𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬: 𝐀 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥-𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬: 𝐀 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥-𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐲

𝑰𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑨 𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝑵𝒐 𝑶𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓

From the earliest centuries of the Christian movement, Sunday—the first day of the week—has been uniquely marked as the day when believers gather for worship, prayer, fellowship, and the breaking of bread. Unlike the Jewish Sabbath, which is the seventh day (Saturday), Christians chose the first day to gather, not as a rejection of Sabbath theology, but as a bold declaration of the central event of their faith: the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This shift was not arbitrary. It was deeply theological, rooted in Scripture, witnessed in the early church, and confirmed through centuries of liturgical practice.

This article explores why Christians gather on Sundays by engaging Scripture, church history, and theological reflections—particularly those of Justo L. González in his compelling work The Significance of the First Day of the Week: A Brief History of Sunday from the New Testament to the New Creation.

1.       𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕

The most obvious and foundational reason for Sunday worship is that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week. All four Gospels testify to this fact:

• Matthew 28:1: “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week…”
• Mark 16:2: “Very early on the first day of the week, they went to the tomb…”
• Luke 24:1: “On the first day of the week, at early dawn…”
• John 20:1: “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early…”

But it wasn’t just the discovery of the empty tomb. The risen Christ also appeared on this same day—“that same day” (Luke 24:13)—to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and later to the gathered group of fearful disciples (John 20:19). The Gospel writers emphasize the timing: Sunday was the day Jesus triumphed over death, making it, for Christians, "the Lord’s Day" (Revelation 1:10).

Thus, Sunday worship became not merely habitual but confessional—a weekly celebration of resurrection power, a foretaste of new creation.

2.       𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅’𝒔 𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒊𝒄 𝑾𝒊𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔

Though the phrase “Lord’s Day” (κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ) appears explicitly only in Revelation 1:10, it reflects a first-century pattern of Christian worship that quickly became standard. Early believers did not forsake the Jewish calendar entirely but reoriented their weekly rhythm around Christ’s resurrection. According to González, the designation "Lord’s Day" gained liturgical and theological significance early on, signaling the uniqueness of this day for Christian identity.

By the mid-second century, this connection was cemented in writings like the Gospel of Peter, which, although apocryphal, shows how early Christians interpreted the resurrection as occurring “on the morning of the Lord’s Day.” It is in these records that we begin to see Sunday not only as the first day but as the day of victory, echoing Paul's triumphant cry in 1 Corinthians 15:54–57.

3.       𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝑵𝒆𝒘 𝑷𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓

Early Christian worship drew heavily on Jewish Passover imagery, now fulfilled in Jesus, the true Paschal Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Just as the Israelites were freed from Egypt, believers saw themselves as freed from sin and death through Christ’s resurrection.

The Eucharistic meal or “breaking of bread” (Acts 2:42; 20:7) became central to Sunday worship. It paralleled the Jewish seder, yet now commemorated not a past deliverance only, but a present and eternal victory through Christ. Sunday became the day of new creation, of liberation, and of communion with the risen Lord.

4.       𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒍𝒚 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒉𝒚𝒕𝒉𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉

By the second century, Christians had developed a weekly cycle of remembrance:

• Wednesdays and Fridays were days of fasting, marking Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion.
• Saturdays remained a day of rest for some.
• Sundays, however, became the preeminent day—the day of joy, the day of gathering, and the day of resurrection.

Gathering on Sunday was not about replacing the Sabbath legalistically, but about celebrating the inauguration of the new covenant, echoing Paul’s teaching in Romans 6:4—that we have been buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life.

5.       𝑬𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑸𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒐𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒚

The early church’s understanding of Sunday as the day of resurrection became deeply entwined with the celebration of Easter. However, as González notes, controversy arose over whether Easter should follow the Jewish calendar (14th of Nisan) or be celebrated on the Sunday following Passover.

The Quartodecimans—primarily in Asia Minor—celebrated Easter according to the Jewish calendar, regardless of the day of the week. Others, citing apostolic tradition, argued for Sunday observance only, aligning the annual celebration with the weekly rhythm.

The Council of Nicaea (325 CE) resolved this dispute by affirming Sunday as the fixed day for Easter, severing dependence on the Jewish calendar and further entrenching Sunday as the Christian day of worship.

6.       𝑺𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑩𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒎: 𝑬𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏

In early centuries, Easter Sunday also became the preferred day for baptisms—the sacrament by which believers participated in the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 6:3–5). Thus, the gathered Sunday assembly was not only a place for proclamation and communion but also for initiation into the community of the resurrection.

This rhythm—weekly Sunday worship and annual Easter baptisms—shaped the identity of early Christian communities as those who belonged to the risen Lord.

𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒍𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏: 𝑹𝒆𝒄𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑳𝒐𝒓𝒅’𝒔 𝑫𝒂𝒚

Christians gather on Sundays because that day stands at the intersection of history and eternity. It is the memorial of the resurrection, the celebration of the new creation, and the foreshadowing of the final consummation.

As Justo L. González reminds us, Sunday is not a mere day off or a ritual obligation—it is the day of liberation, the day of joy, and the day of gathering with the risen Christ. In every Lord’s Day celebration, the Church proclaims anew:

“Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”

In a time when weekly worship is sometimes treated as optional or routine, the Church must recover the deep biblical and theological significance of Sunday as the Lord’s Day—a standing testimony to the One who conquered death and invites us to live in His resurrection power.

𝐵𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑖𝑜𝑔𝑟𝑎𝑝ℎ𝑦

• González, Justo L. The Significance of the First Day of the Week: A Brief History of Sunday from the New Testament to the New Creation.
• The Holy Bible (ESV, NRSV).
• Eusebius, Church History; Life of Constantine.
• Didache, Ignatius of Antioch, and other early Christian sources.