of the Lord’s Day is in:

Acts 20:7–11 (NKJV)

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. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together. 9 And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. 10 But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.” 11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed.

Concept of :

Firstfruits

Family of God

Fellowship “breaking of Bread”-The Lord’s Supper

Faith Strengthening-Paul healed Eutychus

Why the first day of the week?

Jesus rose on the first day of the week.

Mark 16:1–2 “1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.”

John 20:1 “1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”

Luke 24:1 “1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.”

John 20:19–29 NKJV

19 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, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” 26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Jesus met with the disciples at the time of the evening meal.

Jesus renewed the table fellowship with the disciples.

Luke 24:41–43 “41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” 42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And He took it and ate in their presence.”

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised I. NT

Lord’s Day worship is the Christian festival of the Resurrection, in which Christians, like the original disciples, have fellowship with one another and with the risen Christ whom they trust as Savior and worship as God.

Paul’s reference:

1 Corinthians 16:2 “2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

Later Paul says:

2 Corinthians 9:12 “12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,”

by the middle of the 1st Century, the First day of the week became significant and had unique meaning to the Christian community.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised I. NT

By Justin’s time (mid-2nd cent.), however, most Christians gathered on Sunday morning, evidently because the emperor Trajan’s edict against seditious assemblies proscribed evening meetings. From that time to the present Christians have customarily worshiped on the morning and/or evening of the first day of the week.

The Sabbatical rythmn of Exodus 20:7–11 “7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. 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 the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger 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 the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

Even though the NT church is not held to the dictates of the law, they honored the rhythm of weekly.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (I. NT)

The unique relationship of the Jewish sabbath to the Christian Lord’s Day bears on the ethical question of how Christians should observe the Lord’s Day. The English Puritan tradition requires that one refrain from all labor and recreation (except “works of mercy and necessity”) and spend the whole day in private and public devotion. Proponents have appealed to the OT proscription of all labor on the sabbath and traditionally have preferred the term “Sabbath Day” to designate the Christian day of worship. A less strict view, sometimes described as the “Continental Sunday,” has stressed only the need for common worship on the Lord’s Day, without prohibiting recreation and amusements.

Americans have traditionally observed the English Puritan sabbath. The colonists enforced observance of the day by civil legislation, now popularly called “blue laws.” Many of these laws are still on the books and some are locally enforced. The constitutional separation of church and state, however, has precluded a national Sunday closing law. Although few would advocate a return to a legally enforced observance of the Lord’s Day, discerning Christian leaders are increasingly concerned that the American Sunday is being rapidly turned into a fun-day and that Christians must be taught the importance of the Lord’s Day in the life of the Church and the nation. In keeping with this concern are three general principles bearing on the observance of the Lord’s Day.

1. Its a statement of life as to dependence on God.

2. A time to meet with God’s people for worship.

3. A joy as a time with rest with the Lord.

Genesis 2:1–3 “1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. 2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

Mark 2:27 “27 And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”

The NASB Topical Index Lord’s Day

LORD’S DAY (see SABBATH)

The Lord’s day is a common designation for the first day of the week (i.e., Sunday) when Christians meet to celebrate Christ’s resurrection (cf. Ac 20:7). Scripture indicates that Christ arose on the first day of the week and appeared to His disciples as a group on the same day (Mk 16:1–2; Jn 20:19–29). Thus the Lord’s day is distinct from the Sabbath or seventh day of the week (i.e., Saturday) that was given to Israel as a day of rest in celebration of God’s rest from creation on the seventh day (Ge 2:1–3; Ex 20:8–11; 31:13–17; Ne 9:14). Traditionally the church has assembled on the Lord’s day for such activities as worship (particularly through the Lord’s Supper), the reading and teaching of Scripture, fellowship, prayer, discipline, and giving (Ac 2:42; 20:7; 1 Co 5:1–13, especially v. 4; 16:1–2; Heb 10:25).

