On a previous page of this web site, we discussed the importance of the regulative principle of worship. The regulative principle of worship teaches us to worship God according to His word. No Christian has the authority to add anything to the worship of God; likewise, no Christian can subtract anything from the worship of God (Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 12:32). This means that no one is authorized to add grape juice, and no one is authorized to subtract wine, from the Lord’s Supper.
Public worship, especially the administration of the sacraments, is the special responsibility of the officers or leaders of the church, who must always remember that they are servants in the church. They are shepherds and ministers, not lords or tyrants. They must help the people of God to worship Him according to His word, and not encourage or compel them to worship God in a manner that violates the Holy Scripture and the Christian’s conscience.
However, individual lay Christians also have a responsibility. Individual Christians must also obey the regulative principle of worship. If they are tempted to worship God in an unbiblical manner, they must resist this temptation. Such temptations can originate from almost anywhere, even from well-meaning leaders in the church. However, even in such circumstances, every Christian is commanded to “test the spirits” (I John 4:1), and to examine what they are told in the light of God’s word (Acts 17:11, Psalm 119:99-100). The duty of such examinations cannot be delegated to the leaders of the church; they are the duty and privilege of each and every Christian, no matter how lowly and humble he or she may be.
The individual Christian's duty to worship God according to the Holy Scriptures extends even to the observance of the Lord's Supper.
Since the public worship of God is the responsibility of the leaders of the church, many Christians are satisfied to simply do what their leaders tell them to do during the worship of God. But the leaders of the church are fallible men; like of all us, they can make mistakes. The mere fact that an act of worship is encouraged or required by a leader in the church does not, by itself, make that act of worship biblical.
True, every Christian must honor his leaders and submit to his shepherds (Hebrews 13:17). Nonetheless, all such submission must be “in the Lord.” Only God and Christ deserve our unqualified and unreserved obedience. Since God and Christ deserve this unqualified obedience, the obedience the Christian owes to authority in the church is limited to what God commands him to render. If leaders or elders command him to commit sin, he must disobey them, and not follow them. This is true, even if the leaders of his church have the very best of intentions.
Unbiblical worship is displeasing to God, and should be rejected by every Christian, even if it pleases men or agrees with tradition.
Faced with the choice of obeying his leaders by accepting grape juice, and obeying God by refusing it, the Christian must obey God.