---
title: Scriptural Worship
canonical: "https://southfieldreformed.com/what-we-believe/scriptural-worship/"
description: "How Southfield RPC worships: the regulative principle, exclusive psalmody, and a cappella singing from the Book of Psalms."
---

We believe that the Bible fully, clearly, and sufficiently reveals how God is to be
worshiped. Therefore, nothing should be offered to God in worship except what He Himself
has commanded. We also embrace the remarkable simplicity and spirituality of New
Testament worship as instituted by Christ through His apostles.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

(1) "WHAT IS SCRIPTURAL WORSHIP?" — Scriptural worship amounts to a firm conviction that
God should only be worshiped according to the Bible, with no additions or subtractions
(Deut. 12:29-32). Why is this so important? One reason is that, according to the clear
teaching of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, true worship is fundamentally an act of
service (Luke 4:8).

Consider the following illustration: If you entered a restaurant and ordered a Philly
cheesesteak (provolone, peppers, no onions) and the server returned with a cheesesteak
drenched in caramel syrup, would you be pleased? Of course not! The duty of a server is
to bring you precisely what you ordered, without any additions or subtractions. Surely
you would politely explain to the server that he or she had failed to properly carry out
your order. But what if the server replied, "Well, you never said not to add caramel
syrup!" or "Yes, but I find serving you to be more enjoyable when I get to pour caramel
syrup all over your food!" Quite obviously, both of these responses would be entirely
inadequate.

Regardless of their own personal preferences, servers are expected to carry out the
precise orders of those whom they are serving, with no unwarranted additions or
subtractions. Anything less is self-serving, right? The same may be said concerning our
service of worship to God. The moment we deviate from the specific elements of worship
prescribed in God's Word, our worship becomes tainted with the service of self rather
than the service of God. The Scriptures call us to serve God by worshiping Him
exclusively according to His own commandments. This Biblical principle is commonly
called the Regulative Principle of Worship.

(2) "DOES SOLA SCRIPTURA APPLY TO CHRISTIAN WORSHIP?" — The Reformed wing of the
Protestant Reformation has always held that the principle of Sola Scriptura (i.e.
Scripture alone) applies not only to Christian doctrine, but also to Christian worship.
Just as we must refuse to supplement Biblical doctrine with man-made teachings, so we
must reject any attempt to supplement Biblical worship with man-made innovations.

This is a major reason why Reformed Christians like John Calvin and John Knox originally
broke ties with Roman Catholicism. They were horrified not only by Rome's corrupt
doctrine, but also by the numerous man-made religious ceremonies which she had
incorporated into her worship. They rightly understood that Christian worship (like
Christian doctrine) must be derived from Scripture alone. No action or ordinance of
religious significance may be performed in New Testament Christian worship except what
is positively warranted from the Bible.

There are, of course, certain circumstances of worship which carry no religious
significance, but which are necessary for the conducting of Christian worship. Examples
of such non-religious circumstances include the start-time of the service (whether at
8:00 AM or 10:00 AM), its location (whether at a traditional church building or in a
hotel conference room), and the congregational seating accommodations (whether pews,
chairs, or benches). So long as none of these circumstances is invested with religious
significance, there is freedom to determine them according to the light of nature,
Christian prudence, and any otherwise applicable Scriptural principles. But for anything
that has religious significance, there must be positive Scriptural warrant.

We must note that positive Scriptural warrant for a particular ordinance may not always
involve an explicit command. Sometimes it may simply involve an approved historical
example (such as the apostolic church meeting on the first day of the week, Acts 20:7)
or a necessary logical inference (such as allowing women as well as men to eat the
Lord's Supper, 1 Cor. 11:28; Gal. 3:28). Positive Scriptural warrant may take any one of
these three forms, but it must never be absent. Let's see how this Regulative Principle
of Worship unfolds in Scripture itself.

(3) "HOW WAS OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP REGULATED?" — Even from the earliest recorded
examples of worship in the Bible, it is clear that God has always demanded to be
worshiped exclusively according to His own personal appointment.

