Dialogue on worship - Part 3
(PREFACE: "Skr" is the intentionally abbreviated alias of the aforementioned brother that goes to Sovereign Grace's Philadelphia church.)
SKR Wrote:
~This is difficult to imagine. You go to a church that uses instrumentation and I know personally is intensely passionate. Yet you claim that singing only churches are more passionate in your experience.
WHIT:
No, that is not what I claim. I am only saying that my experience of acappella churches is not the same as Ken's experience of acappella churches. I am comparing experiences of acappela churches, not acappela churches to non-acappela churches.
SKR:
~I would go as far as to say impossible. I mean, I appreciate you being candid about this but I would think you’d be about as effective as trying to focus on just the music and screening out the singing. There are gaps between the words where there is only music. the four count of the music tells you when to start the next part of the song. Your worship sounds like it involves more rigorous work to keep from letting the music in than enjoying God. I can’t think of any greater distraction in worship than constantly guarding yourself against letting in any instrumentation for fear of violating God’s commands or even sinning as you put it. I am really curious. Wouldn’t it be easier and more fulfilling to go to one of these Covenanted churches instead? According to your experience they are more passionate anyway. Also, how do you deal with your conscience when it comes to bringing people to church - a church that, according to your belief, is a step away from heresy?
WHIT:
Screening out the music has not detracted from my enjoyment of God nor has it made me loose time or make it harder to know when to start. The only time that detracted from my enjoyment of God is when I was Exclusive Psalmodist when I didn't sing at all. Yes, it would be easier to go to a Covenanter church. However, God has not given me the green light to transfer, and the (CLC) Elders have affirmed that the differences do not preclude membership. Hence, I am staying where He wants me to stay. As I clarified to my Care Group brothers CG yesterday, since there are 2 camps in Reformed Charismatic worship, I except SGM from my regard as CLC is of the more conservative camp and is nowhere near heresy. Also, if you remember what I've written, I said that although CLC is TAD erroneous in doctrine, CLC (and thus SGM) is faithful to Christ (and hence still a great distance from heresy) when considering the overall picture of doctrine AND life. So, since CLC is sound, passionate church, I have no reservations about inviting people to Public Worship.
SKR:
I’m trying to be objective. So please pardon my own feelings bleeding through. It’s just that this worship you espouse sounds (to me) very rigid and flat, sterile and imaginationless with heavy limitations on creativity and expression. Please don’t be offended by that. it’s just my own feedback.
WHIT:
No worries. What sounded to you is what was experienced by Ken; my experience (and also those of Covenanter and the modern Resolutioner churches) is the opposite of Ken's. The Reformed Baptist pastor Charles Spurgeon, 300 years after Calvin, rejected instrumentation in worship:
"We might as well pray by machinery as sing by it" and "Israel was at school, and used childish things to help her learn; but in these days when Jesus gives us spiritual food, one can make melody without strings and pipes... we do not need them. That would hinder rather than help our praise. Sing unto Him. This is the sweetest and best music. No instrument like the human voice." -- Commentary on Psalm 42
""Under a dispensation of types and shadows, the use of musical instruments seemed to be necessary and suitable; but in the early Christian Church, in her purest ages, these things were discarded as tending towards Judaism; and at this day, the sweetest singing in the world is heard in the assembly which utterly abjures the use of every musical instrument" -- Metropolitan Pulpit, 41.495
SKR:
I think the view presents problems. Since all of life is worship, wouldn’t we be outside the “code” in other creative ministies such as music, mural, dance, arts etc as well?
WHIT:
As I mentioned yesterday, I conceded that the RPW does have some problems as no view is perfect. However, the RPW does not have as much as the Catholic-leaning, judaizing "non-traditional" view of John Frame. (Mind you I am not equating Frame's "non-traditional" view with SGM's different Reformed charismatic view.)
With dance and drama, we would not be inside the "code" (or rather, Scripture). The modern Reformed Pastor Brian Schwertley has already addressed the "all of life is worship" point in his article "Sola Scriptura and the Regulative Principle of Worship" :
"An argument that is closely related to the argument from Deuteronomy 4:2 is one which claims that all of life is worship, and since life contains many activities that are not strictly regulated by Scripture, therefore worship is not strictly regulated either. Although, as Christians, everything we do is to be done to the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), and thus we are to live to the Lord (Rom. 14:7-8) and present our bodies as living sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1), the idea that all of life is worship and therefore no distinction exists between public worship and activities like mowing the lawn is absurd. There are several reasons why we must regard “the all of life is worship” argument as unscriptural.
