{"id":34439,"date":"2021-04-23T14:57:43","date_gmt":"2021-04-23T19:57:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=34439"},"modified":"2021-04-23T14:59:23","modified_gmt":"2021-04-23T19:59:23","slug":"why-no-instruments-of-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-no-instruments-of-music\/","title":{"rendered":"Why No Instruments of Music?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Bobby Graham
\nSentry Magazine<\/em>, December 1999\n

This question often comes from honest people, wondering why some of\u00a0us do not use such mechanical instruments in the worship of the Lord. It is a fair question that demands a fair answer.<\/p>\n

All worship of God is limited by whatever divine instructions have been given for our guidance. God has always prescribed what constitutes acceptable worship of Him under every dispensation that He has made with\u00a0mankind. We must conform our efforts to His will and seek never to impose our own wills upon His. A lesson learned\u00a0from the very first instance of worship recorded in the Old Testament — that of Cain and Abel in Genesis 4 — is that we must act by faith in God, based on what He has spoken, if our worship is to please Him (Hebrews 11:4). The same lesson can be learned from the Mosaic dispensation, in the case of Nadab and Abihu offering strange fire to the Lord in Leviticus 10. Whatever God has not sanctified as acceptable to Him in worship is unauthorized and constitutes will-worship.<\/p>\n

We also learn from the New Testament that worship can be will-worship — worship established by one’s own will (self-directed worship). Paul spoke about this in Colossians 2:23. The Lord himself declared that worship based upon the doctrines and commandments of men is offered in vain (Matthew 15:8-9). Because no instruction from God under the New Testament shows the use of any music besides singing to be acceptable in worship, a person adding any other kind of music is doing so on the basis of human desires and pleasure, not the expressed will of God. Will-worship fails to meet God’s approval, as seen in Colossians 2:23.<\/p>\n

New Testament regulations for worship are those that apply to God’s people under the new covenant of Jesus Christ (Colossians 3:17). Old Testament regulations, like those during David’s day, have no relevance or application to people in the Lord’s church. To use the Old Testament is to burden oneself with the entire Mosaic Law, according to Galatians 5:1-4, including its insistence upon\u00a0animal sacrifices and\u00a0the Levitical priesthood. To accept part of the Old Testament practices but refuse others, in the absence of any such direction from the Lord to do so, is to make one’s own thinking superior to God’s thinking and to fall from divine grace.<\/p>\n

\"\"

David Plays the Lyre I Samuel 16:18<\/p><\/div>\n

In spite of David’s use of the instrument or the encouragement to use such, as in Psalms 150, the New Testament instructs the Christian to sing and make melody in his heart to the Lord. The heart of the worshiper is the instrument that is employed in acceptable worship, and its melody is the only melody that the Lord stresses (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).<\/p>\n

In view of biblical teaching along the lines discussed in this study, it is important to ask for New Testament teaching that authorizes the use of the mechanical instrument of music in worship to God. Anyone using such ought to be willing to provide New Testament justification for its use. Where is that teaching found in the New Testament? If it can be produced, then we should all practice it. If it cannot be found, then all should omit its use in order to please the Lord, which is the very essence of worship.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Bobby Graham Sentry Magazine, December 1999 This question often comes from honest people, wondering why some of\u00a0us do not use such mechanical instruments in the worship of the Lord. It is a fair question that demands a fair answer. All worship of God is limited by whatever divine instructions have been given for our…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[292],"class_list":["post-34439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-instrumental-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":38085,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-does-god-allow-sinful-things-to-worship-him\/","url_meta":{"origin":34439,"position":0},"title":"Why does God allow sinful things to worship Him?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 22, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If your opinion of using musical instruments in the New Testament is sin, why does God allow sinful things to be used to worship Him, either symbolically or physically or metaphorically or whatever in His presence? In the Old Testament sacrifices and musical instruments are used to worship God;\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":58244,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/where-did-god-say-that-we-are-not-allowed-to-use-instruments-in-worship\/","url_meta":{"origin":34439,"position":1},"title":"Where Did God Say That We Are Not Allowed to Use Instruments in Worship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 21, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94676,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-must-you-use-instrumental-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":34439,"position":2},"title":"Why Must You Use Instrumental Music?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 19, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 Author Unknown Recently, a congregation in the city where I preach decided to start using instruments in their worship assembly. Apparently, even the community realizes that among churches of Christ, this is a big deal because the local news and newspaper have done stories on it. Obviously, I love\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":33858,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/music-in-worship-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":34439,"position":3},"title":"Music in Worship (Hart)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 2, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Dave Hart When people visit churches of Christ for the first time, they are often surprised to hear only singing. There are no instruments of music such as pianos, organs, drums, or guitars. Neither do they hear choirs, quartets, or solos. Every member of the congregation is encouraged to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/singingCongregation2-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":60775,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-arent-instruments-part-of-the-pattern\/","url_meta":{"origin":34439,"position":4},"title":"Why Aren\u2019t Instruments Part of the Pattern?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 9, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Edwin Crozier Sometimes I fear we have become a people of rules for rules' sake. No doubt, God has given us a law (I Corinthians 9:21). Certainly, there are rules we should follow. But our God is not a capricious and arbitrary God. He has not established a pattern\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45601,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-churches-of-christ-not-use-instrumental-music\/","url_meta":{"origin":34439,"position":5},"title":"Why Do Churches of Christ Not Use Instrumental Music?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Allen Webster Churches of Christ love music. Singing is a prominent - and favorite - part of each service. Most congregations dedicate a Sunday night each month to learn new songs and to sing old favorites. Annual singings can draw thousands of people. Many Christians sing daily as they\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34439"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34439\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}