Heidelberg Q12 - God will have his justice satisfied

The Heidelberg Catechism is logically divided into three sections as outlined in Question #2.

• Questions 1-11 involve our need for redemption from our sin.
• Questions 12-85 involve redemption through Christ.
• Questions 86-129 involve how we ought to show our gratitude for redemption.

As such, Q12 is the beginning of the second section regarding redemption through Christ.

Q12. Since then, by the righteous judgment of God, we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, is there no way by which we may escape that punishment, and be again received into favour? A: God will have his justice satisfied: and therefore we must make this full satisfaction, either by ourselves, or by another. Scripture Proofs: Gen.2:17 , Exod.20:5, Exod.23:7, Ezek.18:4, Matt.5:26, 2 Thess.1:6, Luke 16:2, Rom.8:3-4.

God WILL have his justice satisfied!

Heidelberg Q11 - But isn't God merciful?

Q11. Is not God then also merciful? A: God is indeed merciful, but also just; therefore his justice requires, that sin which is committed against the most high majesty of God, be also punished with extreme, that is, with everlasting punishment of body and soul. Scripture Proofs: Exod.34:6-7, Exod.20:6, Ps.7:9, Exod.20:5, Exod.23:7, Exod.34:7, Ps.5:5, Ps.5:6, Nah.1:2, Nah.1:3.

If God were to simply decide not to punish you for your actual and original sins, God would be sinning against himself - against his own nature.  It was a big shock to me when I realized that there were things that the omnipotent God couldn't do - and they involved sinning against his own nature.  For instance, God can't lie and God can't just overlook our unholy, anti-God nature, because that would make Him unjust.

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Sure, God is merciful - that's part of His nature that he can't go against.  But He is as just as he is merciful and that is another aspect of Himself that He can't violate.  Seems like quite a bind - being perfectly just but also perfectly merciful.

Understanding the Times

The prophet Micah is such an encouragement in understanding the will and purpose of God and to having a biblical outlook on life.

In chapter four, Micah twice begins a section of his prophecy by a somewhat broad reference to the future ("In the last days" / "In that day").

In speaking of events that would occur at some point forward from the time of his prophecy, Micah spoke of some pretty bleak days for God's people. They would be overcome by Babylon and taken into captivity. "Writhe in agony," said the Lord, "for now you must leave the city to camp in the open field" (verse 10). 

At the same time, God assured them that He would deliver them in His time and He gave them a second command, one that said, "Rise and thresh...for I will give you horns of iron" (verse 13).

God's people, not the Babylonians, would be ultimately victorious, even though God's people were going to experience some rough times. They would be ultimately victorious because of God's faithfulness to His covenant promises and to His covenant people.

At the time Micah prophesied, his nation was threatened not by Babylon, but by another nation, that of Assyria. God promised that they would not be overcome by Assyria, would later be overcome by Babylon, but would ultimately be victorious.

God gave a great indictment against the nations gathered against His people when He said of them,

"But they do not know the thoughts of the Lord; they do not understand his plan" (Micah 4:12). 

From Micah's prophecy we we learn that God is faithful to His purpose and plan, that God's purpose and plan may not be evident to us nor clearly understood by us, and that God's purpose and plan will always ultimately succeed.

In light of such promises, we as Christians should be confident in the face of opposition, not living as though all is hopeless, not developing a merely defensive and separatist mind-set, and not retreating from the world or isolating ourselves from the world as though we will ultimately be overcome by the world. Through Micah, God called His people to live confidently in the hope and assurance of God's faithfulness and of the ultimate victory of His kingdom. 

Micah is a reminder that prophecies are not meant to provide a timetable of events so much as they are intended to give God's people a biblical world view and outlook on life.

And these are reasons that we need these prophets! Their words give us the foundation needed to live faithfully and confidently in our own day.

Those who live without Christ and who do not know His purposes revealed in Scripture "do not know the thoughts of the Lord, they do not understand his plan." We who know Christ and who have God's Word are meant to live differently.

Heidelberg Q10 - God wouldn't really punish ME, would he?

