崇拜的限定原則：十項論證10 Arguments for theRegulative Principle of Worship
作者：T. David Gordon
誠之編譯
“敬拜真神的正確途徑，是由祂親手制定的，因此就受祂所指定的旨意所限制。敬拜神不可用人的想像和設計，或撒但所建議的有形象徵，或任何其他聖經所沒有指定的方法。”（西敏信仰告白，21.1）
一、因為神是忌邪的神
A. 簡短說明
聖經啟示神是一位忌邪的神，而此忌邪的屬性是顯明在敬拜神時禁止一些事情（製作偶像）的經文中。因此，禁止雕刻偶像或天上地下的百物，是根據神忌邪的屬性。作為一位忌邪的神，祂不會調整自己去適應人慣常的崇拜形式，反而堅持要人按照祂的旨意來敬拜祂。
B. 相關經文：出廿4-5，三十四14。
另參出廿五9、40，廿六30。
二、敬虔就是完全遵照上帝的旨意行
A. 簡短說明
有許多經文描述惡人所行的，並不是完全抵觸神的旨意，而是行在祂的旨意之外。同樣，經文描述敬畏神的人在神的同在中是發顫的，他們完全按照神的旨意來行。如果真的是這樣，「有創意的」敬拜；沒有按照神的啟示的敬拜，也就是神所沒有啟示說是祂所喜悅的任何其他的敬拜，都是不敬虔的。
B. 相關經文：賽六十六1-4；申十二20-32；利十1-2；撒上十三8-15；十五3-22。
三、有些經文談到有些人用神所沒有規定的來敬拜祂，結果招致嚴重懲罰的經文（傳統論證的「核心」）
A. 簡短說明
有些地方說到人獻上敬拜，明顯是出於想要討神喜悅的美好信心（心靈誠實地）來作的，然而他們是以神所沒有規定的方式來作的，而神對他們的懲罰卻非常嚴厲。這種嚴厲的懲罰說明神極為痛恨這種敬拜。
B. 相關經文 利十1-2（凡火，即耶和華沒有吩咐的）；撒上十三8-15。
四、人心有敬拜偶像的犯罪傾向
保羅在羅馬書一章19節以下指出，人類因著悖逆神，「去敬拜事奉受造之物，不敬奉那造物的主」。此外，這不是因為無知，而是道德的敗壞：「他們雖然知道上帝，卻不當作上帝榮耀祂，也不感謝祂……」
參： Thomas E. Peck, 《雜文》，第一集， pp. 96-97：「那麼，人就沒有能力去發明崇拜的模式，因為他不知道什麼模式最能表達真理或真理所產生出來的情感。」
五、崇拜是聖約的更新
我們已經證明，公眾崇拜是神的子民聚集在神面前和祂重新立約，如果此聖約是神的主權（完全由神自由選擇來設立的），且如果聖約的責任是我們在生活所有的領域都必須完全順服，那麼，在這個我們重新立志要委身聖約的崇拜服事中，就特別應當完全反映神對我們的主權。
六、 教會的權力是有限的
A. 簡短說明
教會是一個機構；是由復活的基督所設立的，由祂所授權；祂要求人順服祂的命令，並參與到祂的律例當中。基督沒有給教會權柄去順服教會自己的命令，也沒有給教會權柄要求人參與教會自己制定的律例。教會治理的限定原則（Regulative Principle；或譯為管制原則、規範原則）是崇拜的限定原則的基礎。
B. 相關經文：太二十八18-20；林後一24；羅十四7-9。
七、良心的自由
A. 簡短說明
聖經教導唯獨基督是個人良心的主；基督徒唯獨當完全順服基督（這種順服不需要正當的理由或證明）。唯獨神可以要求我們照祂的話做，單單因為祂這樣說過。引誘人不按照他們所相信是正確的去行動，是犯罪的行為。此外，神要求我們唯獨按照祂所啟示的來敬拜祂。因此，要求人在公眾崇拜中，去作上帝沒有要求的，或要他們作他們所不相信的神已經呼召他們作的，或參加違反了公眾敬拜原則的崇拜，是在強迫人去違反他/她的良心。這是一種犯罪。
B. 相關經文：羅十四章；林前八4-13。
八、信心
A. 簡短說明
信心的本質是信靠順服神所已經啟示的。換句話說，信心是不看自己而是看神；不依靠自己，而是倚靠神；相信祂，順服祂的審判和道路。按照定義，如果神沒有啟示自己，我們就無從順服。而沒有信心就無法取悅神。因此，不信實守約的敬拜，就不是一種對祂的啟示之順服的回應，這種敬拜是無法取悅神的。（約翰歐文強有力地論證了這點）
B. 相關經文： 羅十四23；來十一6及整章。
九、造物主和受造物之間的距離
A. 簡短說明
上帝的道路和意念高過我們的道路和意念，正如天高過地。祂的身上披著奧秘，而奧秘是祂的榮耀。隱秘的事屬於神，只有顯明的事屬於我們。我們怎能以為我們有可能揣摩出一些可以討神喜悅的事呢？
B. 相關經文：賽四十12-14；申廿九29；賽五十五9；箴廿五2。
十、教會歷史
A. 簡短說明
教會歷史給了我們足夠的證明，容讓墮落的被造物自己去發明，無可避免地會製造出不敬虔的崇拜。特別是宗教改革，作為一個歷史的運動，見證了當崇拜不再受神啟示的旨意所規限時，這種敗壞會漸漸且無可避免地潛入敬拜當中。
Source:
Regulative Principle Handout
10
Arguments for the Regulative Principle of Worship
by T. David Gordon
WCF
XXI.1: "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."
