Don Smith
Introduction
To the informed Bible student, the answer to the title question is quite simple. However, to the vast majority of those who profess to be religious, the answer is not as readily apparent as one might think, due to a lack of study of the subject and the proliferation of false teaching regarding it. In this article, we will consider what the New Testament teaches on the authorization of worship, the music God accepts, as well as the New Testament’s directive to some examples of God’s commanded specifics and the consequences for disobedience to them. Then, we will look at some peripheral arguments, as well as some very important history. It is this writer’s hope that this article might help some misguided soul to desire to dig further into this vitally important subject.
Authorized Worship
Does the New Testament teach there is an authorized way to worship God? If so, that would imply there is an unauthorized worship which God does not accept. Very simply, we will go to the New Testament for the answer. First, it must be understood that worshiping God is accessing Him. We only have access to the Father through Christ—and that is only by the teaching Christ relayed to the Holy Spirit which was given to the apostles:
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come” (John 16:13).
“Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their (the apostles, DES) word” (17:20).
“For through him (through Christ, DES) we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Eph. 2:18).
Our access (worship) is by “the faith” of Christ—that is, the system of faith He set down for us: “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him” (3:12). The “offering up,” or sacrifice (worship), is only acceptable if it has been sanctified (set apart as holy) by the Holy Ghost—the system which He gave the apostles: “…that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:16). As the royal priesthood, we must offer acceptable sacrifices to God: “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 2:5). It is the only way we can serve God acceptably: “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Heb. 12:28-29). Therefore, the New Testament certainly implies that if we do not worship according to the system Christ gave the Holy Spirit (the New Testament itself), then we would be worshiping God unacceptably—and remember, it is serious enough that the Hebrews writer used the statement: “For our God is a consuming fire.”
Music in the New Testament
Understanding that God does require acceptable worship to be offered to Him, what music, then, does He accept? There are various types of musical possibilities, such as instrumental coupled with vocalized lyrics, instrumental only, acapella (singing only), vocalized sounds that mimic mechanical instruments, percussion replicas with the hands, feet, or other body parts, etc. Which of these would be authorized by the New Testament? Are any of them authorized? The New Testament will give us the answer by either specific or generic commands. If it is a general command, such as “make music,” then we have authorization to use any of the foregoing types of music as worship to God. However, if the command is specific on any of these, we only have authorization to use that specific type(s). Let us see what the New Testament says:
“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 to the Lord” (Col. 3:16).
“What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Cor. 14:15).
Singing is certainly specified, and it is emphasized in Ephesians 5:19 with “speaking,” “singing,” and “making melody in your heart” (the instrument we are to use). In 1 Corinthians 14:15, Paul shows by example singing alone is authorized, and the avenue of worship is to be done with understanding—that negates the use of any type of musical possibility that does not bring forth vocal understanding, which implies teaching. Furthermore, “teaching and admonishing” are to be the result of this avenue of worship, which clapping, humming, and mechanical instruments cannot do. No other context modifies this, and therefore, only acapella music is authorized by God.
Is God That Particular?
When considering the foregoing explanations, one might be tempted to ask, “Is God really that particular about this?” Remember that any biblical question can be met with a biblical answer, including this one. The New Testament directs us to learn from the Old Testament (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6, 11). We learn various things from the Old Testament, not the least of which is God’s reaction in consequence to disobedience. If we can find an example of God reacting with serious consequence to something we might otherwise see as harmless, it will help us to learn from that Old Testament example. One such case is that of Uzzah. He attempted to steady the ark of God with his hand due to the oxen shaking it while in transport. The record states,
And when they came to Nachon’s threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God (2 Sam 6:6-7).
Only the Levites were authorized to carry the ark with the provided staffs, and therefore, this seemingly harmless action was actually a major infraction in the sight of God, and it cost Uzzah his life. Another case that directly relates to worship is that of Nadab and Abihu. Just before the vale to the Holy of Holies within the tabernacle, Nadab and Abihu offered incense upon the altar with a fire which God “commanded them not”:
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD (Lev. 10:1-2).
Here, they offered an unauthorized worship to God and paid for it with their lives. They must have reasoned that God is not concerned about a particular fire—just as some may reason today that God is not concerned if we use instruments in worship to Him. However, we learn from our Old Testament that God is concerned about the particulars of how we worship Him, especially when He has specified how we are to do so.
The Psallo Argument
Some come up with what they believe to be clever arguments for the use of mechanical instruments in worship. One such argument is regarding the Koine Greek word psallo, translated as “making melody” in Ephesians 5:19. Proponents of this argument point out that psallo is defined as to twitch, twang, or pluck. The argument culminates in the idea that Ephesians 5:19 allows for the “plucking” or playing of a mechanical instrument in worship to God. The problem with this argument is that in any language, words change meaning over time. Originally, psallo was a term referring to plucking the hair of a beard or plucking a carpenter’s line to leave a mark. It changed meaning over time to refer to plucking a stringed instrument. Finally, in Paul’s day it referred to singing only. This is easy to see when we read in Ephesians 5:19 exactly what is to be psalloed: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” The heart is what is to be “plucked”—the melody does not come from a harp but the heart. Moreover, this passage does not simply “allow” for anything—it is a direct statement in the form of an imperative, a command. If mechanical instruments were a part of this passage, each and every Christian would be commanded to use them in worship. Can you imagine the chaos of that absurdity? Very simply, this is a passage that commands us emphatically to sing to God and highlights the spiritual nature of it, in coming from the heart and not a carnal mechanical instrument.
