Weighing Both Sides of the Argument

[Shadow Forge]

Over the past two weeks, I have been weighing through the points and counterpoints of whether or not to attend Good Friday Service & Easter service. I am not a theologian but wouldn't those services violate the Regulative Principle of Worship? I understand many say it would not because it is an indifference yet when it comes to acts of worship, indifference has to be proven via the Scriptures. I did speak to my pastor about this about two months ago and he stated that if it were up to him, he would not have the services nor any other services attached to holidays like Christmas. Would I be inflicting spiritual harm on myself by not attending these services? Or should I attend in order to be a part of the body of Christ and worship?

 

[Alexander Suarez]

Would I be inflicting spiritual harm on myself by not attending these services? Or should I attend in order to be a part of the body of Christ and worship?

Good day Talib,

While much can be said . . . I am wondering why you feel pressured to attend "Good Friday Service"? In my mind, this should be an easy pass.

As to the Lord's Day or Easter service, this involves a little bit more consideration (due to a command from God to gather and worship on his holy day). I would not recommend simply absenting yourself from public worship. Will the main or public ordinances still be present (e.g., preaching, singing, praying, reading, etc.) at your current congregation's Lord's Day service on 3/31/2024?

 

[Shadow Forge]

Good day Talib,

While much can be said . . . I am wondering why you feel pressured to attend "Good Friday Service"? In my mind, this should be an easy pass.

As to the Lord's Day or Easter service, this involves a little bit more consideration (due to a command from God to gather and worship on his holy day). I would not recommend simply absenting yourself from public worship. Will the main or public ordinances still be present (e.g., preaching, singing, praying, reading, etc.) at your current congregation's Lord's Day service on 3/31/2024?

Yes, I am sure all shall remain the same. However, it will have a primary focus of Easter. Coming from 36 years of practicing ancestral paganism, I know that Easter is very much pagan hence why my hesitation. Ultimately, I do not wish to have the Lord upset with me on this issue.

 

[TylerRay]

Over the past two weeks, I have been weighing through the points and counterpoints of whether or not to attend Good Friday Service & Easter service. I am not a theologian but wouldn't those services violate the Regulative Principle of Worship? I understand many say it would not because it is an indifference yet when it comes to acts of worship, indifference has to be proven via the Scriptures. I did speak to my pastor about this about two months ago and he stated that if it were up to him, he would not have the services nor any other services attached to holidays like Christmas. Would I be inflicting spiritual harm on myself by not attending these services? Or should I attend in order to be a part of the body of Christ and worship?

Yes, they are a violation of the RPW. Only the Lord can consecrate holy days. You certainly won't be wronging your soul by refusing to be partaker in other men's sins.

That being said, not attending an Easter service and not attending church aren't mutually exclusive. You might find a church to visit that week that doesn't keep RC holidays. In the FCC congregation that I'm part of, we always have our attendance augmented by conscientious objectors whose home churches are holding Christmas and Easter services.

 

[Ben Zartman]

Friday cannot be a worship service since it is not on the Lord's Day, at least, not in the case of being Regulated and having attendance be a matter of conscience. If you want to go and hear preaching and sing songs--well and good; that's indifferent, but the church cannot require it as a duty.
Go on the Sabbath, by all means. If they descend into mummery, mourn for the evil that is done in the Lord's house. But as long as it's a legitimate service with the elements of worship properly present, you should go.

 

[Blood-Bought Pilgrim]

Maybe I just don't understand the classic RPW well enough, but with regard to Good Friday I don't understand why an additional opportunity to gather in corporate worship would violate the RPW. Of course, if the church leadership was acting in such a manner that members' consciences were being bound that they had to participate, I see why that would be a problem. But in itself, an extra chance to gather and hear the preaching of the word and to pray and sing with other believers only seems to me like something to be enjoyed!

With regard to "Easter" itself, I could see it being an issue if the church were to make its service some kind of entertainment instead of the regular elements of worship, or take the focus off of Christ in some way-- but again, I don't see why in principle a local body placing particular focus on the resurrection of Christ on a given week is necessarily wrong. Of course there's all the cultural baggage that goes along with "Easter" which I get is a problem, but I certainly wouldn't skip a Lord's Day worship service simply because the Church is acknowledging Easter that week, even if I'd prefer they didn't.