♦ occurrence of: Re 1:10

LORD’S SUPPER

Holman Treasury of Key Bible Words: 200 Greek and 200 Hebrew Words Defined and Explained Lord’s Day

Although the “Lord’s day” is mentioned only once in the New Testament (Rev. 1:10), it is a very significant term. The “Lord’s day” was most likely the first day of the week, a day on which Christians gathered to worship and celebrate the Lord’s Supper because Jesus rose from the dead on that day (1 Cor. 11:20). The earliest reference to Christian activity on Sunday comes in a brief allusion Paul makes to “the first day of the week” (1 Cor. 16:2). He instructed the church in Corinth to remember their poverty-stricken fellow believers in Jerusalem by setting aside a sum of money each Sunday. Paul made it clear that this observance was not merely local (1 Cor. 16:1), Sunday was the day when special church meetings took place everywhere.

In Acts 20:6–12, Luke describes a church meeting that took place on the first day of the week. This was not a special meeting convened to hear Paul who had already been in town six days, but a regular weekly event. The main purpose behind the church’s Sunday meeting at Troas was “to break bread” (Acts 20:7) which was the New Testament’s term for eating the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper probably included the less formal table fellowship of the love feast (1 Cor. 11:17–34) and very quickly became a focal point of the early church’s Sunday worship.

In Revelation 1:10, John describes how he was worshiping on the Lord’s day when he received his great vision. The immediate context of Revelation 1:10 makes it clear that John saw Sunday as the Lord’s day because on it Christians expressed together their total commitment to Jesus as Lord and Master (Rev. 1:8). It was Jesus’ resurrection on the first day of the week that demonstrated His lordship most clearly (John 20:25–28; Rev. 1:18). One day the whole world will have to acknowledge that He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16; Phil. 2:11), but in the meantime it is in the church that His lordship is recognized. Thus, Christians make a commitment to worship God on the first day of the week, Sunday, in preparation of Jesus’ final return.

Because God is our Creator and Redeemer, he deserves and demands the first of all that we possess. This principle is given and reiterated throughout Scripture. We are to give the Lord the firstfruits of our increase. We should give him the first minutes of our day. We should seek first his reign and rule in our lives.

When the children of Israel moved into the land of Canaan, they were not allowed to keep any of the spoils from their conquest of Jericho. Because Jericho was their first conquest, it was to be totally devoted to the Lord. Is it any wonder, then, that New Testament believers have dedicated the first day of the week to commemorate the resurrection of our Lord?

Some Christians have erroneously called Sunday the Sabbath, but the Sabbath is, by definition, the seventh day of the week. Furthermore, some Christians suggest that the Bible teaches that Sunday has replaced Saturday and serves as a “Christian Sabbath.” But admittedly, this is nowhere clearly taught in the Bible.

So why do Christians speak of “the Lord’s Day” and worship on Sunday rather than on Saturday? The answer to this important question lies in several biblical principles and practices rather than in any clear teaching or mandate of Scripture.

First, Christians need to understand that the principle of a day of rest after six days of work is rooted not in the law of Moses, but in creation. God was not tired. He needed no rest, yet he rested on the seventh day to provide a model for mankind. Jesus verified this when he taught that the Sabbath is a gracious gift of God given for the benefit of man (Mark 2:27). Since a day of rest is taught in creation and by Jesus, Christians should embrace the principle and observe a day of rest each week.

Second, even though we should observe a day of rest, we are not bound by the legal qualifications of the Sabbath as given in the law of Moses. That law was for national Israel and included precise definitions of just how much work could be allowed. The ancient Jews debated such matters as whether they could eat an egg that was laid on the Sabbath, or whether they could break a dead twig off a rose bush. Jesus ran up against this legalistic view of the Sabbath in his ministry.

Third, even though there is no clear teaching in Scripture that changed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday, there is unambiguous evidence that the early church met to worship on the first day of the week. Jesus rose from the dead on Sunday, which was the first work day of the Jewish week, and almost immediately thereafter the Bible records the church meeting on the evening of the first day of the week (John 20:19; Acts 20:7). In his teaching on giving, Paul instructs the Corinthians to receive the offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:2). Many scholars believe that John’s phrase, “the Lord’s Day,” in Revelation 1:10 refers to the first day of the week as well.

