the Eucharist, the real Body and Blood of Christ. Defend your faith shows how to defend the catholic faith, to strengthen the catholic faith of people living in Papua New Guineadefend the catholic faith, is to strengthen the catholic faith of people living in Papua New Guinea

SABBATH OR SUNDAY

Some Bible only believers worship God on Sabbath day (Saturday) because - as they think - the first Christians did so.

First of all, the historical proof is completely different from what they say. The History shows that The Seven Day Adventists (The Sabbath -Saturday keepers) have been founded by Ellen G. White in the year 1843 in America and it was she who began to preach that believers must worship God on the seventh day of the week (on Saturday), as the Israelites did before (Ex 20, 1-2 ; 31, 16-17). According to SDA's members, the first Christians worshiped God on Saturday (Sabbath). Such a statement however is without any proof. There is not a single quotation in the Bible which says they did so.

After Christ's Resurrection, the Apostles became workers of a New Covenant (2 Cor 3, 6). Right from the beginning - from the time of the Apostles - Christians kept honoring God on the first day of the week - on Sunday. The day of the worship will not be change. It will continue in the same way until Christ's Second Coming at the end of the times.

It is good to know, there is not a single quotation in the Bible which shows that after Christ's Resurrection, Jesus Himself or His disciples asked Christians to keep holy the seventh day (the Old Testament Sabbath).

Although the Acts of the Apostles says about Paul and Barnabas going to Synagogues on the Sabbath days (Saturdays), they went there simply in order to PREACH the Good News to the Jews, not to worship (Acts 17, 2-3 ; 18, 4-8 ; 18, 19 ; 19, 8 ). The Apostles knew, God had finished with the Jewish Sabbath already (Hos 2, 13; Heb 7, 22; 8, 7-13). Paul calls the Sabbath only a shadow (Col 2, 16-17). The First Christian, the followers of the New Covenant celebrated the Holy Eucharist (Breaking the Bread) on the first day of the week – on Sunday (Act 20, 7), which is called the Lord's Day. In the New Covenant, Sunday has taken place of the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday).

This unbroken tradition continues through the centuries until the present day. The Apostles and the ones who followed their teachings (the Apostolic Fathers) kept Sunday as the day to worship God. They kept Sunday to celebrate the Eucharist (to break the bread, as it had been called at that time), the day which became the commemoration of Christ’s Resurrection from the death, the day of life and light.

In an early Christian writing called the Didache (70 AD) it is written:

" By every Lord’s Day…gather yourselves together and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure" (The Didache 14, 1).

The Apostolic Father Saint Ignatius (died in 164 A.D.) said the same words:

"Those who lived according to old order of things have come to a new hope, no longer keeping the Sabbath, but the Lord’s Day in which our life is blessed by him and his death" ( Letter to Magnesians ,8).

Another Apostolic Father a man who followed the Apostles, Saint Justin (died in 165 A.D.) wrote:

" Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God having brought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world, and Jesus our Savior on the same day rose from the dead" ( First Apology 67).

For those who believe in Christ to be True God, as Jesus has stated it about Himself: "The Father and I are one" (Jn 10,30), is very easy to accept that Christ, as true God can establish, and in fact has established the New Covenant.

It is easy to accept that Jesus - true God, came to fulfill the Law (Mt 5, 17), and as a rsult of it, Sunday has taken place (has fulfilled) the Old Testament Sabbath. GOD HAS THE POWER TO DO IT. On the other hand those who don't believe Christ as true God (like SDA's or Jehovah Witness' the Mormons), will never accept the teachings presented to us by Jesus Himself and the Apostolic Fathers.

You may watch a video clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQO97W4xYRM&t=

THE DECALOGUE

Can the Jewish Sabbath be fulfilled? Can it be improved by Jesus Christ, the Son of God ? The members of SDA denomination say it can’t be done, it can’t be changed. According to them the law of the Sabbath (Ex 20, 8) must be kept as it is.

In fact the truth is quite opposite. The two stone tables, written by the finger of God on (Ex 20, 1-20) consists of two parts : which are named by the inspired writer the LAW (the Torah)*1, and the other is called the COMMANDMENTS *2.

Here there is the important text: “Now the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there, and I will give you the stone tablets with the law (the Torah) and the commandments which I have written for their instruction.” (Ex 24, 12).

The LAW (the Torah) written by God on the tablets stone has been fulfilled later on by the Messiah. The COMMANDMENTS on the other hand are unchangeable, they have been written by God on every human heart. The conscience of every human being tells that we must not kill, we must not steal, we must not commit adultery…

A young man came to Jesus with a question: ‘Master, what good deeds I must do to possess eternal life?’ Jesus didn’t say keep the Law (the Torah). He didn't say keep the Sabbath and you will possess eternal life. Had the Sabbath been so important, Jesus definitely would have told him: follow the Sabbath, but he didn’t. Instead He replayed,’ if you wish to enter into life keep the commandments’ not the Law (the Torah) but the Commandments. The young man asked which ones. In reply Jesus told him:’ you shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not give false witness. Honor you father and mother’ (Mt 19, 16-19). By saying it Jesus referred to the second part of the text written on the two stone tablets which are called the commandments (Ex 20, 11-17).

Christ’s words: ‘ I didn’t come to abolish the LAW (the Torah) and the prophet but to FULFILL them’ (Mt 5, 17) are referring to the whole Law (the Torah) including the Law (the Torah) written on the stone tablets . The Law (the Torah) can be fulfilled and in fact it has been fulfilled by the Messiah, our true God Jesus Christ.

The Sabbath is NOT a part of the commandments written on the stone tablets and on every human hearts like other commandments (you shall not kill, you shall not steal…) but it is a part of the LAW (the Torah).

From the time of Christ’s Resurrection on the first day of the week on Sunday, Christians (the converts from Judaism) knew that the Sabbath as a part of the Law (the Torah) has been fulfilled already by Christ. In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke wrote : On the first day of the week the Christians came for the Eucharistic celebration (Ac 20, 7).

St. Paul wrote that the Sabbath has lost its power, the Sabbath became only a shadow (Col 2, 16-17)

The followers of the Apostles , the Apostolic Fathers like Ignatius, Justin in their writings have made it very obvious that Sunday became the day of worship for the followers of Christ

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*1 the word ‘nomos, gr. νόμοs in Hebrew ‘ha Torah וְהַמִּצְוָ֔ה

*2 the word ‘entolas, gr. ἐντολαs in Hebrew ‘ha MISWAH’ וְהַתּוֹרָה֙

You may watch a video clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccZOnvUrEEk&t=4s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5wWwiwJwZQ&t=23s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQO97W4xYRM&t=9s