Lesson 8
The Basis for
Corporate Worship
How
are Christians to worship God corporately or collectively? How is the gathered church to approach
the Living God? What is the
criterion for worship? Is it found
in how one thinks or feels worship should transpire? Where does one go to find out how the one, true and living
God desires to be corporately worshipped?
The
Bible is the only place we can go to find out how to worship God. The Scriptures are the one source that
tell us why, when and how to worship as a body of believers. Evangelical Christians since the days
of the Reformation have declared that the Bible is the only rule of faith
and practice, and this surely includes the motivations and methods of
corporate worship.
ÒAll Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of
God may be thoroughly equipped for every good workÓ (2 Tim. 3:16).
The inspired, infallible Word of God
becomes the ultimate criterion to judge all of life, and this certainly
includes the proper way to conduct corporate worship. Without the objective Bible, the church is cast on a sea of
subjectivity so that in worship every person does that which is right in his
own eyes (Judges 17:6). God has
given the church infallible revelation on how He is to be approached in
collective worship, and the body of Christ needs no other man-made criterion to
make worship effective.
The
basic question is not what men think about worship but what does God say? All corporate worship, as all of life,
must be regulated and defined by the Scriptures.
For
those who are Reformed in theology, the foundational
principle for worship has been the Regulative Principle of Worship.
ÒThe living God accepts our
worship when we offer it in obedience to his revelation of worshipÕs true
character. Worship ought not to be
offered according to imagined fantasies and invented techniques, satanic
suggestions, using visible representations of God or through any way not
directed by the Scripture. (Westminster Confession of Faith: Contemporary
Edition—21:1).
The
intention of the Regulative Principle is good in that it seeks to limit worship
to what the Bible teaches, allowing the Bible alone to set the standard for corporate
worship. The motivation of this
principle is to keep GodÕs people from going to extremes in worship, so as to
offer up acceptable worship to the Triune God.
The
problem with the Regulative Principle is that the Bible does not mention many
things that we use is worship in the 21st century – pews,
stain glass windows, crosses, certain types of instruments, sound systems,
hymnals, over-head projectors, calls to worship, benedictions, etc. What is not specifically mentioned in
Scripture must be solved by theological deductions based on biblical texts and
principles. Those who view the
Regulative Principle this way appeal to the Westminster Confession of Faith,
The entire purpose of God
concerning all things necessary for his own glory, human salvation, faith and
life style is expressly written in Scripture or may be reasonably concluded
through careful and logical deduction from Scripture. (Westminster
Confesssion: Contemporary Edition—l-4)
Most Christians would agree that they should worship
only in the way God commands.
Anything less or more is a violation of the Second Commandment: ÒYou
shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or
on the earth beneath or in the waters belowÓ(Exo. 20:4).
Various
Christian groups or denominations look at how the regulative principle is
carried out in theory differently. Those who are of the Puritan-Reformed
tradition would say only what is explicitly commanded in Scripture is
acceptable in corporate worship.
Stated negatively they would say anything that is forbidden in Scripture
plus anything not explicitly commanded in Scripture should not be allowed in
worship. The Lutheran and Anglican
traditions would allow anything in public worship except that which is
specifically forbidden. In these
groups, much of the Roman Catholic tradition is retained. The tradition of General Evangelicals
would state that anything that is appropriate and enhances the service is
appropriate for corporate worship.
This is a more pragmatic approach to worship. Perhaps the closest
tradition to the regulative principle is found in the moderately Reformed group
that states all that is forbidden in Scripture plus anything without implicit biblical
warrant is not acceptable for public worship. Stated positively, the moderately Reformed believe that
whatever has explicit or implicit Biblical support is appropriate for corporate
worship. The moderately Reformed accept the premise that whatever is commanded
or stated in principle in the Bible alone is acceptable in collective
worship. Any thing else is not
acceptable. This view says that
the Bible alone (both Old and New Testaments) must be the only criterion for public
worship.
The
biggest issue is how the regulative principle is to be carried out practically. Theory is one thing and the practice of
that theory is something else. All
corporate worship is made up of content, structure and style. Content has to do with the truth
of the gospel and the whole counsel of God. Content is non-negotiable because it is founded upon the
inspired and infallible written Word.
