Slideshow image

In my sermon on May 17, part of the text dealt with honoring the Sabbath. Afterward, I was asked by a member for some references as to the necessity of corporate worship on the Lord’s Day. This is an excellent question I would like to comment on. Before turning to the Scriptures, let me offer some words of introduction referencing the Westminster Confession of Faith:

“The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture …” (WCF 1.6).

While much is expressly set down in Scripture, not everything that governs our faith and practice as Christians is overt but may be deduced from Scripture. Notice the Confession uses the qualifiers, “good and necessary.” By using the word “good” the confession is suggesting whatever deduction is made must be derived directly from the text without introducing any external or speculative notions. “Necessary” implies the conclusion is unavoidable. If the premises are true, the conclusion will follow.

For example, take the doctrine of the Trinity. While the Bible never explicitly describes God as one in essence and three in person, we can rightly deduce from Scripture this is the case. Since Scripture everywhere affirms there is only one God and yet assigns divine attributes to the Son and the Holy Spirit, we can rightly conclude God is one and three. There is no contradiction since we assert both truths in different categories. God is neither one and three in essence nor one and three in person but one in essence and three in person. Additional beliefs which follow by good and necessary consequence include the hypostatic union of Christ and the canon of Scripture. In the realm of ethics, we can deduce from Scripture that abortion is forbidden.

While there may not be a command that says in precise terms “you must gather for corporate worship on the Lord’s Day,” we can, by good and necessary consequence, reach this conclusion surveying the principles and practices found in Scripture. Though not everything described in the Bible is necessarily prescribed, I believe we can derive scriptural imperatives from the practices outlined for the church as well as stated practices of the church.

We begin with the example of Jesus: “… And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read” (Luke 4:16). The Lord honored the Sabbath by worshipping in the synagogue as did the people. Under the new covenant, Jesus’s resurrection transformed the day of worship from Saturday to Sunday known as the “Lord’s Day” (Revelation 1:10) which our confession identities as the “Christian Sabbath” (WCF XXI.7).

With respect to corporate worship, we have the example of the early church meeting corporately devoting “themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers” (Acts 2:41-42). Since there were no sanctioned buildings where God’s people could gather for worship the early church met in homes:

  • “Greet also the church in their house” (Romans 16:5).
  • “The churches of Asia greet Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church in their house.” (1 Corinthians 16:19).
  • “Greet the brothers at Laodicea, and Nympha and the church in her ” (Colossians 4:15).
  • “… and the church in your house” (Philemon 1:2).

Consider the frequency of the Greek verb for assembling or coming together (synerchomai) just in 1 Corinthians:

  • “When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus” (5:4).
  • “… when you come together” (11:17).
  • “… when you come together as a church” (11:18).
  • “When you come together” (11:20).
  • “… when you come together” (11:33).
  • “… when you come together” (11:34).
  • “… the whole church comes together” (14:23).
  • “… When you come together” (14:26).

Additional evidence

Paul instructs the church in Colossae to have his letter read to the Laodiceans and vice versa, assuming the gathering of believers: “And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea” (Colossians 4:16).

James also talks about the corporate assembly of the church and instructs them not to show partiality to the rich as to where they are to be seated compared to the poor (James 2:1-4).

When was this done? The first day of the week is highlighted as the day God’s people gathered.

  • “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight” (Acts 20:8).
  • “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2).

The practice of God’s people following the apostolic age, reflects the earlier practices of the church:

Didache (likely late 1st century):

“But every Lord’s day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your transgressions, that your sacrifice may be pure.” (Chapter 14).

Justin Martyr, First Apology (c. 150):

“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; and there is a distribution to each, and a participation of that over which thanks have been given, and to those who are absent a portion is sent by the deacons.” (Chapter 67 - Weekly Worship of the Christians)

The Pastoral Epistles clearly demonstrate the priority of corporate worship, especially in 1 and 2 Timothy, as Paul instructs his spiritual son how to conduct himself and the people when gathering together.

The writer of Hebrews exhorts the church to not neglect meeting together: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

When taken together, the picture we find in the New Testament is of God’s people regularly assembling together to hear the teaching of the apostles, whether in person or by letter (Acts 2:42; 2 Timothy 4:2). This included prayer (1 Timothy 2:1-2), singing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), the breaking of bread (Acts 2:42; 20:8) and giving (1 Corinthians 16:2). We have every reason to believe they met the first day of the week and this practice clearly continued after the apostolic age. Therefore, by good and necessary consequence, we conclude that we too are to honor the Christian Sabbath by gathering corporately for worship for all said reasons. Private worship is certainly encouraged as part of honoring the Lord’s Day but not in exchange for public worship.

Based on their understanding of Scripture, the Westminster divines describe how to honor the Christian Sabbath:

“This Sabbath is then kept holy unto the Lord, when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest, all the day, from their own works, words, and thoughts about their worldly employments and recreations, but also are taken up, the whole time, in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy” (WCF XXI.8).

Many candidates for ordination in the PCA take exception to the word “recreations” since it is unclear how one defines it and whether some types of recreation may be considered forms of rest. Naturally, whatever form they take they can never replace worship.

Let me conclude by directing you to Isaiah 58 where we find a window into the Lord’s heart for his people on the Sabbath. The Sabbath is not meant to be a burden but a blessing. In fact, he promises to bless us for honoring his holy day:

“If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob” (Isaiah 58:13-14).

Breaking the Sabbath                                                  Honoring the Sabbath

“doing as you please”                                                 “call the Sabbath a delight”

“going your own way”                                                “[call] the Lord’s holy day honorable”

“seeking your own pleasure”                                  “delight yourself in the Lord”

“speaking idle words”                                                 “honor it”

We honor the Lord by honoring his day, a day he designed for our physical and spiritual refreshment. Apart from works of necessity and providential hindrances, let us make coming together to worship the Lord on the Christian Sabbath a non-negotiable around which everything else is organized and structured. May the Lord feed our souls and let us ride on the heights of his grace!

Blessings, Pastor Frank