Break Forth With Celebratory Joy!

What is the best way to serve God? How do we best praise Him? Is God best praised with joyless groanings and non-expressive petitions? Does God regulate the way in which our hearts are to come before God? Charles Spurgeon shows us that the worship of the Triune God is to be different than the praises that men and women give to false gods and idols. He writes,

Gladness and joy are the appropriate spirit in which to praise the goodness of the Lord. Birds extol the Creator in notes of overflowing joy, the cattle low forth his praise with tumult of happiness, and the fish leap up in his worship with excess of delight. Moloch may be worshipped with shrieks of pain, and Juggernaut may be honoured by dying groans and inhuman yells, but he whose name is Love is best pleased with the holy mirth, and sanctified gladness of his people.

Love for God and Worship

Today I was reading in Thomas Watson, and came across this great thought on our love for God in connection with biblical worship:

When Christians make little reckoning of God's worship, duties of religion are done in a dead, formal manner; if they are left undone, yet they are ill done. This is a sad symptom of a spiritual consumption; remissness in duty shows a decay in our first love. The strings of a violin being slack, the violin can never make good music; when men grow slack in duty, they pray as if they prayed not; this can never make any harmonious sound in God's ears. When the spiritual motion is slow and heavy, and the pulse of the soul beats low, it is a sign that Christians have lost their first love.

R Scott Clark ON John Calvin ON Musical Instruments in Worship

Dr. R. Scott Clark (URC ruling elder and professor at Westminster West) is doing a good job defending his one paragraph blog post on Instruments in Worship. Join the fun here. If you don't want to join the fun, at least you could read his book.

The Expressions of the Heart

Psalm singing is designed by God to provide for every expression in humanity's experience of God. Calvin said that God gave us an anatomy of the soul in the Psalter. This means that every expression of religious thought and feeling is found within the Psalter. There is truly a psalm for every human experience, thus showing the divinity in this inspired hymnal.

The lessons and encouragements which we obtain from other parts of the Old Testament are frequently drawn indirectly by a process of inference, for which we are not always in the right frame of mind and the proper spiritual mood. But the in Psalms, whatever our mood, whether we are exultant or downcast, vigorous or weary, penitent or believing, we can always find our hearts mirrored there. It needs no process of reasoning to make their sentiments our own. Here the language of the Bible comes to meet the very thoughts of our hearts before these can even clothe themselves in language and we recognize that we could not have expressed them better than the Spirit has here expressed them for us. At first sight, this may easily seem strange to us when we remember that the the psalmists lived under the conditions of a typical and preparatory dispensation; that on many points they saw through a glass darkly, whereas we, who live in the full light of the complete gospel, see face to face. But for the very reason that the Psalms reflect that experimental religion of the heart, which is unvarying at all times and under all circumstances, we need not greatly wonder at this. The influx of the divine light, whether more or less strong, must always produce the identical effect of joy, hope and peace in every soul to which it comes. The well at which we drink may flow more abundantly than that at which the psalmists drank, but the experience of thirst, of drinking and of satisfaction must still be the same as it was in the time of David. -Geerhardus Vos

13th Century Worship Wars

Why must we be different? It is rare today to go into a Protestant Church of any kind and find that people praise God with only their voices. The worship wars (which are officially over, according to evangelical scholars) between the organs and the praise band never took us into account. Those who praise God acapella are in the very small minority today, and were never consulted as to our thoughts on the worship wars.

So why be different? If less than 5% of the Western Church chooses to sing acapella- then what is the argument? It does not seem as though we have a leg to stand on in our argument. The Church of Jesus Christ DOES USE instruments in worship. That is just the fact.

But it was not always that way: Hear this selection from Nick Needham's (who, as far as I know, uses instruments in worship) book on Church history, 2000 Years of Christ's Power:

In the period 900-1100...organs began to become common features of the great western abbys and cathedral churches... At first the organ was used simply to give the right note for the monks and choir (like a tuning fork)... This period (900-1100) did not actually lead to a widespread use of instruments in ordinary parish churches and thus in normal Western Catholic worship. Even in the great abbeys and cathedrals the organ's use was limited... Some historical sources speak of an organ controversy in the 13th century, which resulted in the Catholic Church's declaring against the use of organs. Thomas Aquinas... confirms this, for Aquinas simply repeated the way that the early Church fathers had condemned all musical instruments in Christian worship: "The Church does not use musical instruments such as the harp and lyre when praising God, in case she should seem to fall back into Judaism..." In fact, it was not until after Aquinas in the 14th and 15th centuries, that the playing of musical instruments became a widespread, regular and accepted feature of ordinary Western worship.

