How are we to worship God? That is the question. And the answer is already implied in our firm adherence to the Bible as the inspired word of God — the only infallible rule of faith and practice. The remainder of my presentation will therefore be an attempt to demonstrate two things from the Scriptures: [1] The first is the fact that there is a regulative principle taught in the Bible, and [2] the second is what that principle means — and how it ought to be applied — today, in our churches.

In a paper on this subject a few years ago Professor Norman Shepherd referred to the already existent literature on the subject of the regulative principle. He correctly stated that this literature "abounds with references" to certain "Biblical examples." "There is therefore" he said, "no need to discuss these examples in detail . . . ."(1) Well, I could agree with that statement in the context of a gathering of well-informed scholars. But my concern is not so much with the scholars as it is with the rank and file membership of our churches. Are they familiar with what the scripture says on this subject? It is my experience, after nearly forty years in the pastoral ministry, in four Reformed denominations, that they are not.(2) Without apology, therefore, I center my attention today on a few of these once well-known examples.

A. The Old Testament

We begin, then, by considering a few examples of what the Old Testament teaches.

[1] And the first is found in Genesis 4, where we read of the worship of Cain and Abel.

The passage tells us that Cain's worship was rejected by God, while that of Abel was accepted. It also tells us that God's reason for rejecting Cain and accepting Abel was not only a difference within the two brothers. It was not only the fact that something was wrong with the subjective attitude of Cain, as compared with the attitude of Abel. There was also a vital difference in the objective content of their worship. That is why God had respect not only to Abel but also to his offering.(3) Abel offered what God was pleased to accept, whereas Cain did not. The reason for this, in my view, is that Abel gave serious consideration to the revelation that God had given up to that time in history, while Cain treated it lightly. It is possible, of course, that God gave direct revelation to Abel. But I think it more likely that he acted on the basis of the same revelational data that we ourselves have in the first three chapters of Genesis. When God covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve with animal skins, it is self-evident that the animals must have first been killed for this purpose (Gen. 3:21). From this Abel could have deduced(4) that his only hope of acceptance with God was by the sacrifice of a dying substitute. But even if we take the view that Abel just happened to hit on 'the right way of worship' by intuition, it still leads to the same conclusion. For as soon as God accepted Abel and his sacrifice — while rejecting Cain and his offering — by that very fact He made it perfectly clear that the acceptable way of worship was the way of Abel. But even though Cain knew this, he wasn't willing to worship God in that acceptable way. It is no exaggeration at all, then, to say that this was Cain's downfall: he was not willing to limit himself to worship that had God's approval.(5) We therefore see a clear principle: worship which is not sanctioned by God is forbidden.

[2] As a second example I would ask you to consider the second commandment.

This commandment reads: "You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." In the first commandment God declares himself to be the only true God, who alone ought to be worshipped. In the second He informs us of "the kind of worship with which he ought to be honored, that we may not dare to form any carnal conceptions of him."(6) For as Calvin has said: "although Moses only speaks of idolatry [here], yet there is no doubt that by synecdoche, as in all the rest of the Law, he condemns all fictitious services which men in their ingenuity have invented."(7)

[3] We find a third example in the construction of the tabernacle in the time of Moses.

And here let me say that it would be hard to think of a way to give greater weight to this regulative principle, than what we find in this account. Every student of the five books of Moses knows how detailed this revelation was. It is no exaggeration to say that every aspect of the construction of the tabernacle was prescribed by God, and that nothing was left to man's imagination. Did not God say to Moses: "See that you make them" — and by them he means everything in the Tabernacle — "according to the pattern shown you on the mountain" (Ex. 25:40)? It is true, of course, that God made use of men in the construction of the Tabernacle. But it is not true, as is commonly assumed, that the Tabernacle was a product of the mere natural creative and artistic impulse of the people God used to construct it. No doubt these men did have natural creative talent. But that was not enough; the Bible is very clear about that. The things that went into the Tabernacle were produced (like the Bible itself) by a special divine inspiration: "See, I have chosen Bezaleel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts. . . . I have appointed Aholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded. . . . They are to make them just as I commanded you." (Ex. 31:2-11) How remote this is from the argument so often heard, today, to the effect that art work by people in the Church is justified (and sanctified!) by the 'art work' in the Tabernacle of Moses! The truth is that there was no 'art work' in the Tabernacle, unless by 'art work' we mean a uniquely inspired and infallible kind; and that kind of art is no longer given.

