2 Tim 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
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REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE OF WORSHIP
LORD’S DAY, MAY 31
Leviticus 10:1-2
1 Corinthians 14:33, 40
“Let all things be done
decently and in order.”
REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE OF WORSHIP
The worship of God in His house must be done in God’s way. “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” (WCF 21.1).
God requires us to worship Him in His way. Any worship not instituted by God will not be accepted. For example, Nadab and Abihu were punished by God because they “offered strange fire... which he commanded them not” (Lev 10:1). God does not allow us to worship Him according to our whim and fancy. He requires us to worship Him according to the principles of worship He has set forth in the Scriptures.
The regulative principle involves two vital doctrines of the Christian faith. The first is the doctrine of God’s nature. 1 Corinthians 14:33 and 40 tells us that the God we worship is a God of decency and order, and not confusion. God is not pleased with any form of worship that is chaotic, wild, and uncontrolled. Spiritual maturity is an important element. The more spiritually minded we are, the more sensitive we will be to the holiness of God. It is not so much a matter of rules and regulations, but of spirituality. If our hearts and minds are biblically tuned to God and His Word, we do not need anyone to give us a list of do’s and don’ts, we will automatically know what God wants us to be and what He wants us to do. We will naturally desire what God desires. Read 1 Corinthians 2:15-16.
The regulative principle also involves the doctrine of separation. This principle is taught in Romans 12:1-2. Although the Church is in the world, she must not be of the world, and that includes her form of worship.
THOUGHT: Say “No” to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM).
PRAYER: Lord, may I always render to Thee acceptable and spiritual worship.