The majority of Christians keep Sunday, the first day of the week, rather than Saturday, the seventh day, the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. Can the majority be wrong on the correct day of worship?

The Bible says, “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy...the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God” (Exodus 20:8, 10).

Learn More: Which Day is the Sabbath?
Learn More: Who Changed the Sabbath to Sunday?

The Minority Throughout History

Consider this, many famous biblical figures who followed God wholeheartedly did not follow popular opinion. Noah was in the pitiful minority in his day, but Noah was saved from the great flood (1 Peter 2:5). Abraham was significantly in the minority in his time, but Abraham was the “friend of God” (2 Chronicles 20:7). Israel, fleeing from Egyptian bondage, was a weak minority, but Israel was God’s chosen nation. Jesus, the Savior, was one against a whole people for, “he came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11), and yet, He still fulfilled His mission to offer salvation to all of humanity.

The Sabbath and the Early Christians

In the early Christian Era, the church was a small minority against the cold, hard world of paganism. And yet, when the Christian church sought after political power, she sold her purity and her God-given truth to get it, and became a pagan herself.

For the first 300 years of the Christian Era, the Christian religion was an illegal religion, but Judaism was a legal religion. During the apostolic era, Christians, who were then in the minority, found it convenient to let the Roman authorities think of them as Jews especially in regards to displaying the highly visible practice of Sabbath observance. This helped the Christians to be identified with Judaism and allowed early Christians to gain legitimacy with the Roman government.

Sabbath or Sunday?

The Jews then rebelled against the Roman Empire and the Romans put down the rebellion by destroying Jerusalem in 70 AD and again in 135 AD. The Roman government's suppression of the Jews made it increasingly difficult for the Christians to be associated with the Jews. Therefore, some Christians in the early second century tried to distance themselves from Judaism by observing Sunday.

The pagans of the time, who were the majority, observed the first day of the week in honor of their sun god. By switching to observing the first day of the week, instead of the seventh, the Christians accomplished two things: they distanced themselves from Judaism, and they made it more appealing for pagans to become Christians.

No Biblical Support

This change to observing the Sabbath on Sunday, the first day of the week, had absolutely no biblical support. But, in time, the Christians began growing from a minority religion to the majority. The evolution of worship happened over time as not all Christians immediately began worshiping on the first day of the week.

Historical Evidence of Worship

The earliest evidence of a Christian worship service occurring on Sunday is dated between about AD 115 and ad 135, probably in the city of Rome. For several centuries, some Christians kept Sabbath on the seventh day of the week, Saturday, while others kept Sunday holy. By the 500s, Sunday observance was the norm, and almost universal, in the rapidly growing Christian church. The majority of Christians forsook the biblical Sabbath of creation and of the Ten Commandments for a counterfeit day of worship.

The Source of Truth

The Word of God is our only source of truth. Jesus said, “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Isaiah wrote many years earlier, “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). The Word of God is the only yardstick by which we should measure the truth.

Beware of Deceptions

It is deceptive to think that following the actions of the majority is the safest method action. The Pharisees tried to use this argument against their own officers. “The officers answered, ‘No man ever spoke like this Man!’ Then the Pharisees answered them, ‘Are you also deceived? Have any of the rulers or the Pharisees believed in Him?’” (John 7:46-48).

Remember, that since sin entered our world, acceptance by the majority has never been a proof of truth. Satan, in his very first deception, tried to get humankind to doubt God, God’s character and His plan for us. Satan has been pretty successful with the majority of humans. But God still lovingly calls us away from the enemy’s deception and back to His own eternal truth. We have the choice to choose God’s truth and be part of His eternal plan even if it means being part of the minority.