What we have said about the Tabernacle is also true of the more elaborate Temple. Nothing was left to man's innovation. When "David gave Solomon his son the pattern of the porch of the temple, its buildings, its storehouses, its upper rooms, its inner rooms, and the room of the mercy seat, and the plan of all that he had by the Spirit" (I Chron. 28:11), there was nothing in it of his own concoction. To the contrary, "all this, said David, have I been made to understand in writing from the hand of the Lord, even all the works of this pattern" (v. 19).

Now why was this so important? Why did everything have to conform to a pattern revealed (first to Moses, and later to David)? We believe the reason is self-evident: God may not be worshipped in any way that He has not commanded. As Calvin once said: "I am not unaware how difficult it is to persuade the world that God rejects and even abominates everything relating to His worship that is devised by human reason."(8) But the fact is that "there is nothing more perilous to our salvation than a preposterous and perverse worship of God."(9)

[4] We find another instructive example in Leviticus 10 — in the story of Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron.

They died, we read, when "fire went out from the Lord and devoured them" (Lev. 10:2). But why did this dreadful thing happen? The Bible says it happened because they "offered strange fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded" (v. 1).(10) Now it does not say this happened because they were not sincere — or because they lacked 'good intentions'; it doesn't even say it happened because they did something God had expressly forbidden. No, what it says is that they did this without first making sure they had a warrant to do it. So, again we see that worship not commanded by God himself is, therefore, forbidden.

[5] And what about the Rebellion of Korah?

Moses and Aaron were appointed by the Lord to mediate between God and his people. But Korah — and those who followed him — abhorred this exclusive appointment.(11) They wanted to break out of this 'narrow' idea that there is only one right way — the way that God has appointed. So they rebelled against the restriction. But, again, the well known result demonstrates how offensive this was to Jehovah.

These are only a few examples of the many we find in the Old Testament Scriptures. But I think you can see that there is, indeed, a regulative principle for God's Worship. Whenever men were not satisfied to worship God in the way that He had appointed — whenever they brought in their own inventions — He always made it perfectly clear that He did not accept it.

[6] Take King Saul, for example.

Saul had no authority from God to partake of the priestly office (I Sam. 13:11ff.). Yet he claimed that — because of the pressure of circumstance — he "felt compelled to offer the burnt offering" at Gilgal (v. 12). It may well be, for all we know, that he acted with what many today would call 'the best of intentions'. Yet we are informed that God was offended. Samuel said Saul "acted foolishly" because he did not limit himself to what God had commanded (v. 13). Because of this, God took the kingdom from him in order to give it to David (v. 14). Does this not show, again, that this principle holds a place of the highest importance with the God of the Bible?

[7] And consider what happened to Uzzah.

When David first tried to bring the ark back to Jerusalem, the oxen suddenly stumbled. At that moment Uzzah put out his hand to steady the ark in order to keep it from falling. How very natural, we might be inclined to say, and what an innocent action. But the Bible says "God struck him down there for his irreverence" (II Sam. 6:7). The reason may not be appealing to us, but it is clearly stated in Scripture. Uzzah died because — as David explained later on — "we did not inquire of [God] about how to do it in the prescribed way" (I Chron. 15:13). It happened, in other words, because they failed to limit themselves to what God had expressly commanded.(12) But how different it was when "the Levites carried the ark of God . . . as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord" (I Chron. 15:14). Again we see the same principle clearly revealed: the only thing that pleases God is what He has commanded.(13)

[8] And consider King Jeroboam.

When he became king his first concern was to consolidate his hold on the ten tribes that rebelled against the house of David. In order to do this the scripture says he "appointed " or "instituted” worship of "his own choosing" (I Kings 12:32-33). For this reason a man of God from Judah was sent to denounce this unauthorized worship. And that is not all. Jeroboam was always spoken of, after that time, as the one who "caused Israel to sin" (as a corporate body) (I Kings 15:30). We hardly exaggerate, then, when we say that this was a major source of Israel's ultimate downfall. Worship which had been appointed by God was replaced by a new form of worship. But because this worship was not commanded by God it was therefore rejected.

[9] And recall the sin of King Uzziah.

The Scripture says "he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar" (II Chron. 26:16). Azariah the high-priest courageously intervened to oppose Uzziah's act of invented worship. And he was vindicated by the intervention of God, for the King was instantly smitten with leprosy, as a sign of God's judgment. Again, it is clear that what is not commanded by God is an abomination to him.

