Written by Pastor Rob Holmes
Particular Baptists who subscribe the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (2LCF), or members of a church which fully holds to a reformed confession, should be familiar with the regulative principle of worship. It says, “the acceptable way of worshiping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will” (2LCF 22.1). It is the summation of the first table of the Law which provides for us the object of our worship, God, as well as the mode of our worship.
Likewise, the appointed day of worship is given in the fourth commandment as “one day in seven for a sabbath to be kept holy unto Him, which from the beginning of the world to the resurrection of Christ was the last day of the week, and from the resurrection of Christ was changed into the first day of the week, which is called the Lord's Day” (2LCF 22:7). This, then, is why our confession tells New Covenant saints, “The sabbath is then [to be] kept holy unto the Lord” (2LCF 22.8).
God sovereignly appoints the means of acceptable worship as well as the appointed day. Throughout most of the Twentieth Century, even many dispensational churches who denied covenant theology and the three-fold use of the law held Sunday to be the day of worship, avoided business transactions on that day, and had two services on Sundays. The Christian Sabbath has only been controversial in modern times where every other orthodox teaching of the historic faith has been attacked, modified, or jettisoned all together by mainline denominations, liberal scholars, and seeker-sensitive churches.
But even in confessional churches the question arises, “Why do we have two services—one in the morning and one in the evening?” W. Robert Godfrey quips, “Why can’t we have three?” There is some truth to his witty retort. After all, worshiping the Lord is the greatest good and will occupy us for everlasting time. Yet is there more to say in favor of the practice that would obligate every believer to follow this old pattern? Does the Scripture teach such a practice? After all, there is no prooftext. Some of the clearest texts on the subject are from the Old Testament Scriptures. But perhaps that is a strength in the matter and not a weakness.
Is a Morning and Evening Service Scriptural or the Tradition of Men?
In the first pages of Scripture, we are giving a glimpse of God’s master plan. Before sin entered the world, God made mankind to worship and enjoy him forever, placing them in a Garden Temple (see Richard Barccellos, Getting the Garden Right: Adam’s Work and God’s Rest in Light of Christ, 2017, pp 128-37.). The creation account is divided into six literal days according to Moses, and Jesus, with the words “morning and evening” prominently and repeatedly providing the structure. Also, Luke records Jesus recognizing the Sabbath day as the last of seven days set aside for worship (Luke 6:9), Jesus’ Sabbath teaching, as well as the fourth commandment itself, is based solely on the creation account as literal days. Also see, Genesis 2:2-3; Hebrews 4:4. God by creating (working) six days and resting (receiving worship) on the seventh established the one day as a seven day cycle of work and worship. Genesis 2:2-3 is the foundational text for worshiping God. Because worship is instituted before the fall, in the best of circumstances, it is binding on all creation for all time and, as Jesus showed us in Luke, the Sabbath day is the ordained day of worship. Yet, where is the morning and evening in Genesis? It is more implicit than explicit.
Genesis 3:8 indicates God met with our first parents in the cool of the day, or in the Hebrew “the windy time of day.” The windy time of day occurs twice a day, as the earth’s air warms in the morning and cools in the evening. Pastor Bartel Elshout draws a reasonable conclusion saying, “Every morning and evening, during the cool of the day, there would be a blessed worship encounter between God and Adam and Eve. Since this was the pattern for every day, God most certainly intended it to be the pattern for the seventh day of rest” (Bartel Elshout, Why do we gather as a church twice for worship on Sunday, Plants and Pillars article, 2019).
Immediately following the fall, a sacrificial worship is instituted. Geerhardus Vos interprets Genesis 4:3-4 through the lens of Hebrews 11:4 and draws this necessary conclusion, “Already the first time that we have a report of offering sacrifices, they are presented as being approved by God (Gen 4:3–4). Faith was present in Abel’s sacrifice, and from that it could be inferred that there was a divine revelation on which this faith rested (Heb 11:4).”
The institution of worship at Sinai was not novel, but built on Genesis, “Remember the Sabbath to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). A prominent feature of this documented worship system is the morning and evening cycle. Psalm 92 is explicitly called “The Psalm of the Sabbath.” This title is not from the editor and publisher of the modern Bible, but is in fact part of the Hebrew text of the Psalm. Hear the word of the Lord,
“Praise to the Lord For His Love and Faithfulness A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day. It is good to give thanks to the Lord, And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, And Your faithfulness every night” (Psalm 92:1-2).
In the New Testament, the Lord and the Apostles continued the Sabbath day worship, with a new covenant twist—the rest and worship would now start the week as a blessing, rather than ending it as a reward. John Benton makes this observation:
“The commandment tells us to ‘Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.’ With the change from the Old Covenant to the New, the Sabbath is changed into the blessing of the Lord’s Day. According to Genesis 1, a day has both a morning and an evening. And despite what has become popular in our evangelical culture, it is still the Lord’s Day, not the Lord’s Morning, which we are to celebrate.”
Assuming as confessional Baptists we are persuaded of the continuing Sabbath keeping for God’s people until the return of Christ (Heb. 4:9-10), that a morning and evening aspect of worship is a necessary conclusion (2LCF 1:6) and not a fabrication of overzealous leaders, then Sabbath worship is a requirement, and the morning and evening pattern is as well.
Is It Seen in the New Testament Scripture?
In pages of the New Testament, we do not see a proof text for the Morning and Evening worship. Nor do we see such explicit texts for the Trinity or the Hypostatic union of the God-Man Jesus. These doctrines are the necessary consequences of the whole corpus of Scripture (2LCF 1:6b). But there are many texts which indicate the times of worship included the evening. Τake note of this Sunday in the narrative of John’s gospel, “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you” (John 10:19). And as they were reclining at table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me” (Mk. 14:18). It was at such a time that Christ instituted a primary element of worship—the Lord’s Supper. Peter was arrested while preaching Christ at the temple in the evening,
“And as they were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees came upon them, greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening” (Acts 4:1-3).
