12. CHAPTER 11.

CHAPTER 11.

APOSTASY FROM EVANGELICAL WORSHIP.

THIRDLY, The next aspect to be considered is the apostasy present in the world from the purity of the gospel worship as ordained by Jesus Christ. This constitutes the main defection mentioned by our apostle in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, and is also prophesied in the book of Revelation. However, since I have discussed this topic on various occasions and certain matters pertaining to it are subject to debate among those familiar with the warning regarding the apostasy, I will refrain from addressing specific details that may give rise to differences of opinion. Instead, I will focus on aspects that the majority of Christians, particularly Protestants, can readily acknowledge.

Firstly, it is assumed that our Lord Jesus Christ instituted and established a sacred worship of God to be perpetually and unalterably observed until the end of the world. The primary purpose of maintaining any church on earth is to facilitate the proper celebration of this worship. It is through this public display of glory that God demands from believers in this world. All other duties of the gospel can be performed by individuals in their personal capacity, even if there were no churches in existence. Churches greatly misunderstand their responsibilities and their very reason for existence if they do not prioritize the careful observance of the worship ordained by the Lord Christ. Just as Moses was faithful in God’s entire house, as mentioned in Hebrews 3:5-6, and the life, existence, happiness, and well-being of the church of Israel depended on their adherence to the law given by Moses at Horeb, including the statutes and judgments (as stated in Malachi 4:4), so too does the Christian church’s existence and flourishing rely on faithfully observing and practicing all that has been commanded by Jesus Christ in the worship of God (as expressed in Matthew 28:20), for He is faithful as the Son overseeing the entire house of God.

Besides, it is universally acknowledged — and we will, God willing, expound on this further when we examine the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Hebrews — that through the gospel, the Lord Christ has altered and abolished all the solemn worship, ordinances, and institutions established by God Himself under the old testament, which were meant to continue until the time of reformation. Thus, it is now absolutely unlawful for anyone to worship God according to those previous institutions. God Himself publicly affirmed this by promptly destroying the very place and seat of those institutions when the Lord Christ, through the proclamation of the gospel, nullified their authority and binding power, forbidding His disciples from using them any longer. To this day, those who desire to use those institutions cannot do so in a legitimate manner. Shall we then believe that the Lord Jesus Christ abolished the old solemn worship of the church without establishing anything in its place? Or that He removed what had been established by the wisdom of God, even if only for a time, and left the church, in terms of its primary duty and main purpose in this world, to the inventions and imaginations of men? Denying the establishment of a solemn worship of God to continue unalterably until the end of the world leads to one of these two blasphemous conclusions.

Furthermore, if anyone faithfully and obediently practices and engages in all the aspects of divine worship that the Lord has appointed, I am convinced that no one would have the audacity to claim that something is lacking to make it a solemn and acceptable service, although some may debate the convenience of certain additional customs. Therefore, I assume at present that the Lord Jesus Christ has appointed such a solemn worship under the gospel, which all His disciples are obligated to observe constantly and unwaveringly, as He declares in Matthew 28:20. In relation to this, individuals can fall away and apostatize from the gospel, committing sin of no lesser gravity and consequence than if they were to depart from the mysteries of its doctrine or the holiness of its precepts. There are two ways in which this can occur: 1) by neglecting and refusing to adhere to what He has appointed, and 2) by introducing our own additions to His appointments that are inconsistent with and destructive to what He has ordained.

I. The first way in which we see apostasy from the worship of the gospel is evident among certain individuals within our midst. While they may engage in certain actions that appear to align with what Christ has commanded, such as gathering on the first day of the week and engaging in prayers and speaking, they neither observe the Lord’s day nor offer prayers or speak in obedience to any of His instituted practices. They justify their actions solely based on convenience and their own internal understanding. Furthermore, they completely reject the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which are integral parts of the mystical worship of the church, employing flimsy excuses to dismiss them. Similarly, they disregard the establishment of a designated ministry as appointed by Christ, instead opting to establish their own.