First, there are several passages from both the Old and New Testaments which teach and/or assume that public worship is special and set apart from everyday life.
Psalm 22:22, 25. “I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.... My praise shall be of You in the great assembly; I will pay My vows before those who fear Him.”
Psalm 27:4. “One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.” David Dickson writes:
A third ground of confidence, is the conscience of his purpose to study to have constant communion with God, in the use of the means, and the conscience of his very earnest desire to have the benefit of all the public ordinances, in the fellowship of the church. Whence learn, 1. Hearty resolution to subject ourselves to all God’s ordinances, and to follow the appointed means of communion-keeping with God, is a sound mark of solid faith; and the conscience of this resolution, serveth much to confirm our confidence in God, if we can say with the prophet, this one thing have I desired, &c. 2. In the using of the means and ordinances of God’s house, the glory of the Lord may be seen, counsel and direction in all things may be had, with comfort and spiritual delight to our souls; for in the ordinances David was to behold the beauty of the Lord, with delight, and to enquire in his holy temple. 3. The desire of communion with God, and love to his ordinances, where it is sincere, should have the chief place in the heart, above all earthly desires and delights whatsoever: one thing have I desired. 4. A sincere desire must not be suffered to go away, but should be pursued resolutely, and recommended to God daily; this I will still seek after, saith he: and the means of communion with God in the public fellowship of the church must be constantly continued in, even all the days of our life.65
In his application of this passage to believers in the new covenant era Calvin writes: “The Word, sacraments, public prayers, and other helps of the same kind, cannot be neglected, without a wicked contempt of God, who manifests himself to us in these ordinance, as in a mirror or image.”
Psalm 84:1-2. “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Calvin writes:
David complains of his being deprived of liberty of access to the Church of God, there to make a profession of his faith, to improve in godliness, and to engage in the divine worship.... He knew that God had not in vain appointed the holy assemblies, and that the godly have need of such helps so long as they are sojourners in this world.
Plummer writes: “The appointed worship of the true God has in all ages possessed great attractions for the regenerate.”
Psalm 87:2. “The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.” David Clarkson writes:
But it may be replied, the Lord had worship, not only in the gates of Zion, in the temple, but also in the dwellings of Jacob. We cannot suppose that all the posterity of Jacob would neglect the worship of God in their families; no doubt the faithful among them resolved with Joshua, “I and my house will serve the Lord.” Since, therefore, the worship of God was to be found in both, how can this worship be the reason why one should be preferred before the other? Sure upon no other account but this, the worship of God in the gates of Zion was public, his worship in the dwellings of Jacob was private. So that, in fine, the Lord may be said to love the gates of Zion before all the dwellings of Jacob, because he prefers public worship before private. He loved all the dwellings of Jacob, wherein he was worshiped privately; but the gates of Zion he loved more than all the dwellings of Jacob, for there he was publicly worshiped. Hence we have clear ground for this: Observation. Public worship is to be preferred before private. So it is by the Lord, so it should be by his people. So it was under the law, so it must be under the gospel. Indeed, there is difference between the public worship under the law and gospel in respect of a circumstance, viz., the place of public worship. Under the law, the place of public worship was holy, but we have no reason so to account any place of public worship under the gospel; and this will be manifest, if both we inquire what were the grounds of that legal holiness in the tabernacle or temple, and withal observe that none of them can be applied to any place of worship under the gospel.69
Ecclesiastes 5:1-2. “Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few” (KJV). This passage alone proves that public worship is unique and special. There is to be a solemn recognition of the special presence of God in public worship and thus great care must be taken to be sincere, reverent, composed, deliberate and attentive. Matthew Henry writes:
Address thyself to the worship of God with a solemn pause, and take time to compose thyself for it, not going about it with precipitation, which is called hasting with the feet, Prov. xix. 2. Keep thy thought from roving and wandering from the work; keep thy affections from running out towards wrong objects, for in the business of God’s house there is work enough for the whole man, and all too little to be employed.... When we are in the house of God, we are in a special manner before God and in his presence, there where he has promised to meet his people, where his eye is upon us and ours ought to be unto him.70
John Gill writes:
All which may denote the purity and cleanness of the conversation of the true worshipers of God; for, as the feet are the instruments of the action of walking, they may intend the conduct and behaviour of the saints in the house of God, where they should take care to do all things according to his word, which is a lamp to the feet, and a light unto the path.71
It is obvious from this and many other passages that public worship is to be treated by God’s people far differently than attending a sporting even or going to a barbecue. Frank Smith writes:
