FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:
THE PREDICAMENT OF PROTESTANTS AND CHRISTIANS CALLING AND KEEPING SUNDAY AS THE ‘LORD’S DAY
Walter Farquhar Hook, D.D., Vicar of Leeds, the same thought:
‘The question is, whether God has ordered us to keep holy the first day of the week. Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are UNDOUBTED ordinances of God; so we can count the chapter and verse in which we read of their being ordained of God.
‘But as to the Lord’s Day (Sunday), we are not able to refer a SINGLE passage in ALL the Scriptures of the NEW TESTAMENT in which the observance of it is enjoined of God. If we refer to TRADITION, tradition would NOT be of value to us on the point immediately under consideration.
‘The Romanist regards the tradition of the Church as of authority EQUAL to that of Scriptures. BUT WE ARE NOT ROMANISTS……But on this point there is NOT EVEN tradition to support us…..There is NO TRADITION THAT GOD ORDAINED the first day of the week to be a Sabbath…..The change of the Sabbath to Sunday was NEVER mentioned, or, as far as I can discover, thought of by the early Christians.
‘The Sabbath, that is to say, the observance of Saturday as a day to be devoted to God’s service, to rest of body and repose of mind, was an ordinance of God. This ordinance relating to Saturday could be changed by God and by God ONLY.
‘We, as PROTESTANTS, must appeal to the BIBLE, and the Bible ONLY, to ascertain the fact that God has chafed the day—-that God has HIMSELF substituted Sunday for Saturday…..It is NO answer to this to say that the apostles SEEM to have sanctioned the assembly of Christians for public worship on the Lord’s Day, or that St. John in the Apocalypse speaks of the Lord’s Day and MAY possibly allude to the Sunday FESTIVAL. For this is one of the arguments that PROVES TOO MUCH.
‘We ourselves keep Easter Day; this is no proof that we do not keep Christmas Day, or that Easter has been substituted for Christmas. And if we have instances of the first day of the week being kept holy by the APOSTLES, we have MORE instances of their observing the Jewish Sabbath.’” —‘Lord’s Day,’ p. 94. London: 1856; quoted in ‘The Literature of the Sabbath Question,’ Robert Cox, Vol. iI, pp. 369, 370.”- Facts of Faith, Christian Edwardson, pp. 106, 107, Southern Publishing Asso. (Revised), 1943.
Note that both Easter is observed on Sunday, and December 25 was the birthday of the sun god Mi to Mithras of Ancient Rome.
Let us be faithful followers of Christ and the Bible, not the Church and churches of tradition and fables! Bless all, NMF