Instrumental music in worship is a heart issue going to the core principles of New Testament worship. For the most part, the words of Christ on worship in the Assembly have been made a minor by professing Christians. Acts of worship have been diminished. The specifics of the Lord’s Supper have been forsaken. For what? The detailed instructions of prayer and singing are neglected. Teaching in Assembly rarely consists of just speaking the oracles of God. Very few professing Christians desire to write the laws of God regarding the Assembly on their hearts.
As for instrumental music in worship, we must ally with the words of Christ given to the His apostles and prophets. We must defend the instructions for Christian worship in music to be singing only. Again, Christian worship in music is only singing in the New Testament. Rather than now going to a concordance’s list of Scriptures to that New Testament music is only singing, which you can do, let’s look simply at one place. In 1 Corinthians 14:40, the Assembly is commanded to be done decently and in order. It is here in 1 Corinthians 14 that instruction for Christians worship is clear. First Corinthians 14:10-15 teach that non-verbal teaching, prayers, and music are against the heart of Christian worship, because these are non-intelligible in edification and lack the understanding that is essential to worship. That’s why I’m an advocate for singing only. The only benefits of instrumental music to Christians is clear in 1 Corinthians 14:7-8 where instruments like the flute, harp, and trumpet are addressed as “lifeless” and limited in communicating anything in verbal edification. These certainly do not communicate praise anymore than instruments can pray to God or teach the Gospel.
Again, I must differ in approach than that of my brethren. I am not as much anti-instrumental worship, but rather an advocate for singing only. All debates are shorter with positive instructions rather than a debate over every legal detail of what the specifics of the Bible exclude. This is what those proclaiming instrumental worship want is to cloud the subject into a matter of opinion. On the other hand, this discussion on both sides is similar to making a big deal about using incense in prayer and flower pedals in baptism. Why is there even a discussion of instrumental music anyway? There is no command. There is only man’s invention and tradition. If we would simply just teach and defend singing only, then there would be no debate over instrumental music, but a debate of the purity of Christian music in worship. I believe that we must change our focus in the discussion toward God’s positive instructions rather than implied negatives. Why not teach baptism in water rather than teach against baptism in rays of light or in a mist of water? Why not teach praying with the understanding rather than teach against praying in so-called tongues of angels? These inventions and traditions of men are contradictions to New Testament worship, and these are contradictions to the specifics of the heart of worship. All contradictions should be exposed, but not so much to public confusion and the muddying of the water, so that music in worship becomes a matter of opinion to the confused. Lets worship in spirit and truth.
4 responses so far ↓
acriticalchristian1971 // 17/2009/11 at 12:33 PM |
Hi there.
Singing only as a instrument for Worshipping God. Hmmm….
Thats an odd idea particularly when God created music for his pleasure and for his creation to worship him.
A brief examination using the NIV study Bible shows that there are mutliple scriptures that include both vocals and instruments.
Scott Shifferd Jr. // 17/2009/11 at 5:37 PM |
Not in the New Testament. and some argue otherwise that God enjoyed the instruments. He also instructed offerings in the Old Testament and that worship is gone.
I hope you’ll reconsider these points.
God bless.
David // 29/2009/11 at 12:30 AM |
How is it that the authority of silence works sometimes and not others. We are told exactly what to do when someone is sick: call for the elders… (James 5). Would not the law of silence forbid doctors, medicines, etc.? There are several such examples in the NT (holy kiss, praying with hands raised…). How do we know when silence is authoritative and when it isn’t? And how did we chose music as the place to fight the battle for this authoritative silence?
Scott Shifferd Jr. // 30/2009/11 at 9:30 AM |
David,
Great question and one that must and should be addressed. When I examined the “law of silence”, I concluded that this “law” made no sense, then I found baptism, even marriage, and many of God’s instructions were left wide open to alterations if there was no “law of silence”. I had to pay more careful attention to Scripture and what others were saying about this so-called “law of silence”.
First of all, silence does not forbid. That is a strawman drawn from the teachings of immature Christians, and it is easy to defeat as you did simply by your question concerning elders. If silence forbids, then types of church buildings, powerpoint lessons, computers, cell phones, cars, this blog, and so on would violate God’s Word. Now, silence would also exclude aids like pitch pipes, song books, and so forth. Silence does not forbid. Those mature teachers who teach that silence forbid also specifically teach that silence forbids when God have given specific and positive instructions. This is true of all instructions in our life. Any teacher or employer who gives specific instructions is forbidding all alterations especially if they exclude further discussion and consideration. Rationally speaking, all specific instructions are forbidding alternatives, and in Christ, there are no alternatives..
See, it is specifics of positive instructions that exclude alterations to God’s perfect instructions (1 Cor. 4:6, Gal. 3:15, 2 John 9, Rev. 22:18-19). Music is not the place to fight the battle any more than the specifics of marriage exclude polygamy and the specifics of baptism exclude sprinkling and immersion in mist or flower pedals. The specifics of the Lord’s Supper exclude lamb’s meat to represent Christ as our Passover. Prayers to God in the Bible show that prayers to passed relatives and prayers to Mary and Peter are excluded. Every single specific instruction or examples illustrating an instruction exclude all alterations. All kisses must be holy, but not all greetings must be kisses since there are other greetings.
“And how did we chose music as the place to fight the battle for this authoritative silence?” I don’t think music is the place for such a battle (debate), because both sides are biased especially those supporting the instrument. With exception to Mormons and some strange “Christians”, all professing to be Christian agree that the specifics of God’s instructions of marriage exclude polygamy and polyandry. This is one of the preferable points to discuss the respect for God’s instructions. At the same time, I will never keep from discussing Christ’s ideals for Christian worship.
I hope you’ll consider and be challenged by these words in all honesty, test them to be true, present your premises for conclusion in truth, and show me if I err.
May God bless you.