Is it a sin for protestants to skip church on Sundays and why do they feel it is okay.

[crazzeto]

The fathers make a strong case for not observing the Saturday Sabbath. That, of course, isn’t in question here. They also argue that we should worship on Sunday because it is the day Christ arose. The case that they don’t make is that the Lord’s day is now the new Christian Sabbath, with all of the restrictions attendant to it that were part of the Mosaic covenant sign of the Sabbath.

It’s 100% impossible that God changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday, after Christ rose. We can know this for certain because He still calls Saturday the Sabbath 5 times in Acts. Plus, God still calls Sunday the “first (day) from the Sabbath” 8 times (Mt. 28:1; Mk. 16:2; 16:9; Lk. 24:1; Jn. 20:1, 20:19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).

It’s unthinkable that a Jewish author like Paul could believe the Sabbath was still binding when he omitted any exceptions in his 3, negative criticisms of the Sabbath (Rom. 14:5-6; Gal. 4:10; Col. 2:16-17). And, surely if the author of Hebrews believed the Sabbath was transferred to Sunday, he would have explained it in Hebrews 4, right?

Just try substituting Sabbatarian exceptions into these verses, and see how ridiculous they sound… “Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath (except the weekly, Christian Sabbath). These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ” (Col. 2:16-17). “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days (except the weekly, Christian Sabbath) alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Rom. 14:5-6). “…how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? You observe days (except the weekly, Christian Sabbath) and months and seasons and years!” (Gal. 4:9-10).

I understand the basis of your argument, but here’s the basic issue with what you have written…

Basically your position boils down to “well I don’t have to care about attending services on sunday or observing any speacial holyness because saturday is the sabbath”… But is that right? No no no… The best argument you can make, is that you should be observing both Saturday and Sunday in the same context, as the Sabbath. This is in fact what Peter and Paul taught, both in scripture and in the documents left by the early Church.

Now we know for a fact that what Peter and Paul were doing on Saturday was attending Jewish worship in the Temple. We also know for a fact that very early on, the Jews rejected Christians and kicked them out of the Temple! Thus, even in the days of Peter, Paul and John members of the Way (first called Christians in Antioch) were no longer able to keep Saturday (Old Sabbath) holy. It was an impossiblity, where they were supposed to be was the Temple, but the Jews wouldn’t allow anyone they reconginzed as being a Christian in.

We see the scars of this in Revelation:

Rev 3:12 He that shall overcome, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God: and he shall go out no more. And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and my new name.

For this reason, rather than propetually keeping the worship split across two different days the fathers consolodated worship unto Sunday, the Lord’s Day and made that obligitory.

 

[TriuneUnity]

I understand the basis of your argument, but here’s the basic issue with what you have written…

Basically your position boils down to “well I don’t have to care about attending services on sunday or observing any speacial holyness because saturday is the sabbath”

No, that is not my position. The Sabbath, as a command of God, is no longer functional for the Christian Church. The Sabbath restrictions and regulations are not applicable to the Lord’s day. The Sabbath commands were not even particularly about worship, they were about rest. Its fulfillment is in Christ, in whom we rest eternally through the Gospel. The book of Hebrews makes that clear.

My position is that we should attend worship services with the faithful regardless of the day that it is on because Scripture commands that we worship together, as the Hebrews passage you mentioned rightfully states, but not on one particular day as any more holy than another. It is, however, perfectly clear why the Church chose Sunday on which to meet. If the Church you attend worships on that day then you should be there worshiping with them.

 

[crazzeto]

No, that is not my position. The Sabbath, as a command of God, is no longer functional for the Christian Church. The Sabbath restrictions and regulations are not applicable to the Lord’s day. The Sabbath commands were not even particularly about worship, they were about rest. Its fulfillment is in Christ, in whom we rest eternally through the Gospel. The book of Hebrews makes that clear.

