Should instrumental music be allowed in worship service?

  • Christian Chat is a moderated online Christian community allowing Christians around the world to fellowship with each other in real time chat via webcam, voice, and text, with the Christian Chat app. You can also start or participate in a Bible-based discussion here in the Christian Chat Forums, where members can also share with each other their own videos, pictures, or favorite Christian music.

    If you are a Christian and need encouragement and fellowship, we're here for you! If you are not a Christian but interested in knowing more about Jesus our Lord, you're also welcome! Want to know what the Bible says, and how you can apply it to your life? Join us!

    To make new Christian friends now around the world, click here to join Christian Chat.
Status
Not open for further replies.
Oct 23, 2009
366
1
0
#21
I presently attend a church where singing is accompanied by a band composed of guitars, keyboards, drums, and bass. In reading a book by Edward C. Wharton, he makes a good case that instrumental music is not authorized by Jesus during worship services in the new covenant. In the old Mosaic covenant, instrumental music was not only authorized, but commanded. It was overseen by King David himself (1 Chron. 25:1-7; 2 Chron. 29:25-30). After the Babylonian captivity, temple services included singers and Levites to play the instruments, (Neh. 12:1-47). However, when the new covenant church was being instituted in the 1st century, there is no evidence of instrumental music ever being used or authorized. There are many scriptures dealing with the types of songs, hymns, ect. to be sung at worship services including Ephesians 5:19 - 20; "Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." This verse says to make "music in your hearts". Colossians 3:17 says that we are to do all things in the name of the Lord, i.e. by his authority. If Jesus did not authorize musical instruments at worship services, than how can we use them? Just as Cain's sacrifice was unacceptable to God, do we run the risk of our worship services being unacceptable? Musical instruments were not used in worship services in the first thousand years of the Church. A cappela in Italian actually means "as in chapel". Just as baptism which was by full immersion during the first thousand years became corrupted, have our worship services become corrupted as well?
Are you a musician? I play my guitar in church every once in a while.
 
S

songster

Guest
#22
As a musician and a worship leader, I can assure you that God is present and moving mightily during the worship portions of our services. After playing the keyboard and singing for such a long time, It never even occured to me to second guess the use of instruments. The Holy Spirit's presence is usually all the indicator I need to know that my worship is acceptable to God.

For me to become dogmatic or legalistic at this point would be conceding to doctrines which place limitations on my liberty as a believer. If the Holy Spirit is not present in a church and God is not tangibly felt, I suppose all types of rules and doctrines can be devised for outward holiness.
 

superdave5221

Senior Member
Jul 28, 2009
1,409
31
48
#23
Thanks for all of the input and ideas expessed on this subject. I really like the idea of instrumental music at my church, and I don't want to give it, or my church up because of it. I will continue to enjoy and participate in the instrumental music and singing to be found there. It seems that Jesus is present at our worship services as well. But I will continue to have an open mind on this, and all subjects. There is a danger in believing something based on existential feelings. I'm sure that any good Muslim will tell you that they feel God's presense when they pray to Mecca. Mormons will tell you that they get a "warm feeling" when they read the book of Mormon. It is very easy to be "sincerely wrong", when basing things solely on our feelings. Therefore we must use all of our resources to determine God's will. Jesus said that the Father draws people to Him through His Word. We were given brains by God to use in discerning His Word. We have also been given the example of the Apostles who were guided by the Holy Spirit to remember all things that Jesus had told them. Thanks again, and God Bless!
 
Last edited:
May 21, 2009
3,955
25
0
#24
Music is music. I'm sure God loves all music in his honor. And I'm sure he wishes all this junk of trying to make junk up to fight over this or that would end.
 
G

Groundhog

Guest
#25
I'd like to say just a word in superdave's defense. I grew up in, and currently attend, a church that does not use instruments. Some of you are apparently unaware of this branch of Christianity, but there are many Christians out there who believe that the use of instruments in music is unscriptural and unspiritual. And these are not lunatic 10-member congregations scattered sporadicly around the country: we're talking about thousands and thousands.

The history of music in the church is complex. My area of specialty is music history, and I can tell you that if you pick up any textbook on the history of western music that talks about the early church you'll read that instruments were not used in the church until around the 4th century. The "church fathers" wrote a lot about music in the church, and spoke at length about why the church did not use instruments. A quick Google search led me to this site (http://www.bible.ca/H-music.htm), which has several quotes from early church fathers on the subject.

