Why Do Christians Worship on Sunday?

Christians gather to worship on Sunday because that is the day Jesus rose from the dead. The Gospels put the resurrection on the first day of the week. Acts and 1 Corinthians show the church together on that day. The seventh day remains the Sabbath of Israel in Exodus 20. The church’s meeting day is the day of the resurrection. Jesus is God. Sunday is that day, kept because of him.

Key Points

• Matthew 28:1Matthew 28:1 · King James VersionIn the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.Matthew 28:1 · King James VersionOpen source (1) and John 20:1John 20:1 · King James VersionThe first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.John 20:1 · King James VersionOpen source (2) put the empty tomb at the first day of the week. John 20:19John 20:19 · King James VersionThen the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.John 20:19 · King James VersionOpen source (2) has the disciples together that evening, and Jesus stands among them.
• Acts 20:7Acts 20:7 · King James VersionAnd upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.Acts 20:7 · King James VersionOpen source (3) says that on the first day of the week the disciples came together to break bread. 1 Corinthians 16:21 Corinthians 16:2 · King James VersionUpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.1 Corinthians 16:2 · King James VersionOpen source (4) says that on the first day of the week each one should lay something aside.
• Revelation 1:10Revelation 1:10 · King James VersionI was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,Revelation 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source (5) says John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. The verse does not define the phrase. Justin, below, calls Sunday the day Jesus rose.
• Justin Martyr, First Apology 67 (8) says that on the day called Sunday, those in the cities and the country gather, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read.
• Exodus 20:8Exodus 20:8 · King James VersionRemember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.Exodus 20:8 · King James VersionOpen source (7) says to remember the Sabbath day, the seventh day. Colossians 2:16–17Colossians 2:16 · King James VersionLet no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:Colossians 2:16 · King James VersionOpen source (6) calls sabbath days a shadow of what is to come, and says the body is Christ.
• Seventh-day Adventist Belief 20 (9) says the fourth commandment requires the seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry. Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday? quotes that belief beside these same verses.

The First Day of the Week

Matthew 28:1Matthew 28:1 · King James VersionIn the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.Matthew 28:1 · King James VersionOpen source (1) begins the resurrection chapter “in the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week.” John 20:1John 20:1 · King James VersionThe first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.John 20:1 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says Mary Magdalene came to the sepulchre on the first day of the week, while it was yet dark, and the stone had been taken away. John 20:19John 20:19 · King James VersionThen the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.John 20:19 · King James VersionOpen source (2) says that the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, the disciples were assembled, and Jesus came and stood in the midst. The meeting and the resurrection are on that day. The Resurrection of Jesus is the chapter those verses belong to.

Acts 20:7Acts 20:7 · King James VersionAnd upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.Acts 20:7 · King James VersionOpen source (3) says that upon the first day of the week, the disciples came together to break bread, and Paul preached. The purpose of the meeting, in that verse, is the breaking of bread and the word. It is not a sentence that renames the seventh day. 1 Corinthians 16:21 Corinthians 16:2 · King James VersionUpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.1 Corinthians 16:2 · King James VersionOpen source (4) tells the church that upon the first day of the week every one should lay by him in store, as God has prospered him, so that the collection is ready when Paul comes. The day is already the day they handle the church’s gift.

Revelation 1:10Revelation 1:10 · King James VersionI was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet,Revelation 1:10 · King James VersionOpen source (5) says John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day. The verse does not define the phrase. Justin, below, calls the assembly day Sunday, and he says they meet then because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. The Gospels call that resurrection the first day of the week. Jesus is God. Sunday, in Justin’s chapter, is his day because he rose.

Sunday in the Second Century

Justin Martyr, First Apology 67 (8), written in the second century, describes the church’s meeting:

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.

The next lines of that chapter, on the same page, say the president instructs, the people pray, bread and wine are brought, and those who prosper give for the orphans and widows. Justin then says they meet on Sunday because it is the first day, the day God changed darkness and matter and made the world, and the day Jesus Christ their Saviour rose from the dead. The purpose of the meeting, in his account, is the apostles, the prophets, prayer, the bread and the cup, and the care of the poor.

Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday? also quotes the Didache on gathering on the Lord’s day to break bread. That page is the longer comparison. This page is the reason the church’s day is Sunday.

The Seventh Day

Exodus 20:8–11Exodus 20:8–11 · King James Version^20:8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ^20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: ^20:10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: ^20:11 For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.Exodus 20:8–11 · King James VersionOpen source (7) commands Israel to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy, and to rest on the seventh day, because the LORD rested on the seventh day of creation. That commandment is in the Law. It is not a verse about the church’s assembly after the resurrection.

Colossians 2:16–17Colossians 2:16 · King James VersionLet no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:Colossians 2:16 · King James VersionOpen source (6) says let no man judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come, and the body is of Christ. The sabbath days are named as a shadow. Christ is the body. The shadow is not abolished by pretending the seventh day was never commanded. It is fulfilled in him.

Seventh-day Adventists keep the seventh day and say Sunday is a later change. Belief 20 (9) says:

The fourth commandment of God’s unchangeable law requires the observance of this seventh-day Sabbath as the day of rest, worship, and ministry in harmony with the teaching and practice of Jesus, the Lord of the Sabbath.

That is their confession, in their words. Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday? sets the full belief beside Exodus 20, Colossians 2, Acts 20, and Justin. The Christian claim on this page is the resurrection. The church gathers on the first day because Jesus rose on the first day. Going to church on Sunday is that gathering: the word, the bread, and the people of the risen Lord.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Bible Say to Worship on Sunday?

Acts 20:7Acts 20:7 · King James VersionAnd upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.Acts 20:7 · King James VersionOpen source (3) has the disciples together to break bread on the first day of the week. 1 Corinthians 16:21 Corinthians 16:2 · King James VersionUpon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.1 Corinthians 16:2 · King James VersionOpen source (4) names that day for the collection. John 20:19John 20:19 · King James VersionThen the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.John 20:19 · King James VersionOpen source (2) has the disciples assembled on the evening of the resurrection. The Bible does not contain the sentence “worship on Sunday.” It shows the church on the day Jesus rose.

Why Sunday Instead of the Sabbath?

Exodus 20:8Exodus 20:8 · King James VersionRemember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.Exodus 20:8 · King James VersionOpen source (7) gives Israel the seventh day. Matthew 28:1Matthew 28:1 · King James VersionIn the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.Matthew 28:1 · King James VersionOpen source (1) puts the resurrection on the first day. Colossians 2:16–17Colossians 2:16 · King James VersionLet no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:Colossians 2:16 · King James VersionOpen source (6) calls the sabbath days a shadow, and Christ the body. The longer answer is Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday?.

What Is the Purpose of Sunday Worship?

In Acts 20:7Acts 20:7 · King James VersionAnd upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.Acts 20:7 · King James VersionOpen source (3) the church breaks bread and hears the word. In Justin’s chapter the church reads the apostles and the prophets, prays, takes bread and wine, and gives for the poor. The day is the resurrection. The meeting is for that Lord.

Is Sunday the True Day of Worship?

The seventh day is the Sabbath of the commandment. The church’s day is the first day, because that is when Jesus rose and when the apostles met. Belief 20 (9) says the true day of worship is the seventh. The New Testament’s meeting day is the day of the resurrection.

Keep Reading

• Is the Sabbath Saturday or Sunday?
• The Resurrection of Jesus
• Who May Take the Lord’s Supper?
• What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?
• The Trinity