So, the first 14-15 centuries of Christian worship were without instruments in worship. Then the Reformed churches abandoned them in the 16th century. That means that 3/4 of Christian history is acapella worship.

If I were in a church that used instruments, that figure alone would compel me to investigate the reason why.

JG Vos on Christian Worship

JG Vos was an interesting theologian. He was called the 'people's theologian' because he believed that theology was for the common man; not for the ivory towers. I whole-heartily agree. He was also Christian Reformed as a child, and later became a Reformed Presbyterian, after his father began teaching at Princeton seminary (back when that meant something).

Here is his article on Christian worship. He deals with some of the objections to Psalm singing and answers them in a very pastoral and humble way. Our position on worship is not a popular one in today's Christian milieu, which makes it all the more important to use care and a pastoral approach to dealing with these differences. If the position is biblical and offensive to some Christians; then the Scriptures should do the offending, not the messenger. I would recommend that you read it before the Lord's Day.

Synod Committee Report on Worship 1898

You find such great things while digging through synodical minutes. Some things are quite boring, but there are also comments that are very practical, devotional, and spiritual in nature. In 1898, the RPCNA re-afirrmed their position on worship that had been the practice in the church since the time of the Scottish Reformation. There are very few denominations or churches that have held their principles on worship as long... I could be wrong, but I do not think that there are any in North America.

Here is their reaffirmation on biblical worship:

Since the second or third century of the Christian era what should be sung in the worship of God has been a matter of more or less controversy. Until that time the subject was very simple; all were found singing the Scriptural Psalms. The only arbiter in the matter is the Head of the Church, the Lord Jesus Christ. However much might be truly said of many songs of human composition in praise of their beauty and excellence, the Christian conscience must be satisfied with nothing short of Divine authority for what is used in the worship of God. What is best suited to incite devotional feelings and give them proper expression is not the primary matter for consideration; but what is the will of God? Saving faith is the submission of our wills to God's, and the subjection of our judgment to His.

Concerning the matter and manner of His worship the Lord has laid down a general principle to be followed by his people in all ages, places and circumstances: "What thing soever I command you, observe to do it; thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it." (Deut. xii., 32.) "All power," says Christ, "is given unto me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (Matt, xxviii., 18-20.)

There are irrefragable reasons for believing that the Psalms, commonly called the Psalms of David, and they only, have been divinely authorized to be sung in the worship of God. These Psalms are inspired, as none dispute, and hence are found in the canon of Scripture. They are lyric in structure, and consequently composed to be sung. They have been, under divine direction and superintendence, collected into one book, and hence give proof of being intended for general and continuous use. As a historical fact, they have been used in the worship of God through all the ages of the Church, and exclusively until the Second or Third Century, A. D. The law authorizing their use has never been repealed.

The Lord has not given the Church another book of praise as a substitute. O n the contrary, Christ and the Apostles used the Psalms of David exclusively in the worship of God, and Christ has, through His Apostles, given His seal to their exclusive right of use: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." (Col. iii., 16; also, Eph. v., 19.)

In connection with the singing of praise in the worship of God there has crept into the modern Church a corruption in the use of instruments of music. It is deemed that there is no Divine authority for this innovation. In the pattern of the Tabernacle which God gave to Moses, after which he was to construct a place of worship, no mention is made of instruments of music, and in harmony with a principle now well-established that what is not commanded is forbidden, instruments of music were not introduced by Moses.

Instruments of music were introduced into the Tabernacle worship in the later years of David's life, and also into the Temple worship; but only at the plain command of God. In the reconstruction of the Church in N e w Testament times no mention is made of instruments of music by Christ and His Apostles in their instructions concerning the mode of worship, and New Testament history and early Church history, their use before the Tenth or Eleventh Century of the Christian Era.

We recommend:
I. That pastors be urged to present the subject to their congregations at least once during the year.
2. That parents be urged to continue the old practice of having their children memorize the Psalms.
ROBT. A. PADEN, THOS. A. RUSK, J. R. LATIMER, Of the Committee.

The following resolution was adopted: Resolved, that all our people, old and young, are hereby warned to avoid all appearance of giving their approval to the use of man-made hymns and instrumental music in the worship of God. R. M. Sommerville was instructed to issue such new editions of the Psalter as may be called for.

