gen-discern-and-explain-with-scripture-where-relevant-westminste-39a4

Discern and explain, with Scripture where relevant: Westminster Shorter Q50

# Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 50 ## The Question and Answer **Q. 50. What is required in the second commandment?** **A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his word.** ## Explanation This answer addresses the **positive duties** of the second commandment ("You shall not make for yourself a carved image..." - Exodus 20:4-6), emphasizing that it's not merely prohibitive but also prescriptive. ### Three Key Requirements: #### 1. **Receiving** We must accept and embrace the forms of worship God has instituted, not rejecting or being indifferent to them. *"All that the LORD has spoken we will do"* (Exodus 24:3) #### 2. **Observing** We must actually practice what God has commanded in worship - putting it into action. *"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only"* (James 1:22) #### 3. **Keeping Pure and Entire** We must maintain worship: - **Pure** - without adding human inventions or corruptions - **Entire** - without subtracting from what God commands *"You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it"* (Deuteronomy 4:2) *"In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men"* (Matthew 15:9) ## The Regulative Principle This answer establishes what Reformed theology calls the **Regulative Principle of Worship**: God alone determines how He is to be worshiped, and we are bound to worship Him only in ways He has prescribed in Scripture.