The Old Testament sets before us the example of Christ who was to come, and the forthcoming of his work of redemption. The New Testament presents the completed work of Christ that indeed does away with the need for those traditions that foreshadowed his work. We must come to a clear biblical understanding of those practices that are prescribed to the Old Testament saints.
Members of the Church (Christ’s body) must discern those required practices, or rites, that remain binding upon the saints today. Man has no right to dispose of the things that God has commanded. Likewise, those practices that have been fulfilled in Christ must not be practiced in walk or worship today (Westminster Larger Catechism Q.108 – A. The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath instituted in his Word; particularly prayer and thanksgiving in the name of Christ; the reading, preaching, and hearing of the Word; the administration and receiving of the sacraments; church government and discipline; the ministry and maintenance thereof; religious fasting; swearing by the name of God; and vowing unto him; as also the disapproving, detesting, opposing all false worship; and, according to each one’s place and calling, removing it, and all monuments of idolatry.)
Men have a duty to rightly and lawfully discern the Lord’s requirements for an obedient walk of life. The concept of the believer's duty is not popular in Christian circles today. Man's duties have both personal and corporate attributes.
The following list covers additional key areas in which pressures for denial of the Reformed doctrines of faith and practice increasingly surface in Reformed and Presbyterian churches:
1) Reformed and Presbyterian Confessions summarize the essentials of the system of doctrine that is taught in the Scriptures.
Opponents may teach that Scripture and the Reformed and Presbyterian Confessions are opposed. (Arminian and Federal Vision).
Some assert that systematic theology is inherently rationalistic. (Arminian, Federal Vision).
Contenders may say that the Confessions and Catechisms are unnecessary and hinder a clear understanding of the Scriptures. (Arminian and FV). This is also strongly asserted by some who call themselves Reconstructionists. These are known to argue that all that we need is the law of God because the Confessions only confuse the necessity of obedience to keep the law. They see confessional churches as errant or apostate and thus, without any compunction, call people to leave their confessional churches).
A defective view of worship that leads to adapting the order of the worship service and its elements to the tastes of spiritually immature members, or to embrace practices that are more attractive to those outside the faith. (Evangelical and Arminian churches, and of late also seen in some Reformed churches).
Introduction of Anglican or Romish practices, liturgies, vestments, and other artifacts that were strongly resisted by the Reformers of the 16th century. (some Federal Vision, some Presbyterian churches).
A poor understanding of the nature of Sabbath rest, and the call to keep the Lord’s Day holy (Westminster Larger Catechism Q.115-122).
Misunderstanding or rejection of the Reformed principles of worship, broadly known as the regulative principle, is evidenced in a call for the ministry of word and sacrament to be directed to mobilize church members to engage with local, state and federal politics. (FV in particular has had this leaning, but particularly proponents of the Abolish Human Abortion movement). Some see the church as the machinery that is needed to reconstruct society and to bring the world under the dominion of God’s law, and assert as false those things expressed in the Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter XXI – Of Religious Worship, and the Sabbath Day). This is not a slight against Confessional postmillenialists.
A denial of the regulative principle often results in misunderstanding Christ’s call to the New Testament church to make disciples (followers) of Jesus. In place of the Reformed understanding of the great commission, some see the necessity for church leaders to instruct of the civil magistrate.
3) A view of the nature of the sacraments that contradicts a Reformed and biblical framework of understanding the system of doctrine taught in the Scriptures, namely:
Baptism seen as “an act of faith”, rather than “because of faith of the believer.” This results in rejection of understanding of the rite of baptism as a sign and seal of God’s covenant mercy that applies to the believer and his household. (Baptistic and Arminian). More legalistic fundamentalist churches assert that the baptism of believers is an act of obedience.
Teaching baptismal regeneration. (Federal Vision, Roman Catholic Church, Lutherans).
Teaching presumptive regeneration as the basis for baptism of infant children of believing parents. (Amyraldian influenced Reformed and Presbyterian churches, some Federal Vision / Reconstructionist churches).
Not recognizing children as members of the church who are to be nurtured in the faith until they are able to make a credible profession. Infant baptism is the public recognition of that membership of the body the church wherefore they receive the sign and seal of the covenant of grace. (Arminian).
Inclusion of children in the rites and practices with the assertion that they are members of the church by way of baptism. This inherently leads to a denial of the need for a public profession of faith and even a denial of the need to consider the gravity of the sin and the need for repentance. (FV, NPP, Arminian).
The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is seen as a volitional memorial, instead of as a divinely instituted practice (rite) of the faith through which the Holy Spirit brings about the efficacious application of Christ’s atonement and sanctification. (Evangelicals, Baptistic, and Federal Vision).
An overly objectified sacramental efficacy that downplays the need for faith and that tends toward an ex opere operato [automatically effective] view of the sacraments. (Federal Vision).
Teaching paedocommunion, a practice of admitting to the Lord’s Table young members (babies and young children) who have not yet reached a level of maturity in the faith by which they may rightfully examine themselves in respect of their walk with the Lord. (1 Cor. 11:27-31). This emerges out of the ex opere operato understanding of the Covenant sacramental rites and diminishes the perceived need for holiness of life. (Federal Vision).
For further information regarding Auburn Avenue theology/Federal Vision concerns the following list of resources may be helpful:
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