Practical Controversies / The Sabbath

  • Was the Lord’s Day Sabbath revoked by Jesus? Question and Answer

    THOMAS: “No” would be my answer. In Sinclair Ferguson’s fairly recent book on sanctification, I believe there is an appendix on this very issue, which I would certainly recommend. I think that Jesus put His imprimatur on the principle of one day in seven. We still believe in the operating force of ten commandments and not nine commandments. If there is no Sabbath at all, and there is just a utilitarian need to meet—but it doesn’t really matter when, or where, or how—then the conclusion is that we really only have nine commandments, not ten. There is nothing in the … View Resource

  • Why has the church lost its appreciation for the Sabbath? Question and Answer

    Matthew 28:20

    I think one of the temptations of American evangelical Christianity—borne out of something fundamentally good, namely our desire to see the church revived and our desire to see the church involved in evangelism and missions—has gotten persuaded, in our time particularly, that the way to advance evangelism is to pursue minimalist Christianity. “What is the absolute least we need to know and believe and require of people to make them Christians?” I understand the motive behind that. In some ways you can say the motive is praiseworthy. But it’s a fundamental betrayal of the Great Commission. The Great Commission was … View Resource

  • Does the Bible say the Sabbath changed from Saturday to Sunday? Question and Answer

    Revelation 1:10

    That’s a great question, and I love the implication of the question, namely, that the Sabbath did change. Part of the problem we face in our time is a lot of people think the Sabbath is entirely passé. One place I’d begin is with Revelation 1:10 where John says, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day.” For those who think that the Sabbath is completely ended with the coming of Jesus and that “all days are alike” in the new covenant (Rom. 14:5), they misuse a statement of Paul. The fact that John says there is a “Lord’s … View Resource

  • Is there biblical warrant for Sunday evening worship? Question and Answer

    When people ask, “Should we have two services on the Lord’s Day?” my inclination is to say that I think we as the people of God ought to rise up in righteous revolt against the parsimony of our preachers and ask, “Why can’t we have three?” The day belongs to the Lord. We rest on that day, we worship on that day, and surely it’s a good thing to have morning and evening worship. Presumably, it would be an even better thing to have an afternoon service as well. I’m being a little bit facetious. The spirit may be willing, … View Resource