My position is that we should attend worship services with the faithful regardless of the day that it is on because Scripture commands that we worship together, as the Hebrews passage you mentioned rightfully states, but not on one particular day as any more holy than another. It is, however, perfectly clear why the Church chose Sunday on which to meet. If the Church you attend worships on that day then you should be there worshiping with them.

Ok, but your problem is that the teachings of Peter and Paul as recorded in about 400AD directly contradict what you just posted here, more over the fathers are in agreement… The command was to even give slaves the day off on the Lord’s Day so they could participate in the Lord’s supper.

 

[TriuneUnity]

Ok, but your problem is that the teachings of Peter and Paul as recorded in about 400AD directly contradict what you just posted here, more over the fathers are in agreement… The command was to even give slaves the day off on the Lord’s Day so they could participate in the Lord’s supper.

The words of Peter and Paul in 400 A.D.? Are these Scriptural words?

Well, for Christian slaveholders, I am sure they did give them the day off to participate in the Lord’s Supper. I am not sure how that is directly related to the Lord’s day having the same sabbatarian restrictions as the Jewish Sabbath. My argument is not “the Church should not worship and doesn’t have any reason to worship on Sunday.” It is concentrated solely on the idea that the regulations of Judaism are applicable to Sunday.

 

[crazzeto]

The words of Peter and Paul in 400 A.D.? Are these Scriptural words?

Well, for Christian slaveholders, I am sure they did give them the day off to participate in the Lord’s Supper. I am not sure how that is directly related to the Lord’s day having the same sabbatarian restrictions as the Jewish Sabbath. My argument is not “the Church should not worship and doesn’t have any reason to worship on Sunday.” It is concentrated solely on the idea that the regulations of Judaism are applicable to Sunday.

It’s the recording of the Apistolic teachings from the earliest days of Christendom, and the bible it’s self agree’s with this Apistolic teaching.

 

[TriuneUnity]

It’s the recording of the Apistolic teachings from the earliest days of Christendom, and the bible it’s self agree’s with this Apistolic teaching.

In looking over the Apostolic Constitutions on this point and in reading the whole quote, it is stating to let the workers rest on the Sabbath, which would be Saturday and then to go to church on the Lord’s day for instruction. What I fail to see is the connection you are making between that and stating that all of the Sabbath regulations of the Jews now apply to Sunday as the “new Sabbath.” You’ll not find any of this in the words of the Apostles in Scripture.

 

[crazzeto]

TriuneUnity

catholic.com/library/Sabbath_or_Sunday.asp

 

[TriuneUnity]

TriuneUnity

catholic.com/library/Sabbath_or_Sunday.asp

Okay… the quotes from the fathers show that the Church should not worship on Saturday in Sabbath observance. On this I agree, of course. The Sabbath as it exists in the book of Exodus is completely abolished, as the fathers say. The Apostles met on Sunday to worship to commemorate the resurrection and also, clearly, to separate themselves from Temple worship. I don’t have anything against that. The same is true for holy days, like Christmas, to mark important events in redemptive history. It’s entirely appropriate to do such a thing.

That is still not to say that this: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy" now applies to Sunday.

 

[Publisher]

In my opinion it is a sin, the 4th commandment- Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
Do the protestants not believe in the Ten Commandments? I rest my case.

Not to pick on you…but your statement reminds me of discussions I’ve read about Catholics not believing in the 2nd commandment since they make “graven images” and bow down before them…you and I both know that Catholics do not worship statues…just as I would dare say Protestants DO honor the 4th commandment. Seems we can’t have things just “one sided” on the 10 Commandment issue…now can we?

 

[LittleSoldier]

But isn’t the Catholic Church full of confusion? Aren’t there Catholics who believe abortion is OK and other Catholics who believe that it isn’t? Aren’t there some Catholics who believe priests ought to be able to marry and other Catholics who believe priests ought to remain celibate? Aren’t there some Catholics who believe Mass should be celebrated only in Latin and other Catholics who believe it should be celebrated only in the vernacular? Aren’t there Liberal Catholics and Charismatic Catholics and Traditionalist Catholics and Ultratraditionalist Catholics all claiming to be part of the Catholic Church yet all disagreeing with each other and all claiming that they are right? Aren’t there a myriad of different Catholic opinions about just as many issues? Sure, there are.

