Richard: excellent point. We fail to realize what it meant and should mean to be part of a covenant community. Rules, duties, etc etc kick against the self righteousness we all have. That is the reason Biblical Discipline does not work at all any more. IF one is disciplined for "not following the rules," they will just leave and go to another church. The lessons from Scripture point out how serious God is about community. From Israel as a nation, to the NT assembly, it has always been a covenant community. Yet the present times reflects such a growth of individualism, that the rcc has a legitamate gripe about the 30k denominations protties have. Luther would have never dreamed this would happen, and we should lament this fact continuously. I do not kow what the exact reason is other than attributing it to some false "divine Right' "Self elevated" behavior men posess. We dont believe in EP, well we will start another church. We dont believe in the RPW, so we will start another church. We dont believe in wooden pews, so we will start another church. No instruments here, well we will start another church. I cant sleep around? Ill leave and go to another church. You mean you wont immerse my child, ill go to another church.

The same thing happens here and other boards with rules. Everyone thinks they ave a right to their opinion. Well they do in a sense, but to come in and try to get the whole to change becasue of one, is just arrogant.

Grace has to come from both parties, and it is statements like Daniels above, if you do not agree with the Regulative Principle of Worship then you are not Reformed in the proper sense of the word that inflame many and I would say generate battle lines. WHy? Becasue I seriously believe that some find more merit to be "Reformed" according to their own or another subjective opinion that it is to be biblical. I have seen so many defend the reformed faith as their goal instead of God's word, myself included, that we lose focus and think we are way more important than others. When in fact we are nothing but grasshoppers that merit nothing.

__________________
N. Robert; Trinity Reformed Church RCA, Holland MI

Once in a while you can get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right."