The pastor at my church keeps preaching that Sunday is the “Christian Day” of worship and gathering. He says that we worship on this day because this was the day that the Lord resurrected. He also claims that God has commanded that this is the day that Christians are to worship and uses scripture like Acts 20:7 to show how the early church gathered on this day. I have read many things pointing out how the Pope was the one who made the decree to worship on Sunday and God actually made Saturday holy. What are your thoughts on this matter?
This is really a baseless argument because the New Testament teaches there is no designated “day of worship.” In Romans 14:5 Paul wrote, “One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” In Colossians 2:16-17 He said, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.”
The writer of Hebrews taught that the Old Testament Sabbath was a model of the New Testament “sabbath rest,” which is a life long period of rest from the work of salvation that begins when we’re born again (Hebrews 4:9-10). Therefore everyday is an acceptable day of worship in the Lord’s sight, and if we’ve offered ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1) every day will be a day of worship.