Objection:
The Psalmist prophesied that there would be a new day of worship (See Ps. 118:22–24). The “day” mentioned in Psalms 118:24 can refer only to Sunday, the day Christ became the headstone of the corner.
Answer:
Psalms 118:22–24 reads: “The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
The objector’s reasoning is this: (1) Christ became “the head stone of the corner” by rising from the grave. (2) He rose on Sunday. (3) The statement, “This is the day which the Lord hath made,” applies to a twenty-four-hour day, and the day referred to is Sunday. (4) Therefore, “we will rejoice and be glad” on Sunday by keeping it as God’s holy day.
But nowhere does the Bible say Christ became the “head stone of the corner” by rising from the dead. In the New Testament, Christ is frequently referred to as “the chief cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20; 1 Peter 2:6) and as “the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18). But these references do not narrow down to any one act of Christ’s life, or to any moment, His acquiring of this title of headship. The context of Colossians 1:18 would indicate that if any one act is focused upon, it is the death of Christ, which occurred on the sixth day of the week.
It is true that the reference to Christ as “the head over all things to the church” in Ephesians 1:22 is found in a context that mentions the resurrection of Christ. But a reading of the context from verse 18 to verse 23 shows that Paul is discussing a series of significant events in connection with Christ. These events are given in sequence, without warrant for concluding that they must be understood as occurring on the same day. We read that God:
- “Raised him from the dead.”
- “Set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.”
- “Put all things under his feet.”
- “Gave him to be the head over all things to the church.”
An examination of Paul’s further writings clearly indicates that Christ’s sitting at God’s “right hand” is in His capacity as our High Priest: “We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.” Hebrews 8:1, 2. Certainly, Christ did not enter His high priestly ministry work that Sunday morning when He rose. He was with His disciples on earth for forty days after His resurrection.
Further, the phrase, “put all things under his feet,” brings to our mind another passage of Paul’s, in which he says of Christ: “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.” Hebrews 10:12, 13.
Without taking the matter further, it is evident that Paul’s statement in Ephesians 1:22 concerning Christ’s headship of the church does not warrant the conclusion that his headship was acquired on the Sunday of the resurrection. On the contrary, the related passages in Hebrews indicate it involved a sequence of events over a period of time.
Sometimes, another text is quoted by the advocates of this Sunday theory who seek to prove that Christ became the chief cornerstone precisely on the first day of the week, the resurrection Sunday. That text reads, “Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Romans 1:3, 4. That passage parallels the one in Ephesians that we have just analyzed, particularly Ephesians 1:19, 20. Hence, it gives no further proof in support of the theory.
Any theory that depends for its strength on focusing everything on one act of Christ’s life, to the exclusion of all other acts, may rightly be viewed with suspicion. Christ’s grand plan for man’s salvation depends on a series of noteworthy events. The incarnation was an event of vast significance; without it, there would have been no plan of salvation. The crucifixion holds a similar position, for without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. The resurrection is likewise of vast importance, for if Christ is not raised, we who die in Christ must perish (1 Corinthians 15:16, 17). Finally, the Second Advent is imperative to the success of the plan of salvation, for it is then that Christ comes “without sin unto salvation” to fulfill His promise “that where I am, there you may be also” (Hebrews 9:28; John 14:3). It is then that He becomes King of kings and Lord of lords and sees all His enemies put down under His feet.
Only the tremendous urge to load the first day of the week with sufficient sanctity to command reverence can explain the theological reasoning of those who seek to convey the impression that everything of significance for man’s salvation occurred on the morning of the resurrection. The Bible conveys no such impression. True, the Scriptures give profound meaning to the opened tomb, but they also provide similar meaning to Bethlehem’s manger, Calvary’s cross, and the rolling back of the heavens on the last day to reveal the face of our Lord.
So much for the part of the argument that would narrow down the fulfillment of Psalms 118:22 to a specific twenty-four-hour day, the resurrection day. Let us now inquire what the Psalmist meant when he said, “This is the day which the Lord hath made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Examining the verses that immediately precede and allow the passage under consideration reveals that the Psalmist is concerned with salvation. Verse 21 reads thus, “I will praise thee: for thou has heard me, and art become my salvation.” Verse 25 reads, “Save now, I beseech thee, O Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, send now prosperity.”
Compare that with the New Testament comment by Peter: “This is the stone which was set at naught of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other.” Acts 4:11, 12.
The natural conclusion, therefore, concerning the statement, “This is the day which the Lord hath made,” is that the Psalmist is speaking of the day of salvation that would be ushered in most definitely by the Advent of our Lord as the Savior of men. The Bible frequently uses the word “day” to describe an indefinite period of time. For example, we read of the “day of the Lord, the “day of judgment.” We know these cover very much more than a twenty-four-hour period. Likewise, the Bible speaks of the “day of salvation.” In Isaiah’s prophetic writings, we read, “Thus says the Lord, In an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee.” Isaiah 49:8.
Note Paul’s comment on this prophetic declaration as he addresses the church at Corinth. After quoting a portion of Isaiah 49:8, the apostle affirms, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2. According to the apostle Paul, the “day of salvation,” of which the prophets had written, was “now,” when he was writing to the church at Corinth, many years after the day of the resurrection. Evidently, he understood the “day” to refer to the whole period of God’s grace, which was to continue until the close of man’s probation.
In discussion with the unbelieving Jews, Christ spoke of those who were the servants of sin and how they could be saved from sin: “If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.” John 8:36. The Jews did not understand this divine plan of salvation and scornfully declared that they were Abraham’s children and were never in bondage to anyone. Then Christ replied, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” Verse 56. Abraham, with a prophetic eye, looked forward to the very time when Christ would stand before men to offer salvation to them, and Abraham “rejoiced.” Quite evidently, the “day of salvation” began before the resurrection.
Now let us view together the statement by the Psalmist and the statement concerning Abraham, remembering that the Psalmist and our spiritual father Abraham both looked forward to the coming of the Messiah:
“This is the day which the Lord bath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps. 118:24.
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.” John 8:56.
The parallel is perfect. We need not search further to discover the meaning of the Psalmist’s words.
As stated in the opening paragraph, some earnest Sunday advocates, hard-pressed for a Bible command to keep holy the first day of the week, fasten on this passage in the Psalms and declare that the Bible commands us to “rejoice and be glad” on Sunday. The Bible reveals that Abraham “rejoiced” and “was glad” concerning the “day” of which the Psalmist spoke. Is any Sunday advocate so courageous as to affirm that Abraham kept Sunday? What more needs to be said?
