Instrumental music in church?
Next issue addressed in Ayuda Pastoral:
What biblical principles deal with the
use of instrumental music in worship?
Dealing with
the following questions helps to answer this:
1. What
was the most important part of New Testament worship?
Probably the
form of 1st century Christian worship was similar to that of the
synagogue. James even uses "synagogue"
to describe the meeting place of Christians (Jas 2:2).
Such worship was directed to the Lord with particular emphasis upon his
Word. Jesus was “teaching in their
synagogues…” (Luke 4:15-30) and Paul wrote to Timothy: “devote yourself to the public reading of
Scripture, to preaching and to
teaching” (1 Tim 4: 13 cf Col 4:15-16).
2. How
did the first Christians sing?
The early
Christians would have sung Psalms and probably some Christian hymns: “speaking to one another with psalms,
hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart …” (Eph 5:19 cf 1 Cor 14:26; Col 3:16-17). It is unlikely that they would have used formal
musical accompaniment in the synagogue or in the church. After the first Lord’s Supper, Christ and the disciples would have sung
unaccompanied (Matt 26:30 cf
Acts 16:25).
3. What
does the Holy Spirit use to influence the worshippers?
Since worship
and singing were centred on the Word,
the wills and emotions of the first Christians were influenced by their
understanding of that Word: “...I will
sing with my spirit, but I will also
sing with my understanding” (1 Cor
14:15). The Spirit moves in union with
the Word (Acts 2:37;
10:44).
4. What
use is instrumental music in worship?
From
answering the previous questions we can say that Christian praise is a poetical
expression using mainly God´s words and sung in worship to him. Similarly Jesus says God’s worshippers must
“worship in the Spirit and in truth”
(John 4:23 cf 2:42).
So, if present, instrumental music should not draw attention
to itself but rather serve this aim.
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