Following the fall of Adam and Eve into sin and the pronouncing of the first gospel
promise (Gen. 3:15), God killed an animal and clothed Adam and Eve in its skin. This not
only pointed ahead to the atoning death of Jesus Christ; it also marked the institution
of animal sacrifice as an ordinance of Old Testament worship.

Soon afterward, Adam's son Abel exercised his faith by following the prescribed pattern
and offering an animal sacrifice, which pointed ahead to Christ (Heb. 11:4; 12:24).
However, when his brother Cain brought an unauthorized offering of vegetables, we're
told that the Lord "did not respect Cain and his offering" (Gen. 4:5). Not only did God
reject Cain himself for his improper attitude; He also rejected Cain's offering, since
Cain had not exercised true faith by offering up the divinely commanded blood-sacrifice.

The Regulative Principle of Worship is also seen in the second of the Ten Commandments
(Ex. 20:1-17). Most of us are aware that the first commandment forbids worshiping false
gods (Ex. 20:3), but what about worshiping the true God in a false way? This additional
question is addressed in the second commandment (Ex. 20:4-6), which states,

You shall not make for yourself a 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.

When Israel worshiped the golden calf in the wilderness, we're told that they held "a
feast to the LORD" (Ex. 32:5) and said of the calf, "This is your God that brought you
up out of Egypt" (Neh. 9:18). From this we learn that they viewed the calf not as
another god, but as a visible representation of the true God, Jehovah. In opposition to
such idolatrous innovation, the second commandment both forbids idolatry and requires
strict adherence to God's commandments. So emphatic is our jealous God in instituting
the Regulative Principle of Worship that He actually describes those who worship
according to "My commandments" as "those who love Me" and regards all others as "them
that hate Me." Later in Deuteronomy 12:29-32, Moses gives an even clearer exposition of
the second commandment:

When the LORD your God cuts off from before you the nations which you go to dispossess,
and you displace them and dwell in their land, take heed to yourself that you are not
ensnared to follow them, after they are destroyed from before you, and that you do not
inquire after their gods, saying, 'How did these nations serve their gods? I also will
do likewise.' You shall not worship the LORD your God in that way; for every abomination
to the LORD which He hates they have done to their gods; for they burn even their sons
and daughters in the fire to their gods. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe
it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.

According to Scripture, the God-ordained solution to pagan idolatry is not merely some
sort of vague or general "discernment," but a principled, unswerving commitment to
worship God precisely and exclusively as He has prescribed in His Word, with absolutely
no additions or subtractions. Here are just a few Old Testament passages which serve to
reinforce this principle.

- The Lord kills the sons of Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, with fire because they "offered
  strange [lit. _unauthorized_] fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them."
  (Lev. 10:1-4)
- King David transports the Ark of the Covenant in an unauthorized fashion (using an ox
  cart instead of poles, as in Ex. 25:10-16), leading to the death of Uzza the priest (2
  Sam. 6:1-13; 1 Chron. 15:1-3; 11-16).
- The Lord condemns the idolatrous sin of child sacrifice specifically because "I did
  not command [it], nor did it come into My heart." (Jer. 7:21-32; 19:4-6).
- The Lord condemns King Jeroboam of the Northern Kingdom of Israel for adding his own
  self-devised innovations into divine worship (1 Kings 12:25-33; 14:16).
- The Lord condemns those who worship God at "high places"; that is any location other
  than the one appointed "high place" of Mount Zion (Deut. 12:2, 5-6, 8-9; 1 Kings
  15:11-14; 2 Kings 10:28-29; 2 Chron. 33:11-17)

(4) "HOW SHOULD NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP BE REGULATED?" — When speaking with the Samaritan
woman in John 4:22-24, Jesus revealed that New Testament worship would be far simpler
and more spiritual than Old Testament worship, yet equally regulated by His own Word of
truth.

Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in
Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we
worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such
to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth.

