Sabbath and Early Christians, Part 2

Sabbath and Early Christians, Part 2

According to the 1647’s Westminster Confession of Faith and the 1689’s London Baptist Confession of Faith, Sabbath observance is a positive, moral, and perpetual command binding all men in all ages but then says from Creation to Christ it was on the Seventh Day but changed into the First Day of the week from Christ to Consummation.

“As it is the law of nature, that, in general, a due proportion of time be set apart for the worship of God; so, in His Word, by a positive, moral, and perpetual commandment binding all men in all ages, He hath particularly appointed one day in seven, for a Sabbath, to be kept holy unto Him: which, from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ, was the last day of the week, and, from the resurrection of Christ, was changed into the first day of the week, which, in Scripture, is called the Lord’s Day; and is to be continued to the end of the world, as the Christian Sabbath”

If Sabbath observance as they say is a positive, moral, and perpetual command then it is that important and must have found a place of prominence among the early Christian writers. Not to say that their letters are infallible, nevertheless, let us test this claim by doing a brief survey of what the following ancient writers taught about the Sabbath and perhaps the Mosaic Law and the New Covenant.

Ignatius of Antioch (50 – 108 AD)
Justin Martyr (100 – 165 AD)
Tertullian (160 – 220 AD)
John Chrysostom (349 – 407 AD)
Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD)

Unless otherwise specified, all Scripture quote is from the New International Version 2016. And all quotes from the ancient writers is taken from the New Advent, a Roman Catholic Online Encyclopedia.

Part 2 – Justin Martyr (100 – 165 AD)

A man of many learning, Justin Martyr found “true philosophy” in the early Christianity from an old man from Syria but spent most of his time in defense of his faith in Rome. He is created with eight writings but well only go through two of which Sabbath, the Law, and the New Covenant are mentioned.

In his, First Apology, which was addressed to the Roman Senate, he describes the day that Christians meet together and spend time reading Scriptures, praying, sharing bread and wine, and giving to those in need,

“And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these good things. Then we all rise together and pray, and, as we before said, when our prayer is ended, bread and wine and water are brought, and the president in like manner offers prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen.”

First Apology, Chapter 67

He called it Sunday, a day of common assembly on the ground that God turned darkness and created the world on the first day as well as it is the day that Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples,

“Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Saviour on the same day rose from the dead. For He was crucified on the day before that of Saturn (Saturday); and on the day after that of Saturn, which is the day of the Sun, having appeared to His apostles and disciples, He taught them these things, which we have submitted to you also for your consideration.”

First Apology, Chapter 67

Then in a voluminous work containing his Dialogue With Trypho, He defended the Christian faith to the Jewish Rabbi. Reasoning from Scriptures why Christians no longer follow the commandments according to Law of Moses such as Sabbath observance and circumcision, to name a few. He said because it was made old and abrogated belonging to the Jews alone.

“Is there any other matter, my friends, in which we are blamed, than this, that we live not after the law, and are not circumcised in the flesh as your forefathers were, and do not observe sabbaths as you do? Are our lives and customs also slandered among you? And i ask this: have you also believed concerning us, that we eat men; and that after the feast, having extinguished the lights, we engage in promiscuous concubinage? Or do you condemn us in this alone, that we adhere to such tenets, and believe in an opinion, untrue, as you think?”

Dialogue With Trypho, Chapter 10

But now a law in place of the old was given, universal, a covenant trustworthy that ended the previous one, an eternal and final law, after which there will be no other, namely Christ.

“For the law promulgated on Horeb is now old, and belongs to yourselves alone; but this is for all universally. Now, law placed against law has abrogated that which is before it, and a covenant which comes after in like manner has put an end to the previous one; and an eternal and final law — namely, Christ.”

Dialogue With Trypho, Chapter 10

In this new law, the true sabbaths of God is perpetual not weekly, when people cease from sinning they are constantly at rest from sin but in Christ.

“This same law you have despised, and His new holy covenant you have slighted; and now you neither receive it, nor repent of your evil deeds. For your ears are closed, your eyes are blinded, and the heart is hardened, Jeremiah has cried; yet not even then do you listen. The Lawgiver is present, yet you do not see Him; to the poor the Gospel is preached, the blind see, yet you do not understand. You have now need of a second circumcision, though you glory greatly in the flesh. The new law requires you to keep perpetual sabbath, and you, because you are idle for one day, suppose you are pious, not discerning why this has been commanded you: and if you eat unleavened bread, you say the will of God has been fulfilled. The Lord our God does not take pleasure in such observances: if there is any perjured person or a thief among you, let him cease to be so; if any adulterer, let him repent; then he has kept the sweet and true sabbaths of God. If any one has impure hands, let him wash and be pure.”

Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 12

Likewise he also said that circumcision started with Abraham and Sabbath started with Moses but they ended in Jesus Christ.

“Do you see that the elements are not idle, and keep no Sabbaths? Remain as you were born. For if there was no need of circumcision before Abraham, or of the observance of Sabbaths, of feasts and sacrifices, before Moses; no more need is there of them now, after that, according to the will of God, Jesus Christ the Son of God has been born without sin, of a virgin sprung from the stock of Abraham.“

Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 23

“Moreover, by the works and by the attendant miracles, it is possible for all to understand that He is the new law, and the new covenant, and the expectation of those who out of every people wait for the good things of God. For the true spiritual Israel, and descendants of Judah, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (who in uncircumcision was approved of and blessed by God on account of his faith, and called the father of many nations), are we who have been led to God through this crucified Christ, as shall be demonstrated while we proceed.”

Dialogue with Trypho, Chapter 10

Thus, for this defender of the faith, Justin Martyr, weekly Sabbath observance of the Old Covenant is nothing but a type of the true rest found in no other but Christ, who is the new law, eternal and final. And under this promised new and trustworthy covenant, Christians are not idle weekly but perpetually keeping the true sabbaths of God for repenting of their sins.