In Defense of the Faith

The Sabbath in the Book of Acts

“We turn to Acts, which was written some thirty-three years this side the commencement of the gospel age, and written by a Christian. It shows us the language of the apostolic Christians touching the ancient Sabbath, and how they used it. We find them always calling it ‘the Sabbath,’ just as it had been called in the old dispensation, and using it for religious worship as of old. Of Paul and Barnabas it says: ‘They came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down.’ Acts 13:14. This was the seventh day, the day on which the Jews worshipped. Inspiration here calls it the Sabbath day, not a Sabbath day, nor the old Sabbath day, nor the Jewish Sabbath day, nor the day that used to be the Sabbath, but ‘the Sabbath day.’ ... DOF 126.1

“Paul, in his sermon referring to that day, says that the prophets ‘are read every Sabbath day.’ Verse 27. Here the apostle calls it definitely ‘the Sabbath day.’ When he had finished his discourse, ‘the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath.’ Verse 42. Here even the Gentiles called it the Sabbath. Once more: ‘And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together.’ Verse 44. Luke, the historian, here calls it the Sabbath, and records the meetings they held upon it. James, in Acts 15:21, says the Scriptures are ‘read in the synagogues, every Sabbath day.’ Thus, James still designates that as the Sabbath day. DOF 126.2

“Once more: ‘And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a riverside, where prayer was wont to be made.’ Acts 16:13. On what day? The Sabbath. Who will contradict the Scriptures, and say that it was not the Sabbath? Every one holds that the day here referred to was the seventh day; and this record is in the New Testament. This day, then,, is the ‘Christian Sabbath.’ DOF 127.1

“Again: Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures.’ Acts 17:2. It was Paul’s custom to observe the Sabbath, as we here see. On what days did he preach there? On the Sabbath days. But this was on the seventh day, not on the first. Which, then, is the Sabbath day, according to Paul? Thus we find that the seventh day is always and invariably termed ‘the Sabbath’ in the New Testament, while the first day is never so called.... DOF 127.2

“Here we think we have plainly found the ‘Christian Sabbath;’ that is, the Sabbath day which the Christian Scriptures plainly teach. We ask, then, By what authority do you apply the term ‘Sabbath’ to the first day of the week? God has never changed it, and why should you? DOF 127.3

“In conclusion we ask, Where did the Lord ever give you permission to work on His holy day? Who gave you liberty to use it for secular work? When was the blessing or sanctification removed from it? Where do you find in the New Testament that a Christian ever worked on the seventh day? We pray you to consider these things in the light of the judgment.”—D.M. Canright, The Christian Sabbath, pp. 2-7. DOF 127.4