AND RESPECTING THE SOUND OF SILENCE IN SCRIPTURE
A. Singing in the church praises God. Hb 2:12.
B. Singing helps the spirit be merry. Js 5:13.
C. Singing glorifies God among the world. Rm 15:9.
D. Singing teaches and admonishes one another. Co 3:16.
E. Singing speaks to the Lord and to one another. Ep 5:19.
F. Singing can be done with the spirit and the understanding. 1Cr 14:15.
G. Singing helps turn trouble into triumph. Ac 16:25.
A. Christ established His church on earth and His authority set the rules for
public worship to God. Ac 16:5. Mt 28:18-20. Jn 4:24. Singing was part of
that worship of the faithful, but playing mechanical instruments was not. 1Cr 14:
15. Co 2:5-8.
B. This authority of Christ bound today on all is the new testament. 1Cr 9:21.
Hb 1:1-2. Hb 9:16-17. It surpassed the old covenant ordinances that had been
bound only on the Jews. Ep 2:11-12. Co 2:14. (From Adam until Christ, non-
Jews were under God’s original general law (patriarchal), Gn 4:7; 1Jn 3:4; Gn
20:3; Rm 2:14,26; Hb 1:1; Ps 96:1-10.) The worship of the Jews was under
that now “done away” old law (2Cr 3:11), which law made the Gentiles
“aliens,” Ep 2:12. Then Christ died on the cross for Jews and Gentiles, “that
He might reconcile both unto God in one body,” Ep 2:15-16. Now, former
Jews and Gentiles, who are “in Christ Jesus”, can sing with “one mind and
one mouth”, Ep 2:13; Rm 15:6-9.
C. The gospel of Christ is now the worldwide standard for acceptable
worship. Rm 1:16; 12:1-2; Co 1:5. Hb 11:6. Not old covenant Jewish
ordinances, Hb 10:9-10. Not traditions of men, Mk 7:5-9. Not opinions, Mt 16:
14. Not majority rule, Ex 23:2. Not good speeches, Rm 16:18. 1 Jn 3:18. Not
dreamers and visionaries, 1Cr 14:37. Not false brethren, 2Cr 11:26. And not
gospel perverting troublemakers, Ga 1:6-9. It is His church, and Christ is the
standard for the music God desires.
D. Example of Christ’s apostles and Christians in the first century was pure
vocal (a cappella) singing. Mt 26:30. Ac 2:41-42. Hb 2:12. Mechanical man-
made instruments were never played in the early church.
E. The command to sing (Ep 5:19), supported by the command to “speak as
the oracles of God” (1Pt 4:11), and by the command “not to think (of men)
above that which is written” (1Cr 4:6), and the command to reject “will worship”
(Co 2:23), and the command against “add unto” or “take away from” (Rv 22:
18-19) – all these commands forbid the playing of mechanical instruments in
worship to God, by precept and by silence.
F. If instrument playing were allowed, on what basis could worshippers of all
nations and manners then agree? 2Cr 6:16. Since John 4:24 forbids worship
music that is not “in spirit and in truth,” all people everywhere do agree that
the music of God-given vocal cords – singing – is sacred. Pi 3:15-19.
G. When the congregation sings all together, the singing of each one
prevents the puffing up of any one. 1Cr 4:6. 2Cr 4:5. This is God’s powerful
and simple wisdom at work. Ep 3:8-12. Many acts involve using talents, but
that does not make them acceptable acts of worship. Gn 4:112. Mt 15:7-9. Rm
12:1-2. Worship helps man best by putting Christ first. Mt 6:33. Rm 10:17. Ep
5:17. Co 1:18.
A. Psalm 150:1-6. “ . . . Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him
with the psaltery and harp . . . . with the stringed instruments and organs . . “
Whenever reading the Bible, the student needs to know which way is the
cross. The Psalms were given before the cross, under the old covenant law.
Therefore (as explained in section II above), Psalm 150 is not the reigning
authority for worship in the church today.
B. Furthermore, the old testament has a prophet rebuking the instrumental
music excesses of some lazy Israelites. In Amos 6:5, the prophet pronounces
a “woe” (trouble) to them, “That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to
themselves instruments of musick like David.” Just because an action is
recorded in the Bible, does not necessarily mean that it is right.
C. Revelation 5:8. “ . . . the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them harps . . . “ Some try to justify
instruments in worship by pointing to “the harps in heaven.” As stated in Rv 1:
1, God revealed many visions and signs to the apostle John, which John wrote
in this book of Apocalypse. This vision was round about a throne “set in
heaven,” where those having harps and vials sang a new song, Rv. 4:2; 5:8-
9. The church on earth does not get its pattern for worship from this
apocalyptic vision “set in heaven.”
D. Revelation 14:2-3. “ . . . and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their
harps.” This again was a heavenly vision, in which the voice and song heard
were “from heaven” and “before the throne.” The subject is not about how
Christians should worship in the church.
E. Revelation 15:1-3. “ . . . and I saw . . . them that had gotten the victory
over the beast . . . having the harps of God.” Verse one starts by saying, “And
I saw another sign in heaven . . . “ First, this was not a worship instruction for
the church. Second, it was a “sign” – meaning it was a symbol for some
meaning, in this case the assurance that good overcomes evil. This was and
is the message to the members of the church.
F. This book of Revelation written by John included visions of “things which
thou hast seen,” and “things which are,” and also “things which shall be
hereafter,” Rv 1:19. The book of Revelation often uses figurative speech to
convey a lofty and concealed message of encouragement to persecuted
Christians. Revelation reminds Christians that time and history belong not to
man, but to God. Music in the church was not being addressed.
G. Revelation 18:22. “And the voice of harpers, and musicians, and of
pipers, and trumpeters, shall be heard no more at all in thee . . . “ In cities
and towns all across the world, musical instruments have always played,
which is usual. Here in Rv. 18:22-24, it is saying that the usual sounds of the
city’s pomp and ceremony will be heard no more at all. This vision concerns
the ultimate judgment and fall of the high and mighty rebels, such as the city of
Babylon. It does not concern worship in the church of Christ.
A. God commands His people to sing. 1 Jn 5:3 (“commandments”).
B. The Bible example of Christians is to sing. 1 Tm 4:12 (“example”).
C. By precept, offering instrumental music in church worship, is a “strange
fire” (Lv 10:1-5) that is forbidden. Ps 119:104 (“precepts”). Worship must be
acceptable to God. Hb 12:28-29.
D. There is no authority in scripture to bind or to permit the playing of
mechanical instruments in worship of God today. Unlike songbooks for
singing, it is not an aid, but an “add.”
E. We are commanded to not think above what God has written. 1 Cr. 4:6.
F. Burden of proof is on those who play instruments in worship, not on those
who sing.
G. Worship is not for feeding man's vainglory, but for glorifying God, and
saving souls, through Christ.