Instruments were not the only controversial topic when it came to music in the church, however: there was a time when music could only be in triple meter rather than quadruple or duple meter--you musicians will know what I'm talking about. Triple meter was considered holy because the relationship of 3 beats reflected the trinity; quadruple or duple music was considered worldly/secular. Women were not allowed to sing in church choirs or perform on instruments until after the Renaissance (after 1600) unless they were performing for an all-women service, such as in a convent.
 
Jan 8, 2009
7,576
23
0
#26
So the main reasons for not using music is

a) so they aren't confused with Jews or Judaizing
b)some instruments were connected to pagan worship
c) music overrides the ability to hear the voice , in a world without microphones obviously (implicitly this is saying they believed the words are more important than the music).
d) plus many more
 
G

Groundhog

Guest
#27
So the main reasons for not using music is

a) so they aren't confused with Jews or Judaizing
b)some instruments were connected to pagan worship
c) music overrides the ability to hear the voice , in a world without microphones obviously (implicitly this is saying they believed the words are more important than the music).
d) plus many more
Yes. One reason that I'm sure is laid out someone on that page I posted is the idea that the when we sing we are praising God with the bodies he gave us, rather than with a mechanical, man-made instrument. The use of instruments in the Old Testament is explained away as imperfect and impure, but that since we now all have the spirit dwelling in us, we can praise "in spirit and in truth" by using our God-given voices. I remember reading in a pamphlet one time a guy making the argument that God doesn't hear the clanging of "mechanical instruments" because he hears our hearts and our voices; it's not a good argument, but among people who believe in a cappella music, they see instruments as being for the benefit of other people rather than God (i.e. God hears our own voices and our on hearts, so anything else is just noise, but people want to use instruments because they like hearing them, even though God doesn't pay attention to the instruments.) At the most extreme, they believe the use of instruments is direct disobedience of God's will, defying both the New Testament and the practices of the early church.

As a side note, we could start a whole other thread about your 3rd point, the balance of words and music. That's probably the one topic that has caused the most disagreement throughout the history of music in the church.
 
Jan 8, 2009
7,576
23
0
#28
So we've gone from basically shunning music and instruments in church, to full blown rock concerts like hillsong for one bad example and music that will shake your socks off, of which hillsong makes disproportionate amount of money to spend on its own entertainment venues.

I'm starting to like the idea of no instruments in church.
 
S

Slepsog4

Guest
#29
The use of instrumental music is foreign to Christian worship. It is not commanded nor exemplified by or during the days of the apostles. Historically it came into practice centuries (possibly a millennium) late. It came in by way of the apostasy (ie, Roman Catholicism).

Every protestant group where it was introduced initially was divided about it. Many of the Reformers spoke out strongly against them. There is a movement among some reform theologian to return the the more primitive practice of acappella singing only.
 
S

suaso

Guest
#30
The church I go to is actually a monastic oratory, and we're blessed with a full pipe organ, and even better, someone who knows how to play it! That's the only non-vocal music that is played, and it's just fine. Not all churches can be so endowed, as a pipe organ is rather expensive, and the talent required to play all that awesome baroque and such isn't common these days. I think it is good for most churches to try and have a well-trained choir and a piano if they can't have an organ, but honestly, I see nothing wrong with folks just being content with their own voices.

To paraphrase Augustine: he who sings prays twice, so sing on. I definitely am against rock-style music in church, or any contemporary, "popular" styles. When I hear sacred music, I think of sacred things. When I hear music in church that sounds like anything else I can find on the radio, I don't typically think heaven-ward.

If I had it my way, all our worship music would be in Gregorian Chant, if not in Latin, then in very well-pronounced English. Or perhaps some nice polyphony.
 
J

jesusjoy

Guest
#31
Sure...if it is something that can be used to praise the LORD. We have liberty in Christ and I do not think that He would not condone it if the intent behind it is pure and it does not cause one to stumble in sin.
 
C

cornerstone

Guest
#32
Wow, where in the Bible under the new covenant are instruments prohibited. Does it tell us to specifically not to use them? So if they were good for David in the old Testament to worship with a harp, it is still the same instrument! So praise the Lord with song......you can get very legalistic about alot of things. And what is this about the 'authority' of a new covenant.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.