Review: Reformation of the Church by Iain Murray (part 2 of 12)
This post is the second of what will ultimately be twelve essays interacting with Iain Murray's book The Reformation of the Church.
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The second section of Iain Murray’s The Reformation of the Church is titled “The Rule for Reformation—The Word of God.” Martin Luther argues, over against the Roman doctrine of the infallibility of the Church and the Pope, that all human men are sinners subject to error, and that therefore their writings must be submitted to the judgment of Scripture. William Cunningham lays out the Regulative Principle established by the reformers—the doctrine that all the Church’s practices in worship must be positively found Scripture, and he goes on to apply it to the matter of church government, arguing that the Scriptures set out a particular form of government to which we must hold. John Hooper, writing during the Vestment Controversy in England in the 1550s, gives four criteria which must be met for something to be considered a “thing indifferent,” and concludes that the wearing of special priestly garments does not meet the criteria and is therefore prohibited by Scripture. John a Lasco delves into the vestments issue more deeply, showing how their use is prohibited by the abolition of the Aaronic priesthood in Christ. Finally, an excerpt from the Geneva Service Book of 1556 gives several scriptural proofs for the Regulative principle.
It has been said that the formal principle of the Reformation was the authority of Scripture alone. It is the authority and sufficiency of Scripture for faith and practice with which these selections are concerned. The more I reflect on sola scriptura and read the writings of these men who were so dedicated to being ruthlessly subjected to the dictates of the Bible, the more I come to understand how fundamental God’s Word is to the Church.
From Scripture itself, we see that God’s people are always created by God’s Word—from his creating word recorded in Genesis, to his covenanting word to Abraham that called a people out of the world to Himself, to his re-creating Word, Jesus Christ, who regenerates God’s people and justifies them. God’s word also sustains and sanctifies his people, providing the spiritual nourishment needed to transform them by the renewing of their minds and conforming them into the image of His Son. It is entirely natural then, that God’s Word should be the power that drives the reformation of His people. Studying the Reformers’ dedication to Scripture makes me delight all the more in God’s goodness in giving us His word and strengthens my desire to know it and teach it.
I found Hooper’s treatment of the Regulative Principle and its relationship to “things indifferent” thought-provoking. He defines things indifferent as things that “bring no profit when done or used, but no harm when not done or used.” Interestingly, though it seems natural to assume these things are not to be found in Scripture, Hooper says just the opposite. Things indifferent “must have their origin and foundation in the Word of God,” else they may not be used in the Church. This understanding seems almost contradictory, for why would God institute something in the Bible if it brings no profit? Hooper gives no example of a thing indifferent that meets the conditions he sets forth—the only specific thing discussed is the use of vestments, which he finds prohibited by the abrogation of the Aaronic priesthood. Perhaps this confusion is because Hooper’s manuscript is incomplete, but while I think he does an admirable job of debunking the use of vestments, I must confess I don’t understand his treatment of “things indifferent.”
Lastly, I found the brief selection from the Geneva Service Book very instructive. After hearing the Regulative Principle asserted in the first few readings (and in other sources), it was helpful to see specific instances from Scripture and church history where it was applied.
________________________
The second section of Iain Murray’s The Reformation of the Church is titled “The Rule for Reformation—The Word of God.” Martin Luther argues, over against the Roman doctrine of the infallibility of the Church and the Pope, that all human men are sinners subject to error, and that therefore their writings must be submitted to the judgment of Scripture. William Cunningham lays out the Regulative Principle established by the reformers—the doctrine that all the Church’s practices in worship must be positively found Scripture, and he goes on to apply it to the matter of church government, arguing that the Scriptures set out a particular form of government to which we must hold. John Hooper, writing during the Vestment Controversy in England in the 1550s, gives four criteria which must be met for something to be considered a “thing indifferent,” and concludes that the wearing of special priestly garments does not meet the criteria and is therefore prohibited by Scripture. John a Lasco delves into the vestments issue more deeply, showing how their use is prohibited by the abolition of the Aaronic priesthood in Christ. Finally, an excerpt from the Geneva Service Book of 1556 gives several scriptural proofs for the Regulative principle.
It has been said that the formal principle of the Reformation was the authority of Scripture alone. It is the authority and sufficiency of Scripture for faith and practice with which these selections are concerned. The more I reflect on sola scriptura and read the writings of these men who were so dedicated to being ruthlessly subjected to the dictates of the Bible, the more I come to understand how fundamental God’s Word is to the Church.
From Scripture itself, we see that God’s people are always created by God’s Word—from his creating word recorded in Genesis, to his covenanting word to Abraham that called a people out of the world to Himself, to his re-creating Word, Jesus Christ, who regenerates God’s people and justifies them. God’s word also sustains and sanctifies his people, providing the spiritual nourishment needed to transform them by the renewing of their minds and conforming them into the image of His Son. It is entirely natural then, that God’s Word should be the power that drives the reformation of His people. Studying the Reformers’ dedication to Scripture makes me delight all the more in God’s goodness in giving us His word and strengthens my desire to know it and teach it.
I found Hooper’s treatment of the Regulative Principle and its relationship to “things indifferent” thought-provoking. He defines things indifferent as things that “bring no profit when done or used, but no harm when not done or used.” Interestingly, though it seems natural to assume these things are not to be found in Scripture, Hooper says just the opposite. Things indifferent “must have their origin and foundation in the Word of God,” else they may not be used in the Church. This understanding seems almost contradictory, for why would God institute something in the Bible if it brings no profit? Hooper gives no example of a thing indifferent that meets the conditions he sets forth—the only specific thing discussed is the use of vestments, which he finds prohibited by the abrogation of the Aaronic priesthood. Perhaps this confusion is because Hooper’s manuscript is incomplete, but while I think he does an admirable job of debunking the use of vestments, I must confess I don’t understand his treatment of “things indifferent.”
Lastly, I found the brief selection from the Geneva Service Book very instructive. After hearing the Regulative Principle asserted in the first few readings (and in other sources), it was helpful to see specific instances from Scripture and church history where it was applied.
posted by Jeff at 2:23 PM
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