As iron sharpens iron,
one person sharpens another. (Proverbs 27:17)
“What should churches do when they gather on Sunday? The answer isn’t as obvious as it may seem. In this episode, Matt Smethurst and Ligon Duncan share how they prepare for Sunday worship in light of their pastoral role.” - TGC
“In general, the regulative principle calls for inflexibility on the elements and flexibility on the forms. Don’t mess with the elements. God has spoken. But you can exercise prudence with the forms.
“Baptists historically approved this theological judgment of Calvin and followed the principle even more closely than Calvin himself. Calvin wanted to lay aside all human inventions in the practice of baptism” - Tom Nettles
“the regulative principle of worship states that God alone determines the content, motivation, and aim of worship. …The further we get away from his directions, then, the less we actually worship.” - Ligon Duncan
In a previous article, I outlined a brief case for why the regulative principle of worship (“RP”) wasn’t a label worth owning. I still believe that. Here is a modified version of the argument I presented there:
How should we worship on Sundays? The Church has often framed this as an argument between the “regulative” and “normative” principles. This is a simplistic grid―these approaches are more complementary than we realize. This article discusses the regulative principle.
Jonathan Cruse’s book What Happens When We Worship has a simple point. Something important happens between us and God when we worship (p. 1). He presents a theology of worship (ch. 2-7), the pieces of a proper worship service (ch. 8-13), and some brief remarks about how to prepare for worship (ch. 14-15).
This is a book written with more zeal than tact.
“In its simplest terms the regulative principle holds that the Word of God alone regulates, directs, and warrants all elements of worship… . We may worship God only as he has commanded us to do in the Bible.” - Church Leaders
God created man for worship. Jesus declared that the Father is seeking worshippers who will worship Him “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24). Not surprisingly, the Shorter Catechism begins by affirming, “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” But this raises the question, “How should God be worshiped?” To be more precise, “What kind of worship pleases God?” The answer is vital. Thankfully, it’s not that complicated. Even a child may understand.
It may seem a bit stifling to start with a negative. But that’s where God begins:
Discussion