03.14. Instrumental Music

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC.

"Be not drunken with wine wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:18-19).

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God" (Colossians 3:16). We are commanded to sing, but no player on an instrument can read the New Testament passage commanding him to play. No question is settled till it is settled right, and no question is settled right till it is settled according to the proper authority. The proper authority to settle all religious questions today is the New Testament. It is not a question of what I think, or what you think, of what I like, or what you like, but what does the New Testament teach? THE CHURCH A NEW TESTAMENT INSTITUTION. The church, a New Testament institution, is of Christ, and not of Moses, and she must look to Christ for the law to govern her in her work and worship. Much confusion arose in the early days of the church over the effort of some of the Jews to bind on the churches the ordinances of the law of Moses (Acts 15:1-41; Galatians 2:11-21). These Judaizers developed into a wild sect called the Ebionites. Every effort to bind on Christians the law of Moses, or any part of it, has resulted in a sect, and the organ party is no exception.

INSTRUMENTS PROHIBITED. exclusive and inclusive. A law or command is both inclusive and exclusive. It includes the things commanded, and excludes all things not mentioned. The Lord’s Supper: In giving the Lord’s Supper the Savior named the elements to be used, and in doing so excludes everything else. No one has a right to make an addition of his favorite dish on the ground that there is no specific command not to do so. The command to baptize believers (Mark 16:15-16) excludes the baptism of disbelievers, and every one so understands it. The com­mand to sing excludes any other kind of music, just as the command to baptize believers excludes the baptism of disbelievers. generic and specific terms. "Go" is a generic term. If a man rides or walks, he is obeying the command to "go" (Matthew 28:19). "Walk" is a specific term. Had the Lord said "walk" and preach the gospel, it would be wrong to ride. "Music" is a generic term. Had the Savior commanded us to make music, we could obey him by singing or making music on any kind of an instrument; but he commanded us to sing, and that is a specific term. We cannot obey that command by per­forming on an instrument. Therefore, the person who performs on an instrument is not obeying the command to sing. Authority to play the instrument is not found in the passage commanding us to sing, and he who performs on an instrument must find his command in some other passage or willfully use it contrary to authority, expedients. With the advocates of instrumental music "expedient" is a very popular word, but in the use of the word they ignore its meaning. Expedient— something fit or suitable to the end in view; it expedites the doing of the thing required, instrumental music cannot be an expedient, for it in no way assists the singing: it is wholly a different kind of music. A song book is an expedient, for in singing there must be words and tune, and a song book enables you to know the words and the tune. Instrumental music may drown some of the discords made by the singers, but it does not eliminate them. The essential idea in the singing required by Paul is teaching, admonishing, and making melody in the heart. Instrumental music does not aid in teaching and admonishing one another; but on account of its added volume of sound, it is a positive hindrance to the teaching, in that the people are frequently, because of it, unable to understand the words; neither does it aid you in making melody in your hearts. If you wish to make a noise, it is expedient; if you wish to obey Paul, it is a hindrance.

ADDITIONS TO WORSHIP.