Q10. Will God suffer such disobedience and rebellion to go unpunished? A: By no means; but is terribly displeased with our original as well as actual sins; and will punish them in his just judgment temporally and eternally, as he has declared, "Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things, which are written in the book of the law, to do them." Scripture Proofs: Gen.2:17, Rom.5:12, Ps.5:5, Ps.50:21, Nah.1:2, Exod.20:5, Exod.34:7, Rom.1:18, Eph.5:6, Heb.9:27, Deut.27:26, Gal.3:10.

God hates our sins - both original sins (inherited from the Fall of Adam) and actual sins (the ones we come up with for ourselves).  Because of those sins, we are cursed and have earned punishment both temporal (here while we're alive) and eternal.
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"...continueth not in all things written in the law..." Have you ever lied? Stolen? Have you loved God wholly?  Do you love your neighbor as much as you love yourself?  So, what do you think?  Would a righteous, holy God withhold punishment from you just because you think you're not that bad a person?

John on Pulpit Supply

In the operation of a church, from time to time the elders have to decide who they will throw their support behind and who they will oppose.  Should we do a Sunday school class on that new bestseller book?  Should we invite the evangelist that is visiting the neighboring church to talk to us on Sunday night?  Who should our main speaker for our next Missions Conference be?  Should we let the Mayor deliver a speech to the congregation next Sunday morning?

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John, the Elder, provides us some guidance, both positive and negative in his extremely short and to-the-point 2nd and 3rd epistles...

Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers, even though they are strangers to you. They have told the church about your love. You will do well to send them on their way in a manner worthy of God. It was for the sake of the Name that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans. We ought therefore to show hospitality to such men so that we may work together for the truth. (3John5-8; NIV)

...and...

Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully. Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him. Anyone who welcomes him shares in his wicked work. (2John7-11)

You want to be involved in the ministries of people who are teaching an orthodox (i.e. apostolic, canonical, biblical) understanding of Christ (3John8).  But if they are teaching some other theology or some other soteriology, you absolutely must not have anything to do with them, not only because you don't want to be lied to, but also because you don't want to lend them support or credence (2John11).

Heidelberg Q9 - It's all God's fault - NOT!

Photo courtesy of Carinemily

Part of the job of the elders (preachers and teachers) of the church is to equip the church members with the tools and knowledge that they need to do God's work.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2Tim3:16-17; emphasis mine)

May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Heb 13:20-21; emphasis mine)

That is also part of the purpose of a catechism in general - and of Heidelberg Q9 in particular - to equip you with an answer to common objections to scriptural doctrines.

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In discussing God and Christ with other sinners, we will occasionally hear someone whining an excuse to the effect of, "Well, God made me this way - that's why I can't follow this part of the law," The implication being that anything that is morally wrong with people is God's fault for making them that way.  Here's Heidelberg's answer to that...

Q9. Does not God then do injustice to man, by requiring from him in His law, that which he cannot perform? A: Not at all; for God made man capable of performing it; but man, by the instigation of the devil, and his own wilful disobedience, deprived himself and all his posterity of those divine gifts. Scripture Proofs: Eph 4:24, Eccl 7:29, John 8:44, 2Cor 11:3, Gen 3:4, Gen.3:6, Rom.5:12, Gen.3:13, 1 Tim.2:13-14.

God made man good but man corrupted himself and all of his posterity.

8. Simple, Spiritual, and Substantial

Simple, Spiritual, and Substantial

I like the threefold characterization of Scriptural worship given in the Introduction to the book, "Leading in Worship," edited by Terry L. Johnson.

After carefully defining the truth that all worship must be "according to Scripture," the Introduction goes on to say, "Worship that is so defined will of necessity be simple, spiritual, and substantial."

These three terms are further defined and explained by saying:

• "Simple, because the New Testament does not prescribe a complex ritual of service as is found in the Old Testament;

• Spiritual, because when Jesus removed the special status of Jerusalem as the place where God was to be worshiped (John 4:7-24), He signaled the abolition of all the material forms that constituted the typological Old Testament system including not only the city, but all that gave the city significance - the temple, the altars, the priests, the sacrificial animals, the incense;

• Substantial, because the God of the Bible is a great God and cannot be worshiped appropriately with forms that are light, flippant, or superficial; He must always be worshiped with 'reverence and awe' (Hebrews 12:28)."            ("Leading in Worship," edited by Terry L. Johnson)

This is a great way to characterize Scriptural worship.

This is why worship that is Reformed in the classical sense of the word seeks to be known by being simple, spiritual, and substantial. 

