Sabbath: The First Day of the Week

Posted at The Reformed Reader:

Why has the Christian church historically called Sunday “the Lord’s Day” or “The Christian Sabbath?” Why do we meet for worship on the first day of the week, and rest on it? William Ames explains this well in his Marrow of Theology (II.XV.27-29):

“Divine not human authority has now changed the last day of the week to the first day – only he can change the day of the Sabbath who is the Lord of the sabbath, namely, Christ (Mt. 12:8). Therefore, the first day… is properly called the Lord’s Day. Even though the Lord’s Day is granted to have been of apostolic institution, yet the authority on which it rests is nonetheless divine, for the apostles were guided by the Spirit in holy practices just as they were in propounding the doctrine of the gospel by word of mouth and writing.”

Ames goes on to give nine points to defend the divine institution of the Lord’s Day as the first day of the week. I’ll summarize the nine points here:...

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