Confessor
Puritan Board Senior
To start, I want to establish the distinction between specific worship and general worship. Roughly, the former is the overt act of praising God, according to the precepts of His Word, with time set apart solely for that purpose. The latter is not as overt, but involves doing everything unto the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31).
Now, the WCF 21.8 says the following:
My question resulting from this is that a lot of the activities that most Reformed (all I've known) deem acceptable on the Sabbath are not really acts of specific worship, but are, in some sense, between the categories of specific and general worship. Take reading a theological book, for instance, or having children play some sort of Bible-based game. These are not considered commanded elements of Scripture according to the regulative principle of worship, and therefore they cannot be considered acts of specific worship, yet they clearly are not recreational in the same sense as watching football. They are more God-oriented than general worship, but yet they are not quite specific worship. Why then do we allow them on the Sabbath?
If it is the case that such acts are allowed on the Sabbath, then what is the Biblical warrant? It might be the case that Isaiah 58:13-14 forbids recreation and encourages more God-based general activities, yet without demanding specific worship all the day long.
Now, the WCF 21.8 says the following:
This Sabbath is to be kept holy unto the Lord when men, after a due preparing of their hearts, and ordering of their common affairs beforehand, do not only observe an holy rest all the day from their own works, words, and thoughts about their wordly employments and recreations, but also are taken up the whole time in the public and private exercises of His worship, and in the duties of necessity and mercy.
My question resulting from this is that a lot of the activities that most Reformed (all I've known) deem acceptable on the Sabbath are not really acts of specific worship, but are, in some sense, between the categories of specific and general worship. Take reading a theological book, for instance, or having children play some sort of Bible-based game. These are not considered commanded elements of Scripture according to the regulative principle of worship, and therefore they cannot be considered acts of specific worship, yet they clearly are not recreational in the same sense as watching football. They are more God-oriented than general worship, but yet they are not quite specific worship. Why then do we allow them on the Sabbath?
If it is the case that such acts are allowed on the Sabbath, then what is the Biblical warrant? It might be the case that Isaiah 58:13-14 forbids recreation and encourages more God-based general activities, yet without demanding specific worship all the day long.
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