A primary purpose for congregational worship is the edification of fellow believers. This principle sets corporate worship apart from all-of-life worship. Due to this focus, many activities are appropriate for believers in all-of-life worship but not for corporate worship. As a primary purpose of corporate worship is edification, we can draw out three essential principles. Last week we examined that edification is corporate, not individual.

Since the worship of the body of Christ is corporate, not individual, our worship must be saturated with grace. Since a healthy body of Christ is diverse in age, race, and taste, personal preferences and standards will vary. This being the case, corporate worship must be saturated with grace towards one another. This leads us to the second principle: edification means more than preference. Edification means more than asking, “Do people like this?” While some preferences in worship may be fun, entertaining, creative, and satisfying, they are not appropriate for corporate worship if they do not build up the whole body into maturity in Christ. Even if the preferences use the gifts of members and encourage some, if the preferences do not build up the whole body of Christ, they are not appropriate for corporate worship. While some preferences may be suitable for private worship, not all preferences are appropriate for the body of Christ.

Further, the church must ensure that the worship is cross-generational. No generation in the body of Christ takes precedence over another. We do not focus on the old at the expense of the young or the young at the expense of the old. The church is one body. The question in edification must be, “Does this drive people to the cross of Christ and the Word?”

1 Corinthians 14 provides some necessary insights into the nature of edification in corporate worship. In this passage, Paul provides guidance for speaking in tongues in the worship service (as a cessationist, I believe that the gift of tongues in the church has since ceased. However, the principles in this passage apply to all of corporate worship). In this passage, Paul argues that an accompanying interpretation must be provided when tongues are used in a corporate worship service. Because, without interpretation, no one would understand the speaker, and the body would not be edified. While an experience may be powerful, emotionally charged, and moving, if it does not edify the body, it is not appropriate.

Consider Paul’s statements throughout 1 Corinthians 14, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up” (1 Corinthians 14:1-5).

Here edification means house building. The primary responsibility of Christians to each other is to build each other up. In Ephesians 4, we learn that a primary purpose of the church is to bring each believer into full spiritual maturity. Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 14:12, “So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.” Once again, notice that the focus is building up the church, the assembly of all the believers. Finally, in verses 16-19, he states, “Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.” And in verse 26, “What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.”

In verse 26, Paul insists that when Christians come to their meetings prepared with a song or any other spiritual exercise, they must consider how that song or spiritual exercise will build up the whole body. “In other words, if you are so eager to minister spiritual gifts, minister them in the way God intended: for the benefit of the church, in particular for the church’s edification. Again the clear word is that this gift is for public, not private, use and benefit” (MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, 375). Because you are to edify your fellow believer in your worship, your preference cannot stand central. Instead, you are to prefer your fellow believer.

This second principle leads then into the final principle regarding edification: edification is intelligible (easily understandable). The body cannot be edified without intelligible, intentional, and precise wording. You will notice that throughout Scripture, God is a God of words. John 1 calls Christ the Word. The Scripture is referred to as the Word of God. God communicates in intelligible, intentional, and precise words.

This principle greatly limits the use of arts in worship because they are imprecise and open to various interpretations. A primary principle from 1 Corinthians 14 is that understandable language is necessary for edification (note verses 7-12). Only intelligible language possesses the precise language necessary for body growth. While language can be misunderstood, other forms of communication contain more ambiguity, lack of preciseness, and greater intelligibility. Other forms of communication lead more easily to differing interpretations. Arts, by definition, invite differing interpretations and are more open-ended. Worship should be precise, not ambiguous. So, words should be central in worship.

Corporate worship is for the edification of the saints. Each Sunday, we glorify God by edifying one another in our worship. This means that we will not do anything to bring in unbelievers, for that is not the purpose of our service. We do other activities to evangelize the lost. But our worship on Sunday is for edification.