Acts 20:7 assembling in Troas
Verse 7a: They met “upon the first day of the week.” Canon 29 of the Council of Laodicea states: “Christians must not judaize by resting on the Sabbath, but must work on that day, rather honouring the Lord’s Day; and, if they can, resting then as Christians. But if any shall be found to be judaizers, let them be anathema from Christ.” Many who observe the Seventh-Day Sabbath claim that this Canon is an example of a post-apostolic change from Christians keeping Saturday to keeping Sunday. However, the first day of the week is shown to be time of gathering in early writings such as those ascribed to Barnabas, Ignatius, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus – all before the edict of Laodicea in the 4th century.[1] In New Testament times and biblical records, Christians are already found meeting on the first day of the week, the day of the Lord’s resurrection (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1, 19, 26; I Corinthians 16:2: Revelation 1:10).[2] Christ our firstfruits rose on the first day of the week, the day of the feast of firstfruits, the first day after the Sabbath after Passover. See I Corinthians 15:20, 23 and Leviticus 23:9ff. Jesus Christ was sacrificed as the Passover lamb (I Corinthians 5:7), and was raised up as firstfruits to God.
[2] Though the first day of the week is not specifically mentioned, both Acts 21:4 and 28:14 emphasize tarrying with disciples in a certain place for seven days. The significant Day of Pentecost, or feast of weeks, also occurred on the first day of the week (Leviticus 23:15-21; Deuteronomy 16:9-12; Acts 2:1).
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