Why Do We Worship On Sunday If the Catholics Changed the Day?
Good morning. I need to have a podcast that talks about the Catholics changing the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday. The Catholics do admit they did that, so how do we back up that we can worship on Sunday? I know nobody can keep the Sabbath, but if the Catholics changed it, how do we justify not remembering that fourth commandment? Yet we should keep all the other commandments. I guess I am having a hard time explaining it to a friend. Thank you in advance.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: The Adventist claim that the Catholics changed the day is disingenuous. While the Catholics may claim to have validated a “Christian” Sabbath on Sunday, their claim does not mean worshiping on the first day originated with them. The Adventists make the Catholics culpable in “changing the Sabbath” when, in fact, the early Christians began meeting on the first day of the week in order to honor the Lord Jesus. To “blame” the Catholics is a way to avoid reality.
Have you listened to our covenant podcasts? The answer to the Sabbath is in the biblical covenants. The Ten Commandments were the actual words of the old covenant (Ex. 34:27, 28), and Jesus fulfilled all of them. In the New Covenant we no longer refer to the Ten Commandments because we have a new priesthood (Jesus in the order of Melchizedek—Hebrews 7) and a new law—the Law of Christ. Morality is eternal and consistent because it flows from God Himself. It does not flow from the Law. The Law came from God, and the righteousness of God Himself is credited to us when we believe and He is indwelling us (Eph. 1:13,14).
The covenant podcasts are numbers 26, 27, 29, 31, 33, and 35, and then the series on Hebrews (which explains how Jesus is greater than all the parts and symbols of the law) begins with 37. Also, the Sabbath itself was a sign of the Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 31:13). The New Covenant has a new sign—a new “remember—the Lord’s Supper which we do in remembrance of Him.
In the New Covenant there are no holy days. Period. We can gather to worship absolutely any day, and in keeping with Christian tradition, we meet on the first day of the week—the day Christians have met (especially gentile Christians) since the first century to remember the day the Lord Jesus rose from the dead! Yet the day is not sacred.
The sabbaths of the Mosaic covenant were holy because they were commands of God that pointed forward to the Messiah and His completed work of salvation, but now that the Messiah has come, we no longer need the signs. We have the living Lord inside us. Now we worship with other believers not because of the fourth commandment but because we are free to meet anytime, and we meet with others who celebrate our Lord Jesus. It’s like Christmas and Easter: those days are not holy, but we celebrate because they represent our Lord’s incarnation and finished work. They are days of remembrance but not holy days commanded for us.
Here is a video about the Sabbath that may help:
Here are a couple articles that may also help:
Christians observe all the commands in the New Testament, and there are many more of those than there were commands in the Mosaic covenant for Israel. We do not observe the New Testament commands in order to gain salvation, however; unbelievers have ONE command they must deal with: believe in the Lord Jesus and His finished work. Once we believe, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and the Living Law indwells us and teaches us to trust God instead of indulging our flesh.
The New Testament, importantly, does not ever command or imply Sabbath-keeping. I suggest that you read Acts 15 where the Jerusalem Council agreed not to require the law of gentile Christians, and then read (perhaps with your friend) the book of Galatians, carefully observing everything Paul says and seeing how he differentiates between the Mosaic law and living in Christ. He even says that going back to the law is like going back to the elemental principles of paganism in chapter 4!
I hope this helps.
Need Proof of Adventism’s Cult Status
I have a question: do you have a way for me to show someone that Adventism is a cult? I have been listening to your podcasts; they make me smile at times and feel sad for the people at other times. I am learning so much. I love you all for putting yourselves out there. We are working cautiously, with three couples right now. We have three families that are solid and onboard that have gotten out. Please pray; there are so many more that need to hear the truth. Hugs and much love to all.
—VIA EMAIL
Response: In a nutshell, I can list some characteristics that prove to me that Adventism is a cult, and I’ll give you some suggested links that may help you with this question.
First, Adventism is founded on a reactionary movement to an unbiblical date-setting fiasco. The founders were two men, James White and Joseph Bates, who were antitrinitarians, and James’s wife who had extra-biblical visions. The doctrines, by EGWs statement and also by the Adventists’ own publications, were established on the basis of EGW’s visions when the men wrestling with the Scriptures to formulate their doctrines got stuck and couldn’t figure out how to interpret the passages. EGW would then go into vision and have the meanings revealed to her—and, she said, everyone knew the interpretations were from God because when she wasn’t in vision, she herself didn’t understand the passages, either. This admission is quoted in their denominational history book Lightbearers to the Remnant, and is footnoted from Arthur White’s Messenger to the Remnant, p 36; Froom IV: 12021, 1022, and EGW’s Life sketches, p. 108 138, 139, and 147.