 

[Sam Jer]

Maybe I just don't understand the classic RPW well enough, but with regard to Good Friday I don't understand why an additional opportunity to gather in corporate worship would violate the RPW. Of course, if the church leadership was acting in such a manner that members' consciences were being bound that they had to participate, I see why that would be a problem. But in itself, an extra chance to gather and hear the preaching of the word and to pray and sing with other believers only seems to me like something to be enjoyed!

With regard to "Easter" itself, I could see it being an issue if the church were to make its service some kind of entertainment instead of the regular elements of worship, or take the focus off of Christ in some way-- but again, I don't see why in principle a local body placing particular focus on the resurrection of Christ on a given week is necessarily wrong. Of course there's all the cultural baggage that goes along with "Easter" which I get is a problem, but I certainly wouldn't skip a Lord's Day worship service simply because the Church is acknowledging Easter that week, even if I'd prefer they didn't.

I found this sermon helpfull a while back.

 

[Edward]

First of all, it is a duty to worship on the Lord's day absent being providentially hindered. That's the easy question.

As to worship services on other days of the week, the session is empowered to call special services on days other than Sunday. Our church is having a concert, not a worship service, Friday evening.

 

[erickinho1bra]

Maybe I just don't understand the classic RPW well enough, but with regard to Good Friday I don't understand why an additional opportunity to gather in corporate worship would violate the RPW. Of course, if the church leadership was acting in such a manner that members' consciences were being bound that they had to participate, I see why that would be a problem. But in itself, an extra chance to gather and hear the preaching of the word and to pray and sing with other believers only seems to me like something to be enjoyed!

With regard to "Easter" itself, I could see it being an issue if the church were to make its service some kind of entertainment instead of the regular elements of worship, or take the focus off of Christ in some way-- but again, I don't see why in principle a local body placing particular focus on the resurrection of Christ on a given week is necessarily wrong. Of course there's all the cultural baggage that goes along with "Easter" which I get is a problem, but I certainly wouldn't skip a Lord's Day worship service simply because the Church is acknowledging Easter that week, even if I'd prefer they didn't.

I'm totally on your boat. If we can get together to have bible studies during the week why can't there be other similar events in the week/year? I do feel uncomfortable with the idea of having communion outside of the Lord's Day since that seems to be a 2nd commandment issue but getting together to hear the gospel being preached and to sing songs about our Lord seems not just permissible but even praise-worthy (though I don't think it should ever be mandated since I don't believe it is an official worship service)

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Don't go on Friday. You don't have to and going just reinforces a bad custom with your fellow worshippers (to put it no heavier than that). As to this coming Lord's Day; you should go as others have said; ignore the lingo and superstitious baggage though it pains you that it happens. You can say "He is risen" every day; and particularly every Lord's Day, so sanctified by the New Creation Christ has wrought. The problem is it is loaded with baggage and liturgical significance to this one day. So for me, anything "extra" done liturgically in your church's service on the 31st, try to ignore best you can and not participate in. At some point man (whose mind is an idol factory to use Calvin’s term) in his “wisdom” thought there should be more holy days than God had provided his NT church. The pretense of Easter is to commemorate Christ’s resurrection from death, yet that is why Christians meet on “Sundays” for worship. So in a real sense, while one might (incorrectly) argue that the other events of Christ’s life needed some “equal time” and so a justification for those pretended holy days which gave rise to what is often termed the “christian calendar”; this points out even more clearly the will worship and even idolatry in co-opting a Lord’s day that already exists for the very reason of Christ’s resurrection, for man’s imagined need to some way underscore that event. The Lord already underscored that event in providing Christians 52 days a year on which to gather for and to worship Him by means He has appointed. God's lily does not need man's gilding.

Over the past two weeks, I have been weighing through the points and counterpoints of whether or not to attend Good Friday Service & Easter service. I am not a theologian but wouldn't those services violate the Regulative Principle of Worship? I understand many say it would not because it is an indifference yet when it comes to acts of worship, indifference has to be proven via the Scriptures. I did speak to my pastor about this about two months ago and he stated that if it were up to him, he would not have the services nor any other services attached to holidays like Christmas. Would I be inflicting spiritual harm on myself by not attending these services? Or should I attend in order to be a part of the body of Christ and worship?