In the year of 1517, on the date of 31, in the month of October, in Germany, Martin Luther nailed the so-called “95 Theses” to the church door which triggered off the Reformation. The people demanded for change in the Roman Catholic Church which had been teaching superstitions and human traditions, and oppressing them. Martin Luther was excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church. The Lutheran Church was founded. Other Reformed churches were founded as well. Together, these churches have been called “Protestant churches”. Many important truths of the Bible which had been suppressed by the Roman Catholic Church were recovered during the Reformation. The Reformation spread throughout Europe. In the 17th century, the “second generation of Reformers” in Britain and the Netherlands, called the Puritans, continued the work of reforming the churches.
We must be clear about the biblical basis of the Reformation, and its relevance to us.
Sola Scriptura
A fundamental truth recovered in the Reformation of the sixteenth century is the principle of ‘sola scriptura’, which basically states that Scripture is the only authority in all matters of faith and practice. This was upheld by all the Reformers and Puritans. The doctrine of ‘sola scriptura’ includes the ideas that the written revelation of God is complete, sufficient for all our needs, perspicuous (i.e. capable of being understood), and final (i.e. the last court of appeal in any controversy).
A key passage that teaches ‘sola scriptura’ is 2 Timothy 3:16-17,
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The “Scripture” refers to both the Old Testament and the New Testament that was in the process of being written at that time. The apostles were conscious that they stood in the line of those being used by God to bring revelation to completion. They were aware of teaching revealed truth. 1 Thess. 2:13 says, “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.”
The apostles were also aware that they were writing scriptures. In 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter refers to the writings of Paul as “scripture”. John, as the last surviving apostle, was conscious that he was writing the last portion of Scripture. His words in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible must, therefore, be understood as referring to the whole of Scripture and not just to the book of Revelation. It says in Revelation 22:18-19,
For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
This is a declaration of the completion, sufficiency, and perspicuity of Scripture. Nothing is to be added to, or taken away from, the complete and sufficient word of God. The word “hears” means “to understand and obey”. This complements 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which teaches that all Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. To be noted is the fact that the four areas mentioned – viz. teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training – actually encompasses “all matters of faith and practice”. We cannot think of any aspect of the Christian life that does not fall under one or more of these areas. The effect upon the servant of God is that he is “thoroughly equipped”, or complete and furnished. In other words, he will be lacking nothing while having everything needful. In such a state, he is ready for “every good work”, and not merely “some good work”.
The sole authority of Scripture “in all matters of faith and practice” applies to all of life. Romans 12:1 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” This teaches that all of the Christian’s life is to be an offering to God, i.e. an act of worship. If the authority of Scripture extends over all of life, surely that would include church government and worship. The question might be asked, why should church government and worship be singled out for special attention by the Reformers and the Puritans? There were at least two reasons. Firstly, the most obvious areas of reform needed in the church during the Reformation were church government and worship. Doctrine affects practice. The Roman Catholic Church held to extra-biblical beliefs which manifested practically in the government and worship of the church. Secondly, the Reformers and the Puritans, being trained theologians, could see immediately that Christ’s headship over the church involves His offices as prophet, priest, and king. Prophethood concerns doctrine, priest- hood concerns worship, and kingship involves government. The Reformers had recovered important doctrines, summarised in the five “sola’s” of the Reformation. They were “sola scriptura” (or Scripture alone), “sola fide” (or faith alone), “sola gratia” (or grace alone), “solus Christus” ( or Chrst alone), and “soli Deo gloria” (or to God’s glory alone). Christ’s prophethood in the church was being affirmed in these five ‘sola’s’. It was obvious that His priesthood and kingship must be asserted as well.
The three offices of Christ constituted a prominent teaching of the Reformers and the Puritans. John Calvin expounded on the three offices of Christ in Book II, Chapter 15, of his magnum opus, “The Institutes of the Christian Religion”. The Westminster Confession mentions the three offices of Christ under Chapter 8:1, on Christ the Mediator. The 1689 Baptist Confession added paragraphs 9 and 10 to the chapter on Christ as Mediator, expanding on the teaching on the three offices of Christ.
The Reformers and the Puritans held firmly to the principle of ‘sola scriptura’. They believed that Scripture is the only authority “in all matters of faith and practice”. However, they differed in the application of ‘sola scriptura’ to church government and worship — and especially to worship. Their difference led to the formulation of the two principles that were later labelled as the Normative Principle and the Regulative Principle. Martin Luther, and the Church of England, held to the Normative Principle, which may be stated as,
“In the worship of God, whatever is taught in Scripture must be obeyed while whatever is not forbidden by Scripture is permissible.”
