The Synagogue and the Regulative Principle of Worship

The Synagogue and the Regulative Principle of Worship

Anyone familiar with the worship wars within Christian circles has no doubt come across the terms: regulative, puritan, and/or normative.  Detailed study will take students back to divisions among great reformers such as Calvin and Luther.  These divisions extend even today in the worship wars of 2016.

Despite my strong convictions as a baptist and dispensationalist there is an institution that puzzles me.  It is called the synagogue.  Consider the roots, beginning and continuation of this worship activity even up to 2016 (you'll need to  look back at the inter-testamental period).  Do we have a command to participate as Christians?  Do we have a command to worship during this event?  How did Jesus and the apostles (both before and after) his resurrection make use or participate in this worship event (this is for the publisher's red letter font is more authoritative types)?  These are truly puzzling questions to consider if we must have a command, principle, or practice to maintain these events as God ordained.

Consider the many references in the gospels to Jesus the Messiah worshipping in the Jewish synagogue.  He attended and even read scripture in their hearing.  The apostles will do the same during his life and after his bodily resurrection.

This is the beginning of thought on this matter.  There are references to the apostles going into a city and evangelizing a city starting with the synagogue.  There are multitude references to the apostles repeatedly teaching weekly at theses same events in the book of Acts.  You also have these same individuals meeting as a church elsewhere on "the first day of the week." 

Where does this fit into the worship wars?  Do we pull a mild-dispensational hermeneutic, "well that was the gospels." Problem is that it happened in the book of Acts also (including after Acts 2).  Luke especially seems to overlap with the book of Acts (same author of both books helps).  Seems to be an issue for post-Acts 2 church-birth Christianity where they are still worshipping in the synagogue.  Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, worshipped in this institution without OT command or precedent.  As far as I can tell he also never attacked or condemned the Pharisees for worshipping in the synagogue (their lifestyles and theology is another issue).

I am simply exploring how do we fit a regulative worship principle with the synagogue?  If your best exegetical response is to say, "that was Bible times" or "that was another context" then your missing the point.  It can't be only for Jews because the apostles are participating throughout the book of Acts.

If we appeal to a "transitional nature of Acts" then when did the transition stop?  The synagogue is still used today in 2016.  James actually uses this term in chapter two συναγωγή.  If you can't read greek then try to see the English gloss "synagogue."  Appears in KJV text as "assembly."

There is no command, principle or precedent for Sunday school.  Do we throw it out?  Do we keep it as a useful tool?  Who decides this, the pastor or congregation?  Do we throw out Wednesday night or Sunday night because we don't agree on how to use scriptures to defend it (or not)?  When does history have a voice in aiding our interpretation?  Must ever generation reinvent their own doctrine from scripture?  Does the current cool kid trends shape our theology and practice (think: trendy small groups)?  At what point does pragmatism take over as a hermeneutical grid to justify any means or methodology?  These are only preliminary thoughts as I look for detailed exegetical texts addressing this issue.

Thoughts encouraged.  Dialogue interesting.  Hope it helps to actually further and build up Christ's body.