I.
Argument from the character of God as jealous
A.
Brief description of the argument.
God
is revealed to be a jealous God in scripture, and his character as a jealous
God is introduced into texts which prohibit certain things (creating images) in
the worship of God. Thus, the prohibition of creating graven images or any
other likeness of anything in heaven or earth is grounded in God’s character as
a jealous God. As a jealous God, He does not accommodate himself to the forms
of worship to which humans are accustomed, but rather insists that He be
worshiped as He wills.
B.
Sample of relevant texts—Ex.20:4-5; 34:14
II.
Argument from those passages where piety is described as doing exclusively what
God wishes.
A.
Brief description of the argument.
In
many passages, the wicked are described not as doing what is contradictory to
God’s will, but what is beside His will. Similarly, the pious are described by
their trembling in God’s presence, their doing exclusively what God wishes.
This being the case, "creative" worship; worship which is beside what
God has revealed, which is anything other than what God has revealed to be a
delight to him, is impious.
B.
Sample of relevant texts—Isa.66:1-4; Dt.12:29-32; Lev. 10:1-2; 1 Sam.13:8-15;
15:3-22
III.
Argument from the severity of the temporal punishments inflicted upon those who
offer to God worship other than what He has prescribed (this is the
"heart" of the traditional argument).
A.
Brief description of the argument.
There
are places where people offer worship to God, in an apparently good-faith
desire to please Him, yet they do so in some manner not prescribed by God, and
His punishment of them is severe. The severity of the punishment reveals that
God is intensely displeased by such.
B.
Sample of relevant texts—Lev. 10:1-2; 1 Sam.13:8-15
IV.
Argument from the sinful tendency towards idolatry (Rom. 1).
Paul’s
point in Romans 1:19ff is that the human race, in its revolt against God, has
"worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator."
Further, this is not due to ignorance, but to moral defilement: "Although
they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give him thanks…"
Cf.
Thomas E. Peck, Miscellanies, vol. I, pp. 96-97: "Man, then, is
incompetent to devise modes of worship, because he knows not what modes are
best adapted to express the truth or the emotions which the truth is suited to
produce."
V.
Argument from the nature of worship as covenant renewal.
If,
as we have attempted to demonstrate, corporate worship is a gathering of God’s
people to renew covenant with him, and if the nature of that covenant is
sovereign (instituted entirely by God’s free choice), and if the duty of that
covenant is our complete obedience in all areas of life, then the service in
which we renew our commitment to such a covenant ought especially and
explicitly to reflect the utter lordship of God over us.
VI.
Argument from the Limits of Church-Power
A.
Brief description of the argument.
The
Church is an institution; instituted by the positive command of the risen
Christ, and authorized by Him to require obedience to His commands and
participation in His ordinances. The Church is given no authority to require
obedience to its own commands, and is given no authority to require
participation in ordinances of its own making. The Regulative Principle of
Church-Government lies behind the Regulative Principle of Worship.
B.
Sample of relevant texts—Mat. 28:18-20; 2 Cor. 1:24; Rom. 14:7-9
VII. Argument
from Liberty of Conscience (or argument from charity, cf. the following outline
for a further elaboration)
A.
Brief description of the argument.
The
Bible teaches that Christ is the sole Lord of an individual’s conscience; that
believers owe implicit obedience (obedience that needs no justification in
reason or arguments) to Christ alone. God alone may require us to do something
simply because He has said so. To induce someone to act contrary to what they
believe is right is sinful. Further, God requires us to worship Him only as He
has revealed. Therefore, to require a person, in corporate worship, to do
something which God has not required, forces the person either to sin against
his/her conscience, by making them do what they do not believe God has called
them to do, or to not participate in portions of public worship, which offends
the principle of corporate worship (John Murray and Edmund Clowney have
articulated this view very clearly).
B.
Sample of relevant texts—Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8:4-13
VIII.
Argument from Faith
A.
Brief description of the argument. By its very essence, faith is a trusting,
obedient response to what God has revealed. Faith, that is, looks outside of
the self to God, depending not on self but on God, relying on Him, believing
Him, acquiescing in His judgments and ways. Where God has not revealed himself,
no faithful response is possible, by definition. And, without faith it is
impossible to please God. Therefore, God cannot be pleased by worship which is
unfaithful, that is, worship which is not an obedient response to his
revelation (John Owen makes this argument compellingly).
B.
Sample of relevant texts—Rom.14:23; Heb. 11:6, and entire chapter.
IX.
Argument from the distance between the Creator and the creature.
A.
Brief description of the argument.
God’s
ways and thoughts are above ours as the heavens are above the earth. He is
clothed in mystery, and it is his glory to conceal a thing. The hidden things
belong to him, but the revealed things belong to us. What makes us think we can
possibly fathom what would please God?
B.
Sample of relevant texts—Isa. 40:12-14; Deut. 29:29; Isa. 55:9; Prov.25:2
X.
Argument from Church History
A.
Brief description of the argument.
Church
history amply demonstrates that fallen creatures, left to their own devices,
inevitably produce worship which is impious. Especially the Reformation, as an
historical movement, bore testimony to the corruption which creeps slowly yet
inevitably into worship when worship is not regulated by the revealed will of
God.
Source:
Regulative Principle Handout
