Instrumental Music: Manmade Rules?

The article under review here apparently was on Facebook as a response to one of the members of the Lord true church. The author is Jim Blev, who seems to be a musician who attends the Calvary Community Church in Tampa. He doesn true say anything original in his defense of instrumental music; he uses warmed-over arguments that have always failed. In fact, most people have quit using them, but since he attempted to revive them, let true have a look.

Manmade Religious Laws

Whenever certain Biblical principles are applied to comparable situations, some quickly jump in with the charge of manmade laws. Nothing could be further from the truth. Men did not make up what happened to Nadab and Abihu; we only apply the principle. They offered strange or profane fire which God hat not commanded them (Lev. 10:1). Did we make up what their punishment should be? No. God is the One who sent fire out to devour them, and they died before the Lord (v. 2). By not offering the fire God had specified, they did not regard God as holy (v. 3).

One does not have to be a three-degreed theologian to understand what happened here. God commanded one thing; they did another which He had not commanded. He took their lives. Probably, if a committee of religious leaders were presented with a similar situation today and asked how to deal with it, most of them would say, What true the big deal? No punishment is required.

What true the application? In the New Testament, God authorizes Christians to sing. He does not authorize them to sing praises accompanied by musical instruments. If the lesson of Nadab and Abihu is that we should only do what God authorizes us to do (and it is), then we must only sing in worship to God. Otherwise, we do not regard Him as holy. For someone to call this a manmade rule, when God Himself demonstrated graphically the principle, just simply ignores the Scriptures. Calling it a manmade law is nothing more than a red herring. Blev needs to show that the principle either does not come from God or that it has been misapplied something he cannot do.

If You Have the Gift .

The second comment Blev made was that God created it, so if you have a gift for it, give it all to him. First, did God create musical instruments? The oldest reference to music is at the creation of the world. God asked Job, concerning the earth: To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:6-7). Did anyone notice a musical instrument? Was there nothing to blow into, pound on, or strum?

What is the first mention of the use of musical instruments? Lamech, of the seed line of Cain, gave birth to Jubal, the father of all those who play the harp and the flute (Gen. 4:21). It would seem that mankind invented musical instruments rather than God.

What about Blev true main point, however? If a person has musical ability, should he use it in worship to God? Such a conclusion is not warranted. One can use musical talent in a secular way; it could only be used in worship if God authorizes it. Jubal true brother Jabal was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock (Gen. 4:20). Because he was talented in the care of livestock, should that somehow be incorporated into the worship? Their brother Tubal-Cain was an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron (4:22). He could probably have made idols with his talent; should those be worshiped in the church?

Some people possess a great talent for yodeling or whistling. Should they put their talents to use in worship, also? What about those who are expert dancers? Should they be whirling around during a worship assembly? After all, God gave them their talent. And don true forget the baton twirler? Surely, that true a gift not to be able to injure oneself or others especially if the ends are lit with fire. The reason people quit using this argument is that it tends toward absurdity. The question ought to be, Are we using our talents and abilities to worship as God has authorized us?

The Bible Mentions Musical Instruments

Musical instruments are mentioned several times in the New Testament, and Jesus and the apostles were well aware of their function. This is about like saying that Jesus and the apostles knew about seas, or cities, or fig trees. Of course, they did; so what? Knowledge concerning them does not equate to God true approval of using them in worship.

Blev took the time to look up every verse in the New Testament that mentions a musical instrument, beginning with Matthew 6:2, which talks about the hypocrites who sound a trumpet in the street to be honored by men, and ending with Revelation 15:2, where God gave the victorious harps. He found fifteen verses that mention musical instruments or music. He might have saved himself the trouble; Bible students know they are there. But what he did not find was:

1. Jesus singing with a musical instrument in worship.
2. The apostles singing with instruments in worship.
3. Any church in the New Testament singing with musical instruments.
4. Any implication that instruments should be used.

One of the verses cited was Luke 15:25, in which the older brother of the prodigal son returned to his house and heard music and dancing. Blev grew excited about the Greek word translated music, saying that we get symphony from the Greek word. He is correct, but none of the music is said to be in worship to God; it true just music. Besides, if it authorized instrumental music in worship (which it clearly does not), it would also authorize dancing. Does Blev want to make that claim, too?

Illogical Inference

Consider now this misuse of logic: Jesus and the apostles chose not to make an issue out of something so common, and they never once condemned instruments or called them sinful. First, Jesus and the apostles did not need to make an issue out of them because neither Jesus nor His followers used them in worship. They didn true make an issue out of not tithing, either, because the practice is not taught in the New Testament. Nor did they make an issue out of dancing because no one was trying to incorporate it into their worship.

