Most Christians Worship Two Gods on Sunday. Let’s Change That.

Before we get to today’s article, I just want to mention that am writing from the perspective of a man that has experienced many of the challenges of which I write…. and those spiritual battles continue daily. The articles are implications of what it means to obey the commandment to raise your children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. They require some reflection and are particularly for Christians who, as Peter would say, are diligently seeking to confirm their calling and are making every effort to supplement their faith. Said more succinctly, serious Christians. If you know other believers who desire to walk more faithfully with the Lord, please forward an article to them and tell them to sign up for future articles. Thanks so much!

Most Christians Worship Two Gods on Sunday. Let’s Change That.

Well, that’s a pretty shocking title but of course, I intended it to get your attention on an incredibly important topic. And immediately, there is a sense of frustration in my heart because I am anticipating that most Christians will dismiss this topic and refuse to even give it some careful consideration. However, if God might use this article to his glory in the life of one Christian, it will be more than worth my time.

So, what am I talking about? I’m talking about Christians neglecting the 4th commandment which says,

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore, the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. Exodus 20:8

This commandment is the only commandment of the sacred 10 commandments that most modern day Christians have put into a category of commandments that no longer apply. It should be noted that that view of the 4^th commandment was not held by Christian leaders and the Christian church in general prior to these last 100 plus years. For the first 1800 years following Jesus’ return to heaven, orthodox Christianity taught that the 4^th commandment observance was moved to the first day of the week (Sunday) and the entire day (not just church attendance) was a holy day to the Lord. Again, to be clear, I am not addressing the issue of church attendance. My concern is what the Christian does with the remainder of the day.

I’ve read many books and articles that present views on whether or not the 4th commandment is one of the 10 commandments to obey for today’s Christians, and I’m going to give you some brief bullet points so you can see both sides of the argument. It is important to note that people on both sides of the discussion are fine Christian theologians who are well respected in Orthodox Christian circles.

And then, guess what? I am not going to enter into a debate over these two points of view. However, I am going to present an entirely different approach to the question at hand. But first, the arguments of others-

Common Points Made Against The Observance Of The 4th Commandment.

• Jesus did not specifically teach the 4th commandment during his time on earth.
• Colossians 2:16 includes the Sunday Sabbath and we are not required to observe it.
• Our rest is in Jesus, and now that he has given us a new covenant, regulations of the old covenant do not apply.
• It has also been noted by many that observance of the Sabbath Day was a source of horrific legalism and therefore, should be avoided.

Common Points Made For Observance Of The 4th Commandment.

• God put forth his commandment as a model for how His people should live out the Sabbath based on his own work and rest in creation.
• Even though God does not require rest, it is certainly good for man that he rest from his labors one day out of seven.
• God’s intention for the Israelites was that much of this day should be spent worshiping the Lord, or at least doing things that honored him.
• Numerous passages throughout the Old Testament illustrate God’s hatred for profaning or ignoring 4th commandment.

My Challenge to Your Christian Mind And Heart

As I mentioned earlier, many books have been written through the years debating the topic and I do not intend to get into the responses from each camp concerning criticisms of the other. However, my appeal is a very basic one, and that is to the heart and mind of a listening Christian who is familiar with the revealed character and attributes of God. For example, did God, being God, intend to place the 4^th commandment on a tablet for His beloved Moses and the Israelites knowing that it would have no relevance for His New Testament bride?

1. We know that God is perfectly good and can only do good for His people. Is it possible that God gave the good gift of the 4^th commandment to the beloved people in the Old Testament, but that is no longer a good gift that He intends for His New Testament people? I think not.
2. We know that God is not a God of confusion, and He would never do anything to confuse His children. If He did so, He would not be good. Is it possible that He gave the 4^th commandment to the Israelites knowing that it would one day create a point of confusion among Christians? I think not.
3. He is the Creator God and completely understands the hearts of His creatures. He knew that the Jews needed to have a specific day set aside so they could focus on Him. He knew their weaknesses and He knew that their fleshly hearts would wander to other things. He knew that they had to have a specific time to constantly remind themselves of the mercies of God. Are the hearts of today’s Christians any different? Absolutely not.
4. He is a jealous God and hates with a holy hatred anything that draws His children into a love greater than Him. A great deal is written in the Old Testament warning the Israelites about loving the things that other nations loved. Is the modern day Christian any different? Do not the New Testament writings warn us that our love of worldly things is one of the greatest dangers to our walk with the Lord? Do we need a day dedicated to the Lord any less than the Israelites? No, we do not.
5. If you were to consider all of the things in our lives that might help us become more like Christ, and then asked the Lord to tell us which one was best, which one would He choose? Yes, of course- He would say it is Him. In fact, He could not choose anything else because if He did, it would not be true and He would not be loving. Yet, neither the Israelites nor Christians demonstrate faithfulness in choosing Him. That is why we need a day to spend time with the Lord- learning, communing, worshiping, repenting.
6. Have you ever thought about which commandment might be the most important to God? I don’t know the answer, but I do know this- a great deal of ink was spent on writing about worship and Sabbath observance in the Old Testament. God hated Sabbath breakers (an offense worthy of death (Exod. 31:1) and all kinds of profane worship. I also know that Jesus summed up the first 4 commandments by teaching, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” I think all of this comes together on Sundays, so true observance of the 4^th commandment must be a sweet smelling aroma to the Lord.
7. In addition to our spiritual frame, God knows our mental and physical limitations. The Jews needed physical and mental rest from their daily grind and so do we! How many crawl back into the work world on Monday mornings because they did not get enough rest over the weekend? And then the week is full of business and stress as we try to get everything done. And what falls to the side? Our time with the Lord. And while we are sorry and frustrated about not exercising our spiritual disciplines, we lack the conviction that Sundays are set aside for rest and the Lord. The Lord knows all of this, so He gave us a day for our good and His glory!
8. The Bible tells us that the Law of God is written on our hearts, and that law is a tutor that leads us to see our sin and the need for a Savior. It is without dispute that the law that Paul is writing about is not the ceremonial laws of the Old Testament, but the moral law we know as the 10 commandments. I have found it interesting when I hear a pastor or church leader who does not believe that the 4^thcommandment is valid today, explain what he believes Christians should do on Sundays. I have never heard that pastor tell a person they can do whatever they please, but instructs a person to do the same things as the pastor who believes the 4^th commandment applies today. Why? Because the law is written on His heart and as a born again, Spirit-led man of God, he cannot say that you are free to do whatever you please! While he may say that the commandment no longer applies, he is constrained to prescribe a day that is primarily focused on the Lord.
9. Does God change? Does He learn new things? Thankfully, no. What He knew to be the most loving things for His people of the Old Testament are wise and loving things for His New Testament believers. Therefore, the wisdom of the 4^th commandment will never fade away.

