Christians gather on the first day of the week because it is Resurrection Day — the day Christ rose from the dead.
Les Feldick points to 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, where Paul tells believers to take up a collection for the poor saints in Jerusalem 'upon the first day of the week.' He teaches that this is resurrection day, not the seventh-day Sabbath, and that the New Testament does not make Sunday a holy day above the other six days.
1 Corinthians 16:2 — Paul explicitly names the first day of the week as the time when believers were to set aside their offering for the saints.
1 Corinthians 15:20 — This verse declares Christ's resurrection — the event that makes the first day of the week Resurrection Day.
In 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Paul writes, 'Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.' This passage connects the first day of the week with believers setting aside an offering for needy saints. The instruction was not limited to Corinth — Paul had also given the same order to the churches of Galatia. The resurrection is the bedrock of this whole discussion. In 1 Corinthians 15:20 Paul declares, 'But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.' In 1 Corinthians 15:23 he adds, 'But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.' The gospel accounts also record that after Christ's resurrection, 'the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose' (Matthew 27:52). These verses establish the resurrection as the foundational Christian event.
Les Feldick teaches that the first day of the week is meaningful not because Sunday is a holy day, but because it is Resurrection Day. He notes that Paul's instruction in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 was for the Corinthians and the Galatian churches to take up a collection for the poor believers in Jerusalem, who had sold their lands and houses in the early days of Acts and were now destitute. Paul says 'upon the first day of the week' — not on the seventh-day Sabbath — because that is Resurrection Day. Les also clarifies that this giving was not a tithe requirement; Paul simply says to bring offerings as God has prospered, and no believer is to regard one day as higher than another. As Les puts it, the book says nothing about a system of worship in this age of grace, and every day is alike for the believer.
No, according to Les Feldick. The New Testament does not set Sunday above the other six days. Les says the book teaches that every day is alike for the believer. He says, 'I've got nothing against Sunday per se, but listen, even Sunday is not taught in the Scriptures as we understand Sunday.' Paul merely said to bring offerings on the first day of the week, resurrection day. Sunday as a special holy day 'the book doesn't teach.'
In 1 Corinthians 16:1, Paul refers to 'the collection for the saints.' Les explains that the Jerusalem believers had once sold their lands and houses and put the proceeds into a common fund. Many had come for Passover or Pentecost, gave what they had, couldn't afford to return home, and then lived off the common fund. God moved Paul's Gentile converts to bring offerings back to Jerusalem to support these poor saints.
Les says Paul deliberately writes 'upon the first day of the week, not on the seventh day Sabbath.' The reason is that it is Resurrection Day. He connects it to the resurrection doctrine he has just taught in 1 Corinthians 15, saying 'I guess that's why it's in this chapter.' The resurrection is the event that gives the first day of the week its significance for believers.
The Collection for the Saints
Les explains that Paul's instruction to remember the poor believers in Jerusalem came from Peter and James in Acts 15, and it was specifically about the Jewish believers who had sold their lands and houses and given everything to the common fund.
Christ the Firstfruits of Resurrection
Les shows that 1 Corinthians 15 moves from the doctrine of the resurrection to the order of resurrections — Christ first as the firstfruits, then those who belong to Christ at His coming.
First Day Is Resurrection Day
Les directly answers the question by saying Paul chose the first day of the week, not the seventh-day Sabbath, because it is Resurrection Day. He also explains that the collection was for the poor Jerusalem saints and was brought by Paul's Gentile converts.
Christ Had to Be First in Resurrection
Les emphasizes that Christ was the first to be resurrected — earlier raisings from the dead, like Lazarus, were only restorations to life. Christ's resurrection began the harvest of firstfruits.
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They didn't come out of the grave while He was on the cross. They came out of the grave after He had been resurrected Himself. Because you see, Christ had to be the first. He is the first to have ever been resurrected. Then, in order to make that sheaf analogy come to the full, what had to happen? There had to be other examples of resurrection.
Sunday Is Not a Holy Day
Les teaches that the New Testament does not set Sunday above the other six days; every day is alike for the believer. Paul's 'first day of the week' simply points to resurrection day.
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Those who are in Christ, who are part of the bride, who are part of the body of Christ, they will be the next ones to experience resurrection. Christ and the firstfruits, now comes this great group of believers of the church age. Now let's go back and again pick up the Old Testament description of harvesting that field of grain.
The Sheaf of Firstfruits
Les explains that the feast of firstfruits required a bundle of grain, not a single stem. The Jewish saints resurrected after Christ completed that firstfruits picture, making the resurrection — and its day — significant.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2: Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
This passage explicitly connects the first day of the week with believers setting aside offerings for needy saints.
1 Corinthians 15:20: But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
This verse declares the reality of Christ's resurrection, the event that makes the first day of the week Resurrection Day.
1 Corinthians 15:23: But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.
This verse shows Christ as the firstfruits of resurrection, with believers to follow at His coming.
Matthew 27:52-53: And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
This passage describes the firstfruits saints who came out of their graves after Christ's resurrection, showing the significance of resurrection day.
Because it is Resurrection Day. Paul told believers to lay by their offering on the first day of the week, and Les Feldick points out that this is the day Christ rose from the dead, not the seventh-day Sabbath.
No. Les Feldick says the New Testament teaches every day is alike for the believer. Paul's reference to the first day of the week was about when to bring offerings — on resurrection day — not about making Sunday a sacred day.
The poor believers in Jerusalem. Many had come for Passover or Pentecost, gave what they had, couldn't return home, and then lived off the common fund. Paul instructed Gentile churches to bring offerings to support them.
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