Consider the practice this way. In the Old Testament, using musical instruments was authorized. 2 Chronicles 29:25 so states:

And he stationed the Levites in the house of the Lord with cymbals, with stringed instruments, and with harps, according to the commandment of David, of Gad the king true seer, and of Nathan the prophet; for thus was the commandment of the Lord by His prophets.

However, where is the command to use them in the New Testament? Obviously, they were not used. Since Jesus was in charge of His followers, and He never authorized their use, there was no issue over it. Nor did any reason exist to condemn their use. Had someone insisted on using them, a controversy might have arisen, but no one ever argued in their favor.

If Blev knew a little bit about church history from the first century onward, he would have known that no church (even corrupt churches) used musical instruments in worship (except for a brief, rare exception) for a thousand years. The Latin phrase, a cappella, means in the manner of the chapel or choir. The church did not use musical accompaniment, which is significant, since the Jews had used it at various times in their past. It would be better to say that, when it became obsolete, church members did not make an issue of it.

It's in Psalm 150

Sooner or later, proponents of instrumental music go to the Old Testament to try to justify it, and Blev is no exception; he cites Psalm 150. We have already mentioned the command in 2 Chronicles 29:25, but where is the command to use it in the New Testament?

In the first covenant God authorized certain things to be done in worship, but He provided a different system of worship in our covenant. As already stated, our covenant lacks a mention of instrumental music. It also lacks Levites, a separate priesthood, Urim and Thummim, linen ephods, a literal tabernacle or temple, the candlesticks, the ark of the covenant, burnt sacrifices, a grain offering, a peace offering, a guilt offering, or a sin offering. We do not have religious holidays like the Passover, the feast of the Harvest, and the Feast of the Ingathering. The two covenants differ in many ways with respect to worship; therefore, we do only what we are authorized to do in the New Testament of Jesus Christ.

So when Paul says sing in Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16, what makes some believe that he is excluding instruments? Blev wonders. The answer is that, uh, Paul said sing. He authorized singing. The words Paul used, at the time he wrote them, did not include the use of musical instruments. What reason would Christians have not to take him at his word? When Jesus said, Take, eat, this is my body, why would anyone assume they could add jelly or peanut butter to the unleavened bread? Sing does not mean play an instrument.

It true in Heaven

Many make the argument that Revelation 5:8; 14:2, and 15:2 mention harps in heaven. First, Revelation 5:8 also mentions incense; would that authorize incense in our worship. Second, ought we to understand that these are literal instead of symbolic? Blev acknowledges they might be figurative, but then he asks why would God give John a revelation involving instruments of music if instruments were an abomination to him [sic]? He already answered the question. Figuratively, they represent something such as loudness, harmony, etc.

Interestingly, he cites Matthew 6:10 and then insists: If God true will is to be done here on Earth as it is in heaven, then it would be a sin not to have instrumental music here (since it is there). He also cites Revelation 22:18-19 that contains the warning not to take away anything in the Book of Revelation. No one has taken anything away from Revelation. Did the angel John dealt with throughout the book instruct him on the proper way to worship on Earth? No. John already knew what Jesus expected in the way of worship here. He had been teaching it for years, and it did not include using musical accompaniment in worship to God.

God true will does include worship, but it refers to so much more. God has certain expectations concerning the character of His people. He expects them to be holy, righteous, and obedient. The revelation was given to John not as a pattern for New Testament worship but to encourage the saints to remain faithful through persecution, even unto death. If it had been given as a pattern for proper worship, it came 65 years after Jesus ascended into heaven (from AD 29 or 30 to AD 95-96). Imagine! All that time the church did without instrumental music because God didn true give it to them until later. Who can believe it?

Blev inappropriately closes with Isaiah 38:20: The Lord was ready to save me; therefore we will sing my songs with stringed instruments all the days of our life, in the house of the Lord. Why is it inappropriate? The context is that of Hezekiah recovering from an illness that was supposed to bring about his death (v. 9). God spared his life another 15 years. The house of the Lord does not refer here to heaven but the earthly temple, which had been built by Solomon. These instruments were authorized under this covenant. Does Blev really think this verse applies to him? Has he been told he would die and then spared 15 years? Does he actually think there will be stringed instruments in heaven and that God will give him and his guitar an audience? People should read the Scriptures for what they say and authorize instead of fancifully taking them out of context to that which they could never apply.