Why Sunday

[votivesoul]

Originally Posted by votivesoul

Acts 20:7 looks poorly translated. See here:

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/20-7.htm

Ἐν δὲ τῇ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων

En de mia te ton sabbaton

It seems to read better simply as "Then, on one of the sabbaths...".

1 Corinthians 16:2 looks like it could be re-translated, too. See here:

https://biblehub.com/interlinear/1_corinthians/16-2.htm

κατὰ μίαν σαββάτου

kata mian sabbatou

It seems to read better simply as "According to each sabbath...".

In both cases, there is no word for "day", either in Acts 20:7 or in 1 Corinthians 16:2. Translators are reading the mia as an ordinal here, then reading sabbatos as a metonym for "week", thus thinking mia refers to the first of the week, which must refer to the first day. But that seems an overwrought attempt at defending (or perhaps concealing) an anti-Sabbath ideology that is otherwise absent from the Covenants of the Holy Scriptures, Old and New.

[Tithesmeister]

Perhaps the question should be reframed.

Which days of the week would it be impermissible to gather together for the purpose of worshiping God?

[coksiw]

I am honestly not looking for a specific day, I was just curious about the Sunday thing. For me, each day is a valid day to seek God and gather with other saints.

[Nicodemus1968]

Originally Posted by Evang.Benincasa

20 hours or less? You must be making crazy folding money.

HVAC is a great Business Trade.

[mfblume]

There is no command in the New Testament to hold meetings on any certain day. If Sunday works easiest, then do so. I see no correction of anyone in the Book of Acts to not worship certain days but only on sabbath, nor do I see commands to only worship on Sunday. Either way, it’s not there in a commandment form, despite the fourth commandment, which I have shown is not an issue, seeing as we keep the sabbath day by learning to rest in Christ’s work.

1 Corinthians 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

Sabbatarians explain that Paul did not want to have to collect money when he arrived, and rightly so. But the fact is that they gathered to collect money on that first day of the week, regardless. It does not mention that it was, therefore, the day that they always gathered. It is also true that Paul did not direct them to worship Sun-days. But that’s just the point! They did worship on Sundays, but not as a form of obedience to a commandment.

It is also insisted that nothing says that they had to leave their homes to do this. But that does not indicate they did not leave their homes. If people were told to gather money for Paul on the first day of the week, then it would be redundant and silly, to be honest, if it was to be done at home. What would make a difference between gathering funds on the third day of the week, if it was done at home? The only sense that there is in telling people to gather money on the first day was because they would meet together away from their homes in a com-mon house owned by one of them, or wherever. The location was not the issue.

There is no indication that it was not a time of worship for them. However, if Paul told them that they were to gather the first day of the week, it sounds like a regular thing, though not always every single week. It sounded like a thing to do temporarily for every first day of the week. The first day of the week was set aside, but only for so many weeks so far as gathering money was concerned. Since he said, “that there be no gatherings when I come,” then it would mean that it could not be every week of every year. If Paul was there, and they did this gathering every single week of the year, there would be gatherings when he came, which he distinctly said he did not want that to be the case.

At any rate, that does not mean that they did not gather for worship every first day. Why would he tell them to do this the first day of the week if they were gathering on sabbaths weekly, anyway? Why not collect the money on sabbath, if they regularly gathered there every week? It appears to say that they gathered the first day regularly, and in a certain period of time that Paul referred to was when they would gather money specifically to help the other churches. That would inform us that they were not gathering on sabbaths.

Why designate the first day of a certain period of time, if they weren’t already gathering that day? If they gathered on the sabbath for worship, why else would Paul tell them to gather again to raise money the very next day for a certain period of first days of the week gatherings, when it could have been done on the sabbath during regular times of worship?

[coksiw]

Originally Posted by mfblume

However, if Paul told them that they were to gather the first day of the week, it sounds like a regular thing, though not always every single week. It sounded like a thing to do temporarily for every first day of the week. The first day of the week was set aside, but only for so many weeks so far as gathering money was concerned. Since he said, “that there be no gatherings when I come,” then it would mean that it could not be every week of every year. If Paul was there, and they did this gathering every single week of the year, there would be gatherings when he came, which he distinctly said he did not want that to be the case.

"gathering" there means of collecting money as in "collections", not as in "us gathering together".

At any rate, that does not mean that they did not gather for worship every first day. Why would he tell them to do this the first day of the week if they were gathering on sabbaths weekly, anyway? Why not collect the money on sabbath, if they regularly gathered there every week? It appears to say that they gathered the first day regularly, and in a certain period of time that Paul referred to was when they would gather money specifically to help the other churches. That would inform us that they were not gathering on sabbaths.

The first day of the week could be referring to the Jewish calendar, where the it started Saturday evening, after the Sabbath, but the same actual day as the Sabbath.

[mfblume]

"gathering" there means of collecting money as in "collections", not as in "us gathering together".

Thanks! But why bother to change the day of the week if they were already there on Sabbath a day before?

The first day of the week could be referring to the Jewish calendar, where the it started Saturday evening, after the Sabbath, but the same actual day as the Sabbath.

The point is that it is still not the seventh day to the Jews. So, if it was in the morning or evening after the sundown on saturday, it's still not sabbath. So, that would make it no difference if it was Sunday morning.

And, tying this to the preceding response you presented above, it's still changing days of the week from seventh to first of the next, in the eyes of their cultural adherents, again, making it no difference if it was Sunday morning.

[Dordrecht]

Originally Posted by Tithesmeister

Perhaps the question should be reframed.

Which days of the week would it be impermissible to gather together for the purpose of worshiping God?

Uh?

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by mfblume

Thanks! But why bother to change the day of the week if they were already there on Sabbath a day before?



The point is that it is still not the seventh day to the Jews. So, if it was in the morning or evening after the sundown on saturday, it's still not sabbath. So, that would make it no difference if it was Sunday morning.

And, tying this to the preceding response you presented above, it's still changing days of the week from seventh to first of the next, in the eyes of their cultural adherents, again, making it no difference if it was Sunday morning.

Everyone was to lay by him in store on the first of the week. This means on the first (day) of the week each person was to do his accounting and determine and set aside how much he was going to contribute to the Poor Jerusalem Saints' Relief Fundraiser. Such activities would likely not have been done on the Sabbath, so the first day of the week would make sense. The reason given was so that there wouldn't be a sudden hustling trying to figure out how much each could give when Paul showed up. Everything would be ready to go.

As a Sabbath keeper, I can say from personal experience that his instructions make perfect sense. For Sabbath keepers, the first day of the week serves as the "monday" if you will. Plans and preparations for the week are made on this day, including accounting of upcoming financial expenditures, etc. It just seems to work out that way if your life follows a Sabbath-based pattern. Has for us, anyways.

There were no regular church gatherings on the first day of the week in the Bible. In Acts it was a special after Sabbath meeting because Paul was leaving on the morrow. In the passage in Corinthians there is no church gathering or assembly in view at all, it is personal and family/household financial allocation of funds for a specific particular act of charity.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Tithesmeister

Perhaps the question should be reframed.

Which days of the week would it be impermissible to gather together for the purpose of worshiping God?

Any day the sermon is on Abraham's tithing, I guess?