Frank Jamerson
(Note: The following material was written by J.C. Estes and published in a booklet entitled “Around the Lord’s Table,” in 1917. I made a few revisions for space purposes, but it is an excellent article.)
The Seventh-Day Adventists tell us that the first day of the week, as a day to meet and worship God, is an institution of the Roman Catholics. But they have never disproved its being an institution of the New Testament...Jesus came forth from the dead on the first day of the week (Matt. 28:1-6; Mark 16:1-16; Luke 24:1-8). The commandment “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy,” was given to the Jews and no one else (Deut. 5:15). No people except the Jews were ever brought out of Egyptian bondage by the Lord God. (See: 1Kgs. 8:21; 2 Chron. 5:10; Ezek. 20:10-12; Neh. 9:13,14. fj) The keeping of the Sabbath was a memorial of the Jews’ delivery from bondage. Therefore remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy; or, therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the Sabbath day. Because you were delivered from bondage by the mighty hand and the outstretched arm of the almighty God, he has commanded you (Jews) to remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Because Jesus Christ came forth from the bondage of the grave on the first day of the week and thus broke the binding power of death death which the devil had, delivering us from such a bondage, he has given us examples of commemorating his resurrection on the first day of the week in the disciples meeting upon that day to break bread (Acts 20:7)…
“But,” says one, “did not Paul go into the synagogues of the Jews on the Sabbath day and teach?” Yes; but we have no example of Paul breaking bread (commemorating the Lord’s death and resurrection in partaking of the Lord’s Supper) on any day except the first day of the week...If we neglect the assembling of ourselves together on the first day of the week, we neglect the Lord’s Supper; and in all this neglect we have no promise of salvation should we die in our neglect of this duty. We do not have to be a thief, a murderer, a robber, a drunkard, nor a fornicator to be lost. If we neglect to do what we are taught to do as children of God, we shall not escape the punishment that awaits the unfaithful.