Books

Focus On The Fundamentals Of The Faith

By W. Douglass Harris

Unchangeable Principles of Acceptable Worship

"Change agents” in the church are clamoring for change from what they call “traditional and boring” worship to that which is more contemporary and stimulating. The charge has been made that we have abandoned the plea of the Restorers of the nineteenth century. It might be enlightening to them to read the book edited by John Allen Hudson, The Pioneers on Worship. By pioneers he referred to the pioneer leaders of the Restoration Movement in the USA in the nineteenth century. Restorers of that day concluded from their study of the Bible that the simplicity of New Testament worship had been corrupted by innovations authorized by the will of man rather than by the will of God. They also discovered digression from the New Testament pattern of observing the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week. They also came to recognize that the ensign of Baal, instrumental music, had supplanted the apostolic practice of a cappella music. Their war cry and plea was for a return to New Testament practice. It was a great plea because it was scriptural (1 Peter 4:11). Should we abandon this plea now to make our worship more appealing and popular to the world?

The New Testament plan is right: This writer has no problem with the term “plan”. By dictionary definition it means “a scheme of action or procedure, design or scheme of arrangement.” A careful study of the worship of the first century church clearly indicates that their primitive worship included five avenues. To restore New Testament worship we must limit ourselves to those avenues divinely authorized. God has definitely legislated how we are to worship (John 4:24). “In truth” limits us to those avenues authorized by God’s word (John 17:17). If we worship “in spirit” with the truth, we employ the following avenues: Teaching or preaching the apostles’s doctrine (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 14:19), (2) giving (fellowship) (Acts 2:42; 1 Corinthians 16:1,2), (3) observing the Lord’s Supper weekly (Acts 2:42; 20:7), (4) praying (Acts 2:42; 1 Thessalonians 5:17), and (5) singing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). These are all authorized in the New Testament either by command, example, or inference. To add to, subtract from, or substitute in any way, renders worship vain (1 Corinthians 4:6 ASV; Revelation 22:18,19; Matthew 15:8,9). No order or sequence of their exercise is specified, and can vary as good judgment and expediency dictate.

Respective roles in worship: It needs to be remembered that God is the only scriptural object of worship, and that man is the worshiper. To state it in more modern terminology, God is on His throne, not on the stage. Worship will be more meaningful when we realize who God is as compared to who we are. Great emphasis in the Psalms of the Old Testament is placed on the greatness of God. How can anyone affirm that worship is “too traditional and boring” if he recognized that God in His greatness is the audience and that worship is directed to the Creator of the universe! The hand-clapping, swinging and swaying, athletes performing, bands playing, and shouting in many denominational services partakes of “showbiz” techniques, smacks of paganism and appeals to the flesh rather than to the spirit. Such may draw crowds, but it is not scriptural worship. Noise destroys reverence and awe, which are essentials to true worship. “Awe is those special moments when to say anything would be sacrilege.”

What about solos and group singing in worship? The very passage used to justify such (1 Corinthians 14:26) is in a context showing that Paul condemned the very practice described in this passage. A careful examination of the Greek text of Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 definitely show that only congregational singing is authorized. All the evidence from early church historians indicates that the songs of the early church were mostly chants of Old Testament psalms, not the dance-step type of songs that characterize so many denominational services today. May God help us to restore true New Testament worship.