Nuanced
Sunday worship; Sabbath understood spiritually as rest in the Lord
Swedenborgianism observes Sunday worship as the Christian Lord's Day rather than maintaining the Jewish Sabbath. However, the Sabbath is understood spiritually through the doctrine of correspondence: the Sabbath's true meaning is rest in the Lord—the state of peace, harmony, and cessation from evil that comes through conjunction with God.
No specific day is mandatory or uniquely holy, but every day and moment offers opportunity for spiritual rest in the Lord. The symbolism of the Sabbath is preserved and actualized spiritually rather than observed literally.
Key Distinctions
- Day observed:
- Sunday (first day of the week / Lord's Day)
- Observance theology:
- worship-focused gathering; not a strict legal rest
- Binding on christians:
- moral principle of rest honored; specific day fulfilled in Christ
Scripture References
Sources
- Emanuel Swedenborg, True Christianity