In order to understand the regulative principle of worship properly, one must understand the difference between worship ordinances and the circumstances, or incidentals, of worship. Worship ordinances are those things and activities received from divine revelation. Every worship ordinance is appointed by God. Anything connected to worship that has a religious and moral significance has to be based on divine command (explicit or implicit) or approved historical example. The church receives all worship ordinances from God as revealed in the Bible. The church must obey all of God's ordinances. The church does not have the authority to add to or detract from those things God has appointed. The circumstances of worship refer not to worship content and ceremony but to those things "common to human actions and societies." The only way someone can learn a worship ordinance is to study the Bible and see what God commands. But the circumstances of worship are not dependent on the explicit instructions of the Bible; they depend only upon general revelation and common sense ("Christian prudence"). Believers and unbelievers alike know that shelter and heat are useful to conduct a meeting in January, in Minnesota. They understand the desirability of chairs, lighting, clothing, and so on. It is understood that a time must be chosen in advance in order to conduct a meeting. There are many things common to both religious and civil (or secular) meetings that are not dependent on specific biblical instructions. These things are the circumstances, or incidentals, of worship
08 December, 2014
The Circumstances of Worship
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment