The History and Development of Sunday as the Christian Sabbath

One of the initial things that draws many Christians to Messianic faith is the keeping of the Sabbath on the seventh day of the week. Christians reading the Ten Commandments find themselves confused by the ignoring of the Sabbath commandment by Christianity as a whole (aside from Seventh-Day Adventists) and realize they can’t find anywhere in Scripture that changed the day of gathering and worship to Sunday.

The shift from the biblical Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday as the primary day of worship in Christianity was a gradual process influenced by theological, historical, and political factors. Many of the same factors played into the much larger drift that moved Christianity away from Judaism in general.

Jesus’ Example

As we look at the keeping of the Sabbath, let’s start with the practice of our Messiah, Jesus Himself. We know from reading the Gospels that Jesus, His disciples, and the vast majority of His followers were observant Jews. We see Jesus teaching in synagogues multiple times as well as going to the Temple in Jerusalem for the pilgrimage festivals (as well as Hanukkah at least once).

While some may take a few things Jesus says to mean that He was nullifying the keeping of the Sabbath, we also know that He couldn’t do that and be sinless. God’s word cannot change, and the keeping of the Sabbath for Israel was non-negotiable in Scripture.

The Early Messianic Community

We also know that Jesus’ disciples continued to honor the Sabbath after His resurrection (Acts 13:14-15, Acts 17:2). They were also in Jerusalem for Shavuot immediately after Jesus’ ascension when the Holy Spirit was poured out. The first followers of Jesus were all Jewish and continued meeting in synagogues on the Sabbath, while also gathering for fellowship and prayer throughout the week (Acts 2:46). The Apostle Paul regularly attended synagogue on Shabbat whenever he went to a new city in his travels as well, showing a pattern of faithfulness to the Sabbath.

The primary theological argument for Sunday worship is that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1, Mark 16:2, Luke 24:1). There is some evidence that the early Messianic community (Jews and Gentiles) may have gathered to celebrate His resurrection on Sundays, but this did not immediately replace Sabbath observance.

Acts 20:7 mentions believers gathering on the “first day of the week” to break bread, though this was likely a Saturday evening gathering (as Jewish days begin at sundown), and 1 Corinthians 16:2 references setting aside offerings on the first day of the week, but this does not indicate a formal Sabbath replacement.

The Shift Toward Sunday Worship

As Christianity spread among Gentiles, it increasingly distanced itself from Jewish traditions, including Sabbath observance. By the 2nd century, some Gentile Christians sought to separate themselves from Jewish customs due to rising tensions between Jews and the Roman Empire.

Some of the early Church fathers decried the keeping of the Sabbath, for example, Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110 AD) suggested that believers “no longer observe the Sabbath but live in observance of the Lord’s Day.” And Justin Martyr (Jewish historian, c. 150 AD) wrote that Christians gathered on Sunday to commemorate creation and Yeshua’s resurrection, though Sabbath observance still persisted in some communities.

In 321 AD, the Edict of Constantine was issued, declaring that Sunday should be a day of rest throughout the Roman Empire. This law was largely influenced by Mithraic sun worship, which was common in Rome, but it also aligned with Christian Sunday observance. And at the Council of Laodicea (363-364 AD) Sabbath observance for Christians was officially prohibited, stating that believers should not rest on the Sabbath but rather on Sunday. “Christians must not Judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord’s Day” (Canon 29).

Theological Justifications for Sunday as the Christian Sabbath

As Sunday worship became more widespread, and then later in the Reformation, church leaders developed theological arguments to support the change:

• Sunday as the “Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10) – Some interpreted this as referring to a new Christian Sabbath.
• New Creation Theology – Some theologians taught that the resurrection marked a “new creation,” and Sunday represented a new beginning.
• Spiritual Sabbath – Church leaders like Augustine (4th century) taught that the Sabbath was no longer about a specific day but about spiritual rest in Christ (Hebrews 4:9-11).
• Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274 AD) – Taught that the moral aspect of the Sabbath command (rest and worship) was transferred to Sunday.
• Martin Luther (16th century) affirmed Sunday worship but rejected the idea that it was a divinely commanded Sabbath.
• John Calvin taught that Sabbath observance was no longer binding but supported Sunday as a day of rest for practical reasons.

And so we see that the shift from Saturday to Sunday as the Christian day of worship was a gradual process influenced by theology, cultural shifts, and political decisions. While early Jewish believers in Jesus continued observing the Sabbath, Gentile Christians increasingly worshiped on Sunday, especially after Constantine’s edict. Over time, Sunday was reinterpreted as the “Christian Sabbath,” though there is no biblical commandment that replaces the seventh-day Sabbath with Sunday. In Messianic Judaism, we do not judge those who continue to keep some form of a “Sunday Sabbath” as being in sin. Instead, we recognize both our own conviction to walk in obedience to this commandment, and the blessing we have received since doing so. We view the keeping of Shabbat as a kind of “tithe” on our time – giving God what He has asked for, and thanking Him for the blessing of the rest of our time in return. The Shabbat is a gift, made for mankind.