Mark tells us that Jesus presented himself as the promised king on Sunday and either arrived or remained at the temple till evening, “And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve” (Mk.11:11). It was common for Jesus to meet with his disciples in the evening (Mt. 26:20). Jesus often taught from morning to evening, one of several such times is recorded in John 6:1-16, the miracle of feeding five thousand. Also, Paul preached young Eutychus into a deep sleep on a Sunday in Troas. Either that Sunday meeting was an all-day event or an evening service that went late. Luke writes, “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight” (Acts 10:7). Jesus appeared to the twelve in the evening on a Sunday in Mark 16:14, that was the occasion of the “Great Commission.”
Jesus’ post resurrection appearances—especially the initial ones—which were separated by seven days indicating that they were Sundays often in the evening. Much of Jesus’ recorded instruction at “family worship” with his disciple before his crucifixion occurred in the evening. These subtle elements should not be considered random information, but instructive. Furthermore, the practices of the Apostles affirmed Sunday as the Lord’s Day. Christ established Sunday as the Lord’s Day when he rose from the dead on that day. Especially in light of the pattern of the preincarnate worship of God and post-apostolic worship of God’s people, the morning and evening pattern is consistent.
Are Morning and Evening Worship Seen in Church History?
Christ established His church through the apostles (Eph. 2:19-21). Their authority as laid down in Scripture and the Apostolic tradition (that which appears to be handed down to the church from the Apostles as seen in the uniform practice of the early church), is with us today because the Scripture they wrote is the inspired word of God. Though it was not until the early fourth century (when the persecution largely ceased) that we see Eusebius describe church practice saying: ‘It is surely no small sign of God’s power that throughout the whole world in the churches of God at the morning rising of the sun and at evening hours, hymns, praises… are offered to God’ (Commentary on Psalm 64). The same is seen in the Medieval Church right through to the Reformation. Though the question was raised and addressed in the Synod of Dordt in 1619 where the morning and evening cycle was confirmed.
The question is, how should we spend our Sunday evening, or afternoon? What is better than to close the day in worship and prayer? Has the Christian church in the modern era fared better for its practice and of cheap grace, anti-Sabbatarianism, and man-focused worship? Should Reformed churches follow the mainstream Protestants modern version of the Christianity?
Who Decides the Circumstances of Worship?
As reformed Christians we agree that the elements of worship and the appointed day of worship are very clear in scripture. Also, in unison, we are required to put “two and two” together for other doctrines such as the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, and the fulfillment of Old Testament types and shadows in Jesus Christ and his church. However, our confession notes that some matters are left up to prudence and the light of nature saying, “and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed” (2LCF 1:6b). Whose judgement and prudence are meant here? The New Testament church knows of only one office of authority in the church and that is its pastors. The church calls them, at the same time it is called to submit to them. (Hebrews 13:17). Yet the office of Elder is not free to lord it over the flock (Mt. 20:25; 2 Cor. 1:24; 1 Peter 5:3). The key of liberty is given to the congregation that it may be free of such possible tyranny as John Cotton says,
“The Gospel alloweth no Church authority (or rule properly so called) to the Brethren, but reserveth that wholly to the Elders and yet preventeth the tyrannie and oligarchy, and exhorbitancy of the Elders, by the large and firm establishment of the liberties of the Brethren, which ariseth to a power in them” (John Cotton, Keys to the Kingdom).
The circumstances of worship include what hours the service begin, the order of worship, and the duration of the service. The Elders may call for solemn assemblies (a time of prayer and fasting) during a season of great trial or need (2LCF 22.5). They call the church to order for baptisms, business, calling officers or members, matters of church discipline, missions or church planting, and may speak their mind on any number of issues. If an elder board burdened a congregation with five services on a Lord’s Day—the congregation has liberty to dissent. However, if the pattern of morning and evening worship on the Sabbath day began when mankind was first taught to worship his maker, and has continued through redemptive history, then it seems the only circumstances of those meetings is when, how long, and the order of service. Our commitment to the Lord is to worship him on the Lord’s Day unless providentially hindered.
Is it Sin to Miss the Evening Service?
The Lord has instituted the Lord’s Day for worship and made man a worshiper. However, there are legitimate circumstances that may interrupt one from worshiping God—but not to neglect worship (Heb. 10:25; Is. 58:13-14), either chronically or willfully. Some providences are obvious, illness, accidents, works of necessity or charity, even serious fatigue or sudden family obligations. There are seasons of life which may providentially hinder some from making both services on the Lord’s Day. Sometimes those with very young children, those who are advanced in years, some with chronic illnesses, or even challenging work schedules may find it too difficult to be consistent at every meeting. No one can make a list for another in matters of the Lord’s Day—the Lord alone is the Lord of conscience. But as an example, a willful neglect could be described as when one can worship the Lord as their local church and elders have structured the circumstances of worship and they decide to go to the park, shoot hoops, or go fishing.
The Lord’s Day is not a burden to one who loves his Savior, and no one should lay a responsibility on a member that Christ has not placed. Yet one must ask themselves, “What should I do with the Lord’s Day? What is instructed, what is the pattern given in God’s word, and what is befitting rest for secular employment and distractions for the purpose of worship, charity, necessity?” One’s answers should be scriptural, reasonable, and promote love for Christ and for His church.
—Pastor Rob