Instrumental Music in Worship
David Padfield
It would be impossible to preach a sermon on “The Use Of Instrumental Music In The New Testament Church.” There is not one word in all the New Testament about Christians using mechanical instruments in worship to God.
Instrumental music was introduced into religious service by King David, nearly 450 years after the Israelites left Egypt (1 Chron. 16). The use of instrumental music in worship is mentioned about 36 times in the Old Testament, but not one single time in the New.
Some attempt to justify the use of instruments by saying, “David used it in the Old Testament.” While this is true, we are under the authority of King Jesus not King David! The New Covenant demands not only a change of the priesthood, but also a change of the law (Heb. 7:12). The First Covenant has been taken out of the way and nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14).
Nine out of nine times when we find what the early Christians did as far as music was concerned, the Bible says they sang. Thus, we do have a Bible pattern for singing.
- “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” (Matt. 26:30)
- “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God” (Acts 16:25)
- “I will confess thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name” (Rom. 15:9)
- “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Cor. 14:15)
- “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19)
- “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts…” (Col. 3:16)
- “In the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee” (Heb. 2:12)
- “By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15)
- “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms” (James 5:13)
Not only do we have the Bible record of how the early church worshipped God in song, but secular history gives us additional information.
“Pope Vitalian is related to have first introduced organs into some churches of western Europe, about 670; but the earliest trustworthy account is that of the one sent as a present by the Greek emperor Constantine Copronymus to Pepin, king of the Franks, in 775.” (The American Cyclopedia, Vol. 12).
“The organ is said to have been first employed in the church during the time of Pope Vitalian I.” [c. 666 a.d.] (New International Encyclopedia, Vol. 13, p. 446).
Even men who were responsible for the establishment of modern denominations urged their followers to reject the use of mechanical instruments in service to God.
John Calvin is invariably named with Martin Luther as the chief builders of Protestant Denominationalism. Calvin, architect of the Presbyterian church, said, “Musical instruments in celebrating the praises of God would be no more suitable than the burning of incense, the lighting up of lamps, and the restoration of the other shadows of the law. The Papists, therefore, have foolishly borrowed this, as well as many other things, from the Jews. Men who are fond of outward pomp may delight in that noise; but the simplicity which God recommends to us by the apostle is far more pleasing to him.” (Calvin’s Commentary, comments on Psalm 33:2)
John Wesley (1703–1791), founder of the Methodist church, said, “I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither heard nor seen” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, comments on Amos 6:5).
Adam Clarke (1762–1832) was a Methodist preacher. His commentaries on the Bible have been one of the best selling reference books for over a century. While discussing the use of mechanical instruments in worship, he said, “I am an old man, and an old minister; and I here declare that I never knew them productive of any good in the worship of God; and have had reason to believe that they were productive of much evil. Music, as a science, I esteem and admire: but instruments of music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music; and here I register my protest against all such corruptions in the worship of the Author of Christianity.” (Adam Clarke’s Commentary, comments on Amos 6:5)
The ways of God and man are not the same (Isa. 55:8-9). Those who “speak as the oracles of God” (1 Pet. 4:11) will be content to sing as God has directed.
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Apostasy Can Happen Quickly
Doy Moyer
Among the many lessons we learn from studying the children of Israel is that apostasy can happen within a single generation. Proximity close to the original is no guarantee of holding to the truth. This pattern happened quickly and more than once. The first generation that came out of Egypt under Moses fell into disbelief and couldn’t enter the promised land (Hebrews 3:18-19). The next generation that entered under Joshua was better, but as soon as Joshua and the elders with him were gone, they quickly fell again. The warnings were given. The exhortations were strong (Joshua 1:1-9). But it still only took less than one generation to falter. Again, proximity close to the original is not fail-proof. This is why we must continually reassess where we are and make that commitment of faithfulness to the Lord based on His revealed will. Each one within each generation bears responsibility, and the standard for behavior is the same for each. We don’t measure ourselves by the next generation in close proximity to the original, but by the standard that was to shape the original itself. Even in Scripture, while the apostles lived and taught, apostasy was happening (e.g., Corinth, churches of Asia in Revelation). The appeal was to the standard given (cf. Galatians 1:6-9).
While we appreciate the writings of early Christians from the second century onward and gain important insights (I do profit from reading them), we would be foolish to think that, because they were close to the first century, they were necessarily correct in all their practices. Nor should we think today that we should judge faithfulness by what Christians were doing in the 1950s or any previous decade.
If we follow Jesus, then we need to keep this before us continually: “The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day” (John 12:48).
“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11).
Lavista Church of Christ Bulletin
www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/apostasy-can
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What are the “Angels” of the Seven Churches of Asia?Mike Johnson |
| Revelation 1 describes Christ as having seven stars in His right hand. Verse 20 identifies them as the angels of the seven churches. Chapters 2 and 3 record the letters to the seven churches of Asia. Each letter starts by saying “to the angel of the church in . . .” and then gives the name of the city. Over the years, many have tried to explain the meaning of each church’s angel, and many different conclusions have been drawn. Taking a position with absolute certainty is difficult. However, we will consider various viewpoints.
