Where Did God Say That We Are Not Allowed to Use Instruments in Worship?

by Paul Mays

Question:

Where did God say that we are not allowed to use instruments in the avenue of Christian worship that is music?

Answer:

The thing is God doesn’t owe us a list of what worship we are not allowed to offer. He is merciful enough to give us a way that we are allowed to worship Him. He has always been specific since the garden with what kind of worship that we are privileged to offer (Genesis 4). We simply obey in love (John 14:15) and fear (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

I submit that almost everyone already understands this. They just don’t make the connection. I hope this will help with that connection.

We understand that He allows us to worship Him during the Lord’s supper to remember His death. He specifically prescribed unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine (Luke 24). He didn’t tell us not to use beef jerky. He didn’t have to.

He also allows us to worship Him with music. He specifically prescribed singing, teaching, and admonishing as the kind of music that we are to offer (Colossians 3:16). He didn’t tell us not to use instruments. He didn’t have to.

He did, however, in the very next verse (Colossians 3:17), tell us that whatever we do must be by the authority of Jesus Christ. It has to be in His name because He asked for it.

Beef jerky isn’t.

Neither are instruments.

Literally, every scripture that governs Christian worship music specifies singing. None authorize playing. If He wanted them, He would have prescribed them. He has always been specific. In fact, He prescribed them for the Levites under the Old Law. He authorized specific instruments at a specific time (II Chronicles 29:25‭-‬31).

God doesn’t owe us a list of what worship we are not allowed to offer. He prescribes His will, and how we are allowed to worship Him. We obey in love and fear (John 14:15, Ecclesiastes 12:13). I want to be His disciple so I abide in His word.

“Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed” (‭‭John‬ ‭8‬:‭31‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).