All God’s people are commanded to sing to God and to one another in worship because of who God is and what God has done for us. If we take the message of our Directory to heart…we will be amazed at what God will do through His people’s praises Lord’s Day by Lord’s Day.

The Westminster Assembly set forth three tests by which to assess the health of a particular church, the three marks of a church (WCF 25.4):

1. The Doctrine of the Gospel Taught and Embraced
2. The Ordinances (Sacraments) Rightly Administered
3. The Purity of Public Worship

The Westminster Standards recognize no church will be wholly pure, and all churches have a mixture of purity and error, but true churches always have greater purity regarding the proclamation of biblical doctrine, participation in biblical sacraments, and the observance of biblical worship.

This may be why Presbyterian Communions ordinarily have a robust Directory for Worship as part of their constitutions.

Westminster’s three tests are more helpful than the Continental Reformed (Belgic) “Three Marks of the Church,” because of the priority given to worship by the Westminster Assembly.¹ Even if the gospel is rightly preached, sacraments rightly administered, and church discipline rightly practiced, but worship is unbiblical, performative, and/or man-centered, is that a true church?

In fact, I would argue (at another time) that the most urgent need of the Church in our day is to return to Biblical Worship, worship that is ordered by Scripture rather than culture. This is, by the way, the very issue cited by Calvin as the first reason for reforming the Church: “the mode in which God is duly worshipped.”²

I believe the 21st Century American Church is sliding back into the old forms of Romish worship that were rejected at the Reformation.

Medieval Worship

Worship in the Western/catholic Church prior to the Reformation was largely done by the professionals. There was a small group of priests up front ministering, in Latin. The congregation watched them worship.

In larger congregations, perhaps there would be a choir or smaller ensemble of other religious professionals that would sing (in Latin) to accompany the worship of the priests and other clerics. The congregation listened to them worship.

However in many faith communities today, which might even claim to be Protestant, those who have come for worship are made simply to watch and listen to a small group of professionals worship.

The renewal of worship at the Reformation brought about a remarkable change; worship was no longer something God’s people watched the clergy do. Worship was something in which all God’s people participated. The Reformers modeled worship on what they read in the Scripture about what God desired in worship, which clearly included congregational singing:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col. 3:16)

The Biblical Priority of Congregational Singing

The Reformers recognized God was not most pleased by a small group of professional/priestly clergy worshipping Him on behalf of the congregation. But God’s delight is in the sung praises of His people. This is reflected even in the Old Covenant:

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. This will please the LORD more than an ox or a bull with horns and hoofs. (Psalm 69:30–31)

Even when there was a biblically authorized priesthood, the Holy Spirit reveals God’s greater pleasure was when His people sang to Him with hearts overflowing with grateful praise.

While the ministry of priestly intermediaries was important under the Old Covenant, even then the Holy Spirit invited the saints to rejoice that God delighted in their sung praises, which they offered to Him directly.

Singing and the Directory of Worship (BCO 51)

Since worship is so important to the life of the Church, and singing such a prominent part of worship, the Directory gives practical, pastoral, and helpful application of the biblical principles regarding congregational singing.

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