Sola Scriptura Applied

Behind the assertion that Christian worship must consist of . . . God-prescribed elements is the Protestant understanding of the sufficiency of Scripture—the idea that the Scriptures sufficiently reveal everything God’s people need for salvation, perfect trust, and perfect obedience. The sufficiency of Scripture has many implications, including the conviction that Scripture should regulate the way God’s people should approach God in worship. This principle has often been called “the regulative principle.” The regulative principle applies the Protestant belief in the authority of God’s Word to the particular doctrine of the church (most often it is referenced in discussions of public worship).
Many people have debated what specific applications should be drawn from the regulative principle for the weekly gathering of the saints. For example, does the principle require or forbid taking an offering during a service? having a choir? using drama in lieu of a sermon? and so forth. Yet before the particular points of application are tackled, the basic principle should be clearly and firmly set in place: God has revealed what basic components of worship are acceptable to him. Left to themselves humans do not worship God as they should, not even those who are blessed by him. One needs only to think of the unacceptable sacrifice of Cain or the golden calf of the Israelites.

In response to humanity’s lack of knowledge and desire to worship him rightly, God graciously grants humanity his Word. The first two of the Ten Commandments show God’s concern for how he is to be worshipped. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for aspects of their worship. Paul instructed the church at Corinth on what should and should not occur in their assemblies. In short, recognizing the regulative principle amounts to recognizing the sufficiency of Scripture applied to assembled worship. In the language of the Reformation, it amounts to sola scriptura.

—Mark Dever, The Church: The Gospel Made Visible