The sixth sense to rule them all
Hey Gabe,
1. Should the ministry of music flow out of the ministry of the Pastor to shepard the flock to the pastures of the Word to his local church body?
2. p. 79 of Give Praise to God
Clearest expression of the [regulative] principle is to be found in the opening section of the Westminster Confession of Faith 21:1:
The light of nature shows that there is a God, who has lordship and soverignty over all; is good, and does 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 representations or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture.
3. Does the regulative principle regard interaction within the local church gathering or all music in the world?
4. If we truly have the "real participation of the Divine nature"-the sixth sense-does not this sense govern our other five senses?
5. Does common grace extend to the believer's enjoyment of all arts or is there a different responsibility to God that the believer must have?
Love your Brother mike
posted by Semitikstallion at
2:20 PM
6 Comments:
Mike, do these questions stem from a particular existing discussion with Gabe, or are they things you've been thinking about and are now throwing out for a new discussion? If they stem from a previous discussion, could you let the rest of us in on it, since this blog is a community of sorts?
I would like to approach these questions:
3. Does the regulative principle regard interaction within the local church gathering or all music in the world?
4. If we truly have the "real participation of the Divine nature"-the sixth sense-does not this sense govern our other five senses?
5. Does common grace extend to the believer's enjoyment of all arts or is there a different responsibility to God that the believer must have?
In answer to #3, I believe I can say pretty definitively that the regulative principle is about corporate worship as we gather together. If there is any Reformed scholarship out there that suggests this principle to be referring to common things in the world, it is very obscure and relatively unknown (at least to me). Regulative princliple has in mind how we approach God within the context of his ordained means of approach for the covenant community. Also, I must note, that this principle is not primarily about music, per se. It is about worship. I know you know this, but corporate worship within the covenant community is a much broader thing than just music. You'll remember that Jeremiah Burroughs, in his book "Gospel Worship," did not even address the issue of music.
I answer to #4, in sense, I guess the answer is yes. But I would have to back up and say that this sixth sense ought to govern our other five, but does not necessarily do it all the time. I can see saying that having this participation in the divine nature helps us to taste, hear, see, and touch common things in a way that has a new, better, and "enlightened" appreciation for those things--a "God's-eye-view" so to speak. This essentially is christian hedonism.
In answer to #5, we do not cease to recieve and participate in common grace once we've received special grace. We do, however, see common grace in a new light--indeed, we see it for what it is--grace. I don't think you can necessarily say, i those words, that believers have a different responsibility to God than nonbelievers. We all stand under the Covenant of Works; the difference for believers is that that covenant of works has been kept perfectly on our behalf by our federal head, who is Christ. Nonbelievers believers also stand responsible to the Covenant of Works, but they have not, nor can they, fulfill it. Their covenant, or federal, head is Adam, who, while in a state of innocence, failed to keep the stipulations of the covenant that he had entered into with God.
How does Covenant Theology relate to common grace and the arts, you say? Grace is grace, whether special or common; it is unmerited. Common Grace is theologically rooted in the Noahic covenant, which falls in the line of Royal Grants (unconditional, unilateral covenants--Adamic after fall, Noahic, Abrahamic, Davidic/New) that fall under the banner of the Covenant of Grace. There are only to types of covenants in the Bible: Grace and Law. A Law Covenant is bilateral and conditional, has stipulations, and contains sanctions that must necessarily be carried out if it is broken. A Royal Grant, or grace covenant, is unconditional and unilateral, made by the king (or THE King, as it is in the case of OT Scriptures) on behalf of those whom he is showing favor. It is oriented around a one-sided promise. So you see, the common grace Noahic covenant, which all mankind enjoys, is rooted in God's Covenant of Grace, by which he displays his goodness. Though it is in no way redemptive, it is imperative that we see it as not being rooted in Law but in Grace. I think this will help our thinking about this topic.
I wish I had time to write more, butI'm about to be late for a meeting.
-Matt
By
Matt H, at 3:47 PM
Mike,
In regards to the regulative principle, (your second question) we need to be careful how far we take it. The extremes to which Reformed Baptists and other such denominations apply that principle may seem biblical on the surface, but they are misleading. The bible is vague about worship in the NT for a reason. Just as the church is now governed by laws of the Spirit and not political laws, so worship is guided by the Spirit and not a set of rules and regulations.
Don't misquote me. We shouldn't just worship how we feel because we are "full or the Spirit". The bible does give many many principles for what God wants from us in worship and for how He is to be approached. But as far as practice and style, the clearest passage we have from Colossians tells us to worship together with Psalms, hymns, and Spiritual songs. We don't know how those songs Paul referenced sounded, but I think it is too much to say that if a song or a text isn't exactly from scripture, then we can't use it. Satan does have his influences in the world, but if we are careful and use texts that are in complete agreement with scripture and if our music further focuses attention to God and not ourselves, how can Satan be behind it.
To answer your first question, yes. Music should always focus us on the ministry of the Word, because music in and of itself is a ministry of the Word. The text of songs is what brings our minds to God while the music enhances that to bring our emotions as well. A Pastor needs to have oversight of this ministry. Whether it is a Pastor/Teacher, Sr. Pastor, or Worship Pastor is not important. The important thing is that a Shepherd of a local body cares about the ministry of music as a supplement to the ministry of the gospel.
I hope that helped. Hope all things are going well for you.
-Josh Huff
By
Josh Huff, at 6:25 PM
what is that a picture of?
By
Kristin, at 12:27 PM
what?
By
Matt H, at 5:09 PM
sorry, I was just asking Mike what the picture is on his post. I can't make it out
By
Kristin, at 10:18 AM
i think it's from the movie, "the sixth sense"
By
Matt H, at 1:54 PM
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