There are dissident, heretical, and Cafeteria Catholics. When it comes to dogma and doctrine, true Catholics accept Church teaching. If a Catholic believes abortion is OK, that Catholic is going against Church teaching and that is not acceptable. As far as Mass is concerned, the differences in ways to celebrate the Mass are not dogma or doctrine. Every Catholic Mass, no matter if it is said in Latin (and Greek) or in whatever the local language is, is still a Catholic Mass. It is the same Mass the entire world celebrates.

By comparison, the Non–Catholic world is calm and peaceful. Evangelicals, Methodists, Presbyterians, Nazarenes, Pentecostals, and even Lutherans , together with all the other denominations are not at war with each other in this way. They have settled their doctrinal and lifestyle differences. They know what they believe and why they believe it and they are therefore in a position to agree to differ in some of their doctrines. They are certainly not constantly arguing and bickering with each other as Catholics sometimes portray them to be so doing.

What I see happening in the “non-Catholic world” is that when a group of people disagree with their church teaching (and they do) they break off and form a new church. If protestants had settled their doctrinal and lifestyle differences there wouldn’t be a huge number of protestant churches, all claiming to know it all and be correct, even when in complete disagreement with the church two blocks down the road. If protestants had settled their doctrinal and lifestyle differences they would have merged into one church with a central authority, not little churches with their own authorities.

There are sinners in every church. There is no better place for sinners to be than in the Catholic Church, the Church Jesus founded and to which the gates of hell have never prevailed and never will.

It’s never OK to “agree to disagree” about Truth. One is either correct or one is wrong. The Catholic Church, founded by Jesus, teaches Truth. I don’t think Jesus lied about His Church. If the Church simply “agreed to disagree” she would be giving tacit approval to concepts that are against her teaching. She will never do that. Part of her mission is to teach Truth and she takes that mission very seriously.

 

[KathleenGee]

Gleaning through these threads…I cannot read the screen too long…As a Catholic, we are held more strictly than those who do not believe as we do.

The sacrament of the Eucharist requires the sacrament of penance for one who has seriously sinned before receiving again.

And we hold the day of the Resurrection, every Sunday, as the greatest and most sacred feast day in the church…the presence, power, and grace of the Lord the same in essence as He was on the day of the Resurrection…

Is it Catholics have a particular ecclesial sense of the sacred…that always call us to become better? We see we are lacking and need always to draw ourselves higher to the Lord…

But I have no clear idea or sense whatsoever if a protestant suffers the same for missing church services on Sunday or whatever day they hold as sabbath.

 

[BryanM27]

I’m a former Evangelical Christian and the attitude you have described sounds familiar. I think in Evangelical circles such an attitude would probably be regarded as in no way unusual. I doubt that any Evangelical would suggest in the case of another that it was a sin to miss church on Sunday in a specific instance since that might be seen as passing judging upon the action of another Christian. So if an Evangelical Christian misses church on Sunday – for whatever reason – that would doubtless be seen by other Evangelicals (including the pastor of the church) as a matter between that person and God.

Does that make sense?

Cordially,
Mick

Not saying you’re wrong, but the “Evangelicals” I’ve met are more judgmental than politicians in campaign ads. I actually met one who said that John Paul II and Mother Theresa are in Hell because as Catholics they believe in transubstantiation. What was funny was watching all the Baptists getting ready to stone him for that one. I couldn’t pick up my own stone because I was too busy rolling in the grass trying to keep my stomach from exploding I was laughing so hard at the whole scene.

