Untitled Sermon

Michael P. V. Barrett

President of Geneva Reformed Seminary

Associate Minister of Faith Free Presbyterian Church

Greenville, South Carolina

Introduction

Contemporary! Traditional! Divisive words—particularly when referring to methods of worship. Some churches commit themselves to one particular style while others divide themselves into distinct congregations with separate services to accommodate a mismatched membership with dissimilar preferences regarding music or dress. For some reason music always seems to be at the heart of the issue. Should the congregation find the words to hymns in hardback hymnals or the words to choruses projected on a screen? Should soloists sing to recorded music with microphone in hand or to organ accompaniment with arms passively at the side? Should the congregation applaud or whisper “amen” when blessed? Should drums and guitars be allowed in church? Should music styles reflect changing cultural models, or are some melodies and rhythms inherently inappropriate for worship? These are tough questions with answers that almost always fail to convince or change the other side.

Advocates of contemporary methods charge traditionalists with dead formalism, and traditionalists accuse those who use modern methods with appealing to the flesh. Unhappily, the whole controversy about worship style has degenerated into arguments based on personal preference. Far too frequently, advocates on both sides, while giving verbal testimony to their concern for God’s glory, defend their positions with man-centered reasoning. Although proponents of neither position would admit it, what pleases the people often takes precedence over any consideration of what pleases the Lord. Worship as entertainment prevails over worship as service rendered to God.

The music controversy, however, is just a surface symptom of a far greater malady. That the modern church has lost “the art of worship” is a common lament. Whether or not it is proper to designate worship as an “art,” it is the tragic truth that worship practices in many of today’s evangelical, orthodox, and fundamentally conservative churches have departed from the precepts and patterns of worship set down in the Scripture. Some even question whether or not the Bible provides a mandatory guide for how to worship.

This question is not new to the church. Whether the church, tradition, or Scripture owns the right to direct methods of worship has been a matter of disputation for centuries. Theologians have debated the issue in terms of the regulative and normative principles. Simply defined, the regulative principle allows only such practices of worship as the Scripture sanctions, whereas the normative principle allows any practice that the Scripture does not expressly forbid. Extreme applications of both principles exist. Some who rigidly adhere to the letter of the law use the regulative principle to prohibit any expression of worship that is not on the inked surface of Scripture. On this basis, for instance, special services commemorating Christ’s incarnation at Christmas or His resurrection at Easter would violate what the Bible prescribes and thus would be inappropriate. On the other hand, following the normative principle can lead to the extremes of rigid liturgical ritual established by years of tradition, or seeker-sensitive services flexibly designed to eliminate religious shock by infusing cultural norms into a bit of gospel.

Given the intensity of this worship controversy that is increasingly dividing professedly Bible-believing churches into distinctive camps, I have felt inclined to make my contribution to the concern. I am neither so naïve nor so arrogant to assume that what I offer here will answer all the questions definitively or satisfy those who may disagree with my conclusions. I am neither a church historian nor a musician, so I will not presume to venture into those areas of my incompetence, although they are ultimately relevant to the issue. I am thoroughly convinced, however, that the Bible does establish clear guidelines for both what we are to believe (issues of faith) and what we are to practice (issues of obedience) and that this direction includes matters of worship. In this regard I affirm and agree completely with the Westminster Confession of Faith.

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture … and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions 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 1, section 6)

The light of nature sheweth that there is a God, who hath lordship and sovereignty over all, is good, and doth good unto all, and is therefore to be feared, loved, praised, called upon, trusted in, and served, with all the heart, and with all the soul, and with all the might. But 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. (Chapter 21, section 1)

If there is any overriding biblical truth that must circumscribe every worship practice, it is that worship is all about God and not about us. The inspired Preacher issues an imperative for worship that sums up our duty and should protect us from unduly elevating self and personal preference.

Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:1–2)

God is in heaven, and we are on earth. But amazingly while we are on the earth, the Lord invites us into His presence. Being in the presence of God is a privilege that ought to overwhelm us and create within us a sense of caution and reverent submission. “Keeping the foot” simply means to guard the steps, to be careful about conduct, to exercise personal restraint. As Moses removed his shoes before the burning bush and Joshua his before the Captain of the Lord’s host, so must every worshipper recognize that the place of worship is a holy place. As we become increasingly conscious that biblical worship brings us into the holy presence of God, we must become increasingly cautious that we do nothing to offend that holy presence.