Instruments Were Used in the Old Testament
In defense of the use of instruments in worship, many will go to the Old Testament and point out that David used instruments and wrote about their use throughout the book of Psalms. Though this is true, it still does not support the use of mechanical instruments in worship today. David lived under the old covenant, which Christ nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14). Further, it can be said that instruments were actually commanded by God to be used in worship under the Old Testament (though there are opposing viewpoints to this).
And he set the Levites in the house of the LORD with cymbals, with psalteries, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, and of Gad the king’s seer, and Nathan the prophet: for so was the commandment of the LORD by his prophets (2 Chron. 29:25).
It is this writer’s conviction that instruments were commanded by God to be used in worship under the Mosaical law. This further corroborates the fact that they are not authorized in New Testament worship. Since God specifically commanded them in the Old Testament, if He wanted them in the New Testament, He would have specifically said so.
A Lesson From History
History has quite a loud voice agreeing with the authority principles as set forth throughout this article. We see from the Bible that the first century church worshipped God in acapella song. It has been recorded that in the second and third centuries, other religions saw Christians as “strange” because they did not use mechanical instruments in their worship, though they were available. It wasn’t until around A.D. 670 that the first recorded instance of an instrument was used in worship by a denomination (the Catholic Church). However, it was rejected after that first use—because they knew it was wrong. Later, in A.D. 1054, a split in the Catholic Church occurred, which formed the Greek Orthodox Church. Significantly, the Greek Orthodox Church still does not use mechanical instruments but sing acapella only to this day. After the A.D. 670 incident, the Catholic Church did not use the instrument again until sometime in the 13th century (after the split, being the Roman Catholic faction). At that time, it began to be used regularly. That makes the regular use of the instrument about 1,200 years removed from the completion of God’s authoritative word on worship—the New Testament! Imagine this: if we add 1,200 years to our current year, we would find ourselves in the year 3224; think about the world in that year. Can you imagine the world that far in the future? That is how far removed instrumental music in worship to God was at the time the Catholic Church incorporated the innovation! However, the regular use of it was not that long lived before men began opposing it again. Fewer than 300 years later, in 1517, Martin Luther began a movement which would spark the Protestant Reformation and the establishment of the Lutheran Church. Martin Luther is recorded as stating, “The organ in the worship is the insignia of Baal; a sign of the devil… the Roman Catholics borrowed it from the Jews.” John Calvin and John Knox, the founders of the Presbyterian Church, concurred. Calvin wrote,
Musical instruments in celebrating the praises of God would be no more suitable than the burning of incense, the lighting 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 apostles is far more pleasing to him. Paul allows us to bless God in the public assembly of the saints, only in a known tongue (1 Corinthians 14:16). What shall we then say of chanting, which fills the ears with nothing but an empty sound?
Further, Knox called the organ “the devil’s kist o’ whistles” and removed it from worship. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, said, “I have no objection to instruments of music in our worship, provided they are neither seen nor heard.” Later, the Methodist theologian, Adam Clark agreed:
I am an old man, and I here declare that I never knew them to be productive of any good in the worship of God and have reason to believe that they are productive of much evil. Music as a science I esteem and admire, but instrumental music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music, and I here register my protest against all such corruption of the worship of the author of Christianity. The late and venerable and most eminent divine, the Rev. John Wesley, who was a lover of music, and an elegant poet, when asked his opinion of instruments of music being introduced into the chapels of the Methodists, said in his terse and powerful manner, ‘I have no objections to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither heard nor seen.’ I say the same.
The famous Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, also opposed its use:
We do not need them [instruments in worship]. They would hinder rather than help our praise. Sing unto him. This is the sweetest and best music. No instrument like the human voice. What a degradation to supplant the intelligent song of the whole congregation by the theatrical prettiness of a quartet, bellows, and pipes! We might as well pray by machinery as praise by it.
As can be seen, the founders of the mainstream denominations seemed to have understood it was against the will of God to use mechanical instruments in worship, and so they cast out the practice. It is only in the last couple of hundred years that the instrument has made its way back into nearly every denomination. Because of this, we have grown up in a world where its use is so overwhelmingly common that it is rarely questioned. But if history tells us anything, it tells us the instrument was clearly understood as wrong.
Conclusion
The Bible certainly teaches that what we do in worship must have the authority of God behind it; otherwise, it is unacceptable will worship (Col. 2:20-23). The Bible also shows that God most definitely is concerned with the details of how we worship Him, as He was with Nadab and Abihu. Out of all the musical possibilities, only acapella singing is authorized. In the face of this, some still grasp at straws in attempting to make the Bible teach something it does not. The history may be strong in opposition to the use of instruments in worship, but the New Testament is the final determining factor, and it teaches God does not authorize them. Therefore, with the foregoing information, any Bible student should be able to answer the question, “Does God authorize mechanical instruments in New Testament worship?” with an emphatic, “No.”