This is why we plan our worship services at New Covenant Presbyterian Church to be known by simplicity, spiritual depth, and substantiality.  Such are the marks of worship that is Scriptural.


"We are convinced that the true need of the hour is precisely what Presbyterians have always had - simple, spiritual, substantial, reverent worship featuring expository preaching, free prayers, great hymns and metrical Psalms, and anchored in fixed forms of time-proven quality and worth."(from "Leading in Worship," edited by Terry L. Johnson)

"Today as much as ever we must stand for simplicity, purity, fidelity to Scripture, and Christ-centeredness in our worship because we want to worship God in the way He has prescribed, so as to have Christ and His Gospel flourishing at the center of our church's life.  And thus we must clearly reject the proposed reintroduction of the medieval, Roman Catholic Church Year with its attendant ceremonies"

(from an article that originally appeared in the "Presbyterian Journal in November 1979, and written by Douglas F. Kelly)

See the full article here.

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7. What's to be Included in Worship?

What's to be Included in Worship?

The Westminster Confession of Faith addressed the topic of the elements to be included in worship by saying,
"The various elements of the ordinary religious worship of God are the reading of Scriptures with reverence; the sound preaching and conscientious hearing of the Word in obedience to God, with understanding, faith, and reverence; the singing of psalms with grace in the heart; and the proper administration and worthy receiving of the sacraments instituted by Christ"  (chapter 21, paragraph 5).

Prayer as an essential element of worship is covered in an earlier paragraph of the same chapter of the Westminster Confession, saying, "Prayer with thanksgiving is a special part of religious worship and is required by God of all men" (chapter 21, paragraph 3).

The Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America also lists the presentation of offerings, confessing the faith, and on special occasions, the taking of legitimate oaths as proper elements of a worship service. (47-9).  All such things are clearly biblical.

In other words, it's pretty simple isn't it?  The public worship of God's people is to include prayer, the reading of Scripture, preaching and hearing of the Word, singing, and the Sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper. These are the elements commanded in Scripture.

In fact, the elements of worship are restricted to those things which God has revealed in His Word, not

As others have well said, we are to proclaim God's Word, pray God's Word, sing God's Word, and see God's Word in the sacraments. 

So where do all the other rites, customs, and traditions come in that become an accepted part of many worship services today?  The acceptance of so many other traditions and customs is reason to be "simple" in our worship, that is, to adhere to the things God has commanded to be a part of worship, to trust Him to do what He will do through the means He has given to us, and to not presume that we know better than God what we should bring to Him in our worship services.

Other things related to worship - such as the number of hymns, the verses we sing, the exact time and length of worship, etc. - are addressed by a well-written statement in the Directory of Worship that is a part of the Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America.  This statement says:

"The Lord Jesus Christ has prescribed no fixed forms for public worship, but in the interest of life and power in worship, has given His Church a large measure of liberty in this manner.  It may not be forgotten, however, that there is true liberty only where the rules of God's Word are observed and the Spirit of the Lord is, that all things must be done decently and in the beauty of holiness.  From it beginning to its end a service of public worship should be characterized by that simplicity which is an evidence of sincerity and by that beauty and dignity which are a manifestation of holiness"   (Book of Church Order, Directory for the Worship of God, 47-6).

In keeping with this same principle, chapter one of the Westminster Confession of Faith states:

"We also acknowledge that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God and the government of the church - circumstances common to human activities and societies - which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed" (chapter one, paragraph 6).

I am struck more and more by the practical and godly wisdom of such counsel.

6. All Those Other Days

All Those Other Days

While I'm talking about the days of the liturgical calendar and the days of the Hallmark calendar (see previous posts), what about all those other days?

One denomination's listing of special days and seasons approved by the denominational board includes over sixty days for commemoration of some sort.  Some of these days are Sundays and others are - obviously - days other than Sunday. These special days not only include events of the liturgical calendar such as Christmas, Lent, Easter, and other days, but such days and events as the "Superbowl of Caring," "Earth Day," "May Friendship Day," "World Community Day," and many others.

What's a preacher to do?

Obviously there are a lot of good causes and events that need time and attention and that are worthy of such.

And obviously, there are a lot of people competing for the time, attention, and resources of the church on Sundays!

Again, many of them need support.

