{"id":92731,"date":"2025-12-22T09:46:49","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T15:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=92731"},"modified":"2025-12-22T09:46:49","modified_gmt":"2025-12-22T15:46:49","slug":"make-melody-in-your-heart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/make-melody-in-your-heart\/","title":{"rendered":"Make Melody in Your Heart"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Terry Wane Benton<\/p>\n

Text: Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16<\/p>\n

These two familiar scriptures on singing spiritual songs are set in a context of a “time of reformation<\/em>,” in which the carnal and earthly temple and instruments are given their spiritual fulfillment in Christ. In contrast to the Old Testament or “first testament<\/em>” (Hebrews 9:1) that made use of the earthly and carnal things “made by hands,<\/em>” there is the new “time of reformation<\/em>” (Hebrews 9:10). The physical and earthly system illustrated the spiritual things in Christ, but, the spiritual things in Christ ceased to use the carnal instruments of the Old system.<\/p>\n

Ephesians speaks of the “heavenly<\/em>” places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3,20) in contrast to the holy places of the earthly temple or tabernacle. In Christ we have Christ “filling all in all<\/em>” (the hearts of people instead of the glory cloud filling the physical tabernacle or temple). We have a spiritual temple with Christ, the apostles, and the prophets as its foundation (Ephesians 2:19-22), and we are being built on that foundation as a place for the Spirit to inhabit. It is a spiritual house, a spiritual priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices (I Peter 2:4-9). Our army in this kingdom is not a physical army, and the “armor of God” for this spiritual army is also spiritual (Ephesians 6:10-18). The kingdom is spiritual, the temple is spiritual, and the army and armor are spiritual. The instrument for singing is “melody in the heart<\/em>.”<\/p>\nAlso, we see spiritual incense in Christ (Ephesians 5:2). Instead of “melody” (to pluck the strings) being made on the physical instrument (as seen in the old system), we have the spiritual counterpart, the strings of the heart <\/strong>(Ephesians 5:18-19) because of the “grace in your hearts<\/em>” (Colossians 3:16).
\nIn Colossians, we see the same spiritual context, where there is a counterpart to circumcision, but in our case, it is a “circumcision without hands<\/em>” (Colossians 2:11), the cutting off of sins that Christ performs when we are baptized into union with Him.\n

We find Him also nailing the Law of Moses to the cross, and therefore no one is to judge us regarding foods, dietary laws, new moons, Sabbaths, festivals that were part of the Old Testament system (Colossians 2:13-17). Along that line, we are not to let anyone judge us regarding the carnal, earthly things that are no longer a part of God’s people. We don’t use animal sacrifices, the burning of incense, and instrumental music because the “time of reformation<\/em>” calls for something new, different, and better.<\/p>\n

Why were the carnal instruments dropped from use by the early churches? Historically, the early churches dropped the use of instrumental music on the same grounds that they dropped the physical temple, the physical army, the physical altar, the animal sacrifices, the altar of incense, and physical incense. All of those things pointed toward the good things that were to come in Christ. Notice the following:<\/p>\n