Descendit ad Inferna?

In a discussion on the article of faith, "He descended into hell" you will find much confusion. The ancients intended this phrase to mean just what it says- Jesus descended into hell after his burial. Most views say that he preached or proclaimed his triumph over sin and death before demons and/or the damned.

Reformed Christians historically deny this interpretation. We have reinterpreted this phrase in our ancient creed to mean that he either entered the place of the dead or he suffered the pains of hell on the cross. My personal belief (which does not find much support in the Reformed and Presbyterian tradition) is that we strike this phrase from our Creed or we place a giant footnote at the bottom of every printing and state that we disagree with the original meaning of the authors of the text.

As far as I see there are three camps in the Reformed tradition here:
1. Those who are revisionists and reinterpret the creed.
2. Those that do not think that it is that important to change or redefine.
3. Those who want to strike the phrase out of our ancient creed.

Of course, all three have consequences. What should be done though? Does a revisionistic interpretation open the door to liberal interpretations of the Scriptures? Does striking the line show disrespect to our ancient heritage?

Three quotes were given in the discussion that shows the confusion that this phrase has made in the evangelical world. These quotes left me astonished that some have gone so far as to redefine Christ's atoning sacrifice to fit into a creedal system. I see these as the bad fruit of not dealing with this early on in the Protestant Reformation (I understand that the Reformers would not have been able to maintain their claim on catholicity if they began disassembling the creeds of the historic Church):

When Jesus cried, ‘It is finished!’ He was not speaking of the plan of redemption. There were still three days and nights to go through before He went to the throne...Jesus’ death on the cross was only the beginning of the complete work of redemption. -Kenneth Copeland

Do you think that the punishment for our sin was to die on a cross? If that were the case, the two thieves could have paid your price. No, the punishment was to go into hell itself and to serve time in hell separated from God...Satan and all the demons of hell thought that they had Him bound and they threw a net over Jesus and they dragged Him down to the very pit of hell itself to serve our sentence. -Fredrick Price

He [Jesus] tasted spiritual death for every man. And His spirit and inner man went to hell in my place. Can’t you see that? Physical death wouldn’t remove your sins. He’s tasted death for every man. He’s talking about tasting spiritual death. -Kenneth Hagen

In Anticipation of our Third Child

Baptism is a great doctrine and an even greater blessing to those to whom it is administered. As we anticipate the arrival of our third child we think of all that baptism means and represents to us and to our children. The Lord Jesus Christ has a claim on our children, which means that they are:

1. In covenant with Him.
2. Have a responsibility to believe the Gospel.

We have great responsibility as parents to reflect what it means to be members of the covenant community. It also means that all who have made a profession to believe the Gospel have a duty to live lives that adorn the Gospel. When a child is baptized in the church there is a series of questions that are posed to the parents and to the covenant community. The ARP Book of Worship states to the congregation, "in the name of the whole Church of Christ, do you undertake responsibility for the growth of this child in Christian nurture?" What a great responsibility we all have as the Church of Christ grows through the birth of another covenant child. We remember the words of the Apostle Peter, "the promise if for you and your children!"

We should all improve on our baptism as we anticipate seeing this sacrament administered in the name of the Triune God.

Larger Catechism Question 167: How is our Baptism to be improved by us? A167: The needful but much neglected duty of improving our Baptism, is to be performed by us all our life long, especially in the time of temptation, and when we are present at the administration of it to others; by serious and thankful consideration of the nature of it, and of the ends for which Christ instituted it, the privileges and benefits conferred and sealed thereby, and our solemn vow made therein; by being humbled for our sinful defilement, our falling short of, and walking contrary to, the grace of baptism, and our engagements; by growing up to assurance of pardon of sin, and of all other blessings sealed to us in that sacrament; by drawing strength from the death and resurrection of Christ, into whom we are baptized, for the mortifying of sin, and quickening of grace; and by endeavoring to live by faith, to have our conversation in holiness and righteousness, as those that have therein given up their names to Christ; and to walk in brotherly love, as being baptized by the same Spirit into one body.

Casual Thoughts on Formal Worship

When I first began studying the issue of worship, about 8 years ago, I was amazed at how much of the Scriptures speak of regulation according to God's Word. This, of course, seems to lead to some sort of bondage to the will of God alone. How can a sinful human submit to the will of a divine being that does not allow me to do whatever I want in worship?

