Bible Readings — Bible Questions Answered

Protestants Agree No Bible Command

Do Protestant writers acknowledge the same? BR-ASI9 303.8

They do. BR-ASI9 303.9

Note.—“The Lord’s day was merely of ecclesiastical institution. It was not introduced by virtue of the fourth commandment.”—Jeremy Taylor (Church of England), Ductor Dubitantium, part 1, book 2, chap. 2, rule 6, secs. 51, 59 (1850 ed.), vol. 9, pp. 458, 464. BR-ASI9 303.10

“The Lord’s Day is not sanctified by any specific command or by any inevitable inference. In all the New Testament there is no hint or suggestion of a legal obligation binding any man, whether saint or sinner, to observe the Day. Its sanctity arises only out of what it means to the true believer.”—J. J. Taylor (Baptist), The Sabbatic Question, p. 72. BR-ASI9 304.1

“Because it was requisite to appoint a certain day, that the people might know when they ought to come together, it appears that the [Christian] Church did for that purpose appoint the Lord’s day.”—Augsburg Confession, part 2, art. 7, in Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom (Scribner’s, 4th ed.), vol. 3, p. 69. BR-ASI9 304.2

“And where are we told in the Scriptures that we are to keep the first day at all? We are commanded to keep the seventh; but we are nowhere commanded to keep the first day. . . . The reasons why we keep the first day of the week holy instead of the seventh is for the same reason that we observe many other things, not because the Bible, but because the church, has enjoined it.”—Isaac Williams (Anglican), Plain Sermons on the Catechism, vol. 1, pp. 334, 336. BR-ASI9 304.3