The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order

Chapter 48 : The Sanctification of the Lord's Day
Paragraph 2 : Why the Day Changed?

48-2. God commanded His Old Testament people to keep holy the last day of the week, but He sanctified the first day as the Sabbath by the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. For this reason the Church of the new dispensation has from the time of the apostles kept holy the first day of the week as the Lord’s Day.

DIGEST :

BACKGROUND AND COMPARISON :
[No comparable text in any of the following editions:]
1. PCA 1973, Adopted text, as printed in the Minutes of General Assembly
2. Continuing Presbyterian Church 1973, Proposed text
3. PCUS 1933
4. PCUS 1925
5. PCUS 1894

COMMENTARY :
Morton H. Smith, Commentary on the Book of Church Order, 6th edition, 2007, p. 407.
This paragraph deals with which day is to be observed as the Sabbath or Lord's Day. As indicated, it was the seventh day in the Old Testament, but this was changed by the fact that the resurrection of Jesus Christ took place on the first day. This fact itself would not be sufficient reason for the change, but Jesus set His endorsement on the observance of the first day of the week in that he did not appear again to His disciples until the next first day. The gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost also occurred on the first day. All of this served to confirm to the Church the change from the seventh to the first day of the week. This paragraph is again repeating material found in the Confession chapter XXI, vii, and the Larger Catechism 116, and Shorter Catechism 59. That the New Testament church worshipped on the first day of the week is seen in Acts 20:7 and I Cor. 16:1-2.1