One of the privileges of a worship service is that of coming into the special presence of God and communing with Him. Anything which detracts from this clearly should not be allowed. If we were to be in the royal presence of the Queen of England, it would not be proper protocol to interrupt that audience with the monarch in order to talk with one another. How much more important it is that we do not interrupt our audience with the King of kings by trivial items which center on ourselves.72
Leviticus 23:3. “Six days shall work be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work in it; it is the Sabbath of the LORD in all your dwellings.” After Israel was settled in the land, this requirement of weekly public worship could only be put into practice if there were many congregations meeting throughout the land of Israel. These decentralized congregational worship services would of course not contain the ceremonial elements of tabernacle or temple worship (such as animal sacrifices). Matthew Henry writes:
It is a holy convocation; that is, “If it lie within your reach, you shall sanctify it in a religious assembly: let as many as can come to the door of the tabernacle, and let others meet elsewhere for prayer, praise, and the reading of the law, ” as in the schools of the prophets, while prophecy continued, and afterwards in the synagogues. Christ appointed the New Testament Sabbath to be a holy convocation, by meeting his disciples once and again (and perhaps oftener) on the first day of the week.... Note, God’s Sabbaths are to be religiously observed in every private house, by every family apart, as well as by many families together in holy convocations.73
Acts 15:21. “For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (cf. Ps. 74:8).
Hebrews 10:24-25. “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” Unlike everyday activities such as skateboarding, gardening and driving a car, public worship is not an area that believers can treat with indifference, for it is not an optional activity. Those who regard “all of life as worship” (like those who misinterpret Deuteronomy 4:2) completely misunderstand the difference between public worship, the commanded elements of that worship and matters indifferent or common to human actions and societies. Once an activity is commanded and set apart by God, we cannot treat that activity as optional or adiaphora. Singing praise to God in public worship is in an entirely different category than planting tomatoes, even though both are done to God’s glory.
Second, Christ the king and head of the church has appointed public officers with special public functions that require a special public use. “Therefore He says: ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.... And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:8, 11, 12). The Bible has certain requirements for preaching, reading the Scriptures and administrating the sacraments in public worship. These worship elements are only to be conducted by an ordained teacher or preacher and must not be treated as indifferent activities of everyday life. If there is no distinction between all of life and public worship, then why are public ordinances restricted to ordained officers in the church? If all of life is worship, then such rules and distinctions would be unnecessary.
Third, when the apostle Paul discusses the conduct of believers during public worship, he sets forth regulations that presuppose a sharp distinction between public worship and all of life. For example, women may speak at a barbecue and may teach their children during home school, yet they are strictly forbidden to speak or teach during the public worship service (cf. 1 Cor. 14:34; 1 Tim. 2:12-14). Regarding the Lord’s supper, Paul tells believers that they must conduct themselves in a proper manner when coming to the Lord’s table. They are to examine themselves and are to make sure that they have a special regard for their brethren (1 Cor 11:17-34). The regulations regarding this sacrament obviously do not apply to the local picnic or volleyball game. There is also a special decorum for public worship that is commanded by Paul. Men are not to wear head coverings in church while women are (1 Cor. 11:2-16). However, men may wear baseball caps at the ball park. If all of life is worship (as some assert), and thus worship is not to be strictly regulated by Scripture, then the apostle Paul’s inspired instructions regarding public worship would be superfluous.
Fourth, the term for church (ekklesia) often denotes a society of professing Christians who constitute a local church that meets together for public worship in a particular location (Ac. 5:11; 11:26; 1 Cor. 11:18; 16:19; Rom. 16:23; Gal. 1:2; 1 Th. 2:14; Col. 4:15; Phm. 2; Rev. 1:11; 20, etc.). Hodge writes:
God has commanded ecclesiastical communities with constitutions, laws and officers, badges, ordinances and discipline, for the great purpose of giving visibility to his kingdom, of making known the gospel of that kingdom, and of gathering in all its elect subjects.74
The New Testament church met together for public worship on the Lord’s day (Ac. 2:1; 20:7; 1 Cor. 14:23, 26, 34, 35; 16:1, 2). Lord’s day public worship was commanded by God (Lev. 23:3; Heb. 10:24-45). It is a period of time that is set apart from everyday life. Public worship consists of certain elements that are authorized by Scripture such as: reading the Scriptures (Dt. 31:9-13; Neh. 8:7-8; 13:1; 1 Th. 5:27; Col. 4:16; 1 Tim. 4:13); prayer (Ac. 4:31; 1 Cor. 11:13-15); preaching from the Bible (Ac. 17:13; 20:8; 1 Cor. 14:28; 1 Tim. 4:13: 2 Tim. 4:2); the administration of the sacraments (Mt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:18-34) and the singing of Psalms (1 Chr. 16:9; Ps. 95:1-2; 105:2; 1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). It clearly would be inappropriate to treat public worship conducted by the church in the same manner as areas of life that are indifferent or adiaphora.
