#regulative principle

The Movement for Congregational Singing

Many have not yet heard about it, but a movement has been spreading among independent churches to “congregational singing,” which means “singing together” in unison excluding concert formats. The movement emphasizes going back to the biblical form of worship in song. The apostle Paul wrote, “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord…

Dr. Sam Waldron over at The Midwest Center For Theological Studies‘ Illumination blog has completed his series critiquing Exclusive Psalmody click the links below for more:

A Consideration Of Exclusive Psalmody  [audio]

In the beginning God said, let there be singing.  The act of creation is described as a time of singing.  It was when “the morning stars sang together” (Job 38:7).  Since that time God in His providence has said, Let the earth bring forth all kinds of singing and music.  He has said, Let there be love songs, laments for the dead, ballads for the brave, and let there be hymns of praise to ME!  He has also ordained that just as there should be a great variety of songs, there should be a great variety of music.  Out of His creative providence have sprung all sorts of musical instruments and all sorts of musical geniuses.  In the world we enjoy everything from brass bands to Bach and much more.  Singing and music are wonderful gifts of God made for us to enjoy.  Indeed, there is a great deal of Christian liberty with regard to this matter.  Some may push this matter of their liberty way beyond what is good for them or glorifying to God or edifying to their brethren.  Yet still without question there is great Christian liberty to enjoy these good gifts of God.  Christians may enjoy sacred concerts, the singing of biblical psalms, the talents of great musicians, Southern gospel quartets, soloists, duets, trios.  All these are good gifts to be enjoyed.  Christians with discretion may also enjoy all sorts of secular music.  Of course, care must be taken not to fill our minds with music that defiles us.  But there is a place for all these sings in the rich life that God has given to His people.

But in my preaching for Grace Reformed Baptist Church in the series, How Then Should We Worship?, I am not dealing with the liberty Christians have to enjoy God’s good gifts in their own lives as they see fit.  I am not speaking of what kinds of music they may bring into their own homes or concert halls.  My concern is different.  We are asking what God has appointed about this matter for His own house.  There are many things that have a place in God’s world that do not have a place in God’s house.  We have a liberty to order our own houses that we do not have in the house of God.  The very essence of the regulative principle of the church is that God exercises a special rule over His own house that is different from His rules for life in general.  This is the reason Paul said to Timothy I write so that you may know how one ought conduct Himself in the house of God(1 Timothy 3:15). In the world we have Christian liberty within the limits of His laws.  In the church we have God dominating His own worship.

In this series, then, when I came to the required part of worship which the 1689 Baptist Confession describes as teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord, my intention was not to say much of anything about the music to be enjoyed outside of the church.  We may do as we will in the world within the limits of God’s laws, but in His house God condemns will-worship or self-made religion (Col. 2:23).  The question I set for myself was simply this:  What has God said about the singing of His praise in His worship?

  What is Exclusive Psalmody and Why Should We Take the Time to Deal With It? [audio]

How must the question of Exclusive Psalmody be answered? [audio]

My first major argument against Exclusive Psalmody [audio]

My second major argument against Exclusive Psalmody [audio]

My third major argument against Exclusive Psalmody [audio]

My fourth major argument against Exclusive Psalmody [audio]

My fifth major argument against Exclusive Psalmody [audio]

Conclusion

Let me sum up in this my final post in my series on the subject of exclusive psalmody.   First, let me repeat my love and respect for the brethren who hold exclusive psalmody.  They are among my most beloved brothers.  Second, let me nevertheless my deep concern that their views not become prevalent among those who hold the important Reformed doctrine of the regulative principle.  Exclusive psalmody runs so contrary to basic instincts of the Christian heart and life that I fear that its prevalence would bring (as it has brought) disrepute and suspicion on the regulative principle itself.  Third, let me review my arguments against exclusive psalmody.

First, the exclusive psalmodists themselves do not actually sing inspired psalms. 

Second, we are commanded to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24), that is, we must worship in the light of gospel fulfillment and not Old Testament shadows.

