While we should glorify God in all that we do (1 Cor. 10:13), worship is not
governed by human abilities but by the revealed will of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). A
person may be a gifted athlete or a talented chef, but dunking a basketball or
baking a cake while the church is assembled for worship is not a biblically
sanctioned form of worship. We should be thankful for our talents, but when it
comes to offering worship to God, we must do so in a manner that He
prescribes (John 4:23-24). God is not particularly interested in our physical
abilities, but He is concerned about the condition of our hearts. Not everyone
has musical talent, but the beauty of Christianity is that everyone does have a
heart that can and should be offered to God. The Bible never tells us to sing good,
but it does tell us to sing from the heart (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; 1 Cor.
14:15). God is not worshiped with human hands (Acts 17:25), but He is
worshiped with human hearts. The purpose of worship is not to entertain
ourselves or to give a few talented people an opportunity to perform, but for
all worshipers to offer praise to the Lord that is acceptable to Him (1 Pet.
2:5; cf. Gal. 1:10).
Q: Since the Bible doesn’t directly forbid the use of
mechanical instruments in Christian worship, why wouldn’t it be permissible?
One of the primary reasons there is so much confusion and division in the
religious world is because so many people feel free to do whatever is not
explicitly condemned in the Bible. The Bible does not specifically prohibit
cake and coffee in the Lord’s Supper, or sprinkling infants, or having a pope,
or smoking marijuana to "heighten spirituality," or a host of other things
people may want to do. But the issue is not what the Bible explicitly forbids,
but rather what the Bible authorizes as legitimate (and consequently what it implicitly
forbids). We know what the will of God is by what is revealed in
the Bible (Eph. 3:3-5; 5:17), not by what is left unsaid. How did Noah
understand that pine, oak, and cedar were not to be used in building the ark?
God did not explicitly prohibit these types of wood, but when He specified
“gopher wood” (Gen. 6:14), all other kinds were excluded. How did the Israelites know not to appoint men of Reuben, Judah or Ephraim to the priesthood? Simply because the law specifically named the tribe of Levi and was silent concerning the other tribes (Heb. 7:13-14). When the NT specifies
“singing” as the kind of music to be offered in Christian worship, what human
being has the right to add juggling, dancing, fireworks, guitars or pianos to
it simply because the Lord has not provided a comprehensive list of
prohibitions? God will hold accountable those who presumptuously add to His
revealed will (1 Cor. 4:6; Rev. 22:18-19; cf. Lev. 10:1-2; Deut. 18:20).
Q: Isn’t instrumental music just an aid to singing,
since it helps with the pitch, tempo, and tune, it makes the singing sound
better, and one is still obeying God’s instructions to “sing” even though it
happens to be with musical accompaniment?
There are essentially only two types of music: vocal and instrumental. If God
had given the generic command to simply “make music,” any type of music would
be in accordance with this instruction. However, instead of a generic command,
the Lord specified the kind of music He desires -- namely volitional singing.
Therefore, any other kind of music is an addition to what the Lord has
authorized. For example, the elements of the Lord’s Supper are unleavened bread
and fruit of the vine. Things such as plates, cups, and communion trays are
aids which help us observe this memorial, but they do not add additional
elements to the Lord’s Supper. However, even though one may reason that jam or
peanut butter or syrup or lemonade would make communion taste better, these are
different kinds of food, additions to the specified elements, and are therefore
unacceptable. Legitimate aids to singing are those things which
help to carry out the directive to sing, such as a tuning fork (for the right
pitch), or a song book (for the right words), or a song leader (for the right
tempo and tune). However, a mechanical instrument supplies an entirely
different kind of music and is therefore more than an aid to singing --
it is an addition. Making the singing “sound better” is a subjective
opinion, and many would argue that musical instruments actually detract from
the singing. The bottom line, however, is not what I like or what sounds
good to me, but what God has plainly stated is acceptable to Him.
--Kevin L. Moore
Related posts: Music & the Bible History, Questions About Music 1, Questions About Music 3
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