Why did Constantine make Sunday for worship?

Answer 1

Christians typically go to church on Sunday, rather than Saturday, because Jesus was raised from the dead on a Sunday morning. The resurrection is extremely important for Christians. Indeed, it's so important that, if it didn't occur, Christianity would be false! In 1 Corinthians 15:17 Paul writes, "...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins."

But why is such great significance attached to Jesus' bodily resurrection? Although many reasons could be given, let me mention just two:

1. In the resurrection, God the Father vindicated the person and work of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who had been crucified not for His own sin, but for ours (2 Cor. 5:21). Thus, in Romans 1:4 we read that Jesus "was declared the Son of God with power by (or "as a result of") the resurrection from the dead." But don't Christians believe that Jesus was already the Son of God before His resurrection? Yes; this passage teaches that the resurrection was God's powerful confirmation that Jesus' message about Himself was true. After all, anyone can CLAIM to be the Son of God, but only God can confirm the truth of such a claim by raising the person from the dead!
2. 2. In Romans 4:25 we read that Christ "was delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification." To "justify" someone means to declare them "righteous," or not-guilty. This passage indicates the sufficiency of Christ's death for all believers. In other words, believers can be confident of their justification by God on the basis of Christ's resurrection. If the Father had not been fully satisfied with Christ's death for our sins, He would not have raised Him from the dead. The resurrection is thus God's confirmation of the complete sufficiency of Christ's death for all who believe!

It is thus because of the tremendous importance of Christ's resurrection for the Christian faith that Christians worship on Sunday, the day that God raised Jesus from the dead.

Most people who call themselves christian do not go to church on Sundays.

Answer:

Because they have been taught to. There is no biblical commandment for it. It was the commandment of Catholicism.

Another perspective:

In matters of public assembly and worship services, Christians should do what they do the way they do it for one of two reasons: New Testament precept (command) or example. In the absence of a direct commandment, Christians take NT example as being in accordance with God's will (unless it is condemned as being otherwise), and therefore binding (Matthew 16:19 and 18:18).

When it comes to the day of the week on which Christians worship, this example is found: Acts 20:7 - Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.

And this precept: 1 Corinthians 16:2 - On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

Paul's admonitions to the church in 1 Corinthians 11 indicate that "breaking bread" did not refer to a common meal, but to the observance of the Lord's Supper. Thus, by example, we see the first-century Christians coming together on the first day of the week, Sunday, to commemmorate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.

In expectation of the church assembling on the first day of the week, Paul gave the precept to lay something aside on that same day. Example and precept go hand-in-hand, reinforcing the fact that the first-century church assembled for worship on Sundays.

Nor do these stand alone. Jesus' first post-resurrection appearances to His disciples and the apostles were on the first day of the week, the day He was raised (John 20:19). He appeared to them again while they were assembled together a week later - again on the first day of the week (John 20:26). In contrast, there are no post-resurrection gospel references to the keeping of the Jewish Sabbath. Why not?

To the prudent, there can be no doubt that the glory of Christ's resurrection surpasses the glory of the completion of creation; the former event being of far greater import than the latter. Yet it is not on this notion alone that Sunday worship is based, but on the application of this notion by the early church.

The Sabbath was a day of rest. Christianity is a call to work (Matthew 20:1); to accomplish all that can be accomplished while there is still time (John 9:4). There remains therefore a rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9), a timeless rest which the Sabbath merely foreshadowed. Meanwhile, in following both precept and example, Christians who adhere to New Testament teachings gather to worship on Sunday, the first day of the week.

[Quotes from NKJV]

Answer:

But there is no "absence" of a direct Commandment. The "direct" fourth Commandment still stands... remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy... the seventh day is the SABBATH OF THE LORD THY GOD. Jesus kept it... and it therefore stands as His example that His people are to keep it.

In fact... He says HE IS THE LORD OF THE SABBATH!

"the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath: therefore THE SON OF MAN IS LORD ALSO OF THE SABBATH." (Mark 2:27-28)

He never made the first day "holy"... nor does man have the power to make anything holy. The belief that He resurrected on the "first day of the week" isn't true, either... as the entire idea fostered by modern professing Christianity that from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning is three days and three nights is an utter satanic fabrication.

Modern professing Christianity's attempt to justify its belief in the fable, saying that the phraseology used is a "Greek idom" doesn't wash. Jesus laid the ENTIRE proof of His Messiahship on the fact that He would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth after the example of JONAH (Jonas) - Matthew 12:39.

But Jonah was written in HEBREW... not Greek... and Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the specially prepared fish.

Therefore - this being the ONLY SIGN Jesus gave to prove that He was the Messiah... AND DIDN'T FULFILL IT - THEN HE IS NOT THE MESSIAH!

