I am not sure that there was "more fear before the eyes" of Watts or Wesley than is the case with Metallica since both Watts and Wesley preached a false gospel and Watts was essentially a Unitarian. It seems that Scripture teaches judgment is worse for those who profess faith and reject Biblical teaching than it is for those who profess no faith at all (which I believe is the case for most of the members of Metallica at least at this time). As for the music a believer listens to during the week, it is not regulated by the RPW and we ought to allow for the fact that brothers and sisters in the Lord will have tastes that vary and we should not sit in judgment upon them if the music does not violate their conscience or the Law. As for whether the apostle Paul would like Metallica, I cannot say for sure, but I imagine he would find their music at least as good as Watt's paraphrases or Wesley's revivalistic hymns.
You are right on there BWS!! Psalm singing here in Scotland has declined alongside doctrine and subsequently the church. The simple fact is that hymn singing is to replace Scripture with human effort and human entertainment, - works based worship?
Correspondingly we have watched the society decline into liberalism, during this same period, in so many other ways. For example justice and punishment has declined in the UK to "Justice and appease criminality." Which also relates to the negative and conciliatory style of todays preaching on sin. UnBiblical decline into worldliness.
Many of todays churches are entertainment venues using human style singing of human song - all to the rejection of the Word of God. Thus does the Lord not bless modern churches.
This is a very important subject. But I am shocked and disappointed that the blogger in his blog confesses to liking Metallica as favorite music. I believe that is entirely contrary to what the Psalms teach about the fear of God, reverence, holiness, all of which stands against the wickedness and culture of the heathen world where "there is no fear of God before their eyes". Would the apostle Paul like Metallica? Would David? Truly this makes liking Watts or Wesley look much better. Are we to be "unregulated" in principle the rest of the week? This is a symptom of a bi- frocated modern Pop Calvinism (New Calvinism) which walks in a Facebook world during the week but talks about the Holiness and Justice of God, from the Psalms, on Sunday.
Very helpful and enlightening post! Most do not even consider how church practice has differed from the past and consider it unimportant. But this demonstrates a pattern that will worship in singing leads to apostasy.
My grandfather was a pastor of a German Reformed Church (who studied under Warfield at Princeton) and their denomination during the end of his life turned to apostasy and liberalism (which is the pattern of all churches that decline into will worship) and his entire extended family seceded from it and from all reformed churches and fled for refuge to (get this) fundamentalist (but Arminian and creedless) churches typical of the 20th century. Now the fundamentalist churches have declined into pop culture and have no firm doctrines (except the incomplete listed fundamental ones). The point is that the leaving of exclusive Psalm singing leads to decline in Doctrine and Practice and total apostasy from the Word of God. It replaces God's justice with a false universal love and sentimentalism which is superstitious will-worship of a very different God than what the Bible teaches, and a different gospel (with a false universal love) which opposes God's Justice.
“ Great Sermon! ” Enjoyed your message very much - it makes so many relevant points about being Reformed. Just a little sad that you seem to tolerate modern versions when God has preserved His word through the received text best represented in the KJ Authorised Version.
2/25/13 10:20 AM
2/19/13 10:32 PM
