WBS Hungary - Guest Authors

Adam Wood: Re-examining

I grew up in the Church of Christ. We understand that the Bible is the ONLY source of Truth. As no person or church understands all biblical truth, here are some areas that the Church of Christ seriously needs to re-examine:

The historically documented fact is that Sunday worship began after Biblical time - regardless of how common it is today. Look in an encyclopedia under "Sunday." Catholics made the change and there are historical documents over a 1000 years old that support this claim. Catholic theologians laugh at Protestants who claim the Bible is their authority for going to church on Sunday. Peter R. Kraemer, Catholic Church Extension Society (1975), Chicago, Illinois said, "Protestants, who accept the Bible as the only rule of faith and religion, should by all means go back to the observance of the Sabbath. The fact that they do not, but on the contrary observe Sunday, stultifies them in the eyes of every thinking man. We Catholics do not accept the Bible as the only rule of faith. We frankly say, yes, the Church made this change, made this law, as she made many other laws, for instance, the Friday abstinence, the unmarried priesthood, the laws concerning mixed marriages, the regulation of Catholic marriages and a thousand other laws. It is always somewhat laughable, to see the Protestant churches, in pulpit and legislation, demand the observance of Sunday, of which there is nothing in their Bible." Alexander Campbell, from the Church of Christ himself, in The Reporter, on October 8, 1821 stated, "There is no testimony in all the oracles of heaven that the Sabbath is changed, or that the Lord's Day came in the room of it." Dr. D.H. Lucas, also from the Church of Christ stated in the Christian Oracle in Jan. 1890, "There is no direct Scriptural authority for designating the first day 'the Lord's Day.'" And the evidence goes on and on. I have quotes from every major church group and denomination admitting Sunday is not Biblical. Historical and biblical evidence shows that the Sabbath was changed... by man... and not by God's authority from His Word. The change didn't happen in the New Testament but after - and the historical evidence is clear. The issue isn't one day of worship or another. The issue is MUCH more important than that. To WHOM do WE give our allegiance: God or man? His Sabbath or man's Sunday? Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; and Rev. 1:10 are not at all "biblical evidence" for Sunday worship and 1000s of sincere, knowledgeable and serious theologians from ALL churches and denominations around the world understand this.

Christmas is also a pagan holiday that blends Catholic and pagan traditions together. Look in any encyclopedia for yourself. Christmas was originally outlawed in THIS country by the early Protestant pilgrims. They understood that mixing Christ's holy name and fables like Santa Claus together have no business being combined, much less in the same sentence. The non-Christian world embraces Christmas because of the gifts and the economic boom. Non-Christians watching us Christians observe an event like Christmas figure that we can't tell the difference between what is holy [Christ] and utterly unholy [Santa Claus]. Aren't they likely to believe that Christ is just as false as Santa Claus is? WWJD? Is Christ REALLY happy with HIS NAME being mixed up with such pagan, ungodly traditions that began before He came to Earth to die for our sins?

If you base what you believe on "facts" and not on "emotions" and what "feels" good - please pray and think about these facts. IF... we believe in ONLY the Bible, like we "say" we do - let's show it in how we live and let the historical and biblical facts be on OUR side. Many of you will be tempted to continue believing what you already do because of the tremendous peer pressure of your family and friends. And so, unfortunately, many will continue to make excuses and twist Biblical verses to "support" something that neither the Bible nor 1000s of historical documents support. WHY would soooo many encyclopedias and Sunday theologians from Catholic, Baptist, Church of Christ / Disciples of Christ, Lutheran, Methodist, Dwight L. Moody, Presbyterian, Anglican / Episcopal, Southern Baptist, and American Congregationalist ALL admit the Bible is NOT the origin of Sunday worship? WHAT possible motivation would the literal 1000s of quotes over the centuries, including this one, out there by such people have for saying something that directly undermines their official beliefs? The answer can only be - because it's true.

"For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." Heb. 4:12-13

For yourself and loved ones, I simply ask that you restudy these issues of Christmas and the Sabbath based strictly on your Bible and historical documents -not based on any biased papers from ANY church. Is Rev. 1:10 really referring to the first day of the week? There is no direct evidence of this and if we wish to use vague and abstract connections of different events... then anyone else could make equally "valid" arguments claiming Rev. 1:10 refers to any other day of the week. Regarding the Bible and our beliefs - let's RELY on specifics and direct statements. God is a specific God = Exodus 20:10 specifically states that "the seventh day is the Sabbath OF THE LORD YOUR GOD." Nothing is vague in this statement. If the Sabbath was changed - why in Acts 13:42,44... when Paul is alone for a few minutes with the Gentiles, AFTER the Jews had left, and the Gentiles had asked Paul to preach to THEM, the Gentiles, the next SABBATH -- This was the PERFECT time for Paul to say something like, "No, Sunday is the new day of worship for 'New Testament' Christians and the Sabbath was just an old Jewish ordinance." But Paul certainly didn't. In vs. 44, it shows Paul didn't meet with them, the Gentiles, on Sunday but instead the following Sabbath. This event happened after Christ's death. IF Sunday was a replacement, in any way, of the Sabbath, WHY didn't Paul correct the "mistaken" Gentiles when THEY were asking him to worship on the Sabbath?

Also, Genesis 2:2 says that God "rested" in the SEVENTH day - the day HE 'sanctified' and set apart from the rest of the week. People commonly and mistakenly like to suggest the "Sabbath" is "just an old Jewish ordinance" and that the "Sabbath" wasn't mentioned in the Bible until the Jews and Mt. Sinai - which is incorrect. Not only is Gen. 2:1-3 the Biblical and true origin of the weekly seventh day Sabbath - at Creation... 1000s of years before the first "Jew"... another key point typically overlooked is Gen. 2:2's use of the English word "rested." THIS "rested," as translated into English from the Hebrew, is not the same meaning as to just take a nap or sleep... as when the English word "rested" is used in most other places in the Bible. Specifically, Gen. 2:2's "rested" when translated from the ORIGINAL Hebrew word... is "shabath" ["shabath" should look familiar]. According to my Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, "shabath" means "keep Sabbath." This is the type of celebratory rest Christians and followers of God can enjoy on a holy day He, God, created for US. It is not just refering to an afternoon nap - as the same English word is referring to in other places -based on a different Hebrew word in those places.

Study and research this subject using information from intelligent people on BOTH sides of this issue and see where the weightier amount of evidence lies. Don't, I pray, JUST get your information from one church group or denomination as no church or person, myself included, is correct on all issues. Again, I ask you to use research from BOTH sides of this issue and then weigh the evidence. And, may God bless your search and life!