Third, we are commanded in Scripture to sing new songs in keeping with the progressive revelation of God’s redemption.

Fourth, exclusive psalmody is out of accord with the requirements God makes with regard to other parts of worship.

Fifth, the best interpretation of Ephesians 5:19-20 and Colossians 3:16-17 leads to the conclusion that Paul was not thinking strictly of the Book of Psalms in this passage or even of inspired songs.

     Related:

Mark Fitzpatrick on The Biblical Argument For Exclusive Psalmody [Video]

Psalms Only? – Robert Gonzales & W. Gary Crampton

Scott Brown:

I’ve just released a new book of three essays on “Counterfeit Worship,’ which centers on John Knox’s famous treatise on the “Idolatry of the Mass.” In this short work, Knox explains how inventions in worship are idolatry.

  Here is one of the statements he makes exposing various inventions in worship that were popular in his day,

  “In the Papistical mass the congregation gets nothing except the beholding of your juking’s*, nodding, crossings, turning, uplifting, which are all nothing but an evil profaning of Christ’s Supper. Now, juke*, cross, and nod as you wish. They are but your own inventions. And finally, brethren, you receive nothing, but gazed and beheld while that one ate and drink all.”

- John Knox

    [order]

Description:

John Knox thundered against the inventions that had overcome the church in his day. We need his voice today, because what happened in Knox’s day has happened in modern times.

This book is divided in three sections: In the first section, Scott Brown will explain the historical importance of Knox’s voice today. In the second section, Kevin Reed will describe the riveting unfolding drama of Knox’s message and the personalities and institutions of the day. Then, in the final section, you will find the famous text of John Knox’s treatise regarding idolatry in worship.

  Details:

John Price, a Baptist minister, writes in his book, “Old Light On New Worship” on what differentiates circumstances from elements. The regulative principle states that only the elements God has commanded are to be done in worship, yet they recognize the existence of circumstances that are common to societies and nature. Many confuse the two and often this confusion leads to the introduction of elements under the guise of circumstances. Here are some qualifiers to what makes a circumstance a circumstance.

1. A circumstance must be something that does not directly affect the commanded elements of worship.

2. A circumstance must be something necessary (or essential) to the performance of the commanded element of worship.

3. A circumstance must be limited to those things undetermined by the Word of God.

And how shall we deal with these circumstances? Are they completely unregulated?

No, they are to be regulated by as nature and reason prescribe for edification, decency and order as Paul commands in 1 Cor. 14:26,40.

"In what belongs to the circumstances of worship necessary to its being dispensed with propriety, and so as to avoid confusion, the Church has authority to regulate them as nature and reason prescribe." - John Bannerman

Sam Waldron, at the Midwest Center for Theological Studies blog, explains his speaking engagement at the upcoming National Center for Family-Integrated Churches conference:

Some of you may have already heard or seen that I will be speaking at The Worship of God Conference of the National Center for Family-Integrated Churches. This conference will be held October 31-November 2, 2013 at the Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, NC.  I am excited to take the two slots that Scott Brown has asked me to fill.  The subjects are ones that I care passionately about.  I will be speaking once on the subject of The Worship of God in the Great Confessions of the Church and once on the important question Is There a Regulative Principle?  In this session I will show that, while all of life is addressed by the sufficient Scriptures, the sufficiency of Scripture has a special and detailed relevance and application to the church and its worship that is different than its application to the rest of life. This special application of the Scriptures to the church and its worship is historically known as the regulative principle of worship.

  My concerns about the Family-Integrated Church movement are no secret. And I have not ceased to be concerned about the theological and practical issues I have raised.  Over the past few years, however, I have been pleasantly surprised to discover that men like Scott Brown, Jeff Pollard, and Voddie Baucham are heartily confessional and truly and firmly convinced of the system of doctrine (including the ecclesiology) taught in the 1689 Baptist Confession.  Whatever contradictions of the Confession some who identify themselves with FIC movement may believe and practice, these men love the 1689 Baptist Confession. Particularly encouraging to me are their clear and correct views of the Christian Sabbath and the Regulative Principle.