Because this disregard also results in openly shaming Christ, it is important for us to briefly examine the grounds and reasons for this departure from the obedience owed to His commands. The main reason, encompassing all others, why some individuals have abandoned the gospel in regard to the administration of its ordinances is that they are in no way compatible with, nor do they align with, the faith and obedience they have adopted. The ordinances of the gospel serve as representations of the beliefs we hold and as a means of conveying their efficacy to us. They are suited for confirming our faith and building us up in it, and for no other purpose. However, since these individuals have strayed from the faith of the gospel, as we have previously described, in its mysteries and the spiritual obedience it requires, what use can the ordinances of worship have for them? For example, the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper is instituted to commemorate the death of Christ, His suffering on our behalf, the sacrifice He made of Himself, the atonement or reconciliation with God that He accomplished, and the sealing of the new covenant with His blood. For what reason should anyone worship God solemnly through this ordinance if they, in essence, do not believe any of these things, or at least do not believe them as presented in the gospel, namely, as the primary causes and sources of life, righteousness, and salvation? Those who believe in God through these truths, who experience their effects in righteousness and peace, cannot help but delight in engaging in this act of faith through this ordinance, knowing it to be their duty to do so. However, it is evident that neither this ordinance nor the ordinance of baptism contributes anything to the advancement, growth, or establishment of that inner light within individuals to which they attribute their faith and obedience. In fact, in their true and proper significance, both ordinances direct us towards the sanctifying and justifying blood of Christ, which is diametrically opposed to and distinct from what they attribute to their inner light. Therefore, it is not surprising that these individuals would forsake the ordinances of gospel worship, as accepting them in their true and intended use and meaning would undermine the entire framework of the religion they have constructed for themselves. When the faith of the gospel is abandoned, the ordinances of worship must also be forsaken, and all divinely instituted worship neglected, or other practices devised that align with the imaginations to which people have turned.

Another reason for this is the lack of spiritual enlightenment to see beyond the outward forms of these institutions and the absence of faith’s wisdom to experience communion with God in Christ through them. Our worship under the gospel is inherently spiritual or immediately connected to the spiritual realm. However, these institutions have an outward and tangible aspect, and it is concerning that many may find satisfaction solely in these external elements, not progressing further in their worship of God beyond the actions and words employed. Yet, as appointed by Christ, they are vehicles that lead and transport the soul into a profound communion with God. To achieve this, three things are required:

(1.) We must submit our souls and consciences to the authority of Christ in these institutions. Without this foundational submission, the entire service will be in vain for us.

(2.) We must rely on the truthfulness of Christ for the working of His grace and the fulfillment of the mercy depicted and sacramentally exhibited through these institutions. They will not benefit those who do not mix the promises of Christ, implicitly contained within them and accompanying them, with faith. We cannot believe the promise unless we submit to the authority of Christ in the appointment of the sacrament to which it is attached.

(3.) We must grasp, to some extent, the mystical connection between the outward symbols of the ordinance and the Lord Christ Himself, along with His grace symbolically represented through them. Within this understanding lies the essence, purpose, and significance of these institutions. And all of these factors are necessary to maintain a genuine delight in these institutions and a conscientious practice of them. However, in the case of those we are discussing, it is evident that they lack all of these essential elements. They neither understand, acknowledge, nor embrace them. They possess no spiritual insight into the true nature of these things, nor do they possess the spiritual gifts necessary for their administration and edification. Following the dictates of their own principles, it was inevitable that they would reject these institutions and consequently deviate from the worship prescribed by the gospel. In doing so, they bring dishonor upon the Son of God, who is the author and Lord of all these sacred institutions.

II. Another way in which people can, and indeed have for many ages, deviated from the gospel in relation to its worship, is by rejecting its simplicity and pure institutions and replacing them with a superstitious, and even idolatrous, worship of their own. This can be seen in the case of the Roman Catholic Church, for they have added numerous rites and institutions of their own, some of which are superstitious and others bordering on idolatry. They have corrupted every single ordinance and institution of Christ to such an extent that their nature and purpose have been completely distorted. By removing the true ordinances and introducing a different system in their place, they are not representing Christ to the Church but rather Antichrist, thereby openly disgracing Christ himself. The specific methods and strategies employed to bring about this apostasy, through the cunning of Satan and the worldly interests of men, need not be detailed here. It is sufficient to observe that as people became more carnal, losing the spirit, life, and power of the gospel, they found it necessary to introduce a carnal, visible, and grandiose form of worship that appealed to their inward desires and understanding. Just as the Israelites in the wilderness, being carnal in their hearts and accustomed to carnal forms of worship, demanded that Aaron make them visible gods to lead them in the absence of Moses, resulting in the making of the golden calf, these individuals, lacking visible representations of the presence of God that their carnal hearts and minds craved, fashioned their own idols. Since there were still many in those times who remained truly spiritual and worshipped God in spirit and truth, this idolatrous worship could only be introduced and maintained gradually over an extended period of time. Throughout this entire process, the "mystery of iniquity" worked effectively towards its ultimate goal. Those who worshipped God in truth either fell victim to the deceit of the apostasy’s incremental progress, seduced by the appearance of humility and devotion in the new practices, or lamented the situation without being able to remedy it.

If these brief reflections on the nature of the current apostasy in the world, which has led to a departure from the true power of Christian religion in its fundamental aspects, as well as the causes and reasons behind it, inspire and motivate someone with more time and expertise to conduct a thorough and valuable investigation into these matters, it would be a rich reward for my efforts.

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