John Calvin, and most of the Puritans, held to the Regulative Principle, which may be stated as,
“In the worship of God, whatever is taught in Scripture must be obeyed, while whatever is not taught in Scripture must be rejected, except for some circumstances concerning worship which must be ordered according to common sense, Christian prudence, and the general rules of Scripture.”
With the advantage of hindsight, we will have to conclude that the Regulative Principle, instead of the Normative Principle, is more consistent with ‘sola scriptura’. We need to prove this from Scripture.
Scriptural Support For The RP
In Genesis 4:1-7, God accepted the offering of Abel and rejected that of Cain. Abel’s offering consisted of “the firstborn of his flock and of their fat” (v. 4), while Cain’s offering consisted of “the fruit of the ground” (v. 3). Since Abel was a keeper of sheep while Cain was a tiller of the ground (v. 2), it might appear that their respective offering was reasonable and that God was acting unreasonably and arbitrarily by accepting one and rejecting the other. However, comparing with what is known in Genesis 3:21 where God made tunics of skin to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve, and with Genesis 8:20 where Noah offered a burnt offering of animals to God, we must conclude that God had given clear instructions as to how He should be worshipped. Worship must be based on the substitutionary death of the Saviour that God would provide in due time, pictured by the animals offered up. Cain could easily have traded his agricultural produce for the animals required in worship with Abel. Worship must be carried out in the way prescribed by God. We read in Hebrews 11:4, “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” In Hebrews 12:22, 24, we are told, “But you have come… …to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.” Abel’s sacrifice was a foreshadowing of Christ’s perfect sacrifice of Himself for His people.
In Leviticus 10:1-3, we have two of the four sons of Aaron struck dead by God for offering “profane fire before the LORD”, which is explained as that “which He had not commanded them” (v. 1). We are told in the verse following, “So fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord.” This shocking incident occurred immediately after Moses and Aaron came out of the tabernacle of meeting, when the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people, and fire came out from before the LORD, i.e. from the direction of the tabernacle, and consumed the burnt offering in the sight of all present. In the excitement of the occasion, and desiring to attract attention to themselves, the two sons of Aaron had offered up incense that was not commanded by God. It is possible that they had been drunk, for the admonition against drinking was given after that (vv. 8-11),
Then the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: “Do not drink wine or intoxicating drink, you, nor your sons with you, when you go into the tabernacle of meeting, lest you die. It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, that you may distinguish between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean, and that you may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord has spoken to them by the hand of Moses.”
These two incidents in the Old Testament are sufficient to establish the principle that in the worship of God, all that He commands must be obeyed and all that is not taught must be rejected. To strengthen the case, we may mention the incident of the children of Israel worshipping the golden calf while Moses was on Mount Sinai communing with God. We are told that the children of Israel “rose early early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (Exod. 32:6). The making of the golden calf to worship was a direct contradiction of the second of the Ten Commandments which had been delivered to them orally earlier (Exod. 20). Apart from making offerings to the calf, the people were enjoying themselves – eating and drinking, and rising up to play. God’s words to Moses included these, “They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them (v. 8).” Five hundred years later, Jeroboam the son of Nebat was to commit the same sin. He made two golden calves, presented them to the northern nation of Israel as the gods which “brought you up from the land of Egypt! (1 Kings 12:28)”.
In the New Testament, we have the teaching of Matthew 28:20, “…teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…”
The things commanded by Christ would include worship. The Pharisees and scribes were condemned by the Lord in the words of Matthew 15:9, “And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” In Colossians 2:22-23, we are taught to reject “the commandments and doctrines of men”, for these things “have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion…” The word for “self-imposed religion” is literally “will-worship”, i.e. worshipping according to self-will. We are not to worship God as we like, adding or taking away from God’s word, and thereby incurring God’s wrath (Rev. 22:18-19).
From these considerations, we would conclude that the Regulative Principle is more consistent with the teaching of Scripture compared to the Normative Principle. The Normative Principle not only requires the keeping of what is taught in Scripture but also allows for the introduction of elements not forbidden by Scripture. The allowance of things not forbidden by Scripture opens up the possibility of introducing many things, e.g. the burning of candles, hand-clapping and hand-waving, using the drum-set, wearing vestment or a robe during preaching, etc. When challenged by those who hold to the Regulative Principle, those who hold to the Normative Principle would raise issues that are connected with the circumstances concerning worship such as the time and duration of worship, the number of hymns, etc., not explicitly taught in Scripture. It is here that the Regulative Principle stipulates the use of common sense (1 Cor. 11:13-14) and the general rules of Scripture (1 Cor. 14:26, 40) to govern the circumstances concerning worship. The Normative Principle allows for the introduction of alien elements into worship, while confusing these elements with matters truly ‘indifferent’ in worship.