The centralized, outward, sensory worship of the Old Testament was destined to be
replaced by New Testament worship "in spirit and in truth". The phrase "in spirit"
describes the manner or method of New Testament worship, whereas the phrase "in truth"
describes the authoritative source of its content. New Testament worship is more
"spiritual", involving less of an outward spectacle than Old Testament worship. It also
continues to be defined and regulated by God's "truth" as revealed in His Word. One
[contemporary writer](https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/worship/hear-ye-him/)
has explained Jesus' words in this way:

> There is a distinction between Old Testament and New Testament worship in the manner
> of our access to God. Old Testament believers dealt with altars, tabernacles, veils
> and animal sacrifices, shadowy representations of approach into God's presence, rather
> than relating immediately to the true tabernacle in heaven. There is a directness of
> approach in New Testament worship, because we deal not in the menace of shadows, but
> come boldly to God's own throne of grace, the way into the most holy place now being
> manifest.
>
> ...The beauty of New Testament worship is not produced by aesthetic display. When a
> congregation tries to worship God by making a creative artistic program for its
> services, it is not only offering to God something he has not commanded and never
> sought, it is also failing to appreciate the nature of our access into God's very
> presence in heaven which was won for us by the blood of Christ. The glory of our
> worship is the glory which surrounds our priest in heaven. Does that suffice us?
>
> ...The simplicity of New Testament forms of worship – the absence of outward pomp and
> aesthetic exhibition – speaks volumes. It tells of the complete reality of our
> entrance into the holiest of all in heaven. We are no longer playing with models, but
> have come to the new Jerusalem itself.

This same writer elsewhere comments on the tendency of many churches to be dissatisfied
with the sheer simplicity of New Testament worship.

Why is it such a common feature of church life in our day that activities never required
by God in the Scriptures are introduced into worship? Is it not because men fear that
the few and simple ordinances prescribed in Scripture will be insufficient to build the
church? Is there not an underlying anxiety that further means beyond the biblical
ordinances must be devised in order to secure the welfare and prosperity of the church?

> ...The rebuke to our generation's fascination with extra-Scriptural worship practices
> is the apostles' persuasion that, insufficient as they were in themselves, the
> ministry Christ commissioned them to carry out would be accompanied by the power of
> the Holy Spirit.

Regrettably, this analysis appears all too accurate. Too many churches in our day have
chosen to supplement simple New Testament worship with trendy, externally-stimulating,
man-made innovations. Perhaps this reflects a lack of faith in the promise of Christ to
build His church according to His own commands (Matt. 16:18; 28:19). But whatever the
cause, it is surely an abandonment of the Scriptural "truth" by which New Testament
worship is to be regulated.

In order to dispel any remaining doubt about the Regulative Principle of Worship,
consider the following New Testament passages which serve to confirm it.

- Jesus refuses to participate in the man-made, Pharisaical religious tradition of
  hand-washing, saying of the Pharisees that "in vain they worship Me, teaching as
  doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt. 15:1-9; Mk. 7:5-13).
- Paul warns the Colossians against any religious observance which is "according to the
  commandments and doctrines of men" calling it "will worship" or "self-imposed
  religion" (Col. 2:18-23).
- Paul reminds Timothy that Scripture alone is fully sufficient to equip him (and all
  believers) "for every good work", which must certainly include the "good work" of
  worshiping God (2 Tim. 3:14-17).

For a more detailed treatment of this subject, we recommend listening to our pastor's
2-part Theological Foundations Afternoon lecture entitled,
[The Regulative Principle of Worship](https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/714141741503).

(5) "WHAT SONGS SHOULD WE SING IN WORSHIP?" — Many churches today are embroiled in
"worship wars" over whose preferences should determine the content of congregational
singing. We believe that the Scriptures themselves provide a plain and peaceable
solution to all of this unfortunate controversy. The only praise songs that should be
sung in worship are those which God's Word has specifically authorized us to sing. Of
course, the next logical question is, What praise songs has God's Word authorized us to
sing?