And again, we have to be careful lest the church and our worship services become simply a means and opportunity to promoting various causes and events.

So, as with the Hallmark Calendar, there may be times when various needs and events can be referred to without letting them control our worship! But while we are doing that, we should make certain that such events and seasons are biblical and legitimate missions of the church.  Otherwise, leave them to other groups and organizations. The Church's calling and mission is to worship God and to make disciples of all nations, not to serve as a bulletin board for the world's causes!

5. The Hallmark Calendar

The Hallmark Calendar

If worship services do not adhere to a liturgical calender, what about the Hallmark Calendar?

You know, the one where worship services are regularly patterned after Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Grandparent's Day, July 4, Labor Day,  and whatever event and holidays the Hallmark Gift Company, history, and others can make a part of our calendar?*

Perhaps you have been in churches whose worship is focused not on events in the life of Jesus but on  events that are part of the "Hallmark Calendar."  Congregations that may never think of adhering to a liturgical calender often do follow the Hallmark Calendar!

My answer and practice is short and simple: those events may be referred to without making them the overriding theme of worship. Again, it's best to keep the focus where it needs to be: simple, spiritual, Scripture, Christ-centered worship that exalts God and which transcends customs that are merely local and nationalistic.

We can give thanks on Mother's Day for the godly ladies of our congregation.  We can give thanks for Fathers on Father's Day and pray that God will make them into the leaders of their homes that He calls them to be. We can thank God for our country on July 4, sing a patriotic song, and pray for His mercy to our land.  But we should not let those things determine the focus and pattern of our worship services.


* To be fair to Hallmark Cards, an article on Wikipedia under the topic "Hallmark Holiday" states that the company itself refutes having any role in the creation of the holidays that bear the name "Hallmark Holiday."

4. The Church Calendar

The Church Calendar

There seems to be a growing practice among many Protestant Churches of observing the "Church Calendar."

A church calender - or "liturgical calendar," as it is often called - consists of a cycle of liturgical seasons in which emphasis is placed on certain events in the life and ministry of Christ. This cycle often prescribes the observance of certain "holy days" and the portions of Scripture are to be read in worship services, often using prescribed liturgies.

One reason given for following a church calendar is that it offers a central pattern for ordering worship in relationship to important occasions and events in the life of Jesus.  Days and seasons observed in such a calender include Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost.  Other days may also be observed, such as the Baptism of the Lord, the Transfiguration of the Lord, Trinity Sunday, All Saints Day, and Christ the King.

Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with worship or Bible study and preaching that follows the events of the life of Jesus. Many a Sunday School lesson has been taught and many sermons have been preached using such an outline.

However, you may notice that I do not place emphasis on adherence to a liturgical calender and that worship services at NCPC generally do not focus on such.

There are reasons for this!  Among those reasons are:

1)  Scripture does not call for such. In fact, Scripture warns against such by saying, "You are observing special days and months and seasons and year!  I fear for you, that somehow I have wasted my efforts on you" (Galatians 4:10-11).  Paul obviously had reason to caution the Galatians about their practice. As a general observation, we have reason to be cautious of ceremonies, days, and rituals not commanded in Scripture.

2)  Scripture contains no reference to the actual dates of the events celebrated in the liturgical calendar.  Obvious, God chose to not make these dates know to us in His Word for His own wise reasons, one of those reasons perhaps being that we would attach more importance to a particular date than to the reality of the truth proclaimed.

3)  Scripture is better taught by weekly expository preaching than by the use of calender themes and lectionary readings.  Topical preaching on chosen themes or events in the life of Jesus can be a helpful and good thing to do without making having adherence to a liturgical calendar as the framework of worship.

A liturgical calendar was not introduced until after 350 A. D.  It is historically tied to beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church that were rejected during the Reformation. In fact, Presbyterianism has historically rejected a liturgical calendar with its focus on certain “holy days.”  Many of those who practice such observances today may not even ask the reason for doing so.

A liturgical calendar seems more likely to be followed by congregations of mainline Protestant denominations (such as the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church USA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Episcopal Church, and others) than by those of more theologically conservative, evangelical denominations.  Congregations of theologically conservative denominations may differ to some extent on the degree and the manner on which emphasis is placed on seasons such as Christmas and Easter.  In fact, differences over this have varied throughout history, with some Christians of Puritan New England intentionally working on Christmas Day in order to demonstrate their rejection of the day as a “holy day” whose observance is commanded by God.


