Identifying the New Testament Church #5
A. Last week we explained in an introductory manner why we do
not use instrumental music in worship. Many people honestly wonder
"Why don't you have instrumental music in your worship services,
are you poor?" And thats a normal question. Our songs
of praise are "a cappella" which means without the accompaniment
of an instrument. Its a Latin word meaning In Chapel.
It described the only music used by the Catholic Church for hundreds
of years.
First Century Christians did not use such man-made innovations.
To practice what the New Testament Church practiced we believe
that instrumental music in worship and singing praises is both
unscriptural and anti-scriptural. It is an innovation not authorized
by God in the New Testament. It is something man has added to
the worship of God.
a. Our belief is based solely on God's Word and our belief in
that Word. Let me explain why
we hold such a belief and how we arrived at that practiced conclusion
by calling on five
witnesses: Historical Witness, Christian Scholarship, Original
Language, Scriptural
Authority and the Law of Exclusion.
(A) Historical Witness. Instrumental music in New Testament worship
is of recent origin.
And came about as the result of human tradition, added as a means
of worship. It was never authorized by God in His Word. Jesus
speaks directly to this problem
in Matt 15:1?14. God condemns the substitution of man-made tradition
in the place of His Word as a means of worship and rejects those
who do so.
When you replace Scripture with man-made traditions you are guilty
of flat out treating God and His Word with contempt.
2 Pet. 1:2?4. That says God calls us to partake of His divine
nature so we can receive His promise of salvation. How has God
called us? Rom. 10:17, says we are called to faith by hearing
the Word of God. We find grace and peace in the knowledge of God
and Jesus when we read the Bible and do what it tells us to do
with out additions and deletions.
We are to worship God the way He tells us to do it in the Bible.
Did you know that In the past all Christian Denominations forbid
the use of Instrumental music in their worship services. No instrument
was used in the Presbyterian Church prior to 1841. Unless there
has been a recent change, no instrument was used in the Popes
private chapel of the Vatican. Listen to the Historical Witnesses
from the past.
SUMMA THEOLOGIA, QEAESTIO 91, Thomas Aquinas, "Instrumental
music as well as singing is mentioned in the Old Testament, but
the Church has accepted only singing..."
SCHAFF-HERZOGG ENCYCLOPEDIA OF RELIGIOUS KNOWLEDGE, "In the
Greek church the organ never came into use. But after the eighth
century it became more and more common in the Latin church; not,
however, without opposition from the side of the monks."
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, "For almost one thousand years, Gregorian
chant, without any instrumental or harmonic addition, was the
only music used with the liturgy. The church holds up as her ideal
the unaccompanied chant, and polyphonic, A CAPPELLA style.
ERASMUS, 16th century Roman Catholic Theologian and Scholar, "We
have brought into our churches a certain operose and theatrical
music;...The church rings with the noise of trumpets, pipes and
dulcimers; and human voices strive to bear their part with them.
Men run to church as to a theater, to have their ears tickled."
NEW WINSTON DICTIONARY, Instrumental music has been added
because of it's fleshly human attraction and enjoyment---simply
because we like it!"
M.R. Vincent fought against the admittance of instrumental music
into the Presbyterian Church. In his four volume set of "WORD
STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT," quotes the writings of the
early church fathers in reference to the instrument in New Testament
worship: "Neither Basil nor Ambrose, nor Crysostom , in their
panegyrics upon music, mention instrumental music, and Basil expressly
condemns it. Justin Martyr says expressly that instrumental music
was not used in the Christian Church. These men we have
quoted lived between A.D. 340 and 407 and Justin Martyr from A.D.100
- 167. He was born just ten years after the apostle John died.
Just a few years ago the denominational world, did not use or
tolerate the instrument of music in their worship. It was conspicuously
absent from those denominations because the religious scholars
of those groups said Gods Word would not allow it. And that
brings us to our second witness.
(2) Christian Scholarship.
(1) Martin Luther, "Instrumental music in worship to God
is an ensign of Baal and a sign of the devil." Luther, would
not allow any instrument to be used in worship while he lived.
It was only brought in hundreds of years after his death.
(1) John Calvin (Founder of the Presbyterian Church), "Musical
instruments in celebrating the praises of God would be no more
suitable than the burning of incense, lighting of candles, or
the restoration of the other shadows of the Law of Moses."
(2) Adam Clark (Methodist Scholar), "Music as a science I
esteem and admire, but instruments of music in the house of God
I abominate and abhor." = And in the next sentence He then
quotes John Wesley (Founder of the Methodist Church), who said,
"I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels,
provided they are neither seen nor heard."
(3) Charles Haddon Spurgeon (Baptist Scholar), "I would as
soon pray to God with machinery as to sing to God with machinery."
(4) A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Baptist
Scholar) Rom. 15:9,
I will sing - psalo - 1 Cor. 14:15, Singing
that reaches the intellect as well as
stirs the emotions. Eph. 5:19, Here to sing without
an instrument. Heb. 2:12,
...I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst
of the congregation I will
sing thy praise. To prove his point he quotes Ps. 22:22,
...unto my brethren... In
the congregation. The word came to mean the local church as also
the general
church or kingdom, Matt. 16:18; Heb. 12:23. Here we
have the picture of public
worship. Robertson shows the New Testament worship in song
was congregational
singing without the use of the instrument of music.
(5) Alexander Campbell (Disciples of Christ), "The use of
a musical instrument in singing praises to God would be as inappropriate
as a cowbell at a concert."
(2) From denominational founders, and scholars come echoes of
concern and strong words of descent about instrumental music in
New Testament worship. With one voice they proclaim that instrumental
music is unscriptural, anti-scriptural and forbidden by the inspired
writers of the New Testament. While they lived, the denominations
to which they belonged, did not permit the use of instrumental
music. The instrument of music crept in only after they died and
their voices of scholarship and demands for adherence for scriptural
authority were silenced.
(1) Jude 3; 1 Cor. 4:6; Heb. 4:11?13; Jno. 12:48?49. Does the
church of which you are a member offer God songs of praise in
Spirit and in Truth according to the Word of God and not the traditions
of men?
(3) Acts 20:32.
Spur - 05/26/2002 am
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