Structure has to do with the way the church orders its
service. Obviously Christian
churches do not structure their services alike. Robert Webber suggests that Christian worship is:
ÒGathering (we
joyfully enter into the presence of God), Word (proclamation in which we
hear God speak), Eucharist (we respond with thanksgiving), and Dismissal
(we are sent out to love and serve othersÓ (Richard Kauffman, ÒBeyond the
Battle for the OrganÓ).
Style has to do with the cultural
context of worship. Style varies
from country to country and culture to culture. Different churches have different styles – some are
traditional and others are contemporary and some have blended worship. It is in the area of style that most of
the controversy over worship occurs.
The issue is over form and function. Function has to do with things that never change
– doctrine, fellowship, communion, prayer and worship.
ÒThey devoted themselves to the apostlesÕ teaching
and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had
everything in come. Selling their
possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet
together in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere
hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number
daily those who were being savedÓ (Acts 2:42-47).
No
church is a true church without these basic functions. Form is over how we do certain
things in worship – take offerings, arrange chairs, types of music, ways
of expressing worship, order of worship, use of instruments and choirs,
overhead screens or hymn books, reciting of creeds or Scripture, etc. These will vary among Christians. Those who are more aesthetic in nature
usually drift toward more formal kinds of worship. Those who are more emotive drift towards contemporary
worship. Style of worship so often
has to do with oneÕs personality; therefore, worship is a preference. It is related to what we like and what
we do not like. Christians around
the world worship God in different ways (form) but all are committed to the
basic elements of worship, which never change (function).
The
basis for all corporate worship is the Bible, but the object of worship is the
Trinitarian God and the purpose of worship is to glorify God.
ÒExalt the LORD our God and worship at his
footstool; he is holyÓ (Psa. 99:5).
The
Bible is not God. The Bible leads
us to God. We worship God, not the
Bible.
Worship
comes from the old English worth-ship, which means, Òto ascribe worth to
something or someone.Ó True
worship is to attribute worth to a real Being, one who is truly there and who
is truly worthy.
ÒThe function of believers
is to learn what God is like and acknowledge him – to ascribe worth to
him, to reflect upon the value, beauty, and character of God. This is true worshipÓ (Ray Stedman,
ÒWhy Worship?Ó).
Without
God at the center of worship, there is no true worship.
ÒAscribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe to the
LORD glory and strength. Ascribe
to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his
holinessÓ (Psa. 29:1-2).
ÒTo
ascribeÓ means Òto give: or Òto acknowledge.Ó True worship is giving to God not necessarily receiving from
God. Worship is
not determined by how much a person gets out of worship but how much he gives
or puts into worship. The
worshipper does get something from worship but only after he gives himself to
God in worship.
We
get to know the True God through nature.
God reveals Himself in common grace through the world of nature. Behind this universe is the Great
Designer and through the world the majesty of God is seen in the beauty of His
world. In nature we get a sense of
GodÕs wisdom, majesty and power.
This can cause the Christian to worship God and the unsaved man to stand
in awe of Him.
We
get to know God through the Scriptures.
God has spoken in His Word through special revelation. The Bible reveals His character; it
tells of His work both in creation and redemption, and unfolds the ultimate purposes
of God – what He is doing in the universe and the world in which we
live. We would know none of this
without the Word of God. The Bible
alone reveals to us who God is and how He is to be worshipped.
We
also get to know God through worship both personal and corporate. When we take the facts of nature and
the infallible revelation of Scripture and respond to them in faith, prayer and
obedience, we truly worship God.
Praising Him, ascribing worship to Him and praying to Him, do something
to us internally. This is GodÕs
self-revelation to us through His Spirit to our human spirit. Through worship we get to know God
personally and intimately. When we
pray, our occupation is with our human needs and problems. When we praise, our occupation in our
minds is on GodÕs blessing – the things He has done to us and for
us. Worship is our occupation with
God Himself, with His greatness and majesty of His being. We do not worship the Bible. We worship the God of the Bible. The Bible is merely the vehicle or
instrument that reveals to us the one and only True God.
ÒI will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise
your name for ever and ever. Every
day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and
ever. Great is the LORD and most
worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathomÓ (Psa. 145:1-3).