“You all have by you a large treasure of divine knowledge, in that you have the Bible in your hands; therefore be not contented in possessing but little of this treasure. God hath spoken much to you in the Scripture; labor to understand as much of what he saith as you can. God hath made you all reasonable creatures; therefore let not the noble faculty of reason or understanding lie neglected. Content not yourselves with having so much knowledge as is thrown in your way, and as you receive in some sense unavoidably by the frequent inculcation of divine truth in the preaching of the word, of which you are obliged to be hearers, or as you accidentally gain in conversation; but let it be very much your business to search for it, and that with the same diligence and labor with which men are wont to dig in mines of silver and gold.” JONATHAN EDWARDS
The title of this post sounds like a no-brainer, but it must be said. There exists two schools of thought regarding what constitutes acceptable, Biblical worship. The first teaches that whatever is not expressly forbidden in Scripture is allowed. This practice casts the Scripture in a negative manner, allowing it to merely exercise veto power over the practices of men. The second teaches that whatever is not expressly commanded is forbidden. Here the Scripture has a positive role, allowing God’s Word to regulate what is practiced as worship in a manner that is acceptable to Him rather than what we may think or feel is worthy. This view, held historically by Reformed and Presbyterian churches, is known as the “regulative principle of worship”. The Westminster Confession of Faith, XXI defines it like this: “But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited to His own revealed will, that He may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture (Ex 20:4-6; Deut 4:15-20; 12:32; Matt 4:9, 10; 15:9; Acts 17:25; Col 2:23).”
The importance which God gives to His worship is illustrated in Leviticus 10:1-11, where we read about Nadab and Abihu offering strange or unauthorized fire before the Lord and were burned alive for their transgression. In Hebrews 12:28-29 we learn ” Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” Both in the Old and New Covenant, God commands acceptable worship.
The second Commandment (Exodus 20:4-5a) adds credibility to the regulative principle. The Westminster Catechism, A. 109 states, “The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself”.
One may think, ” Wow, this is pretty harsh. Don’t we have freedom in Christ?” The answer is yes, the true convert has freedom from the bondage to sin and the condemnation of the Law, however, that freedom does not extend into worshiping God in a way not prescribed by Him in His Word. In the next lesson, we will study the practical application of the regulative principle to our worship and lives as Christians.
Grace and Peace,
Elder Dale
The Shepherd’s Crook