What are the general rules of Scripture that should govern the circumstances concerning worship that are not explicitly taught in Scripture? Today, the advocates of the Regulative Principle would regard the general rules as including doing all things: (i) to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31; 2 Cor. 13:8); (ii) decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40); (iii) to edify the church (1 Cor. 14:26; 2 Cor. 10:8; Eph. 4:29; Matt. 18:6; 1 Pet. 2:12); (iv) according to the simplicity that is in Christ (2 Cor. 1:12; 11:3). All these general rules actually fall under two specific principles related to the attitude of worship – one found in the Old Testament, viz. Leviticus 10:3, and the other in the New Testament, viz. John 4:24.
The Attitude of Worship
The Regulative Principle covers not only the Second Commandment which prohibits the introduction of alien elements of worship but also the Third Commandment which requires the correct attitude to worship. This is seen in the case of Aaron’s sons being struck dead by the LORD because they introduced something not commanded. We are told in Leviticus 10:1, “Then Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it, put incense on it, and offered profane fire before the Lord, which He had not commanded them.” The burning of incense was regarded as “profane fire” because the Lord had not commanded them, i.e. Nadab and Abihu. Their action was wrong on two counts: firstly, the burning of incense was not commanded by God for that particular worship service; and secondly, the two men were never assigned by God to burn incense. In other words, two alien elements were being introduced into worship. Only Aaron, the High Priest, had been assigned to burn incense on the altar of incense twice each day – once in the morning and once in the evening (Exodus 30:7, 8). Aaron was also assigned to burn incense before the Lord on the annual Day of Atonement (Lev. 16:12-13). Aaron’s sons were also wrong in their attitude of worship. We are told in Leviticus 10:3,
And Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord spoke, saying: ‘By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified.’” So Aaron held his peace.
The mode of worship and the attitude of worship are inseparable, just as the Second Commandment and the Third Commandment are inseparable. Both concern the worship of the triune God.
We consider next John 4:24, which says, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” To worship God in spirit is to worship Him sincerely out of faith in Christ. An unconverted person cannot worship God acceptably, for Christ has said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me (John 14:6).” It means also worshipping Him by the help of the Holy Spirit who indwells the true believer (Gal. 3:2; Rom. 8:9). Only true believers have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. After the death and resurrection of Christ, He has ascended to heaven to act as High Priest for His people. Based on Christ’s finished work on the cross, and His present intercession for His people in heaven, we are able to draw near to God in worship. Worship in spirit is made possible because of the help of the Holy Spirit in His people, who applies the saving benefits of Christ to them. These truths are made clear in Hebrews 10:19-25.
To worship God in truth is to worship Him with understanding and obedience to the teaching of Scripture. The Samaritans regarded only the five books of Moses as Scripture, while the Jews held also to the Psalms and the Prophets. The Samaritans worshipped on Mt. Gerizim while the Jews worshipped on Mt. Zion. The Lord Jesus pointed out to the Samaritan woman that “the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship…” Two points must be noted. Firstly, the Lord was saying that the understanding of the truth is important to worship. Understanding the truth implies obedience to the truth, for what is the point of understanding the truth if there is no obedience to it? Secondly, the Lord was referring to the abolition of the animal sacrifices and rituals of the Old Covenant – “neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem”. The types and symbols of the Old Covenant would be fulfilled by the death and resurrection of Christ, according to the prophecies of “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:25-27, 44-48). Today, we have the complete revelation of God’s word. We must worship Him in the way He prescribes in the Scripture.
The New Testament shows that the elements of worship are — prayers, reading the Scripture; preaching from the Scripture; singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs; making the offering; and when necessary, having baptism and the Lord’s Supper. To these may not be added anything else. The manner of carrying these out must be determined by common sense, Christian prudence, and the general rules of Scripture. Those who have the spirit of the Reformation would want to worship in the way prescribed by the Scripture.
Conclusion
The Reformation of the 16th century was based on the principle of “sola scriptura”. Scripture is the only authority in all matters of faith and practice. We must recover the spirit of the Reformation and desire to worship God and to serve Him, in accordance to Scripture. The Regulative Principle of worship says,
“In the worship of God, whatever is taught in Scripture must be obeyed, while whatever is not taught in Scripture must be rejected, except for some circumstances concerning worship which must be ordered according to common sense, Christian prudence, and the general rules of Scripture.”
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