 DOES NOT THE OLD TESTAMENT AUTHORIZE INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC FOR WORSHIP?
Mr. Waddey:
Isn’t the book of Psalms considered a hymnbook and prayer book of the Bible?......there are many kinds of poems such as hymns of praise and worship of God.....and of course you know of Psalm 150.....the whole psalm is praising God through using musical instruments or is this taking the Scriptures out of context? I mean everything that has breath praise the Lord, right? Please help me understand. NL Dear Friend in Christ:
We worship God in song without the use of instruments of music for three basic reasons. 1. Christ did not authorize it. In his Great Commission, he said, “All authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth. Go, make disciples of all nations....teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you (Matt. 28:18-20). If you have read the New Testament carefully you will have noticed that not once do you find any instruction for the church to praise God with instrumental music. You do however find several references to singing in worship such as the passage you cited in Eph. 5:19-20. Remember, Christ is head over all things to the church (Eph. 1:22). 2. We are committed to worshiping and serving Christ as did the first Christians. Historically we know that it was some 600 years before instrumental music was introduced into Christian worship. It was only after churches had drifted far from the teachings of Christ and his apostles and had grown into what is now known as the Roman Catholic church that this practice was introduced in 670 AD. It caused such a furor that it was withdrawn and not unto the 12th century did it become a common practice. The Greek Orthodox church did not allow the used of instrumental music until the last century...and even now in some areas of the world they still do not use it. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church wrote that he had not objection to there being instruments of music in their chapels so long as they were neither seen or heard during worship. John Calvin, father of the Reformed and Presbyterian churches, called instrumental music a relic of popery, of the same character as beads and incense. Charles Spurgeon, the greatest of all Baptist preachers, refused to allow any instruments to be used with the singing in his congregation in London. This list could be extended. We are not unique in our position. 3. Our Bible consists of two grand divisions, Old and New Testaments. The Old Testament was given to the Hebrew people to regulate their faith and practice. It is from God and inspired and inerrant, but it was intended for that ancient form of worship (See Deut. 5:1-3). The New Testament was given to regulate the worship and service of those who follow Christ. Note the following verses that tell us that the Old Testament is no longer our standard for faith and practice. Paul explains to us that in his death upon the cross, Jesus fulfilled that Old Law, took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. He then exhorted us to “Let no man judge you” respecting its ordinances. Other verses that teach this lesson are Eph. 2:14-14-15; II Cor. 3:7-11; Heb. 8:6-13. The Hebrews were given specific authority from God to use instrumental music in their worship. “Hezekiah...set the Levites in the house of Jehovah with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandments of Dave, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet; for the commandment was of Jehovah by his prophets.” Thus when they praised God with instruments, they did what God had authorized them to do. If we had such authority expressed in the New Testament, we could do the same. But we don’t find such!
When we go to the Old Testament to find approval for instruments of music, we could also go there to find approval for burning incense in worship, for a tribal, hereditary priesthood, animal sacrifices, circumcision, polygamy and other interesting practices. They all stand or fall together.
If you had been in Jerusalem in the first century and were privileged to worship with those first disciples do you think you would have had instrumental music? Today we wish to worship as they did and as the New Testament authorizes us to do.
John Waddey |