  This is why we will be featuring a series of videos created by the NCFIC on The Worship of God on our website for the next few weeks.  You will hear men like Joel Beeke, Paul Washer, Conrad Mbewe, and others sharing convictions and perspectives about the worship of God to which I can give a loud Amen! and which I can only pray will increasingly spread through the global church of God.[/quote]

Here are the videos Dr. Waldron has shared thus far:

Here is the series on The Regulative Principle of the Church that we talked about briefly on our last podcast with Sam Waldron:

On December 26, 2011, Theology Matters (The Midwest Center for Theological Studies video podcast) posted a five minute video of Sam Waldron explaining the Regulative Principle:

tm_122611 from MCTS.

Sam Waldron, at Illumination (The Midwest Center for Theological Studies blog), gives a fuller explanation in the following 18 blog post series entitled, “The Regulative Principle of the Church”:

General Introduction

Its Historical Meaning (Part 1)

Its Historical Meaning (Part 2)

Its Ecclesiastical Framework (Part 1)

Its Ecclesiastical Framework (Part 2)

Its Ecclesiastical Framework (Part 3)

Its Biblical Support—First Argument

Its Biblical Support—Second Argument

Its Biblical Support—Third Argument

Its Biblical Support—Fourth Argument

Its Necessary Clarification—Parts and Circumstances

Its Specific Application (Part 1)

Its Specific Application (Part 2)

Its Specific Application (Part 3)

Its Specific Application (Part 4)

Its Contemporary Objections (Part 1)

Its Contemporary Objections (Part 2)

Over at the Founders Ministries Blog, Jeff Robinson wrote a post titled Where Circus and Church Meet: A Plea for the Recovery of Sola Scriptura in Worship. It begins:

I struggled to keep a straight face when he asked me the question.

  I was a candidate for the pastorate of this Baptist church, one that was nearly 200 years old, one that had sprung up as a result of the Second Great Awakening in the Ohio Valley.

  Surely my ears were deceiving me: did this dear brother in Christ, this member of the pastoral search team, really just ask me, “What is your view of clown ministry in the local church?”…

  And concludes:

My denomination, the Southern Baptist Convention, waged a strenuous warfare in the 1980s in which it decisively defeated the deadly sloth of liberalism, drove liberal theology from its ranks and re-established the inspiration and inerrancy of Scripture.

  Now, the crying need of the hour within the SBC and among our fellow Baptists is to recover the sufficiency and authority of God’s Word and to rediscover the regulative principle to inform the worship and life of the church. May it please God to grant us grace sufficient for such a reformation.

Read the rest or listen to readout [12 min.]

The Regulative Principle Of Worship Explained By Bob Gonzales & Sam Waldron

Dr. Bob Gonzales writes a short explanation of the Regulative Principle of Worship:

“‘What kind of worship pleases God?’ The answer is vital. Thankfully, it’s not that complicated. Even a child may understand.”

Read his post, Worship for Dummies: The Regulative Principle Made Simple, from his blog, It Is Written.

On December 26, 2011, Theology Matters (The Midwest Center for Theological Studies video podcast) posted a five minute video of Sam Waldron explaining the Regulative Principle:

tm_122611 from MCTS.

Sam Waldron, at Illumination (The Midwest Center for Theological Studies blog), gives a fuller explanation in the following 18 blog post series entitled, “The Regulative Principle of the Church”:

General Introduction

Its Historical Meaning (Part 1)

Its Historical Meaning (Part 2)

Its Ecclesiastical Framework (Part 1)

Its Ecclesiastical Framework (Part 2)

Its Ecclesiastical Framework (Part 3)

Its Biblical Support—First Argument

Its Biblical Support—Second Argument

Its Biblical Support—Third Argument

Its Biblical Support—Fourth Argument

Its Necessary Clarification—Parts and Circumstances

Its Specific Application (Part 1)

Its Specific Application (Part 2)

Its Specific Application (Part 3)

Its Specific Application (Part 4)

Its Contemporary Objections (Part 1)

Its Contemporary Objections (Part 2)