A Missionary's Attempt to Justify Instrumental Music (2)
"Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment" (John 7:24).
How do people attempt to justify the use of instrumental music? John (not his real name), a missionary, provided a rationale for its use in his letter to some faithful brethren. His arguments thus far have been very weak. Either he does not understand the way Biblical authority works, or else he does not think anyone else does. He failed to distinguish between commands and expedients. Concerning songs, we might all sing the same melody, or we could use four-part harmony. We could sing one verse of a song or six. We might use a book, sing it from memory, or view it on a screen. But we would be doing nothing but singing in any of these instances. However, if clapping, whistling, or musical instruments were to be added, we would no longer just be singing only; we would be singing plus doing something else at the same time, which is not what was commanded of us. Anyone who cannot see the difference in these two categories is not trying. He continues with this line of thinking.
As we discussed in class, the church of Christ has caused divisions among ourselves over issues of kitchen in the church buildings (never mentioned in the Bible), Sunday schools or Vacation Bible Schools (not mentioned anywhere), children's home or Christian colleges (not mentioned), and instrumental music. It seems that we, like the Pharisees of old, are set on separating ourselves from those who love the Lord rather than uniting ourselves and praising Him together. We are guilty of looking for ways to justify our differences rather than acknowledging our differences.
The reader will notice how much John likes to compare us to the Pharisees whether it is a valid criticism or not. Were the Pharisees divided amongst themselves, and if so, what is the proof? They put the traditions of men above the Word of God, which we do not do. If John is referring to the fact that they were divided from the Sadducees, we willingly agree, but they are not to be faulted for that. The Sadducees did not believe in angels or the resurrection, which is hardly equal to the alleged offense of using a microphone!
John also misspeaks when he says the church of Christ has caused divisions. No, some members within the body of Christ have caused divisions. These two points aside, however, it is true that brethren have been needlessly divided by basically trivial things. Since the church in the first century did not have buildings, period, it is probably not wise to argue about what they did or did not have in them. Since they did not have their own buildings, then they did not have kitchens, auditoriums, rest rooms, classrooms, church offices, or parking lots. Hello! The construction of a church building and what goes into it is the business of the congregation who decides to have one. Brethren over a period of time have opposed air conditioning, padded pews, drinking fountains, and even rest rooms. It is surprising that electricity has been unopposed—at least for the last century.
What each congregation decides to do with the Lord's money is something they will give an account for. If one church thinks that another is doing extravagant things with their money, fine, but it is not their business to decide if another church is spending too much on facilities or not enough on missionaries. For that reason, congregations are autonomous. Do brethren meet as they should? Is their worship Scriptural? Are they doing the work that Jesus expects His church to do? Good. The size of their classrooms or having a larger room where they can eat a meal together is irrelevant.
Having Bible classes or not falls in this same category. If a congregation does not want to have them, that is their business, but we are all commanded to learn the Word of God and grow in our faith (1 Peter 2:2), and if we choose to do so by having classes in addition to worship, that is simply an expedient way to bring edification about. We could host them in our homes throughout the week, or we can take advantage of the time we come together anyway to spend additional time in learning. Vacation Bible Schools fall into the same category. Some may think they are a good way of teaching; some may not. It is a matter of judgment, however, and should never be a point of division.
None of these are alterations of God's commands.
Children's homes are usually a work that falls outside the local congregation. Neither churches nor individuals are required to support them, although some may choose such a method of benevolence. Many think that Christian schools and colleges are a great idea and may choose to support them. They are not the work of the church, however, and ought to be supported by individuals.
None of these can be rightly compared, however, to instrumental music, which changes the worship by adding to it what God did not command us to do. God never authorized it even as an expedient. Like so many, we deplore all division and readily admit that some divisions exist today which should never have occurred. We cannot defend these divisions, but at least on both sides there are people who are conscientiously trying to do what the Scriptures teach. Those who insist on the use of the instrument have no excuse; by their own admission they use it (despite not being able to justify it) because they like it.
If those who use it are asked, "Can you worship God without it?" they invariably answer, "Yes." Knowing that others cannot conscientiously worship with the instrument, however, they force division within the body. Yet John characterizes them as those who love the Lord. No one can love the Lord without loving his brothers (Matt. 22:37-40), and clearly they prefer the use of the instrument over fellowship with the rest of the body of Christ. John errs greatly in trying to make it look as though we Pharisees (as he likes to call us) are responsible for the division over instrumental music; he should put the blame where it actually lies—upon those who insist on using it.
John's next paragraph repeats this same fallacy; he argues that he refuses to allow their use of instrumental music "as a division in my fellowship with other baptized believers…" (3). Again, he forgets who caused the division, and again he equates instrumental music with P.A. Systems.
Who Is My Brother?
First of all, John continually calls those baptized believers who use the instrument his brethren. How does he know that? Is he unaware that many Christian churches accept members from various denominations whether or not they have been baptized? Does he also not know that there are at least a dozen fundamental differences between us and them?
For more than three decades, certain brethren, such as Dan Goddard, who once were members of the Christian Church, have been speaking about these differences. It is not a matter of only being divided over instrumental music alone (although that would be sufficient); many other doctrines and practices keep us apart. But the situation is even worse than that. Consider the next paragraph.
If a person is a baptized believer in the Lord, he is my brother, whether he uses instrumental music or a cappella music. I refuse to use this issue to separate me from another believer. God is not glorified in our separateness but rather our unification.
All right, so who is a baptized believer? Are Baptists? Some at the Joplin Unity Summit (from the Christian Church) thought so in 1984. Jehovah's Witnesses baptize; so do Mormons—and in their case "for the remission of sins." Many Pentecostal groups do, also. Does John consider any of these his brethren? Only he knows the answer to that one.