How we act in God’s presence is important. David’s initial encounter with the Ark of the Covenant—the visible token of God’s presence—remains a vivid lesson of this sobering fact (2 Samuel 6 and 1 Chronicles 13). David, the man after God’s own heart, planned to retrieve the Ark from Kirjath-jearim, where it had been exiled for over fifty years, and to restore it to its deserved place of preeminence. Notwithstanding his concern for God’s honor and glory, his fervent zeal succumbed to carelessness with tragic consequence. Although his desire was good and his motive was pure, his disregard of God’s order displeased the Lord he thought he was honoring. It is not sufficient to claim a worthy purpose and proper spirit without conforming as well to the clear mandates of God’s word. Many Christians desire the right things, but are lax in the modes used to achieve those desires. Methods of worship and service do indeed matter: Uzzah’s corpse testifies to that.

Happily, David learned the lesson, and his second attempt to exalt the Lord’s presence was “according to the word of the Lord” (1 Chronicles 15:15). The results were wonderfully different. My guess is that the lesson David learned early in his reign contributed at least in part to his becoming the sweet psalmist, whose inspired songs set the standard and provided so many patterns for proper worship. Significantly, one of the most sublime imperatives to worship that he issued links the logic and manner of worship: “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). The logic of worship is simply that God deserves it. Attention belongs to all His infinite assets; His infinite worth is the mandate for worship. Bowing down before the Lord in the beauty of holiness is the manner in which worship must occur. The expression the beauty of holiness is certainly suggestive. Although its exact meaning can be debated, the sense differs little whether the word beauty is an abstract concept or a concrete thing. Whether we are to worship with holy splendor or to worship dressed in the holy attire befitting priests, it is obvious that behavior and appearance in the place of worship is to be holy, distinct from the normal and mundane. At the very least, bringing the world into the holy place defies what worship is all about. To recognize the Lord’s infinitely august person, His infinitely attractive perfections, and His infinitely awesome works demands that the finite creature bow submissively. Acceptable worship flows from the true knowledge of God and follows His revealed will. Worship is holy service rendered to the Lord, not an occasion adapted to the likes and dislikes of would-be worshippers.

Not only must outward practices of worship follow the instruction of Scripture, but so must the attitude of the worshipper conform to God’s demands. The Lord Jesus Himself highlighted this mandate when He unveiled the formula for worship during His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4). Like so many before and since, she defined worship externally in terms of place. In essence, she said, “We do it here—they do it there; we’re right—they’re wrong.” In a profoundly simple yet weighty response, Christ explained, “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). As simple as this statement is, it has been open to various interpretations. Although some argue that “spirit” refers to the Holy Spirit and that “spirit and truth” are independent elements of worship procedure, I would suggest that the reference is to man’s spirit and that spirit and truth should be united to designate one essential thought. The Scripture makes it abundantly clear that worship must be both spiritual and according to truth, but Christ is teaching here that worship’s sum and substance is internal, not external. Most likely the expression in spirit and in truth is a literary device called hendiadys. Literally meaning “one through two,” this figure occurs when two words connected by the conjunction “and” refer to one principal idea. Although the English translation repeats the preposition before both words, it actually occurs only once in the Greek text (in spirit and truth). Taken together, the words imply the necessity of worshipping with a truthful spirit. In other words, biblical worship is directed to God with a sincere heart. Both elements are essential. Insincere worship directed to God is unacceptable. Sincere worship directed to any other than God is unacceptable. The “beauty of holiness” factor, however, means that even sincere worship directed to God in the wrong way is unacceptable.

In every way, worship is a serious matter. My concern, therefore, in this day of worship debate and perversion, is that we let the Bible be our guide. In this book I want simply to examine some of the Scripture’s guidelines concerning the object, the manner, and the heart of worship. A biblical theology of worship is foundational to any formulation of worship practice. Too much of the debate concerning worship focuses on application issues without paying due attention to the central and essential truths from which the practices must flow. Rushing to relevancy and practical application without careful exposition and understanding of doctrine is the unhappy tendency of too many evangelicals and fundamentalists today. Perhaps the reason there is such variance in the application of worship principles among Bible-believing churches is the failure to start from the clear precepts of Scripture. There is little hope of worshipping in a manner that is pleasing to the Lord if we do not start with the Bible and stress what it stresses. Although I cannot begin to make all the necessary applications or to critique particular music styles or liturgies, I can highlight what the Bible accents. My desire is that we simply let the Bible guide us and not be afraid to obey it. We must not shy away from what it says regardless of how out of sync with culture it seems to be. God’s Word, not culture—whether modern or medieval—defines the way of worship.

It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit will help us to see how big our God is and how small we are and to worship Him accordingly.

Michael P. V. Barrett, The Beauty of Holiness: A Guide to Biblical Worship (Greenville, South Carolina; Belfast, Northern Ireland: Ambassador International, 2006), vii–7.