To answer this question, we must briefly survey the history of singing praises to God as
recorded for us in the Bible.

- During the period from Adam to Moses, we find no record of God's people singing
  praises to Him in worship.
- During the period from Moses to King David, we find God's people singing praise songs
  written exclusively by divinely inspired prophets and prophetesses, such as Miriam
  (Ex. 15:20-21), Moses (Deut. 32; Psalm 90); and Deborah (Judg. 5).
- During the period from King David to the Babylonian Captivity, we find God's people
  singing praise songs written by divinely inspired authors such as King David himself
  and his guild of Levitical prophets (2 Sam. 23:1-2; 1 Chron. 25:1-6; 2 Chron. 5:12-13;
  29:30).
- During the period from the Babylonian Captivity to the closing of Old Testament canon
  of Scripture, we find God's people singing from the inspired collection of praise
  songs that took its final form as the Book of Psalms, probably under Ezra (Neh.
  12:45-47).
- During the period from the closing of the Old Testament canon of Scripture to the
  births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, there were no new prophets and,
  therefore, no new praise songs added to already-finalized Book of Psalms.
- During the period from the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ to closing of
  the New Testament canon of Scripture, we find certain individual prophets personally
  singing inspired songs (Lk. 1:46-55; 2:29-32; 1Cor. 14:13-15, 26) and entire
  congregations singing from the inspired Book of Psalms (Mt. 26:30; Eph. 5:18-19; Col.
  3:16). (For a persuasive demonstration that Eph. 5:18-19 and Col. 3:16 both refer to
  the Book of Psalms, [click here](https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/82712126491).)
- During the period from the closing of the New Testament canon of Scripture to the
  future return of Jesus Christ, God's people possess the inspired Book of Psalms and
  can expect no ongoing gift of prophetic inspiration (1 Cor. 13:8; Heb. 1:1-2) and no
  new additions to Scripture (Rev. 22:18).

A straightforward examination of this Scriptural evidence forces us to conclude that the
singing of inspired praise has clear and well-documented Scriptural warrant as an
element of New Testament worship. As for the singing of uninspired praise, we find no
such warrant (i.e. explicit command, approved example, or necessary logical inference)
anywhere in Scripture. Now that the canon of Scripture is closed, the Book of Psalms
constitutes the only inspired "hymnal" which God has seen fit to give to His Church.

We rejoice that God has given us the Book of Psalms as a fully sufficient,
Christ-centered collection of inspired New Testament praise songs. Martin Luther was
correct to call the Psalter "a little Bible" and John Calvin was right to characterize
it as an "anatomy of the soul." Even more significant is the Apostle Paul's designation
of it as "the word of Christ" (Col. 3:16), and our Lord's own assertion that it speaks
so very explicitly "concerning Me" (Luke 24:44). Indeed, who better to author the lyrics
of Christian praise songs than Christ Himself, who inspired every word in the Psalter by
the operation of His Holy Spirit?

For more a more detailed presentation of the Biblical case for Exclusive Psalmody (with
responses to common objections) we recommend visiting the online database of
[articles](https://exclusivepsalmody.com/articles-exclusive-psalmody/) and
[audio resources](https://exclusivepsalmody.com/audio/) compiled by Rev. Mark Koller on
his website, [ExclusivePsalmody.com](https://exclusivepsalmody.com/). The following
articles may prove most helpful to new inquirers:

- [Sing the Lord's Songs: Biblical Songs in Worship](https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/worship/sing-the-lords-song-biblical-psalms-in-worship/)
  by John W. Keddie
- [The Singing of Psalms in the Worship of God](https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/worship/the-singing-of-psalms-in-the-worship-of-god/)
  by G. I. Williamson
- [The Singing of Psalms](https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/worship/the-singing-of-psalms/)
  by Rev. Sherman Isbell
- [Ashamed of the Tents of Shem](https://www.spindleworks.com/library/vos/AshamedTentsShem.html),
  by J. G. Vos
- [The OPC Minority Report on Song in the Public Worship of God](https://www.opc.org/GA/song.html#Minority)
  by Prof. John Murray & Dr. Wm. Young

We also recommend our pastor's Theological Foundations Afternoon lecture entitled,
[A Response to T. David Gordon's Critique of Exclusive Psalmody](https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/715141914390).