Easter is the pagan goddess "Ishtar" (pronounced Easter) and the other pagan "holidays" (not Holy Days) that modern professing Christianity observes keep them from seeing the Truth of God's Word, that He never abrogated His commandments still in the Bible to keep and observe HIS HOLY DAYS (the Passover, Days of Unleavened Bread, etc) - WHICH ARE ALL CHRIST-CENTERED, if they only knew.

Satan has the world deceived to the hilt, and his false, counterfeit holidays keep modern professing Christians from seeing the Truth.

In fact... the Jews are also deceived about the Holy Days. It's diabolical... and would be hilariously funny, but for the tragic blindness the world is suffering from it:

The Jews keep God's Holy Days in ignorance of the fact that they all point to Christ - and modern professing Christianity rejects them, because THEY THINK THE HOLY DAYS ARE JEWISH!!! (Satan is belly-laughing over it)

No... Jesus wasn't murdered on our "Friday." He was murdered on the PASSOVER that week... which fell on our "Wednesday." He was buried on our Wednesday afternoon, just before sundown, because the next day was the first day of Unleavened Bread - a FEAST DAY... and was TRULY in the tomb "three days and three nights. That put the time of His resurrection at the same time of day He was buried, but on that "Sabbath AFTERNOON"... just before sundown.

The Bible doesn't say that Jesus "is riSING on the first day... it says that He "IS riSEN!"

He wasn't "rising" on the first day of the week... He had already "risen" the previous evening - ON THE SABBATH DAY!

Answer 2

The Lord Jesus Christ was raised on the first day of the week. The first day of the week was Sunday. Baptist believe at some point in time the worship of Jesus was switched from the Sabbath day services in the temple at Jerusalem to another place that would accomadate all the saved persons in Jerusalem and soon after that began their worship on Sunday to honor the Lord's resurrection.

Answer 3

Originally the Catholic church celebrated Mass on Saturday like the Jews celebrate the Sabbath. The Vatican changed it to Sunday to induce more people to attend. Saturday was a working day and attendance was declining.

The Seventh Day Adventists still attend church on Saturday.

Answer 4

Christians attend church on Sunday because Sunday was the day of rest for God. After he created the world in six days, he rested. In the Old Testament [of The Bible], God asked the Israelites to preserve that Sabbath day. In the New Testament, God asks Christians to "forsake not the assembly of the saints" or, in modern day English, to go to church. Church is a way for Christians to meet other believers, praise God together and help with each other's struggles. The Christian walk is not meant for people to be an island unto themselves.

Answer 5

One must read Roman history to understand the reasoning for this change. Jewish revolts of circa 70 AD and circa 135 AD had left a distain for Jews and their customs. Sunday worship began to be more popular beginning in Emperor Hadrian's time (2nd Century AD) onwards. Emperor Constantine, in his effort to consolidate control over his empire, made Sunday a day of rest on March 7th, 321 AD - no labor on the venerable day of the sun (he was a sun-worshipper). Later, at the Council of Laodicea, it became law, "Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honoring the Lord's Day [Sunday]; . . . But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ." Hence, only a manmade authority has instituted the change from God's eternal 7th day Sabbath to the 1st (or 8th) day Sunday worship.

James Cardinal Gibbons (noting the non-biblical roots of this change), Catholic educator and archbishop of Baltimore at the turn of the 20th century, was blunt about the change: "You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify. The Catholic Church correctly teaches that our Lord and His Apostles inculcated certain important duties of religion which are not recorded by the inspired writers . . . We must, therefore, conclude that the Scriptures alone cannot be a sufficient guide and rule of faith"( The Faith of Our Fathers, 1917, p. 89).

Answer 6

It was changed by men and not God. In the Scripture from Genesis to Revelation the day of rest is sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. Jesus and His Apostles all 'rested' on that day (biblical days begin and end at sunset). The early Church of God which became known as Christianity also continued in this practice. It wasn't until Roman Emperor Constantine declared Sunday as the Lord's Day. Some believe this change took place because Constantine had a strong disldain of Jews (early church converts were primarily Jewish) and he wanted to appease his god of the sun followers of which he was one.


There is no biblical reference to changing what God has established from the beginning. Matthew 28:1 will note that Jesus was already risen during the darkness of the Sabbath and the women approached as sunrise of Sunday or the 1st day of the week was upon them. Remember, Jesus said He was lord of the Sabbath.

Answer 7

Christ Rose on the First Day of the week. Since then, Sunday has been known as 'The Lord's Day.'

Answer 8

Christians were worshiping on Sunday long before Constantine came upon the scene. The Bible, the book of authority, tells us this.