Chapter 5

Effect Of Tradition

Misconstrued Interpretation

In virtually all situations where a group of individuals either claim to have found some new light or for whatever reason feel the need to be different from other groups of religious practitioners, they invariably end up making the same mistake. Invariably, they end up creating a structure of the very same nature as Babylon, built on the principle of the “mystery of iniquity”, whereby the leadership of God is laid aside and replaced with human authority.

With each of these man-made structures claiming to be The Church, it serves to subvert and keep still under foot that truth of what in reality is God’s True Church, The Body of Christ.

One of the factors that contribute to the promulgation of this erroneous concept of The Church is the effect of tradition. Many people tend to interpret things on the basis of that to which they are accustomed. The tendency of many individuals, when they read is to interpret words according to its current usage and not in accordance with the usage of the word at the time when it was used. A typical case is the use of the expression “Lord’s Day”.

Consider Lord’s Day

The term “Lord’s Day” is generally understood as referring to Sunday. Even in modern dictionaries, we look for the entry “Sunday” and we see “Lord’s Day” as one of the synonyms. As a result of this general understanding of the term “Lord’s Day”, when individuals read in the Bible: “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day” (Rev. 1:10), they take it to mean that John (the writer) was “in the Spirit” on Sunday. In fact, some individuals even attempt to use that text as a means of establishing the validity of using the term “Lord’s Day” to refer to Sunday.

The fact is, however, that the term “Lord’s Day” has come to refer to Sunday subsequent to the usage of the term in the Bible. Therefore, it is not reasonable to foist on the Scriptures an interpretation based on a meaning that has come about subsequent to the time when the term was used in the Bible. Rather, one should look at what the expression meant at the time when it was used, if one should understand exactly what the Scripture passage is saying.

Now, according to the Scriptures there is only one day that could possibly be referred to as the “Lord’s Day”, and that is the seventh day Sabbath. This is the day, which, according to the Bible the Lord Himself referred to as “my holy day” (Isa. 58:13). The seventh day Sabbath is the only day in all the Bible that we see the Lord proclaiming special blessing on, and claiming it as His in a very special way. According to the Biblical record, during the very first week of this world’s existence, the week of creation, we see God setting apart the seventh day. Consider the Divine record:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.” - Gen. 2:1-3.

Subsequently, we see the Lord commanding His people to “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” that Sabbath being the seventh day. He also gave the reason why the seventh day is the day chosen for special observance (Ex. 20:8-11). We also see Jesus declaring Himself to be Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).

So, from the Scriptural standpoint there is only one day that could ever be reckoned as the Lord’s Day, and that is the seventh day Sabbath. There is not a single text that even alludes to the possibility of Sunday being reckoned as the Lord’s Day, and yet individuals desperately grope around and vainly try to find justification in the Bible for their disregard for the seventh day Sabbath as the Lord’s Day. In its place they revere Sunday.

N. B. Even the names and terminal points of the Gregorian system are unscriptural. The Bible refers to the first day, the second day, the third day et cetera, unto the seventh day which marks the end of the week. Each day is reckoned from sunset to sunset (not from 12:00 midnight to 12:00 midnight).

An example of the Biblical reckoning of a day from sunset to sunset is given in the following command made to ancient Israel with reference to the Day of Atonement:

“Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord.” “It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.” - Lev. 23:27,32

The day of Atonement was the tenth day of the seventh month, and this was reckoned from the evening of the ninth day of the month to the evening of the day following. The same principle applies in the reckoning of the seventh day Sabbath. (Note that the word “even” is frequently used in Scripture to refer to sunset - see for example Deut. 16:6 and Mark 1:32. Also, the Scriptures clearly make a distinction between “even”, and midnight - see for example Mark 13:35). Thus, the seventh day Sabbath is in reality from sunset on the day that is commonly called Friday to sunset the following day, which is commonly called Saturday.

Trying To Escape

Instead of bringing their lives into willing obedience to the Word of God, every possible escape route is sought. Some say “any day is just as good as another day”, yet that same reasoning is not applied to Sunday or Easter or Christmas or other days to which they attach religious significance. Others ask “how do I know which day is the seventh day of the week?”, being conveniently naive or feigning ignorance. Still others claim “O, the law is done away with”, notwithstanding such plain statements of Scriptures as those found in Matt. 5:l7,18:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”

The only possible fulfillment that one can identify with the Ten Commandments (of which the Sabbath commandment is the 4th) is that of obeying them, which fulfillment was evident in the life of Christ Himself, and should also be evident in the lives of all those who profess to be His followers; Further yet, the apostle Paul says:

“Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.” Rom. 3:31.