(6) "WHAT ROLE SHOULD MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS PLAY IN OUR WORSHIP?" — If our desire is to be
strictly Biblical in our worship, we cannot answer this question until we first answer a
far more fundamental question: "Is there any positive Scriptural warrant for using
musical instruments in New Testament worship?" Sadly, this is a question that is rarely
(if ever) raised in most American churches today, largely due to a lack of interest in
Scriptural worship. Nevertheless, if we are to put God's glory and God's commands ahead
of our own opinions and preferences, we must diligently search the Scriptures to answer
this crucial question!

Consider the following brief historical survey of musical instruments as they appear in
the Bible within the context of worship.

- During the period from Adam to Moses, we find no record of God's people using musical
  instruments in worship.
- During the period from Moses to King David, we find three possible examples: (1) The
  prophetess Miriam's use of a tambourine to lead Israel's worshipful, patriotic
  celebration of its deliverance from Egyptian bondage (Ex. 15:20); (2) God's explicit
  command to make two silver trumpets, which only the sons of Aaron could use, for the
  threefold purpose of gathering the worship assembly, directing military camps, and
  accompanying animal sacrifices at the tabernacle (Num. 10:1-10); and (3) The private
  use of various musical instruments by prophets in connection with prophetic activity
  (I Sam. 10:5, II Kings 3:15).
- During the period from King David to the Babylonian Captivity, we find four sorts of
  examples: (1) David's appointment of Levites to play musical instruments alongside
  animal sacrifices in celebration of ark's return (1 Chron. 13:8; 15:27; 16:1); (2)
  David's institution, by divine command, of specific musical instruments to be played
  by certain Levites over the burnt sacrifices at the tabernacle and eventually the
  temple (1 Chron. 16:4-6; 23:5; 25:1; 28:11-12; 19; 2 Chron. 5:12; 29:24); (3) The
  command to sing certain specified Psalms alongside certain specified musical
  instruments, as indicated in the introductory titles of those Psalms (Ps. 4:1; 5:1;
  etc); (4) The command to worship God with the specific divinely-commanded musical
  instruments employed by the Levites at the temple (Psalm 33:2-3; 150:4-5; etc).
- During the period from the Babylonian Captivity to the closing of Old Testament canon
  of Scripture, we find two examples: (1) When the Levites were taken into captivity in
  Babylon, away from lately-ruined temple in Jerusalem, they discarded their musical
  instruments (Ps. 137:1-2); (2) When the Jews returned to Jerusalem, they made sure to
  identify the God-appointed Levitical musicians before re-instituting musical
  instrumentation at the rebuilt temple (Ezra 2:41; Neh. 12:27).
- During the period from the closing of the Old Testament canon of Scripture to the
  births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, there is no indication from ancient
  historians that musical instruments were used outside the temple ceremonies (such as
  in the Jewish synagogue) or by anyone other than the God-appointed Levitical
  musicians.
- During the period from the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ to closing of
  the New Testament canon of Scripture, we run across at least four relevant pieces of
  data: (1) The New Testament repeatedly indicates the abolition of all Old Testament
  ceremonies, particularly those relating to the temple's sacrificial system (Heb.
  10:1-13), the office of the high priest (Heb. 5:1-10), and the unique status of
  certain tribes, such as the Levites (E.g. Heb. 7:1-16). (2) The New Testament nowhere
  even hints at the use of musical instruments in New Testament Christian worship; (3)
  Christian worship assemblies are characterized as a direct continuation of the Jewish
  "synagogue", which did not employ musical instruments (Matt. 18:20; Heb. 10:25; James
  2:2); (4) Multiple New Testament passages seem to militate against the use of musical
  instruments in worship, noting that, when singing praise, believers should be actively
  "making melody [Lit. "plucking an instrument"] with your HEART to the Lord." (Eph.
  5:19), that Christian praise is "the fruit of lips" (Heb. 13:15), and that musical
  instruments are "things without life" (1 Cor. 14:7).
- During the period from the closing of the New Testament canon of Scripture to the
  future return of Jesus Christ, we find that, according to church historians, (1)
  Musical instruments were not introduced into Christian worship for hundreds of years
  after the apostles, as indicated by the fact that the term "a capella" literally means
  "as it is done in the church"; (2) Musical instruments did not become prevalent until
  at least the tenth or eleventh century, when the Church of Rome's elaborate, priestly
  ceremonies began to reach their height; (3) Following the Protestant Reformation,
  Reformed Churches were virtually unanimous in prohibiting the use of musical
  instruments in worship, since they viewed it as an aspect of the ceremonial temple
  worship now abolished under the New Testament; (4) Musical instruments did not become
  commonplace in Reformed Churches until around the 19th century, despite the adamant
  protests of many sound pastors and theologians.

