Objection:
The resurrection is the most significant event in Christianity; therefore, we observe Sunday. Those who keep the Sabbath are not considered Christians, as they do not celebrate Christ’s resurrection.
Answer:
Even if we agree that the resurrection is the greatest event in the history of Christianity, it does not follow that the Sabbath established in the Ten Commandments should be abolished and replaced by Sunday worship. Who are we, as frail mortals, to decide which event is the most significant in God’s dealings with His people? The Bible does not provide a definitive statement on this matter. Moreover, how can we determine how a holy event in Christ’s life should be commemorated? If humans must choose which event is the greatest and decide how it should be remembered, then Sunday sacredness is built on human reasoning rather than divine instruction.
All that would be required to change the day of worship is for Christians to agree that another event is the greatest in Christianity’s history. A strong case could be made for the crucifixion as the most notable event, as it revealed the supreme example of unselfish love—the Son of God giving His life for a rebellious world. Alternatively, one could argue for the significance of Christ’s birth, when the universe witnessed God made manifest in the flesh.
Christianity would be meaningless without the crucifixion of Christ, just as it would be without His miraculous birth. Therefore, how can we confidently assert which event is the greatest in the history of Christianity? How could we refute someone who claims the crucifixion is the most significant event? If that individual chooses to observe Friday in honor of that declaration, how can we argue that he is less consistent than a Sunday keeper, who bases their holy day on their own subjective view of importance?
This line of reasoning leads us to the conclusion that an individual might choose to observe any one of several days based on their appraisal of notable events and still be a good Christian. The only day a Christian should not keep holy is the seventh day of the week. Sabbath keepers often face the accusation that they are not Christians because they do not honor the event that Sunday keepers have deemed significant, or because they do not commemorate it in the manner prescribed by Sunday keepers.
However, Sabbath keepers do remember our Lord’s resurrection and its importance to Christians. We faithfully practice the ordinance of baptism, which God intended to keep the significance of both Christ’s death and resurrection in our minds (see Romans 6:3-5). We baptize by immersion, which allows us to vividly remember that Christ was buried and rose again.
In contrast, the Sunday keeper, by designating a specific day to remember the resurrection, undermines the purpose of baptism, which God intended to commemorate that event. Perhaps that is why many churches have reduced the rite of baptism to the sprinkling of a few drops of water—this method conveys no understanding of “baptism into death” or the concept of rising again to walk in newness of life.