[10] And then there is King Ahaz.

The Bible says Ahaz "burned sacrifices in the Valley of Ben Hinnom and sacrificed his sons in the fire, following the detestable ways of the nations " (II Chron. 28:3). The thing that probably makes us cringe, as we read this story, is the fact that they were killing helpless little children. But that was not the main reason why this practice was condemned by God, through Jeremiah the prophet. No, the primary reason — which is far more important — was stated in this way by the prophet: "they have built the high places of Topheth in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to burn their sons and daughters in the fire — something I did not command nor did it enter my mind" (Jer. 7:31).(14) How could God make it any clearer? Worship which has not been commanded by God is therefore forbidden.

Here, then, is the uniform principle taught in the Old Testament Scriptures, summed up in these words of Moses: "Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you" (Deut. 4:2).

Notes
(1) The Biblical Doctrine of Worship (Pittsburgh: Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, 1974), p. 50.
(2) How many Presbyterians today are aware of the fact that the Westminster Confession of Faith (XXI.iv), prescribes "the singing of psalms" in public worship?
(3) "And the Lord respected Abel and his offering." (Gen. 4:4) "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain . . . ." (Heb. 11:4)
(4) The Westminster Confession of Faith speaks of those truths which "by good and necessary inference may be deduced from Scripture" (I.vi). We see no reason why the same principle would not have been operative in Abel's time, too, on the basis of such revelation as had been given by God.
(5) "For since the Apostle refers the dignity of Abel's accepted sacrifice to faith, it follows, first, that he had not offered it without the command of God (Heb. 11:4). Secondly, it has been true from the beginning of the world, that obedience is better than sacrifices (I Sam. 15:22), and is the parent of all virtues. Hence it also follows, that man had been taught by God what was pleasing to Him." John Calvin, Calvin's Commentaries, (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1984), 1:192-93).
(6) John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, II.viii.
(7) John Calvin, Commentaries on the Four Last Books of Moses, 2:107.
(8) John Calvin, Selected Works, 1:34.
(9) Ibid., p. 115.
(10) Calvin: "Their crime is specified, viz., that they offered incense in a different way from that which God had prescribed, and consequently, although they may have erred from ignorance, still they were convicted by God's commandment of having negligently set about what was worthy of greater attention. . . . Let us learn, therefore, so to attend to God's command as not to corrupt His worship by any strange inventions." Calvin's Commentaries, 2:431-32.
(11) "Four worthless men wickedly endeavor to overthrow Moses and Aaron; and straightway two hundred and fifty persons are ready to follow them . . . hence we must be the more cautious, lest any bugbears (larvae) should deceive us into making rash innovations." Calvin's Commentaries, 3:100.
(12) "The Levites, or more particularly the Kohathites, were expressly commanded to bear the ark. The manner of bearing it was also commanded. . . . They were forbidden to touch the ark upon pain of death. . . . And it deserves consideration that those heathen had not been killed for handling the ark, while for doing the same thing God's people, who should have known better, were taught an awful lesson." John Girardeau, Instrumental Music in the Public Worship of the Church, p. 18.
(13) "David's intention was right enough, no fault can be found with that; but right things must be done in a right way. . . . All the way through this incident, we see that there was no taking heed to the commands of God, and to the rules which He had laid down. The people brought will-worship to God, instead of that which He had ordained. What do I mean by will-worship? I mean, any kind of worship which is not prescribed in God's own Word. . . . Inasmuch, therefore, as these people did not show any reverence for God by consulting His record of the rules which He had laid down for their guidance, — seeming to think that, whatever pleased them must please Him,—whatever kind of worship they chose to make up would be quite sufficient for the Lord God of Israel, — therefore, it ended in failure. . . . How I wish that all religious denominations would bring their ordinances and forms of worship to the supreme test of the New Testament. . . . But, alas! they know that so much would have to be put away that is now delightful to the flesh, that, I fear me, we shall be long before we bring all to worship God after His own order." C. H. Spurgeon, a sermon on "The Lesson of Uzzah."
(14) Commenting on this statement, Calvin says: "There is then no other argument needed to condemn superstitions, than that they are not commanded by God: for when men allow themselves to worship God according to their own fancies, and attend not to His commands, they pervert true religion." Calvin's Commentaries, 9:414.

Go to the next installment:
The Scriptural Regulative Principle of Worship: Part II