Musings on the RPW

We have just successfully gotten past another Ho Ho season and I would like to take this time to reflect upon something that, no doubt, some of you see as an obsession that I have. It has to do with the regulative principle of worship, or RPW for short. In the providence of God, chapter XXI of the Westminster Confession of Faith was the topic of discussion at our Bible study yesterday, and so these thoughts are offered as the result of the discussion and the meditation I have had on this topic.

When it comes to the second table of the 10 commandments, people can see pretty clearly why we should not steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, dishonor parents or covet. These are sins that directly impact us when they are practiced against us. Hence the adage to do as you would be done by is one that we naturally concur with (unless we happen to be the offender, in which case, we often try to build a case for why it is ok for us to sin in this particular instance).

When it comes to sins that are direct offenses against God, the case is not so clearly seen or felt. Bolts of lightening do not fall upon our hapless heads every time we worship false Gods, profane and corrupt true worship, take the Lord's Name in vain, or profane the Lord's Day. We often don't see a direct connection between a particular sin against God in the negative providences that are visited upon us.

The most hardened atheist amongst us will talk of things being either "good" or "evil", or will stand for what he thinks is "just" or "right." When he does this, he refers to a standard that exists outside of himself and with which he knows that the person he is speaking to also acknowledges. If that presupposition did not exist, all references to things being "good" or "evil" would be nonsense, or else nothing more than a statement of preference on the part of the speaker. An atheist couldn't talk about child abuse or puppy mutilation as being something truly evil, but rather something that he prefers didn't happen. But he doesn't. He thinks and acts in terms of the belief that there is a standard that determines what is right or wrong that others also recognize and thereby betrays the fact that he knows the truth about God, but is suppressing that truth in unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18)

God's existence, and the rightness or wrongness of actions and thoughts is built into the human psyche and is inescapable. Only fools deny this.

All well and good, but how does this relate to the topic of worship? Simple. Although we know by the light of nature that God exists and that we owe Him obedience, we do not know by the light of nature what constitutes good and acceptable worship of Him.

It is striking, if you go around the world and look at the worship practices of cultures, we often see some sort of sacrifice being offered to the god of that culture. It could be fruit or vegetables, drink offerings, animal, or even human sacrifices. We know that the "god" needs to be propitiated and appeased, but do we know how he wants this done? Is there anything in the light of nature that tells us how to approach the God of the Universe in a way that pleases Him? No. And that is the whole point behind the regulative principle of worship.

There are several ways of coming at the question of determining what is good and acceptable worship. The first way is to make it up as you go and hope that somewhere along the line you hit on something that is pleasing to God. This implies that man's judgement is capable of being reliable in determining what God wants by way of worship. Those who use this method rely on sincerity of intent to get them through. It also assumes that sin didn’t corrupt our judgement in this particular instance. This assumption is no where supported in Scripture.

A second way is to rely on special revelation, as being the only rule to direct us how we are to know and worship God. This is where most professing Christians look when they want to determine true and false worship, but even here we don’t see complete agreement, and the reason for this is because of the presuppositions that we all bring to Scripture.

The historic Reformed position espoused by the Westminster Divines states that “the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imaginations and devices of men or in any other way not presecribed in the Holy Scripture.” [WCF XXI.1]

This necessarily means that our worship will be limited to only doing the thing that God commands -- not adding to it or taking away from it. This is precisely the direction we find from God in His Word in Deuteronomy 12: 29-32.

"When the LORD you God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess, and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise.' You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it."

Here we have God specifically telling us not to look to the heathen for ways of worshipping Him. He takes great care in the books of the Law in laying out precisely what it is that is required so that they are not left in any doubt. Instituted worship is worship which has been augthorized, commanded, or required by him.

Let’s look at the example of Cain and Abel for the first illustration of this principle. Cain offers a sacrifice of the fruit of the ground to the Lord while his brother, Abel, brings a firstborn sheep of his flock. God rebukes Cain but accepts Abel’s offering. Why? Every theologian I know draws the logical conclusion that God had told them exactly what to do for worship. “If you do well,” God says to Cain, “will you not be accepted?”

If God demands a sheep, does that leave any room for fruits and vegetables to be brought?

The approach of some reputedly Reformed people is to do what is commanded, refrain from that which is expressly condemned or forbidden, and anything else not expressly forbidden is ok. In this view, it is wrong to offer strange incense like Nadab and Abihu, but nothing forbids you from having clowns and skits in your worship service, because this is not expressly forbidden. By taking this approach, many Protestants have adopted the hermenuetic of Rome who has multiplied ceremonies, symbols, activities and so-called holy days, like Christmas, not mentioned or specifically forbidden in Scripture. The difference between Rome and many Protestant churches is only one of degree, and not kind.

This kind of worship is vain. Here is what the Lord said in Mark 7:6-9:

“…Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men – the washing of pitchers and cups and many other such things you do.’ He said to them, ‘All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.’”

In other words, whenever we add anything to our practice by way of worship that is not expressly commanded by God, this is vain worship and demonstrates a heart that is far from God in obedience. Were not the Pharisees believing that they did God honor when they washed their utensils and beds for God’s sake? Yet the Lord calls this vain worship.

Let’s bring this a bit closer to home. We have a feast that we are commanded in Scripture to observe: The Lord’s Table. How many people do you know who put in the same amount of care, time and preparation for celebrating a feast we are commanded to keep as they put into observing Christmas – a feast no where commanded in Scripture? People agonize for months over what they are going to buy others. Weeks of shopping and cooking go into the preparations for said day. Do we spend even a tithe of our time preparing for the covenant meal? Are we not guilty of vain worship when we do this? Are we not elevating a tradition of man over the commandment of God?

In short, what we have here is a struggle between two opposing camps: One camp which holds to and espouses the complete Sovereignty of God in worship, and the other which espouses the sovereignty of man in worship.

May the Lord purify His Church in these matters.