To observe Sunday is to stop working or doing any business on Sunday. On this day the shopkeepers should close their shops to observe the day. But may I ask those in the denominations, "Why do you observe Sunday this way? Why should believers not buy and sell on Sunday, and why should they not do what they do on the other weekdays?" These ones would unanimously answer, "Does not the fourth commandment tell us that we should rest on this day?"
Brothers, consider what a confusion this is!
If you ask these ones further which day does the fourth commandment refer to, they have to say that it refers to the Sabbath day. But which day is the Sabbath day? It is Saturday. Which day are they observing? They are observing Sunday. Please note that the regulation of the fourth commandment is with regard to Saturday. But what people are observing today is Sunday. What is the reason for basing one's observance of Sunday on a regulation that governs Saturday? Why change from Saturday to Sunday, while keeping the regulations governing Saturday? The Sunday observers cannot answer these questions.
They realize that in the age of grace there is no more need to keep the Sabbath. But while they observe the Lord's Day, they are still being bound by the Sabbath regulations. What advantage is there to change the seventh day to the first day? This kind of behavior is mindless, meaningless, illogical, contrary to grace, contrary to the law, and unscriptural.
What is the scriptural teaching concerning the keeping of days? The Bible has not commanded Christians to "observe" any day. No, absolutely none. According to the example and teaching of the Bible, on the Lord's Day (i.e., Sunday), Christians should:
1). Rejoice and be glad (Psa. 118:24),
2). Meet and break bread (Acts 20:7), and
3). Make offerings (1 Cor. 16:2).
These are the things that Christians should do. This day is the "Lord's Day" (Rev. 1:10).
Hence, we should act according to the Lord's will. As to what should not be done, the Bible does not have a single word concerning it. Many of the present day regulations are human traditions. If one should not buy and sell on the Lord's Day, he should not do the same on all the other days as well. It is because men do not understand that the gospel teaches men to do everything in their daily lives for God that there are such errors. The conclusion is that Christians should not observe the Sabbath, and they should not observe Sunday.
However, on the Lord's Day (i.e., Sunday), they should rejoice and be glad, meet and break bread, and make offerings. This question has bewildered many and has caused loss to the poor believers who would otherwise work on the Lord's Day, but who refrain from working under the fear that they would offend the Lord.
Yes, the church life is a Sabbath rest to God, but it is not a Sabbath with maturity. It is good, but it is not altogether good; it is not yet good enough. The church life is wonderful as far as the seed goes, but we have not yet reached the harvest. There is a Sabbath for God in the church life today, but this Sabbath is not yet complete, perfect, or mature.
Hence, there will be another stage of the Sabbath—the age of harvest at the time when the Lord Jesus comes back. When the Lord Jesus comes the second time, that will be the age of the harvest. It is wonderful to see the field growing, but this could never be as wonderful as the harvest.
Undoubtedly, there is a real Sabbath for God in the church life because God has sown Himself as the seed into the field and the field is now growing. Nevertheless, we must remember that we are still not in the harvest. Will you be ripe when the harvest time comes? If you inquire of farmers, they will tell you that some of the crop is not ripe at the harvest time.
Today’s Sabbath in the church life is a real Sabbath, but it is not a Sabbath with perfection or maturity. That Sabbath will be in the next age. In 1 Corinthians 3 we see the field growing, and in Revelation 14 we see the harvest being reaped.
