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 Bro.
Turner:
Please
give a simple direct answer for why churches of Christ do not
use mechanical instruments of music when they worship. Give
scriptures.
Reply:
Brethren
who are content to do Bible things in Bible ways do not use
mechanical instruments of music in worship because the New
Testament gives no authority for such. Passages which relate
to the subject are: Acts 16:25, Rom. 15:9, 1 Cor. 14:15, Eph.
5:19, Col. 3:16, Heb. 2:12 and Jas. 5:13. By no means do all of
these bear directly on public worship; but all of them authorize
singing, none of them authorize playing an
instrument. The piano is not a subordinate to singing (as
glasses to seeing), but is a tool for playing, a type of
music unauthorized. It is not, therefore, expedient.
Matt.
26:30 and Mk. 14:26, although teaching singing, are not
given above because they refer to a time before the church was
established. The Apocalypse uses “harps of God” in its
figurative language (Rev. 15:2; Cf. 5:8-9, 14:2). There are
white robes, incense burners and candlesticks in the apocalypse
— even the temple with the ark of God’s covenant — but
these things do not belong in N.T. church worship. The “simple
direct” scriptural reason for our singing, and not playing, is
that the scriptures relating to the subject authorize singing,
and do not authorize playing instrumental music. For exactly the
same reason, i.e., no authority, we do not sprinkle water
(baptize?) infants. Scriptures authorize the burial (Rom. 6:4)
of a believer (Mk. 16:16). They do not say we must NOT
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sprinkle water upon unbelievers; but we
respect God’s silence. The scriptures do not expressly FORBID
a third or different element in the Lord’s supper; but they
only authorize bread and fruit of the vine. Isn’t that clear
enough?
Some
try to find the mechanical instrument in psallo, a word used in
Eph. 5:19 --- “making melody in your heart.”
The word once meant to pluck or twang, and was used in the O.T.
in connection with playing the harp. But here the instrument is
the heart, and the parallel passage (Col. 3:16) has “singing
with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” The “pluck or twang”
is metaphorical. Others say psalms were sung with an instrument
in O.T. times, so we must use an instrument to sing psalms
today. With such reasoning we would have to reinstate all
accompaniments of O.T. worship. If psallo includes an instrument
we would have no choice — all would have to play.
Historically,
instruments of music were brought into church worship by an
apostate church. Many protestant reformers took them out, only
to have them returned when the reform spirit was less active.
Churches of the “restoration” faced the problem when the “progressive”
elements (who had accepted missionary societies without Bible
authority) brought the piano in by the same opening.
Today
the digressive spirit that argues “no pattern or authority
necessary” for institutions and the social gospel need not be
surprised if the piano uses that same open door.
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