The Lord's Day and the Lord's Supper

[The following is a small section from a paper I have been writing for Dr. Stephen Wellum.]

The particular word for “Lord” used in Revelation 1:10 is not the general root of “Lord” that is the common way of referring to Jesus Christ in the New Testament;[1] the term for “Lord” here, while it's not the general word κύριος, is the derivative possessive κυριακῇ, and it is not a hapax legomenon in the New Testament: it's the whole phrase that's a hapax. Therefore, as a phrase, “the Lord’s Day” must be examined as a hapax legomenon, but the word κυριακῇ is used in one other place in the New Testament: in reference to the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:20). Now this parallel usage of terminology regarding “the Lord's Supper” and “the Lord's Day” suggests that, like the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day is a Christian ordinance of some kind.[2] This line of reasoning leads John Murray to conclude:

The two pivotal events in this accomplishment [of redemption] are the death and resurrection of Christ and the two memorial ordinances of the New Testament institution are the Lord’s Supper and the Lord’s Day, the one memorializing Jesus’ death and the other his resurrection.[3]

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[1] It's clear in the context that “Lord” refers to Jesus Christ.

[2]Waldron, “’Saturday or Sunday (Part 4).”

[3] Murray, Romans, 258. Concerning the phrase κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ [in Rev 1:10] BDAG 576 s.v. κυριακός states: “pert. to belonging to the Lord, the Lord’s… κ. ἡμέρᾳ the Lord’s Day (Kephal. I 192, 1; 193, 31…) i.e., certainly Sunday (so in Mod. Gk…) Rv 1:10 (WStott, NTS 12, ’65, 70-75).” Cited from The NET Bible [on-line]; accessed 14 July 2010; available from http://net.bible.org/bible.php?book=Rev&chapter=1; Internet.

"Good morning, Daddy" and the gospel

Every morning when I go get Christian out of bed while Abby takes care of Georgia Grace, I always greet Christian with a "Good morning, Christian!" and make him say, "Good morning, Daddy!" and, "Out, please," before I get him out of bed. (His tendency lately is to fuss and scream, "Out!" as soon as I walk in the room). Insisting that Christian say the phrases just mentioned is an issue of good manners, which I want him to show towards all people, but more than that I hope that making him greet me and ask me- rather than fuss at me and demand things- helps instill an attitude within him that will point to the proper response he is to have to the gospel of Jesus, as soon as he is old enough to understand it.

Because God gives us freedom in Christ and delights to grant our requests (especially for salvation), but He only does so as we speak to Him with love and respect, and request that He deliver us. If we come to Him with a complaining, rebellious heart and demand our own way, we will not receive the salvation He offers.

So every morning I want Christian to understand that I am Dad, he is not, that he must speak to me with respect and that he must ask for things (not demand them) from me, because I hope to someday introduce him to our heavenly Father, who we all must respect and from whom we must humbly ask for salvation.

Further Reflection on 1 Samuel 13:6-14

[The following is influenced by the "Issues in Biblical and Systematic Theology" class I've been taking this past week from Dr. Steve Wellum.]

In Genesis 1:26-31 God makes Man in His image. Man is commanded to procreate and to rule and subdue the earth. By His rule over the earth, Man is thus a type of King over the rest of creation. Man is placed in the garden of Eden and is given a word that he should not eat of a particular tree within the garden on penalty of death (Genesis 2:16-17). Man subsequently eats of the tree and loses his privileged position before God, receiving a curse. Yet in Genesis 3:15 a promise is given: that another one- the seed of the Woman- would come, and whereas Man had been defeated by the serpent, the Seed would defeat the seed of the serpent, though the Seed would Himself be wounded.

The original pattern, outlined above, is repeated in the kings of Israel. In 1 Samuel 13:6-14 Saul has been established as King over God's people: Israel. On the basis of verse 13, we must conclude that Saul had been given a command against offering sacrifices at Gilgal. Under temptation, Saul disregards the command and loses his position before God. Yet there is a promise to the people- that the LORD has found another ruler for Israel- one loyal to Him.

David is the immediate replacement for Saul, but as God's covenant with David works out throughout the rest of Scripture it becomes apparent that David is not perfectly obedient either. There is anticipation for a King who will be perfectly obedient to God, who will be qualified to rule His people and expand His domain over all the earth. Jesus fulfills the role of King in Scripture and when tested He is perfectly obedient to God. His reign is thus "permanently established" over God's people (cf. 1 Sam 13:13).

Christological Reflection on 1 Samuel 13:6-14

This past Lord's Day while Abby and I were visiting family, we attended New Canaan Baptist Church: the church at which she and I met years ago.

The first text in the Sunday School lesson was from 1 Samuel 13:6-14. The focus of the lesson was on making godly decisions: on patiently waiting for the LORD in making decisions and on making decisions based on God's Word. Much attention was given to the consequences of bad decisions. I thought the lesson was very good, but reflecting again on the passage I also think that specific application can be made from this text concerning the Bible's presentation of the Person of the Lord Jesus.

1 Samuel 13:6-14 records the beginning of the LORD's rejection of King Saul, which leads to David becoming king. One reason these events are significant is because King Saul was from the tribe of Benjamin, whereas from at least Genesis 49:10 forward the Bible trains the reader to expect a ruler from the tribe of Judah. David, the replacement for Saul , is an initial fulfillment of Genesis 49:10 and other early prophecies concerning a king, and David becomes a standard by which other kings from Judah are measured (see, for example, 1 Kings 14:8; 15:3, 11; 2 Kings 14:3, etc.).

From the first verse of the New Testament, Jesus is called the "son of David," and from the first post-Pentecost sermon delivered by Peter [in Acts 2], Jesus is presented as the descendant of David who sits upon David's throne fulfilling God's promises to David.

So whereas King Saul made a bad decision in 1 Samuel 13:6-14- a decision born out of panic, which caused him to act in unfaithful disloyalty to God- and he was fully accountable before God for his bad decision, yet God had a purpose in this decision from Saul- to exalt David and eventually to bring about His Messiah- Jesus our Lord.