Finally, since, like the early church, we commemorate the resurrection of Christ by engaging in corporate worship on the first day of the week, it is right and reasonable to also use this day for the day of rest in which we cease from labor that is not a work of necessity or of mercy. Individual issues and questions about whether or not we should engage in a game of touch football or watch television, etc., are best left to the individual conscience with the admonition that we strive for maximum conformity to the will and intention of God and not the minimum.

That is why Article 8 of the Baptist Faith and Message states simply and clearly, “The first day of the week is the Lord’s Day. It is a Christian institution for regular observance. It commemorates the resurrection of Christ from the dead and should include exercises of worship and spiritual devotion, both public and private. Activities on the Lord’s Day should be commensurate with the Christian’s conscience under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.”

The Lord’s Day: A Theological Framework

1. Scriptural Foundation

Resurrection of Christ: Sunday, the first day of the week, is celebrated as the Lord's Day because Jesus rose from the dead on this day (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).

Matthew 28:1 “1 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.”

Mark 16:2 “2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.”

Luke 24:1 “1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.”

John 20:1 “1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”

Early Church Practice: The New Testament shows that the early church gathered for worship on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2).

Acts 20:7 “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.”

1 Corinthians 16:2 “2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

Christ’s Lordship: Jesus declared Himself "Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28), signifying His authority over time and worship.

Mark 2:28 “28 Therefore the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.””

2. Theological Reasons for Worship on the Lord’s Day

Commemoration of the New Creation: Just as God rested on the seventh day after creation (Genesis 2:2-3),

Genesis 2:2–3 “2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.”

the Lord’s Day celebrates the new creation inaugurated by Christ’s resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17).

2 Corinthians 5:17 “17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Covenant Renewal: Worship on the Lord's Day is a time for believers to renew their covenant relationship with God, hearing His Word and responding in faith (Hebrews 10:24-25).

Hebrews 10:24–25 “24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Anticipation of Eternal Rest: The Lord's Day points forward to the ultimate rest for God's people in eternity (Hebrews 4:9-10; Revelation 1:10).

Hebrews 4:9–10 “9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.”

Revelation 1:10 “10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet,”

3. Practical Applications

Rest and Worship: Christians are called to set apart the Lord’s Day for rest from ordinary labor and for the worship of God (Exodus 20:8-11, applied to the new covenant through the pattern of Christ's resurrection and early church practice).

Exodus 20:8–11 “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 the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger 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 the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.”

Corporate Worship: The Lord's Day is a time for gathering with the church to worship, learn, pray, and fellowship (Hebrews 10:25; Colossians 3:16).

Hebrews 10:25 “25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Colossians 3:16 “16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Evangelism and Service: The Lord's Day is also an opportunity for acts of mercy, evangelism, and engaging with the world as witnesses of Christ's resurrection (Matthew 28:19-20).

Matthew 28:19–20 “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”

4. Scriptural References for Meditation and Teaching

Old Testament Background:

Creation Rest: Genesis 2:2-3

Sabbath Command: Exodus 20:8-11; Deuteronomy 5:12-15

Deut. 5:12-15

New Testament Fulfillment:

Christ’s Resurrection: Matthew 28:1; John 20:1, 19

Matthew 28:1 “1 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.”

John 20:19 “19 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, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.””

Apostolic Practice: Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2

Acts 20:7 “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.”

1 Corinthians 16:2 “2 On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

Eternal Rest: Hebrews 4:9-10

Hebrews 4:9–10 NKJV

9 There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. 10 For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.

John's Vision: Revelation 1:10

Alliterative Teaching Points

Resurrection: Celebrating Christ’s triumph over death on the first day.

Restoration: Renewing our relationship with God through worship.

Reflection: Remembering God’s work in creation and redemption.

Rehearsal: Anticipating the eternal rest and worship in heaven.