Second, besides (and partially because of) Adventism’s extra-biblical prophetic authority, it has an unbiblical gospel—what Paul called “another gospel”. It has a false Jesus, one who could have failed, who inherited Mary’s sinful genes, who gave up some of His divine attributes such as omnipresence, and who, because He had tendencies to sin inherited from Mary, showed us how to overcome sin as He did. These assertions are false. Jesus is and always has been FULLY GOD with all the attributes of God, including omnipresence. To give up any part of His divine attributes would make Him not God.
Also, Adventism’s incomplete atonement requiring Jesus to be working in an ongoing investigative judgment clearly put the organization outside the bounds of Christianity. Further, one of the biblical assurances is that when we believe, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13,14), and He teaches us to call God our Abba, Father (Rom. 8:14–17). We are assured of our salvation. Adventism, on the other hand, teaches that salvation is not determined until this IJ is done at some undisclosed date. Thus people die not knowing whether or not they will pass the judgment—a judgment which is not actually REAL.
In short, Adventism is “off” on all its doctrines when one looks closely at it. Nevertheless, their wrong Jesus and their extra-biblical prophet place it outside the bounds of Christianity.
Here is a link to an article that will give more detail on the differences between an Adventist and a bilblical worldview:
Also, the podcast series on the 28 Fundamental Beliefs should help you see behind the carefully-chosen wordings. You can find the series grouped here:
I Have a New Identity!
I’m devouring your podcasts and am anxious to know if there is an FAF conference scheduled for 2023 or 2024?
It’s hard to even focus on what I want to share because there’s so much that’s relatable about what you’ve shared in your podcasts.
So here’s just a little bit. My husband and I have young children; one is in kindergarten at an Adventist school. We were lifelong Adventists and went through almost all of our schooling in Adventist schools and have worked for “the church”. We have always been skeptical of EGW but otherwise have been convinced that Adventism, while not perfect, was the closest we would come to a Bible-believing church. And we thought, how lucky that we were born into the truest church!
Even so, I’ve had enough cognitive dissonance to know I never wanted to invite someone to church. I knew a Christian or a nonbeliever would think it was weirdly obsessive over the Sabbath. I had no idea that the gospel was warped, that the investigate judgment was garbage, or that it was problematic to believe Jesus set aside his divinity, to name a few issues.
I’ve pondered many times over the past few years how interesting it is that my primary identify is as an Adventist. But today is the first full day I no longer claim that identity. There was a moment the other night when I saw my need to definitively break my identity from Adventism and felt convicted to actually repent of it. So that’s what I did. I knelt and prayed and repented. I spent years choosing the comfort of my cult over worshiping somewhere where I could invite people to encounter Jesus. I needed to ask for forgiveness for that. And I knew my identity needed to be in Jesus, not Adventism. I feel scared and a little disoriented sometimes since beginning this journey, but I know Jesus will not let me down. Encouragement from those who have left before me is incredibly helpful. And knowing Jesus’s work is finished is so amazing.
I’m grieving and excited and lost and found all at once. I’m so thankful the Lord led you to this ministry because I needed help to see the distortions of Adventism and help to know how to navigate leaving and finding a new home and unlearning the past. We are very early in the process. But I am finding hope and encouragement each time I listen to one of your podcast episodes.
God bless you!
—VIA EMAIL
Response: Thank you so much for writing! It’s so exciting to hear from one who is discovering the truth and finding joy in Jesus and His finished work!
Yes, we are having an FAF Conference this February 16–18, 2024, in Loma Linda. We’ll have more details online soon. The title of the conference will be Adventism Is Unbelief.
I resonate with your situation; I was a lifelong Adventist as well. I had all the Adventist pride and dissonance that you describe, too. I had no idea that I didn’t know the gospel or that I believed in a diminished Jesus who couldn’t save!
Congratulations on knowing you are no longer Adventist! Yes, you will grieve—you will go through all the fives stages of grief, bouncing back and forth among them. But it will get better, and you will KNOW who you are as you allow the Lord to renew your mind through His word.
If you are interested, we have a weekly FAF Bible study every Friday evening at 7:00 Pacific Time. We have people attending from various places across the continent as well as from the Bahamas and England. If you want a zoom link, just email FormerAdventist@gmail.com and request the FAF Study Zoom link. You would be so welcome! †
- May 4–10, 2024 - May 2, 2024
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- April 27–May 3, 2024 - April 25, 2024