Regulative principle of worship

Overview

The regulative principle of worship is held, practiced, and vigorously maintained by conservative Reformed churches, the Restoration Movement, and other conservative Protestant denominations. Historic confessional standards stating the doctrine include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Orthodox Creed, and the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith.

The regulative principle contrasts with the normative principle of worship, which teaches that whatever is not prohibited in scripture is permitted in worship as long as it is agreeable to peace and the unity of the Church. In short, there must be agreement with the general practice of the Church and no prohibition in scripture for whatever is done in worship.

A broader sense of the term "regulative principle" is occasionally cited on matters other than worship, such as to constrain designs of church government to scriptural elements. The regulative principle is often confused with the doctrine of sola scriptura, which states that scripture is the only infallible spiritual authority, but is compatible with and taught by many churches that follow the normative principle of worship.

Scriptural basis

The Reformed confessions cite various biblical passages in support of the regulative principle, such as Deuteronomy 12, in which Yahweh gives the Israelites various commands about worship, sacrifice, and the avoidance of Canaanite religious practices, and says at the close of the chapter:

Likewise, Reformed theologians cite Yahweh's punishment of the brothers Nadab and Abihu as illustrating an insistence by God that humans worship him only with practices that he has commanded. Nadab and Abihu, the Israelite prophet Aaron's own sons, "offered unauthorized fire before the , which he had not commanded them." God immediately destroyed the brothers with fire of his own (Leviticus 10:1-2).

Interpretations

The regulative principle is characteristic of John Calvin's thought: basing his approach on the Reformational principle of Sola Scriptura, Calvin removed from the order of church service any element not explicitly mentioned in the Bible in order to avoid any risk of compromise with the sacred tradition - which was promoted as a second source of dogma by the Roman Catholic Church. For instance, he associated musical instruments with icons, which he considered violations of the Ten Commandments' prohibition of graven images. On this basis, many early Calvinists also eschewed the use of musical instruments in worship and advocated exclusive psalmody. The Churches of Christ continues to hold to the traditional reformed interpretation of the regulative principle in regard to the prohibition of instrumental music in the worship service.

In 17th-century English church debates, the Puritans argued that there was a divine pattern to be followed at all times, which they called the ius divinum ("divine law", after a Latin term in the ancient Roman religion). This came to be known by the milder term "regulative principle" in English.

Those who oppose instruments in worship, such as Orthodox Presbyterian Church ministers John Murray and G. I. Williamson, argue first that there is no example of the use of musical instruments for worship in the New Testament and second that the Old Testament uses of instruments in worship were specifically tied to the ceremonial laws of the Temple in Jerusalem, which they take to be abrogated for the Church. Since the 1800s, however, most of the Reformed churches have modified their understanding of the regulative principle and make use of musical instruments, believing that Calvin and his early followers went beyond the biblical requirements of the Decalogue and that such things are circumstances of worship requiring biblically rooted wisdom, rather than an explicit command. The vast majority of Reformed churches today accordingly make use of hymns and musical instruments, and many also employ contemporary worship music styles and worship bands. A minority of Reformed churches, however — such as the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland and the churches of the Reformed Presbyterian communion—continue to interpret the regulative principle and scriptural evidence as permitting only unaccompanied psalmody in worship.

The regulative principle was historically taken to prohibit the use of dance in worship. In 1996 reformed theologian John Frame broke the consensus and argued that the regulative principle does permit dancing, a view that was criticised by more conservative scholars.

While music is the central issue in worship debates, other matters have been contentious as well, including doxologies, benedictions, corporate confession of sin, prayer and the readings of creeds or portions of scripture. The presence of any one of these, their order and priority have ranged over various denominations.

John Calvin's liturgy

The original Lord's Day service designed by John Calvin was a highly-liturgical service with the Creed, Alms, Confession and Absolution, the Lord's Supper, Doxologies, prayers, Psalms, the Lord's Prayer, and Benedictions. The following are Orders of Service for the Lord's Day as designed by John Calvin (Collect is a short prayer; Lection is a scripture reading; Fraction and Delivery are the breaking of the bread and distribution thereof, respectively):

References

References

1. ''Westminster Confession of Faith'', Chapter XXI. - Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day. "... The acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by Himself, and so limited by His own revealed will, that He may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture."
2. "''Heidelberg Catechism''".
3. "''Belgic Confession'', Article 32: The Order and Discipline of the Church".
4. "''1689 Baptist Confession'', Chapter 22: Of Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day".
5. John Muether. (April 2017). "The Reformation of Church Polity". The Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
6. See confessional cites above, e.g., ''Westminster Confession of Faith'', Chapter XXI.
7. Thomas, Derek. "The Regulative Principle of Worship".
8. Barber.
9. (1 March 2007). "The Mission of Today's Church: Baptist Leaders Look at Modern Faith Issues". B&H Publishing Group.
10. (1991). "Richard Baxter - The Reluctant Puritan? in Advancing in Adversity, annual conference papers". The Westminster Conference.
11. Frame (1996).{{page needed. (December 2011)
12. "The Regulative Principle of Worship". Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
13. (2021). "The Constitution of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America". Crown & Covenant Publications.
14. (1 October 2011). "Fields in Motion: Ethnography in the Worlds of Dance". Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press.
15. Pipa, Joseph. "A book review of ''Worship in Spirit and Truth''".
16. Maxwell, William D.. (1936). "An Outline of Christian Worship: Its Development and Forms". Oxford University Press.