It is important to briefly review the meaning of the word translated as “angel” in the New Testament. The Greek term angelos means “messenger.” Typically, it refers to heavenly beings, but it can refer to a human messenger. For example, it is used to refer to John the Baptist (Mk. 1:2), the messengers from John to Jesus (Lk. 7:24), and the spies sent to Jericho (Jas. 2:25). Thus, based on the meaning of the original word, there could be a reference to a human messenger or a heavenly being. With this in mind, one viewpoint is that He refers to a heavenly being, with many concluding that an actual angel is under consideration, and each church has a guardian angel. Origen, who wrote around 225 AD, espoused this view and the idea of individual Guardian Angels:
However, in our discussion of every person having an assigned guardian angel, we noted that there is no explicit biblical evidence for this conclusion. There is also no evidence that each church has a special angel watching over it. Further, it is essential to note that He addresses each letter to the “angel.” It seems the letter should be addressed to the church receiving the criticism or praise, not the heavenly being “guarding” the congregation. While angels may play a role in caring for churches, there is no indication of a special guardian angel for each church. Another view is that He refers to a human messenger who carried the letter from Patmos to the congregation for John. But, again, why address the messenger instead of the church? If someone sends a letter to us, do they address the mail carrier? Also, the fact that he addresses the angel (messenger) of the church suggests the messenger is far away rather than near John, who would have handed the letter to the courier. Perhaps the most common view is that Christ is addressing a church leader such as the “ruling bishop,” the “chief elder,” or the “superintendent pastor” when addressing the angel of the church. (Remember, “angel” is singular.) However, the Bible does not authorize such positions. In fact, the government of the church is quite simple. A plurality of elders oversee the local congregation (Acts 14:23; 21:18), and they only oversee the church of which they are members (1 Pet. 5:2). These elders are also called pastors/shepherds (Eph. 4:11; 1 Pet. 5:2), bishops (Titus 1:5, 7), or overseers (Acts 20:17, 28). One person being over a church or a group of churches is foreign to the Scriptures. Another view is the metaphorical view. After listing some of the positions taken by various ones over the years, Homer Hailey, in his commentary on Revelation, states his preference that the angels refer to the spiritual character — the inward state or the prevailing spirit of the church itself:
This approach fits the “angel” being the one addressed and is the least problematic. However, identifying the meaning of the angel for each of the seven churches of Asia with certainty is difficult. Works Cited Bercot, David W. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs: A Reference Guide to More than 700 Topics Discussed by the Early Church Fathers, Hendrickson, Peabody, MA, 2012. Revelation: An Introduction and Commentary. Baker Book House, 1983. __________ |
Would You Be Missed?
Mike Riley
After completing many years as a journalist, Arthur Brisbane was offered six months of paid vacation time by William Randolph Hearst, the publisher of the San Francisco Examiner. Brisbane refused to accept the kind offer because of two reasons. He said, “If I quit writing my newspaper column for six months, it might affect the circulation of the newspaper. The second reason is that it might not affect the circulation of the newspaper.”
Mr. Brisbane’s answer was profound. In view of his answer, let’s ask ourselves, “If I dropped out of sight for six months and did absolutely nothing for the Lord, would I be missed?” Would the Lord’s work suffer, or would there be no difference whatsoever? As members of the Lord’s church, we each have a responsibility in doing the Lord’s work
and building up the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16; cf. 1 Corinthians 14:26; 2 Corinthians 12:19; Ephesians 4:12). We cannot hire someone else to fulfill our responsibility to the Lord (Galatians 6:4-5; cf. Romans 2:6; 1 Corinthians 3:8). We are individually accountable to God for what we do with the time He has blessed us with. Let us hear the inspired writer, Paul, as he wrote to the Ephesian brethren, “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).
Brethren, let us resolve from this day forward, that we will become more involved in the Lord’s work, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24 – NIV). God has so richly blessed us with time, talent, vision, and financial means. Let’s be willing to put these gifts to work for the Lord and His cause, “while it is yet day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4).
from Walking in the Light
11-23-25
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The Lonely Frog
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John Gaines A lonely frog telephoned the Psychic Hotline and asked what his future holds. His Personal Psychic Advisor tells him, “You are going to meet a beautiful young girl who will want to know everything about you.” The frog is thrilled, “This is great!” ‘Will I meet her at a party?” he croaks. “No,” says the psychic, “in biology class.” There’s a simple moral to this story– things are not always what they seem. Things that seem to be great and wonderful often have a way of turning out to be considerably less than what we expected. Sometimes the result is disappointment. Sometimes it is danger. In the frog’s case, it turned out to be dissection. The allure of the world is often like that for immature Christians. Satan’s basic temptation techniques involve our lack of self-control over our wants– the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, to use the terminology of 1 John 2:16. Eve fell for the devil’s deception when she ate the forbidden fruit in Eden. It looked good. It would taste good. It would make her wise. So, she thought! Unfortunately, what had appeared so attractive and desirable turned out to be the greatest mistake any human being ever made. Things are not always what they seem! May we grow in our faith and maturity to have the discernment to see our life choices for what they really are (Hebrews 5:14). From Bible Matters |
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Editor: Mike Johnson
www.seekingthingsabove.org