"What things soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Deuteronomy 12:32). nadab and abihu (Leviticus 10:1-7). These men were priests, and it was their business to do the things commanded in the tabernacle worship, which, so far as we know, they did on this particular occasion; at least, it is not charged against them that they failed. Their sin consisted in making an addition to the things required. They "offered strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them;" and "there came forth fire from before Jehovah, and devoured them, and they died before Jehovah." This was a mixed worship; they added to what God commanded. The incident is written for our admonition (1 Corinthians 10:11). God commands us to sing; let no one make an addition thereto, lest a worse fate befall him (Hebrews 10:28-29). cain and abel (Genesis 4:1-8). Abel offered the sacrifice God commanded, and was approved. Cain substituted something of his own choosing, and God refused to accept it. God will accept no worship which he has not appointed. God commands us to sing. The man who blows a horn in the worship substitutes something of his own choosing; and, as he cannot blow the horn and sing at the same time, he not only substitutes, but refuses to do what God commands, and the congregation which appoints him to the work shares with him in the sin. new testament teaching. God meant for the New Testament to be a complete guide for the churches. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches" (Revelation 3:13) The early Christians looked to inspiration for their guidance. Even Jesus while on earth presumed not to follow his own way. "I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (John 5:30). Even in his teaching he spoke not his own words: "For I spake not for myself: but the Father that sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak" (John 12:49). In this, as well as in other matters, he left us an example that we should follow his steps (1 Peter 2:21). Let no man rely on his own wisdom in his worship. The wisdom of man is foolishness with God (1 Corinthians 1:20). There is such a way as the way of truth (2 Peter 2:2), and the truth is the gospel (Ephesians 1:13). No one walks in this way of truth, then, who practices things not found in the gospel. Instrumental music is not in the gospel, not in the way of truth, and no man can practice it and walk in the way of truth. It rests on man’s wisdom and is foolishness with God. "There is a way that seemeth right unto a man; but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Proverbs 14:12). If instrumental music is in the New Testament, some one would find a command for it, or an example of its use by inspired men. No such command and no such example have been found. But some will have it. In the absence of any New Testament authority for its use, it can be safely affirmed that no one ever introduced instrumental music into the church to please God. We want it; let us have it; we then will see if we can find an excuse for it. This is the course of all innovations. all that pertains to life and godliness. "Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3). We not only have all things that are essential to life and godliness, but also all things that pertain to life and godliness. All these things come to us "through the knowledge of him that called us." Knowledge of Christ is not what he knows, but what we know through him, or the knowledge we have from him. Peter says we are to grow in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18). We cannot grow in what he knows, but we can grow in our knowledge concerning him, and the knowledge we have concerning him is found in the New Testament. The New Testament, therefore, not only gives us the things essential to life and godliness, but all things that pertain to life and godliness. A thing, therefore, not found in the New Testament does not, in any way, have anything to do with life and godliness. It must, therefore, pertain to death and ungodliness. This helps us to see the force of the following: "Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ hath not God" (2 John 1:9). If instrumental music can be found in the New Testament, it pertains to life and godliness; but it cannot be found in the New Testament, therefore it pertains to death and ungodliness. The one who adds instrumental music to the worship of the church does not abide in the teaching of Christ and hath not God. not of faith. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). If the word does not teach a thing it cannot be of faith; it must, therefore, be a sin. This puts instrumental music in the class of things sinful, for the New Testament teaches no one to use it. When we sing, we, do so by faith, for the Lord commands it; but no one can play an instrument in the worship of the church by faith, for it is not commanded. It is, there­fore, a sin. Do all in the name of Christ. "Whatsoever ye do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Colossians 3:17). A man. cannot do a thing in the name of the Lord which the Lord has not authorized him to do any more than a sheriff can perform an act in the name of the State which the State has not authorized him to do. Before a person can perform an act in the name of the Lord or in the name of the State, there must be a law authorizing him to do that specific thing. The Lord has given no law in the New Testament authorizing any church to use instruments in the church; it cannot, therefore, be done in his name. Hence its use in the church violates Paul’s injunction to do whatsoever we do in the name of the Lord. This injunction is a prohibition against doing anything which the Lord has not authorized. apostles guided into all truth. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth" (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit did not guide the apostles into using instrumental music, but he did guide them into all truth, even the deep things of God (1 Corinthians 2:10), and these things they revealed to others (1 Corinthians 2:13). Paul commanded others to imitate him (Php 2:17), and to do the things they had learned, received, heard, and seen in him (Php 3:9). "The things which thou hast heard from me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2). Those who use instrumental music do not do so on the ground that they learned from Paul, or received from him, such practice; nor are they among the faithful men commanded to teach others. They are not imitators of Paul. The addition of unauthorized things to the worship shows contempt for Jehovah in that it declares that he did not know what to include in the worship to make it the most edifying, or that he intentionally withheld something we need. an aid to the worship. The Catholic Church uses images, paintings, the crucifix, and counting of beads as aids to worship. What argument can a Protestant make against all the Catholic inventions and ceremonies as aids to worship, while he himself makes the same argu­ments for instrumental music? The argument is as good for the Catholic as for the Protestant. not an aid, but worship. The claim of the advocates of instrumental music that they use it as an aid is a mere subterfuge. They attempt to find authority for it in the Old Testament, Surely, then, they must use it just as it was then used. It was not used then as an aid: "Praise him with the stringed instrument and pipe. Praise him with the loud cymbals: praise him with high sounding cymbals" (Psalms 150:5-6). To praise God is to worship him, and they were to praise God with these instruments. In many places the Christian Church plays the instrument during the collection, also while the Lord’s Supper is being eaten, when no singing is done. Surely they do not expect us to take them seriously when they claim it is used as an aid in the singing. the old testament argument. The advocates of the use of instrumental music make an effort to justify its use on the ground that it was used by the Jews in their worship. This argument proves more than they want. Under the Old Testament there was infant membership, burning of incense, animal sacrifices, the seventh-day Sabbath, plurality of wives, as well as instrumental music. From the Old Testament the Catholic gets his burning of incense, infant membership; the Mormon goes there for his plurality of wives; the Sabbatarian, for his seventh-day Sabbath; and the advocates of instrumental music are bringing up the rear by going to the Old Testament for instrumental music. Neither can argue against the other without condemning himself.

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC AT HOME, WHY NOT AT CHURCH? Some affirm that if it is right to have instrumental music in our homes it is right to have it in our public worship. But this also proves too much even for them. We eat full meals at home, but Paul condemns such in connection with the worship (1 Corinthians 11:1-34). If one should argue that we may have anything in the worship that we may have on our tables at home, the advocates of instrumental music would object. A little thing. It is argued that the organ is a little thing to have trouble over. A little thing to whom? Certainly not to the one who is determined to have it. To him it is bigger than the peace of the congregation and the fellowship of his brethren. The truth is, he wants the objector to regard it as a little thing so he will not object. The organ is only a start. No church, having introduced the organ, stops with it—a flock of instruments come in at the same door.

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.

Ephesians 5:18-19; Colossians 3:16. Here we are commanded to teach and admonish one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This is clear authority for congregational singing. How could they teach one another by singing unless they were gathered together? One may sing while he is alone as much as he pleases, but the teaching commanded in these verses must be done in the church assembled, otherwise they could not teach one another. This is authority for congregational singing (see also Matthew 26:26-30).

WILL-WORSHIP.

"Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and severity to the body; but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh" (Colossians 2:23). Paul had just asked these brethren why they submitted to the doctrines of men as though they had not died with Christ and were still of the world. These doctrines, he explains, have a show of wisdom in will-worship. The Greek word for will-worship means self-chosen worship—that is, a worship not originating with God, which we choose to adopt. There is not one particle of authority in the New Testament for the use of instrumental music in the worship; it is, therefore, self-chosen. The early churches were so pronounced in their opposition to instrumental music that, though they rapidly apostatized, no church used it till about seven hundred years after Christ, and then it was first used in a Catholic church.

TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION.

• Judaizers and Paul.

• Church for Worship or Entertainment?

• Worldly-Minded People in the Church.

• God’s Protest Against Departures.

• A Way That Seemeth Right to Man.

QUESTIONS.