Worship: Instrumental Music
INTRODUCTION: We have made a special topic for study of this subject in order to examine some of the most commonly used contentions in favor of mechanical instruments being added to the music in Christian worship.
The Argument That Has Never Been Made:
No one has ever yet contended or argued that instrumental music should be added to the worship because New Testament Scriptures, as we have them given to us today by the good providence of God, teach that it should be used. Not one passage has ever been produced which even indirectly mentions mechanical instruments of music. Being unable to make this contention, those who use instrumental music have been forced to defend its use upon other grounds.
The following arguments are made:
I. It Was Practiced Under the Law of Moses in Old Testament Times:
1. This same argument would introduce incense, infant church membership, animal sacrifices,
polygamy, and everything else that characterized the Old Testament period. "That which
proves too much proves nothing."
2. To practice anything taught by Moses but not taught by Christ is fatal in Christianity, because it
places the authority of Moses on a par with the authority of Christ.
a. To undertake to live under both the law of Moses and the law of Christ is spiritual adultery
(Rom. 7:1-4).
b. To justify what we do by the law of Moses is to sever ourselves from Christ and fall from grace
(Gal. 5:4).
c. To go back to the law of Moses for some practice not taught by Christ and the apostles is
to deny the all sufficiency of New Testament scriptures and disrespect the completeness of
Christ's authority (Acts 3:22; Matt. 17:5; Eph. 1:22-23).
d. To depend upon Old Testament authority for Christian practice is to resurrect an invalid law
and deny the effectiveness of Christ's death upon the cross (Col. 2:13-17; Eph. 2:14-16).
e. To depend upon the Old Law is to cling to the shadow and lose the substance (Heb. 10:1).
II Instrumental Music Is Not Expressly
Forbidden in the New Testament:
1. This argument puts a premium on the silence of the scriptures. It creates a respect for what the
Bible does not say rather than what it does say. To put it affirmatively it looks like this: One has
the right to practice anything that the Bible does not expressly forbid. That leaves the field
open for: counting beads in prayer, wearing religious robes, burning incense, praying to the
virgin Mary, changing the Lord's Supper into a common meal, observing the Sabbath, offering
animal sacrifices, baptizing babies, dancing, drinking, and gambling and many other things that
cannot be in any sense justified as a part of Christianity.
2. We must not go beyond what the scriptures teach (2 Jn. 9:11; I Cor. 4:6).
III. Instrumental Music Is Only an Aid:
1. It is not just an aid, it is an addition of another kind of music.
2. It is not on a par with books, seats, lights, etc., for when all these have been used, stillthere
has been only singing. But when the instrument is supplied, we have not only singing but
singing and playing. An addition has been made.
3. Instrumental music does not aid in carrying out the God given purpose for music in the
worship.
a. We have no assurance anywhere that it
pleases God as praise.
b. It makes “teaching and admonishing“ and "speaking one with another“ in singing more
difficult by making the words of the song less audible and understandable. It therefore
interferes with the divine purpose of singing rather than aiding it.
IV. A Matter of Christian Liberty:
1. Christian liberty means freedom from the law and the rudiments of the world (Gal. 3:13;
4:3, 10).
2. It is not to be used as an occasion to the flesh (Gal. 5:13).
3. It is not to be exercised in any matter offensive to the conscience of a brother
(I Cor. 10:28-11:1). Instrumental music is offensive to the conscience of many and has
always been a source of division.
V. Practiced at Home:
1. Many things morally right but religiously wrong.
a. Washing of hands (Mk. 7:3-7).
b. Washing of feet.
2. Instrumental music is not Wrong in itself. If that Were true it would be wrong anywhere, but it
is wrong to add it to Christian worship when God has not told us to use it.
VI. Expedient. In Order For Anything To Be Expedient From A Scriptural Standpoint, It Must:
1. Be also lawful (I Cor. 6:12).
2. Must also edify (I Cor. 10:23).
3. Must not offend conscience of others
(I Cor. 10:28). Instrumental music proves itself
inexpedient in all three of these points.
VII. Instrumental Music in Heaven:
To grant this does not yet prove that we should have it in the Church, or else,
we must also have angels, infants, golden bowls of incense, etc.
VIII. "Psallo" the Greek Word From Which We Have the Translation "Sing" in Our English
Bibles Also Means To Accompany the Singing with Instrumental Music:
If this be true, then instrumental music is commanded and is not a matter of choice with
those who would obey God. It would be imperative for each one who sings to have his
own instrument and do his own playing since the command is individual and personal in its
meaning. Someone else could no more do the playing for a person than they
could acceptably sing for him. This becomes ridiculously absurd.
1. Our most reliable translations do not so render the word. American Revised and King
James version, etc.
2. This would make it necessary to go to the Greek language in order to learn how to
worship God. Either that or our faith would have to be placed in the word of men about
the matter (I Cor. 2:5).
3. It means that our English Bibles are unreliable and this being true, the truth has not been
made accessible to men today.
4. Only the man who believes that God‘s providence has Withheld a knowledge of the
truth from men today could so contend.
Final Objections to Instrumental Music:
1. Instrumental music transgresses and disrespects the authority of Christ by injecting something
into Christian worship which the Lord and His apostles have not taught (II Jn. 9-11).
2. Instrumental music con'upts and makes vain our worship in the practice of that which God has
not taught (Matt. 15:7-9).
3. It creates dissension and division by being offensive to the conscience of many (I Cor. 10:28).
4. We cannot worship God in spirit and truth and use it for it is no part of "all truth" revealed to the
apostles by the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16: 13; Jn. 4:24).
5. We cannot walk by faith and practice it, for it is not taught in the word of God and faith comes by
hearing God‘s word (Rom. 10:17; II Cor. 5:7).
6. It is no pan of the divine pattern and we corrupt the plan for God's House and therefore labor in
vain when we use it (Heb. 8:1-7; Psa. 127:1).
Questions For Discussion:
1. State the argument that has never been made to defend instrumental music in Christian
worship.
2. Show the fallacy of going to the law of Moses to defend its use.
3. How does this argument repudiate the authority of Christ?
4. State and refute the argument "It is not expressly forbidden."
5. What if we go beyond the things that are Written in the New Testament?
6. Make and refute the "aid" argument.
7. Is it on the par with pews, lights, song books, etc?
8. Define Christian liberty and show when it is violated.
9. Make and refute the "heaven argument" to justify instrumental music in worship.
10. Show that the Greek word "Psallo" does not justify its use.
11. State objections to instrumental music in Christian worship.