Martin Luther’s rediscovery of the doctrine of justification only by faith served as the theological basis for the Protestant Reformation. He came to this Orthodox position after careful scripture study, with the conviction that ultimately only the scriptures have authority, not the Roman Catholic Church. Orthodoxy (correct doctrine) has led to orthopraxia (correct practice), including an appropriate biblical understanding of worship. The Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century can rightly be described as a reform of worship in the Church. Reformers, including Luther, Ulrico Zuonglio, and later John Calvin, insisted that church worship was vital to the Christian, even though they were disturbed by a series of practices in the Roman Catholic Church, prompting them to resort to the scriptures, the supreme authority, to instruct the church on how biblical worship should be practiced.
The regulatory principle of worship is a term many Protestants use to describe the biblical principle of how the church should worship God. Simply put, the principle states that in collective worship, the church should follow only the instructions in the scriptures. In this sense, the whole Christian life is subject to a “regulatory principle” because we must always live according to the scriptures. Of course, there are many areas of life that are not directly addressed in the scriptures; for example: which school should I attend, who should I marry?Which career should I choose? In such cases, we must draw the good and necessary consequences from the scriptures to help us make wise choices, as the Westminster Confession of Faith teaches us. However, the regulating principle of worship goes further by explaining that only what is specifically prescribed in the scriptures are permitted in collective worship. In other words, many reformers have insisted that worship should be performed according to direct and scripture-specific instructions.
- What specific worship requirements are found in the scriptures?There are five key elements.
- First.
- The Bible should be read (1 Timothy 4:13).
- Second.
- And especially for reformers.
- Worship should include the preaching of the Word (2 Timothy 4.
- 2; Romans 10: 14-15).
- In the medieval Roman Catholic Church.
- Preaching was neglected.
- While Mass was a high priority in worship.
- Reformers insisted that preaching is fundamental and a means of grace to strengthen believers in their sanctification.
- Third.
- Prayers should be offered in worship (Matthew 21.
- 13; Acts 4.
- 24-30).
- Fourth.
- The sacraments must be administered correctly (Matthew 28.
- 19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
- Remember.
- Reformers determined that the Bible teaches only two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
- Finally.
- Singing is also included as an element of worship (Ephesians 5:19).
The element of praise in worship provides an example of some of the differences between reformers in their understanding of biblical worship. Luther loved music and composed a series of hymns, including the famous “The Strong Castle Is Our God”. I believed that singing both the biblical cult Psalms and the new hymns are an important part of worship. In addition, Luther believed that the New Testament era gave greater freedom of worship compared to the Old Testament. However, Calvin had a much stricter understanding of the regulatory principle of singing in public worship. Calvin argued that only the words of Scripture should be sung in the worship service. Therefore, the book of Psalms was measured and sung in many reformed churches influenced by Calvin. The legacy of Calvin’s approach can also be seen among 17th-century Puritans. century, as found in the Directory of Public Adoration drawn up by the Westminster Assembly.
Calvin could be criticized for being so strict in his appropriation of the regulatory principle, but one must remember the context in which Calvin and other reformers operated, who considered many odorther practices within the Roman Catholic Church. The priority of Mass and prayers to the Saints and Mary were practices that diverted people from the worship of the living and true God to another person or physical object. For reformers, these practices constituted a flagrant violation of scripture teaching. worshipping and fighting idolatry, Calvin and others followed and others followed and sometimes practiced a stricter understanding of the regulatory principle.
The restoration of biblical worship is a direct result of the Reformation. In many ways, the worship services of most of today’s evangelical Protestant churches, especially with the centrality of preaching, can be attributed to the Reformation. As with the Reformation, disagreement over implementation. The regulatory principle continues today. However, a disagreement on this subject should motivate us to return to the scriptures, our final authority, to tell us how we should worship our God.