Regardless of the reasons concocted in order to justify the disregard for the seventh day Sabbath as the Lord’s Day and substituting Sunday in its place, it is abundantly clear that Scriptural support is lacking.

Legacy Of Paganism

 Sunday sacredness is really a legacy of paganism.

History attests to the fact that Sunday was the day revered by sun worshippers, and that is where the name “Sunday” came from- sun’s day. It was Emperor Constantine of the old Roman empire, a sun worshipper, who, though claiming to be converted to Christianity, passed the first law commanding the subjects of the Roman empire to cease working on Sunday. This law was passed on March 7, 321 AD -see Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, 5th ed., Vol. 3 p. 380.

It was some years later that church leaders of the day, who, through lack of faith in the power of the straight gospel of Christ to change the lives of pagans, felt it necessary to make concessions in adopting some of the pagan festivities, so that Christianity might be made attractive to the pagans. With this idea it was felt that adopting Sunday might be a means of attracting pagans to the Christian religion, since the pagans themselves were already worshipping on Sunday as a part of their practice of worshipping the sun.

So, the church leaders of the day met at the special Council of Laodicea and commanded all Christians to refrain from keeping the seventh day Sabbath, and to acknowledge Sunday instead, which they referred to as the Lord’s Day. At this Council of Laodicea an edict was issued threatening to excommunicate all those who continued to keep the seventh day Sabbath - see Charles J. Hefele, A History of the Councils of the Church, Vol. 2, p. 316.

Mark Of Roman Catholic Church Authority

That was how the entirely unscriptural regard for Sunday as a sacred day entered the Christian arena. The Roman Catholic church even boasts that the imposition of a so-called Sunday sacredness on the Christian world is her doing, and is a mark of her authority to change the commands of God as recorded in the Bible. Consider this statement by Roman Catholic priest Thomas Enright:

“My Brethren, look about you upon the various wrangling sects and denominations. Show me one that claims or possesses the power to make laws binding on the conscience. There is but one on the face of the earth - the Catholic church - that has power to make laws binding upon the conscience, binding before God, binding under pain of hell fire. Take for instance the day we celebrate - Sunday.. What rights have Protestant churches to observe that day? None whatever. You say it is to obey the commandment, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.” But Sunday is not the Sabbath according to the Bible and the record of time. Every one knows that Sunday is the first day of the week, while Saturday is the seventh day and the Sabbath, the day consecrated as a day of rest. It is so recognized in all civilized nations. I have repeatedly offered $1000.00 to anyone who will furnish any proof from the Bible that Sunday is the day we are bound to keep, and no one has called for the money. If any person in this town will show me any Scripture for it, I will tomorrow evening publicly acknowledge it and thank him for it. It was the Holy Catholic Church that changed the day of rest from Saturday to Sunday, the first day of the week. And it not only compelled all to keep Sunday, but at the Council of Laodicea, AD 364, anathematized those who kept the Sabbath, and urged all persons to labour on the seventh day under penalty of the anathema.

Which church does the whole civilized world obey?... The Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” but the Catholic Church says, “no, keep the first day of the week, and the whole world bows in obedience.” - Father Enright, in the Industrial American, Harlan, Iowa. December 19, 1889.

By their own admission) the Roman Catholic system claims authority superior to that of God Himself. The command “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy” was spoken by God Himself from Mount Sinai (Ex. 20: 1,18,19), written with His own finger on tables of stone (Deut. 9:10,11) and rewritten with His finger again on tables of stone after the first tables of stone were broken by Moses (Deut. 10:2-5). Roman Catholic Priest Thomas Enright boasts that whereas God says “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”, the Catholic church says “No, keep the first day of the week”, and he cites this case as evidence of the power and authority that the Roman Catholic church claims to have.

In A Similar Way, The Church

The fact is that Sunday sacredness has absolutely no biblical foundation. The term “Lord’s Day” can properly be applied with reference only to the seventh day Sabbath.

But the main point of this entire reference to the “Lord’s Day” is this: Individuals came into the world and found a certain concept weaved into the ,culture of society, and hence, their idea on the subject is deeply influenced by the concept prevailing. Many, thus, fail to see the testimony of the Scriptures on the subject for what it is.

Mention has been made of the misconception surrounding the term “Lord’s Day” in order to highlight the fact that the very same situation has taken place with respect to the concept of “The Church. Individuals came into the world and found a certain concept of “church” prevailing. As a result, whenever they hear the term “church”, or read it in the Bible, the only thing that comes to their minds is that concept of “church” that is generally held in the society. And yet, in not one single instance where the term “church” is used in the Bible is it ever used with reference to anything, the likes of such institutions as are commonly known by that name - namely, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Pentecostal, Jehovah’s Witness, etc, etc.