True confession: For the first couple of years in my Christian life, I worshiped in evangelical and even some charismatic churches. These churches are quite innovative in worship and do many things that they do in an attempt to please the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the way in which I learned to worship, as those around me did.

The more that I studied, the more I felt liberated from the will of men as well as the 'worship wars' that are so common in today's churches. There is a lot of good things in evangelical churches; but there is also a lot of doing what is right in their own eyes.

The freedom that a simple, biblical, and reformed worship service brings is quite pleasing to the senses after-all. Acapella singing, God's songs as the text, simple exposition of the Word, and prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Who could ask for more, besides these and the waters of baptism and the wine and bread of the eucharist?

The more I read, the more I loved the heritage in which I dwell. The more I submitted to what God desires in worship, the more I was able to cultivate a relationship with the Son. The studying of worship has been the single most liberating doctrine to my Christian experience. What has been your experience?

The more we do sanctify His name, the more we will fall in love with worship.
Jeremiah Burroughs

Cultural Relevance or Biblical Mandate?

In the evangelical world you do not often see articles or discussions about women covering their heads in worship. Last week Andree' Seu, of World Magazine, wrote the article: Symbol of Glory as a a defense of why she has been covering her head in worship.

I know that it is a controversial issue and that there are God honoring people on both sides of the argument; but it is nice to see that people are at least thinking about the implications of I Corinthians 11. 2-16.

I would like to see more discussion on the issue done in a God-honoring way. I am afraid that in some, it has become a symbol of control over a woman rather than of her glory. Either way, Seu has a balanced argument for the usage of head coverings.

Cotton Mather on Entertainment in Worship

Cotton Mather was dealing with a type of seeker-sensitive church in his day. He thought that the introduction of musical instruments (especially the organ) was a ploy to entertain the people and steal them out of the Reformed churches.

He saw the organ in the same way that many in today's churches see guitars and a drum set. I guess that many of us, upon reflection, need to reconsider our positions on these things. What is the difference between a guitar and an organ? Is there any difference?

If we believe in doing what God tells us to do in worship, should we not have all of the instruments that God says to use in the Old Testament and not one that was invented in the 1600s? Or should we reconsider the whole thing? Why did ALL of the Reformed churches sing a capella? What does God want from us?



"Attempts to propagate the Church of England among us, by a most conspicuous and marvelous blast of heaven upon them, do very much come to nothing. Even the organs introduced into the chapel in this metropolis of the English America, signify very little to draw over our people unto them." -Cotton Mather, in a letter to John Stirling, 1714.

Prepare Your Heart

John Willison's Sacramental Catechism was the first book that I have turned to this week in preparation for the Lord's Supper this coming Sabbath. My particular copy is quite special to me. My great friend, Shawn Anderson bought it for me about 6 years ago. It is a second edition and in very nice shape.

The book is a great way to begin preparation for a communion season since it is full of Scripture references and thoughts on how to best prepare and examine yourself. Willison discusses the need for the communicant to have grace before coming to the Lord's table. The Supper is a spiritual feast and one must have an appetite before one comes to a feast. Dead men and men who have no hunger do not have a need or a desire for a great feast. So too, the Lord's Supper is for quickened men and men with a hunger for more grace.

In this week before partaking of this heavenly meal, I am called to search my heart to look for two things. Do I have grace that has resulted in saving faith? Do I have a hunger for greater love and communion with the Lord Jesus Christ?

What is in your heart?

War Psalms of the Prince of Peace

Those of us who sing the Psalms in public worship know the benefits of singing imprecations against God's enemies. The imprecatory Psalms are a way for the Church to cry out to God for the suppression of his enemies and the advancement of His kingdom. When evangelicals speak against the imprecatory Psalms, they are speaking against a tool that the Lord has given for His glory and our good.

When the Lord Jesus taught the Church to pray, he gave both positives and negatives for His kingdom work. We too, as we sing imprecations, and pray for the suppression of God's enemies, should remember that these songs are part of the corpus of inspired songs. I fear that many evangelicals have chosen not to sing these because they appear to be less-than-Christian. They do the Church a disfavor.

The hatred is there in the imprecatory psalms- festering, gloating, undisguised- and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it, or, worse still, used it to justify similar passions in ourselves.

-CS Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms (New York: Hartcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1958), p. 22.

Some thoughts on the Lord's Supper

What is it for the Lord's people to renew their covenant with him at his table?