For these reasons, I  believe there is wisdom in Terry Johnson's statement that "While the revival of the liturgical calendar has become popular in some circles, we recommend moderation or abstinence...." (Leading in Worship, edited by Terry Johnson).

As an observation, it seems that many congregations that adhere to a liturgical calendar have departed from a high view of the authority of Scripture.  Denominations and congregations holding to a high view of Scripture, as historically understood, emphasize the expository preaching of God’s Word in the weekly pattern of corporate worship as commanded by the Lord.  Our pattern in worship, as stated by others, is to preach God’s Word, to sing God’s Word, to pray God’s Word, and to see God’s Word portrayed through the two sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and baptism.

Does this mean no services that celebrate the birth of Christ or His resurrection?  Not at all.  Emphasis and focus can still be placed on the biblical account of events in the life of Jesus and in the history of redemption without being overshadowed by adherence to a liturgical calendar.

In an article written in 1979, Douglas F. Kelly wrote:

“Our Presbyterian forefathers did not do this [make reforms in worship] because they wanted to be negative but because they wanted to leave the way open for the great positive to be expressed: the pure, powerful worship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the life-changing proclamation of His Gospel every Lords Day” (from “No Church Year for Presbyterians”).

3. Holy Days ?

Holy Days ?

 

 Not long ago a well-meaning person asked if I was busy with plans and services for "Holy Week."  It wasn't the time or the place to get into an extended discussion on matters of worship.  But since that brief conversation, I have often thought on the reality that every week is a holy week!

Obviously, the person who inquired about my schedule had in mind the week of Easter, a week that is referred to by many as "holy week."  But I still stand on the truth that every  week is holy unto the Lord!

Now, granted, some days are set aside by the Lord to be holy unto Him in a special manner.  Sunday - the Lord's Day - is the day set aside by the Lord in such a way. But the fact that Sunday is the "Holy Sabbath" is a reminder that all seven days are to be lived unto the Lord and that a life consecrated to the Lord cannot be done by neglecting the priority of the Lord's Day.

In 1835, Dr. Samuel Miller, at that time the Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Church Government at Princeton Seminary, wrote an essay entitled, "Presbyterians Do Not Observe Holy Days."  I'm not sure he could say that now, as some in the Presbyterian tradition have become more focused on the observance of such times and seasons.

("Holy Days," as I use the term, refers to days designated by the Church to commemorate and remember events in the life of Christ or special seasons of  "the Christian Year."  Among  those days listed by the Roman Catholic Church as "Holy Days of Obligation" are Christmas, Epiphany, Ascension, Dormition and Apostles Peter and Paul, in addition to Sunday.  The Protestant "church calendar" includes Easter and Christmas at the  very minimum, though such times are usually recognized by special services but not by setting apart the entire day for worship. The sports calendar, of course, includes "Super Bowl Sunday" as a day to be commemorated - perhaps more as an "Unholy Day" - but I digress......) 

Can special attention be drawn to events in the history of redemption during the calendar year without violating the principle of worshiping God only as He has commanded?  I think so. A Christmas Eve service of worship with Scripture and biblical Christmas carols can direct our hearts toward the Lord and be a way of focusing our heart on Christ at a time when we struggle against the secularism of the day. But it does serve us well - and it may even come as a surprise to some -  to remember that the Lord did not command a Christmas Day, or an Easter Sunday, etc. And, Scripture itself contains no references to the actual dates of events such as the birth of Christ, His death, etc.  One rule of interpreting and of following Scripture is to speak where Scripture speaks and to be silent where Scripture is silent.

Included in The Directory for the Public Worship of God, a part of the orginal Westminster Standards adopted by the English Parliament, was this declaration:

     "There is no day commanded in scripture to be kept holy under the gospel but the Lord's day, which is the Christian Sabbath.
      Festival days, vulgarly [commonly] called Holy-days, having no warrant in the word of God, are not to be continued."

A liturgical calendar of "holy days" diminishes the importance of the day that the Lord has commanded us to keep holy, the Sabbath.  God has ordained that our worship should be centered around the Sabbath and that our godliness should be nurtured through regular worship with a local congregation of believers on the Lord's Day.

