The Importance of the Lord's Day

Possibly, the character, validity, and importance of the Lord's Day as the Christian day of rest have never been questioned as much as they are now. On the one hand, there are those who insist on Saturday as the day to be observed not only in the Old Testament but for all time.

On the other hand, there are those who strip the day of rest of its binding character, reducing it to a mere Old Testament ordinance.

The problem, however, is not new. More than a century ago, the authors of this pamphlet - J.C. Ryle and A.A. Hodge - wrote to provide a clear and biblical answer to the objections that were already being raised against what had been the historical interpretation and universal consensus of the Church since the time of the Apostles.

In the first part, J.C. Ryle convincingly proves the biblical authority on which the day of rest rests, the purpose of that day, the way it should be observed, and the manner in which it is desecrated, concluding with a vehement exhortation that it truly be sanctified.

In the second part, A.A. Hodge demonstrates—both from the Bible and from Church history—that the Lord's Day we Christians observe is essentially the same as the day of rest observed in the Old Testament, and that only the day (from the seventh to the first day of the week) has changed.