A. It is to acquiesce anew in the covenant of grace, as made with Christ, Isa. 44:5; and, in so doing, to surrender themselves to the Lord, to be wholly his, trusting that he will keep them by his power, "through faith unto salvation," 1 Pet. 1:5.

What is it for them to renew their love to all the saints on that occasion?

A. It is to embrace the opportunity of being at the Lord's table, to breathe out the secret and habitual desires of their souls before him, that all the saints, as well as themselves, may share abundantly out of the fulness of Christ, Psalm 90:14; and that they keep themselves "in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life," Jude ver. 21.

Taken from Fisher's Catechism

Heartlessly Reformed

"Without the heart it is no worship. It is a stage play. It is an acting of a part without being that person, really. It is playing the hypocrite."
-Stephen Charnock

On this blog I talk a lot about the outward forms of worship and what constitutes worship according to the Word of God. In contemporary theology we use the term 'regulative principle of worship' to describe what God desires in worship. I have stated, and attempted to defend, what the Westminster Confession of Faith sets out as worship, and to some degree I have attempted to uphold the directory for publick worship as well.

Again, I believe that worship is strictly regulated by God and that he is to be approached only on his terms that are revealed in the Scriptures. Worship is also something that is internal and spiritual by nature. If worship is done strictly according to God's Word, but the heart is not in worship, then you are not worshiping.

The Apostle Paul tells us that worship is to be done with grace in the heart. Grace in the heart requires preparation for worship by prayer and meditation on the Word of God. Preparation is also being sure that no brothers or sisters have been offended by your behavior prior to coming to worship. Preparation requires a right frame of heart and mind and a desire to see Jesus Christ elevated in the lives of the saints.

Worship is regulated by Scripture, and part of the regulations require that Christians come to worship in a right frame of mind. Many of us 'RPW' types are quick to judge fellow believers who do not follow what Scripture says concerning the act of worship.

Are we as quick to judge our own hearts and minds when we knowingly come to worship unprepared, ill-prepared, or holding resentment in our hearts? Are we as quick to hold believers in our 'own camp' accountable for less-than-spiritual conversation on the Lord's Day, or using the day for self-fulfillment rather than complete devotion to God and Christ?

Do we desire to sacrifice the hypocrisy of our own hearts or just to make sure that every one only sings Psalms (as noble as that is)? Brothers and sisters, hold me accountable to my profession of faith, and, with the Lord's help, I will hold you accountable. Most of all, desire a right heart and mind as you approach a holy, all-consuming God in your public worship, family worship, and private worship. Do not play the hypocrite.

Approaching God in Character

Our day and age has brought about what we deem as the "worship wars". The worship wars are Christians battling out their perception of worship. Generally the debates revolve around preference and who prefers hymns versus "contemporary" songs. These churches also desire to battle over things such as organs versus guitars and drums.

The problem with this whole argument is that no one has taken the time to stop and to ask what God desires in all of this. The American church has not stopped to ask about God's character or how he has revealed himself in his Word. The debate usually never leaves the horizontal aspect of ascetics, preference, or "the way that I see it is...".

God has revealed himself in his Word and we need to reflect that character. He has also revealed principles of worship and we must bow to his sovereign will... God is in His holy temple- let the whole earth be silent.

God is a Spirit infinitely happy, therefore we must approach him with cheerfulness; he is a Spirit of infinite majesty, therefore we must come before Him with reverence; he is a Spirit infinitely high, therefore we must offer up our sacrifices with deep humility; he is a Spirit infinitely holy, therefore we must address him with purity; he is a Spirit infinitely glorious, we therefore must acknowledge his Excellency... He is a Spirit infinitely provoked by us, therefore we must offer up our worship in the name of a pacifying mediator and intercessor.
-Stephen Charnock

Prepare Ye Your Heart

The Reformed doctrine of Holy Communion is one of great comfort to the Christian. The Christian is called to enter into the heavens to sit with Christ and to commune with Him. O to be with him and to learn at his feet. May he teach us something of the greatness of his majesty, the fullness of His love, and the depths to which he went to satisfy the demands of the law to pay God's righteous penalty for us to have eternal life. Blessed be the Holy One of Israel.

"Your eyes are looking at bread and cup. This is the evidence before your physical sight. But your faith must be instructed concerning it - this bread being Christ 's Body and the cup containing His Blood. Though perhaps these words may be enough to initiate faith, faith must be further instructed in accordance with the Prophet's words:

'Believe that you may understand' ( Is 7:9).

-St. Augustine of Hippo