Based upon the Scriptural evidence, it appears quite clear that musical instruments were
specifically commanded and regulated by God as part of the Old Testament temple
ceremonies, which have since been fulfilled and permanently abolished by Christ. We have
no more warrant to re-institute musical instruments in Christian worship today than to
re-institute animal sacrifices or the Levitical priesthood. These shadowy ordinances
have passed away and been replaced by the glorious simplicity and spirituality of New
Testament worship.

Whatever pleasant sounds may have emanated from the temple and its courts during the Old
Testament, the Lord is far more pleased today, as His people offer up the "fruit of
lips", filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, gladly "singing and making melody with
their hearts" to Him.

For a more detailed treatment of this issue, we encourage you to consult the following
online resources:

- [Instrumental Music in Worship: Commanded or Not Commanded?](https://www.westminsterconfession.org/resources/worship/instrumental-music-in-worship-commanded-or-not-commanded/)
  by Rev. G. I. Williamson
- [What? No Instruments? I object!](https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/723141436388) by
  Dr. Dennis Prutow
- [Musical Instruments in Worship](https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/715122327580) by
  Rev. Nathan Eshelman
- [Why We Worship Without Musical Instruments](https://www.sermonaudio.com/sermons/312081027190)
  by Dr. Anthony Selvaggio

(7) "HOW DOES YOUR CHURCH WORSHIP GOD?" — In keeping with Scripture, the ordinary
elements of our corporate worship fall into six basic categories:

1. The reading, preaching, and hearing of God's inspired Word (Neh. 8:1-8; Gal. 3:2;
   Col. 4:16; 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 2:15; 4:2-3; Rev. 2:7)
2. Prayer with thanksgiving, offered up in the name of Christ, by the aid of His Spirit,
   according to the will of God (John 14:13-14; Rom. 8:26-27; Phil. 4:6; 1 Tim. 2:1-8; 1
   John 5:14)
3. The unaccompanied singing of praise songs from the inspired Book of Psalms, with
   regular explanations as to their meaning (Ps. 47:7; 2 Chron. 29:30; Matt. 26:30; Col.
   3:16; Eph. 5:18-19; Heb. 13:15)
4. The proper administration and worthy receiving of baptism and the Lord's supper
   (Matt. 28:19; 1 Cor. 11:23-34)
5. The presentation of tithes and offerings "for the service of the house of our God"
   (Neh. 10:32-39; Mal. 3:8-10; Matt. 5:23-24; 1 Cor. 9:13-14; 16:1-2; Phil. 4:8; Heb.
   13:15-16)
6. The pronouncing of God's blessing upon God's people by God's ordained servant (Num.
   6:22-27; Lk. 24:50; 2 Cor. 12:14)