There are many Catholic Quotes on Sabbath Change, and one such famous quote is found in the book of James Cardinal Gibbons, the Archbishop of Baltimore called The Faith of Our Fathers.
In this post, we’ll analyze the declaration made by James Cardinal Gibbons regarding Sabbath Change, and we’ll also explore some Bible verses.
We hope this post will make you realize no Bible verse mentions the sanctification of Sunday.
The Sabbath is on the seventh day of the week, as God made, blessed, and sanctified it. (Genesis 2:2-3). It was never changed.
What did Cardinal Gibbons say about the Sabbath day?
In the book The Faith of Our Fathers, we find an interesting declaration by Cardinal Gibbons. It relates to Sabbath change, the changing from the seventh day Sabbath to the first day of the week, Sunday.
… 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.
James Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore – The Faith of Our Fathers, 88th edition, page 89.
There are many Catholic quotes on Sabbath change, but in this article, we wanted to debate this specific one.
So, we have this impressive declaration of an important figure in the Catholic Church regarding Sabbath change.
Indeed, there is not a single verse in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation authorizing the sanctification of Sunday!
In Genesis, we find God sanctifying and blessing the seventh day, the Sabbath, as a memorial of creation.
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Genesis 2:2-3 KJV
Then, we move to Exodus 16, before the Mount Sinai event when the Law was written in stone and given to Moses.
The Israelites already knew the Sabbath is holy, and it was on the seventh day of the week!
And he said unto them, This is that which the LORD hath said, To morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the LORD: bake that which ye will bake to day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning.
Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none.
Exodus 16:23, 26 KJV
The Sabbath – one of the Ten Commandments
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
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:
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 KJV
The Sabbath, a sign between God and His people
Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the LORD that sanctify them.
And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the LORD your God.
Ezekiel 20:12, 20 KJV
The Sabbath will be kept for eternity
And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD.
Isaiah 66:23 KJV
Those who will be redeemed will be keeping the Sabbath for eternity!
The Sabbath was kept by Jesus and the apostles
Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:17-19 KJV
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
Luke 4:16 KJV
Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.
Acts 13:44 And the next sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God.
Acts 16:13 And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither.
Acts 17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Acts 18:4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
Acts 13:42,44; 16:13; 17:2; 18:4 KJV
There is not a single verse authorizing the changing of the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday in the Bible.
Did the Catholic Church change the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday?
The Bible tells us in Daniel that the little horn power “will think to change times and laws”. (Daniel 7:25)
This little horn power has been identified with the help of the Bible by the Protestant world as the Papacy or the Roman Catholic Church.
It is a well-known fact in history that in 363 AD, at the Council of Laodicea, the Roman Church officially “changed” the Sabbath day from the seventh day of the week to the first day of the week!
This was made without any authority of the Bible but by the tradition of man!
Conclusion
We find the same battle over and over again in the Bible since the days of Abel and Cain. God established a certain way of worship, and man changes it, and makes it’s own way.
Unfortunately, there are many such changes in the Church today. But what is most striking is the fact that people have the boldness to change the Law of God.
No Council or authority on this Earth has the right to change God’s Law.
The Sabbath is, was, and will always be on Saturday, the seventh day of the week.
It is part of the Ten Commandments of God, it is His Holy day, that points to Him as the Creator of the Earth, of people, and all there is.
The Sabbath also points to Him as the redeemer of the world from sin. If Jesus, the true model of the Church has kept the Sabbath along with the apostles, who are we to do differently?
If we are honest and want to follow God from our heart, we must obey Him and His commandments, and not man’s traditions and rules!
We will all be judged one day based on the Ten Commandments!
Let us be faithful to Our Creator and Redeemer, who gave His Son to die for our sins!
If we truly love Him and appreciate what He did for us, we will keep His commandments! (John 14:15)
May God help us in being faithful to Him only!
References
https://archive.org/stream/thefaithofourfat27435gut/27435-pdf_djvu.txt
My Letter To A Sunday Keeper – Sabbath Documentary
The Days of Noah – Powerful Documentary (Video Format)
Bible Studies – Written Format
