Articles
The First Day of the Week
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On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come. (1 Cor. 16:2)
Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. (Ac. 20:7)
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These two passages, involving events closely related in time, tell us that barely two decades after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, Sunday was widely recognized as the day of worship by the early Christians. Why was the first day of the week so important to the early Christians--and to us?
The primary reason is that it commemorates the day Jesus arose from the dead (Matt. 28:1; Mk. 16:2; Lk. 24:1). His resurrection is the foundation of our faith, and that weekly reminder of His victory over death feeds the hope that keeps us strong through the storms of life.
The first day of the week also commemorates the birth of the church. The extraordinary events of Acts 2--Peter's first sermon and the mass conversions that followed--occurred on the Day of Pentecost, which was fifty days (seven weeks and one day) after the Passover Sabbath (Lev. 23:15-16).
But why must we observe every Sunday? This question is especially relevant to the observance of the Lord's Supper. Why not do it quarterly or annually, as some churches do?
The only Biblical precedent for assembling every Sunday--which virtually every church throughout Christendom does--is these same two verses, one of which specifically mentions the Lord's Supper. Taking the Lord's Supper and meeting on Sunday are inextricably tied together. We cannot have one without the other.
In fact, the wording of the original language in 1 Cor. 16:2 indicates every first day of the week, similar to "every year" (Lk. 2:41), "every day" (Lk. 16:19), "every Sabbath" (Ac. 13:27), and "every month" (Rev. 22:2). Most current translations render this verse, "every first day of the week" (NASV, ESV, NIV, RSV, etc.). This meaning is confirmed by later Christian writers, such as Justin Martyr (ca. A.D. 150), who described the meetings of the Christians every Sunday, including the Lord's Supper.
The opportunity to come together on the first day of every week to remember our Savior and our salvation is a privilege that we should be eager to participate in.
--David
