Why Sunday

[mfblume]

Originally Posted by Esaias

How is Sunday church service, EVERY Sunday, not "ritualistic" and not making Sunday a day set apart from the other days for corporate worship? In fact, how is footwashing not ritualistic? The Lord's Supper? Baptism? Lifting hands in prayer? Standing for the reading of the Word of God? Altar call at end of just about every service? Greeting one another? Prayer service in the prayer room before the main service? Anointing the sick with oil? Laying on hands for ordination, healing, deliverance, receiving the Holy Ghost? Wearing your Sunday best? And a dozen other things most of us do as Christians?

Also, Paul never said "we are not to keep holy days".

Attending a meeting to hear the word of God is not ritualistic unless we feel the actual day and the mere attending without anything else confers a blessing from God and is considered holy acts.

If that is ritualistic, then picking up a bible to gain revelation from the word makes a ritual out of the act of picking it up physically, and everyone should hush their voices and gaze in silence at the mere act of picking up the bible.

Paul was afraid for them for their observances of days. Observing a day is considering the day to be holy.

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by mfblume

Attending a meeting to hear the word of God is not ritualistic unless we feel the actual day and the mere attending without anything else confers a blessing from God and is considered holy acts.

What dictionary are you using?

[Esaias]

Originally Posted by Esaias

What dictionary are you using?

Here's the dictionary I use, with some definitiins:

RIT'UAL, adjective

1. Pertaining to rites; consisting of rites; as ritual service or sacrifices.

2. Prescribing rites; as the ritual law.

RIT'UAL, noun A book containing the rites to be observed, or the manner of performing divine service in a particular church, diocese or the like. (Webster's 1828)

So what are "rites" (the earlier word for what we today call "rituals")?

RITE, noun [Latin ritus.]

The manner of performing divine or solemn service as established by law, precept or custom; formal act of religion, or other solemn duty. The rites of the Israelites were numerous and expensive; the rites of modern churches are more simple. Funeral rites are very different in different countries. The sacrament is a holy rite. (Webster's 1828)

So a "rite" or "ritual" is "the manner of performing divine or solemn service as established by law, precept, or by custom. It is a formal act of religion or other solemn duty.

Is raising holy hands in prayer a "manner of performing divine service as established by law, precept, or custom"? Is performing baptism by immersing in water in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, upon a confession of faith, a "manner of performing divine or solemn service as established by law, precept, or custom"?

Come Sunday, will you:

Get dressed in nice attire, go to a particular location where prayer is wont to be made, go to a prayer room or kneel at the pew, pray until service begins? Which service begins with a musical call to worship, some songs and some exhortations to praise the Lord, passing a collection plate, followed maybe by a round of testimonies, a reading of a text of Scripture, a sermon, an altar call with an invitational song, an altar service, a final exhortation and a dismissal? Or something similar? REPEATED EVERY SUNDAY?

Is that not a "manner of performing divine or solemn service as established by law, precept, or custom"?

Everyone, Christians included, have rites or rituals. The new testament establishes numerous rites or rituals to be regularly practiced by Christians. They are never questioned (except by Quakers and hyper liberals). So the claim that Sabbath keeping is "ritual" and "therefore dispensed with by Christians" is clearly not correct and not consistent.

[Evang.Benincasa]

Ritualistic Cain, and devoted worshipper Abel. I know that there are many that believe a tiller of the earth needed to offer a blood sacrifice, even before an edict to do so was enacted. But, if we let the story play out we see what is happening. Cain offered his first fruits of his labor, and so did Abel. One was a tiller of the ground and the other a shepard. Abel loved God and therefore his gift was accepted. Cain offered his offering out of duty, ritual. I can't speak for everyone who keeps a day of rest, but no matter what we do we all should do it out of love for God. The commandments are written on stone, and not papyrus. On the stone tablet Israel are told that they are to have no other gods before the one true living God. This is focused on relationship. Since the schoolmaster has brought us to Christ are we no longer to hold this devotion? Everything about Jesus' ministry was to bring all of Israel back to the true devotion of God, not just a to do list ritualistic relationship. There is no sabbath without Christ devotion through the Holy Ghost. There is no true godly devotion to mother and father without a true desire to God first. There isn't a true prohibition against murder, blasphemy, theft, covetousness, or betrayal of a spouse without true loving devotion to God first. Same to keeping a day of rest.

The spiritual should manifest itself into a physical? Fig trees should give figs at the proper time?

How'd I do?