How Did We Get Here?

I started this article with a title indicating that most Christian worship two Gods on Sunday. One God is the one and only true God, The Lord Jesus Christ. The other god (note the lower case “g”) is the one that the Bible calls the god of this world; the wicked fallen angel named Satan. Satan hates God and hates God’s people. He wants to control and destroy every creature made in God’s image and he is smart and crafty. Some of his schemes to destroy are worked out in days or weeks, but there are some that he has planned to bear fruit after years or decades. In his plan to lure Christians into worldly pleasures on The Lord’s Day, he has been slowly dismantling the importance and value of the 4^th commandment over many years.

You may not know this, but there was a time in America where stores were closed on Sundays and professional sporting events were not scheduled. It was also a time when children’s practices and games would never be scheduled. Even pagans considered the day as a day for rest and family time. But as the years went by, incremental changes took place that catered to people’s desires to fill their hearts with all manners of entertainment and self-satisfaction. Simultaneously, churches deemphasized the gift of the 4^th commandment and by doing so, placated the convictions that the commandment brings to our consciences. For the modern Christian today, Sundays are days that are planned out not for spending the entire day honoring the Lord, but a day of planned entertainment. It is as if the things that honor Jesus are done in the morning and the things that Jesus hates, the worldly things, are given honor in the afternoon and evening.

Some might claim that in order to be financially successful in this competitive world, a person must work on Sunday. But frankly, that kind of is thinking reveals a heart that doesn’t believe God’s promises. You see, the truth is that thousands upon thousands could testify how the Lord provides in ways that you might never expect- but He does provide! One well known example is the fast food chain, Chick-Fil-A. Chick-Fil-A is a Christian owned and operated company that began in Georgia with one store in 1967. They believed that Sunday was the Lord’s day and have remained closed on that day for the past 57 years. They believed God’s promise to the Israelites to provide all that they needed to eat for 7 days in only 6 days, would apply to their business in principle. Today, after being closed for business 14% of each week (Sundays), Chick-Fil-A is the number one fast food chain for sales per store in the nation. The Lord will provide.

What Should We Do?

The answer to this question strikes fear in the hearts of church leaders. Why? Because any time we are given a list of things to do for the Lord, our foolish hearts are tempted to rely on doing our lists rather than the grace of God. I understand the concern, but it is not consistent with the lists that we establish to keep us from breaking the other commandments. There are places we don’t go or things that we don’t allow our eyes to see in order to not covet, commit adultery, etc.

My suggestion for the Christian and the Christian family is more of an outline than a list. Let’s call it a number of things that you can consider for honoring the Lord throughout the day-

• Take a long nap.
• Go for a walk with your spouse or the family and enjoy God’s creation.
• Share experiences from the prior week and apply a Biblical perspective.
• Have a relaxed time for a family devotion (Ephesians 6:4).
• Read your Bible.
• Pray with your family.
• Read an encouraging Christian book.
• Create times for fellowship with other Christians to study the Bible or review a great Christian book (Hebrews 10:25).
• Make a date to speak truth with a friend (Ephesians 4:25).
• Make a date to encourage a discouraged Christian (1 Thess. 5:11).
• Think of ways you can spend the afternoon doing good as Jesus did. (Luke 13:10-16; 14:1-6 2 Thessalonians 3:13).
• If you cannot tolerate missing sports games on Sunday, subscribe to their app (NFL, NBA, MLB) so you can watch the replay during the week. It is an investment in the Lord and His day.

Finally, if you have read or listened to this article and have come under conviction to change, please do not suppress it! Rather, ask the Lord to give you grace to make the change. You will never regret it.

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Last modified: March 21, 2025