He closes with another reference to having differences without separating us. Notice that God did not feel that way about Nadab and Abihu. Neither Peter (2 Peter 2), nor Paul (1 Tim. 1:18-20; 2 Tim. 2:17-19), nor Jude (3-4) felt that way about false teachers in the first century. Sometimes division is preferable—not because we do not want to be united with brethren but because their moral practices or their careless attitude to what is acceptable in worship will not allow it.
Many may not have observed the significance of John's bringing up the divisions among us, but this is a tactic that was frequently used by Carl Ketcherside in the last century. He would cite the divisions among brethren (many of which he had a part in causing) and then lament that we should be united no matter what. As discussed previously, Jesus came to build a bridge from us back to God, but He also knew when building walls was necessary. Jesus wants His church to be united—but not despite differences. He wants the differences discussed and resolved.
In Acts 6, one problem in the church was resolved. It was not a doctrinal situation but a personal one. The solution was proposed, and all embraced it. The difficulty discussed in Acts 15 was a doctrinal problem. The apostles provided a wise answer to the situation, but those guilty of the offense would not accept it. They continued to cause problems and division. Paul did not encourage unity with them anyway but said they were fallen from grace (Gal. 5:4).
They probably sang a cappella like other brethren. They probably preached Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But they taught error about the Law of Moses and circumcision (Acts 15:1, 5). Much of the New Testament is written in opposition to these "brethren," who actually were "baptized believers." Would men like John oppose them vigorously, if at all, today?
Galatians 5:1-16
At the top of page 3 of John's letter, he wrote Scriptures that he thought ought to be considered; they were not connected to any paragraph. The one cited above just happens to be the one that Paul addressed to the Judaizing teachers. Frankly, it is difficult to see how this passage helps John's case. Paul says that such men had fallen from grace (v. 4) and that the false teaching of these "brethren" had caused them to be hindered from obeying the truth (v. 7). He warned them that a little leaven (their error) could leaven the whole lump (v. 9) and wished that those men would cut themselves off (from the body of Christ) (v. 12). After all of that, Paul reminds them that they should love one another (v. 14), but he is by no means undoing all that he has just taught. He also warns them not to bite and devour one another (v. 15), but he obviously did not mean they should not stand for the truth; to the contrary, they must all uphold the truth, which would resolve the problem.
Galatians 3:1-4:7
This text ends by Paul emphasizing the freedom we have in Christ (as opposed to the Judaizers who wanted to bind brethren under the Law of Moses again). Christians are free and heirs of God through Christ. These noble sentiments do not contradict or supersede the main point, which begins by Paul asking a question, "O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?" (Gal. 3:1). Does John honestly think that Paul would say that freedom and love would countermand being taught to obey the truth? If we do not obey the truth, we cannot be saved (2 Thess. 2:12).
1 Peter 2:16-17
John has a way of suggesting Scriptures in which either an important part of the message is omitted (as in this instance), or one verse of a new subject is included (as in Gal. 5:16). Below is 1 Peter 2:15-17:
For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as servants of God. Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
Exactly how this makes the case that we should fellowship those who use musical instruments in worship in unclear.
1 Corinthians 1:10
How interesting! John has heard of this verse! Apparently, he does not understand it. It does not teach that we should be united despite our differences; rather it explains that we must have the same mind and judgment. Agreement brings unity.
James 1:19-25
The entire passage is wonderful; verse 25 calls attention to the fact that we are under the perfect law of liberty. We are not free to do whatever we desire, but we have a law to obey (cf. Matt. 7:21). It is not like the old covenant; it is a perfect law (cf. Heb. 8:6-7). We are blessed when we keep our law. We cannot ignore our law and be blessed; we must fellowship only those that God authorizes us to fellowship—those who have not gone onward, past the boundaries God established (2 John 9-11). Those who use instrumental music to accompany their singing have gone beyond what God authorized, and we cannot have fellowship with them.
Romans 8:28-33
This is another outstanding passage, but what is the relevance to the topic under consideration? Perhaps verse 33 is the intended target: "Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies." Is this verse supposed to prove that we (so-called) Pharisees in the church should not be bringing charges against those who use instruments? If so, that is not the subject of the text. Persecution of Christians is the theme (read through v. 39).
In the first place, we do not need to bring a charge against those "brethren" who sing with instruments; God already knows it. But we do have a responsibility to fellowship only those who walk in the truth. We have an obligation to void false worship, also. Furthermore, we ought to tell brethren they are wrong when they have adopted a false practice or teaching, as the New Testament writers did in most of their letters.
Division and Unity
One wondered what would come of the Joplin Unity Summit, and the answer was, "Compromise." No serious effort to resolve the instrumental music issue was made. Most of the time was spent trying to establish common ground and explaining about ourselves to each other. One fact became increasingly clear. Those who added instruments to their worship were not about to give them up—unless it was on a temporary basis for a special program. Would we like to have fellowship with them? Absolutely! But we cannot participate in false worship. They, on the other hand, could have unity with us any time they were willing to put aside what they added in order to create the division in the first place.
Jesus prayed for all His followers to be united (John 17:20-21). But we cannot fellowship those who preach a "another gospel" (Gal. 1:8-9), teach false doctrines, or engage in false worship. The Lord has standards, and they do not allow for error replacing the truth. Paul preached "the whole counsel of God" for a reason—to save people's souls. Such is the only stance that we, the church of Jesus Christ, can have. If we are not following our Lord, we are following Satan, which leads to eternal destruction. May all of us have the desire to teach and practice the truth—and only the truth.