Fifth, the Bible teaches that there is a special presence of God in public worship. In a special sense Christ is speaking to his covenant people through the preached word. The people as a covenant body respond to God’s word with prayer and praise. The confession of sins to God includes both individual and corporate sins. When the one body partakes of the Lord’s supper (the bread and wine), there is a special blessing that is received from our Lord. Yet an unworthy partaking of the supper (e.g. when the corporate assembled body is disregarded, etc.) involves covenant sanctions and even death (1 Cor. 11:27-34). Cases of serious public sin and excommunication are to be announced during public worship where Christ is present in his court (Mt. 18:20), where the excommunicate is delivered to Satan by Christ’s power (1 Cor. 5:4). Not only does the congregation receive a special blessing from the public means of grace and God’s unique presence, but God is more glorified when he is praised by the corporate body of Christ. Clarkson writes:
The Lord has engaged to be with every particular saint, but when the particular are joined in public worship, there are all the engagements united together. The Lord engages himself to let forth as it were, a stream of his comfortable, quickening presence to every particular person that fears him, but when many of these particulars join together to worship God, then these several streams are united and meet in one. So that the presence of God, which, enjoyed in private, is but a stream, in public becomes a river, a river that makes glad the city of God. The Lord has a dish for every particular soul that truly serves him; but when many particulars meet together, there is a variety, a confluence, a multitude of dishes. The presence of the Lord in public worship makes it a spiritual feast, and so it is expressed, Isa. xxv. 6. There is, you see, more of God’s presence in public worship, ergo public worship is to be preferred before private.75
One should not be surprised that God is present in public worship in a special manner, for nothing on earth more resembles the throne room of God in heaven than public worship. Heaven is described in Scripture as a place of continued public worship where an innumerable host of angels and saints behold the face of God and the Lamb (Rev. 1:9-12). “The innumerable company of angels, and the church of the first born, make up one general assembly in the heavenly Jerusalem, Heb. xii. 22, 23. They make one glorious congregation, and so jointly together sing the praises of him that sits on the throne, and the praises of the Lamb, and continue in this public worship to eternity.”76
To argue that all of life is worship and thus public worship is not strictly regulated by God’s word is akin to comparing the Lord’s supper to that which is common or profane.
The public assembly is a covenantal gathering, a time and place for God to meet directly with His people. He lays down the law, and they are to bless Him in return.... Worship is special and it is dialogical in nature. It is also prescribed. The fact of being in God’s presence means that not only are general principles to be observed, but the very elements of service have been written out beforehand.77
SKR:
I think we are not standing with the “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” by not recognizing instrumentation as a modern draw to those who wouldn’t otherwise find themselves in church.
I think we are not standing with the “men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” by not recognizing instrumentation as a modern draw to those who wouldn’t otherwise find themselves in church. Is God not glorified by those who came to Christ by way of visiting a church because the instrumentation was part of the draw?
WHIT:
Indeed, we are not in the OT dispensation and its Christ-prefiguring ceremonies, but we are still not released from the moral part of the Law, which is summarized by "Love the Lord your God ...." and "Love your neighbor as yourself". Most people with whom I've talked were drawn to SGM by the soundness of the words and the passion of the people, not necessarily the instrumentation. However, some may indeed be drawn by the music (and Christ-mass Eve services). Indeed God is Providential and still draws people even when we don't obey him regarding instrumentation. That reasoning is similar my relative's reasoning that we can still do things that may bring about good and that is not obedient to God.
SKR:
Could you please tell me in a concise sentence or two why we are restricted from carrying instrumentation from OT times to NT times?
WHIT:
Instrumentation does not have any warrant in the NT either by way of the OT or NT, and Christ in the NT did not perpetuate the OT warrant. That is why we are not to carry it over from the OT.
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