And as I love to remind people on Easter Sunday that we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus EVERY Sunday. So join us every Sunday to remember that our Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  It's what He commanded us to do. We can't honor Him and our spiritual life cannot be healthy by neglecting the day that the Lord has commanded us to keep holy!

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Dr. Samuel Miller's essay can be found here.

2. The Sabbath

The Sabbath

We might as well admit it....Sunday has pretty much become another day......another day for hobbies, for work, for play, for recreation, for shopping, for sports, for pretty much anything and everything but recognizing and honoring it as the Lord's Day.

You have probably heard the observation made that our grandfather's generation referred to Sunday as the "holy Sabbath," our father's generation referred to it as the "Sabbath," our generation refers to it as "Sunday," and now the day is simply part of the "weekend."   We can't argue with that observation; in fact, we have given up far more of the Sabbath than we probably realize.

So what happened to the Fourth Commandment?  You know, that list of commandments that we defend placing in our courtrooms and in our school buildings?

The fourth command is still there, right where God put it, written on stone, and one of the commandments that God will write on our hearts under the New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:33-34).

Sunday  is still the Lord's Day. As the Lord's Day, gathering for worship with God's people is the priority of the day.  Works of mercy are permitted (but don't wait until Sunday to become merciful!).  Works of  necessity are permitted (but is it really necessary if you put off doing it on Saturday because you spent all Saturday playing at something else?).  Works of piety, that is, work related to the worship of God,  is permitted (Have you ever preached or taught a lesson in Sunday School...led the music...kept the nursery, etc?  It's work, isn't it?  But what a great work!).

As the Lord's Day, gathering for worship with God people is the priority of the day.  Everything else is to be planned around that priority.

It's amazing how our calender, our lives, and our hearts will be better ordered once we establish the priority of the Lord's Day and of the corporate worship to be given to God on that day.

I like what is written about the Lord's Day in "The Family Worship Book," edited by Terry L. Johnson, Senior Pastor of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah, Georgia:


"The key to your own and your family's spiritual health is remarkably simple. Though there is considerable hype to the contrary, it involves no pilgrimages  to sacred places. It requires no week-long or weekend retreats, seminary, or special programs. It depends on no special techniques or novel methodologies. You won't have to spend another night out. You won't need to add more meetings to an already frantic schedule. The key is to be found in the regular, ordinary, weekly worship services of the church. It is not a glamorous key, but it is the key nonetheless."

By the way....go back for the evening worship service  (yes, you can do it!).  After all, it is the Lord's Day, not the Lord's morning (or the Lord's hour).

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A great article on the Sabbath by Terry Johnson can be found on the website of the Independent Presbyterian Church of Savannah.

See more about "The Family Worship Book" edited by Terry Johnson, by clicking here.

1. Who and How

The Who and How of Worship

Worship is supremely important!

Obviously, the first question is to determine who or what  we worship.  Get it wrong here and everything else is wrong.  It's idol worship, in other words. 

Even when we profess to be worshiping God, we must make sure that we are worshiping the true and living God, and not a god of our imagination.  That's the reason we must devote ourselves to Scripture.  Without a Scriptural knowledge of God - a knowledge of the God who has revealed Himself to us in Scripture - we are likely to be worshiping a god of our imagination or of our desires, rather than worshiping the God of Scripture.

Having determined that we must worship the one, living and true God, we must realize that we are obligated to worship that God in the way of His own choosing.  Since He is the living and true God, He has the right to command HOW we are to worship Him.

Did you ever have a child cross a dangerous road that was "off limits" in order to bring back a flower that was growing on the opposite side of the road?  If you've had that experience, you probably emphasized to the child that obeying your rule is more important than picking the flower. How much more so must we worship the living and true God in the way that He commands, and not according to our desires!

The Westminster Confession of Faith underscores the necessity of worshiping God only as He commands by saying:

"But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God has been instituted by himself, and so limited by His revealed will, that he may not be worshiped according to the imagination or devising of men, or the suggestions of Satan, or  under visible representation, or any other way not commanded in Scripture"  (Chapter 21, "Religious Worship and the Sabbath Day").

God must not be worshiped in "any other way not commanded in Scripture."  That's a huge principle. Does this truth control and direct the corporate worship of your church?  Is the underlying principle to worship God only in the way that He has commanded us to do?