Westminster Confession of Faith - Chapter 1.6
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: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: 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.

Westminster Confession of Faith - Chapter 21.1
The light of nature showeth 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 worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped 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.

THE REGULATIVE PRINCIPLE GUIDES
What is worship? Simply stated, worship is our response to God's revelation of His glory. In the corporate, visible body, specific worship is done in God's special presence, through the reading, and especially the preaching of the Word. The Word reveals God's glory, and once confronted with God's glory, we must worship. Moses requested to be shown God's glory; his request was answered, and at once Moses worshiped (cf. Ex. 33:18; 34:5-7). Therefore the Scriptures are always essential to worship.

What has come to be known as the Regulative Principle of Worship is a principle presented in the Scriptures (Gen. 4:3-7; Ex. 20:4-6; 25:40; Lev. 10:1-3; Deut. 4:2; 12:32; I Sam. 13:11ff; I Ki. 12:32-33; I Chr. 15:13; II Chr. 26:16; Jer. 7:31; Matt. 15:9; Matt. 28:19-20; John 4:22-24; Acts 17:23-25; Col. 2:18-23). It teaches that we are to worship God only in ways He commands in His Word. We are not to insert into the worship service any elements which are the fabrications and inventions of man. God is honored only when we worship Him according to means set forth in His Word (either by direct commandment or logical implication), and when we do not add to or take away from anything set forth therein.

That this is the historical Reformed position can be seen clearly in the Reformed confessions and catechisms. The Belgic Confession (1561), Article VII, speaking on the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures as the only rule of faith, states:

We believe that these Holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God... the whole manner of worship which God requires of us is written in them... Neither may we consider any writings of men, though ever so holy, with those divine Scriptures; nor ought we to compare custom, or the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times or persons, or councils, decrees, or statutes, with the truth of God, for the truth is above all.

Further, in Article XXXII of the same document, entitled "Of the Order and Discipline of the Church" appears the following statement:

Those who are rulers of the church...ought studiously to take care that they do not depart from those things which Christ, our only Master, hath instituted. And therefore, we reject all human inventions, and all laws which man would introduce into the worship of God.

The Heidelberg Catechism (1563) also gives testimony to the Regulative Principle of Worship in Question and Answer 96:

Q: What does God require in the second commandment?
A: That we in nowise make any image of God, nor worship him in any other way than he has commanded in his Word.

Speaking of the service of God, the Irish Articles of Religion (1615), Article 52, states:

All worship devised by man's phantasy besides or contrary to the Scriptures...hath not only no reward of Scripture, but contrariwise threatenings and maledictions.

Looking at the Presbyterian Churches, we find the same truth taught in Answers 109 and 51, respectively, of the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647):

The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and anywise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself...corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretense whatsoever.

The second commandment forbiddeth the worshiping of God by images, or any way not appointed in his Word.

The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), Chapter XXI, Section I states:

But the acceptable way of worshiping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited to his own revealed will, that he may not be worshiped 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.

The Regulative Principle, therefore, guides us in our worship of God. It is an undeniable fact of Christian history that the approach of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches to the worship of God was to include only that which He wills in His Word, and not that which He was "silent" about or did not specifically prohibit. The Word of God was not viewed, as it pertained to the essential and substantial elements of worship, as an insufficient collection of partial instructions. Their understanding was as the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter I, Section IV, declares:

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...

In addition to things expressly stated or commanded in the Bible, there are things that are not expressed, but rather logically implied. These things may be inferred from a text by principle or example. The text might not say in so many words, "Thou shalt" or "Thou shalt not," but it might say that "the righteous man does...but the fool does..." Even without a direct command, it is obvious that the believer may never choose the course of a fool. This is what it means to be regulated by Scripture. This is what the Confession means when it says that in absence of any express commands, our practices "by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.

When we examine Reformed worship practices, we see that this is exactly what was done to determine the ordinances of worship.

The Worship of God

Biblical Worship

The Psalms of David in Metre

Psalm Singing in Scripture & History

Exclusive Psalmody FAQ

Calvin on Reforming the Church

Calvin on Instrumental Music in Worship

Thomas Manton on Family Worship

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