Is organized Sunday sports sin?

When God first gave the Sabbath to the people, it was for rest after six days of work and for an opportunity to put aside all usual activities in order to worship the Lord. Man needs that day in order to be built op and strengthened for the week ahead. If we disregard it and go on doing the things that are part of our everyday living, we will lose out spiritually, that is, if we are true Christians.

However, when Jesus was on earth, the Pharisees had made the Sabbath into a day with so many rules, that the real reason for its existence was lost and people were not worshipping God properly at all. That is why he was often in trouble with the authorities (Luke 13:10-17; John 5:18). It is also why He said that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28).

So we need to think very carefully about what we should do with our Sundays. To be so concerned about what is right and what is wrong, that we do not give the time to God and enjoy worshipping Him, is as bad as making it just like any other day. It should be a day when we meet together with other Christians for worship and for serving God, but each person should have his conscience clear before God about time for relaxation which will be of help to him in his Christian life.

If whatever you do on Sunday troubles your concience, you should not do it, for anything that makes you doubt, is wrong for you (Romans 14:23).