Calls to Obedience
The worship liturgy of Providence Orthodox Presbyterian Church includes something called The Call to Obedience. Here is a brief explanation of it. In the Reformed tradition, the reading of the Law was placed before and after the General Confession of Sin; depending on the church it could have been used in both locations of the service, or in one place or the other. Before the Confession, the Law functions to reveal our need to confess our sin and have faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior from God’s judgment for sin. It is the position of the Law, after the congregation’s Confession of Sin, and after the minister’s pronouncement of the Declaration of Pardon by faith in Jesus Christ, that is most notably Reformed. This fits with our theology of the third use of the Law—the Law also shows us how to live in gratitude for our salvation in Jesus Christ. The understanding of the Law here is broad and it includes the commandments of Jesus and the injunctions of the Apostles in their epistles to the churches.
From time to time, one of our Calls to Obedience from our worship will be posted here, such as this one:
Beloved in Christ…
In scripture we hear, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” The church is told to have the same love, being in full accord and of one mind, which is yours in Christ Jesus who emptied himself in love for us. And If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Christian love is an un-claiming love. By this, I mean it does not claim for itself. It is a love that considers what is truly good for those around us; we are to love others for their sake. We do not love others because they love us, or will do what we want them to do, or because they do the right thing. This is not the love of God who showed his love for us while we were yet sinners. We are to love with the love of God. Now the church is the breeding ground for such love. We do not breed it on our own. As we practice this love with each other together in the church, we learn what this love is, it is known and grows and takes form. As it is bred here among us, we take it out into the world and love even those who do not love us or love God.