 

[BryanM27]

There are dissident, heretical, and Cafeteria Catholics. When it comes to dogma and doctrine, true Catholics accept Church teaching. If a Catholic believes abortion is OK, that Catholic is going against Church teaching and that is not acceptable. As far as Mass is concerned, the differences in ways to celebrate the Mass are not dogma or doctrine. Every Catholic Mass, no matter if it is said in Latin (and Greek) or in whatever the local language is, is still a Catholic Mass. It is the same Mass the entire world celebrates.

What I see happening in the “non-Catholic world” is that when a group of people disagree with their church teaching (and they do) they break off and form a new church. If protestants had settled their doctrinal and lifestyle differences there wouldn’t be a huge number of protestant churches, all claiming to know it all and be correct, even when in complete disagreement with the church two blocks down the road. If protestants had settled their doctrinal and lifestyle differences they would have merged into one church with a central authority, not little churches with their own authorities.

There are sinners in every church. There is no better place for sinners to be than in the Catholic Church, the Church Jesus founded and to which the gates of hell have never prevailed and never will.

It’s never OK to “agree to disagree” about Truth. One is either correct or one is wrong. The Catholic Church, founded by Jesus, teaches Truth. I don’t think Jesus lied about His Church. If the Church simply “agreed to disagree” she would be giving tacit approval to concepts that are against her teaching. She will never do that. Part of her mission is to teach Truth and she takes that mission very seriously.

What’s great about being Catholic, that I see having been raised protestant and living as a converted Catholic in the deep south, is that Catholics seem to get “it” better when it comes to sin. In many protestant communities (especially in the south) sinners quickly become outcasts when their sins become known to the community. Smaller stuff might get forgiven, but bigger stuff gets magnified 100 times.

Catholics are capable of this, sure. But it has been my experience that Catholics will, in general, reach out to the sinners just as Christ reached out to them.

 

[mskejj]

Bottom line…we are to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind. If we can’t spend at least 1 hour a week with him as he asked us when he told us to keep holy the sabbath…we are not following his commandment.

 

[MoreCoffee]

I think that for many Protestants attending their local assembly/congregation for a Sunday service is desirable but missing it every now and then is not considered a sin. Many Protestant services do not include the “Lord’s supper” so those who miss it are missing is the sermon but not very much else. I think that many Protestant people think that the sermon is not a whole lot different from reading a book or studying the bible for themselves at home. I am guessing that it is because of the above sorts of considerations that missing an occasional Sunday service is not thought of as very serious.

 

[KathleenGee]

Christians should get out of the sack more and consider that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, Pentecost happened on Sunday…and the Gulf is filling up with oil.

 

[MoreCoffee]

The gulf is a long long long way away from where I live. It’s about 19,000 Km away

 

[CMatt25]

Christians should get out of the sack more and consider that Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, Pentecost happened on Sunday…and the Gulf is filling up with oil.

Getting out of the sack and going to church makes one no more a Christian than standing in their garage makes them a car. Peace.

 

[KathleenGee]

I was just thinking about this post…it made me think of a foreigner who immigrated to America…she said Americans have litte expectations of others.

You raise the bar, you put demands…just like Christ did…He gave many examples to challenge our faith. He disciplined. The Church is our mother.

The Church is our mother, and she disciplines and follows Christ’s exhortations to be more … for Him. My son considered some Catholic circles of reducing Christianity to being akin to just being nice.

So yes, I am very thankful and have much respect for my Church for its disciplines and higher calling.

Disciplines help us to avoid becoming lukewarm Christians and enduring the inevitable of being spit out of Christ’s mouth.

 

[regression]

Getting out of the sack and going to church makes one no more a Christian than standing in their garage makes them a car. Peace.

True, just going through the motions doesn’t make one a Christian, but hopefully if one is lukewarm and is in church, they will near something they ordinarily wouldn’t and “light a fire” in them. And maybe through the graces of the Eucharist they will be led to be more dedicated to live a Christian life.