God didn’t reverse His position on using instrumental music, so why can’t we use them today?
Question:
It is funny that in your condemnation of musical instruments in "worship" you fail to address that while the use of them was clearly permitted in the Old Testament, there is no clear reversal of this in the New Testament. If I was going to change my position it would only seem reasonable to me that such a change would require a statement of more direct address. I believe your parsing on this amounts to a "doubtful disputation." Unfortunately for you, Christ will return at the "great sound of the trump of God."
Answer:
Interesting. So when you have no answer to someone's reasoning from the Scriptures, you label it "doubtful disputation" because you doubt it is true and then feel justified in doing what you feel like doing anyway. The case against instrumental music in worship is not built on doubts but on facts.
Musical instruments have been around for a long time (Genesis 4:21). In and of themselves they have no particular significance. They are neither right nor wrong. However, musical instruments were commanded by God to be used in His worship. "Blow the trumpet at the time of the New Moon, at the full moon, on our solemn feast day. For this is a statute for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob" (Psalm 81:3-4; see also Leviticus 23:24; Numbers 10:10). Because of God's commands, instrumental music had to be a part of the Israelites' worship.
In the New Testament, the command is to sing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Your argument is false because there was a change in what was commanded. The contention that God didn't specifically say not to continue using instrumental music holds no value. The New Testament makes no mention of ending the practice of burning incense; yet, it is because that practice is not commanded by God in the New Testament Christians do not use it in worship. As one ancient writer noted, “The one instrument of peace, the Word alone by whom we honor God, is what we employ. We no longer employ the ancient psaltery, trumpet, timbrel, and flute.” [Clement of Alexandria, about 195 A.D.].
The fact that Christ says his return will be heralded by a trumpet does not define what Christ wants his followers to do in the worship of him.
