Why Don’t You Play Music? 9-27-26 AM

I.            A brief history.

a.      When you go back in the history of the church you can read arguments against the use of instruments in worship.

          i.      We don’t read of any use of them but we do read of argumentation against them.

          ii.      The basic argument used by John Chrysostom, and this was in the late 4th to early 5th centuries, is that Old Testament worship is contrasted with Christian vocal praise.

          iii.      In other words, it was fine in the Old Testament but now in the New Testament the voice only was to be used.

b.     You have to go another two centuries before you find some hint at it trying to be introduced into Roman Catholic worship.

         i.      There is some hint that a pope named Vitalian tried to enter an organ into use in worship during his reign, which was from 657-672 AD.

         ii.      There is some pushback in certain Catholic writings about this though.

c.     However, beginning in the late 800’s the organ began to be used and became very widespread in use after the 1100’s.

d.     One of the issues of the Protestant Reformation, which began in the late 1500’s, was the use of instruments in worship.

          i.      Luther started out against them, but came to believe that if the New Testament does not specifically condemn it, it can be used.

          ii.      John Calvin, however, strongly opposed them.

          iii.      The Reformed churches that descended from Calvin, such as the Presbyterians, remained instrument free for a number of years.

          iv.      It was not until mid-1800’s that organ came into prominent use in this religion.

e.      Early Baptist churches did not use the instrument for some time.

           i.      Charles Spurgeon was one of the greatest Baptist preachers ever, and he refused to allow instruments into his congregation in London.

           ii.      In the US, instruments began to be used in the late 1700’s to early 1800’s.

f.        It is said that when John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, was asked about their use he answered, “I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither seen nor heard.”

           i.      There is some debate now about whether he said that or not.

           ii.      Methodist historical records record at least three organs in Methodist chapels during the lifetime of Wesley.

           iii.      It was not until much later in the 1800’s that they became common in Methodist churches.

g.      When it comes to churches of Christ, there is great documentation that there was absolutely no use of instruments of music in the beginning of the restoration movement here in the US.

           i.      Alexander Campbell said that to spiritually minded Christians, instruments would be as a cowbell in a concert.

           ii.      Nearly all of the early preachers in restoration history staunchly opposed such.

h.      The first use of an instrument is believed to have been in Midway, KY.

           i.      The singing there was reported to be terrible.

           ii.      The preacher, L.L. Pinkerton stated that the singing was bad enough to “scare even the rats away.”

           iii.      The congregation began to meet on Saturday evenings to practice their singing and a melodeon, basically a small piano, was brought in to help establish pitch.

           iv.      Someone began to play the melodeon as the song was being sung.

           v.      Apparently, some of the members liked the help it gave their sound that they asked the preacher if they could use it on Sundays.

           vi.      Pinkerton agreed to it and the next Lord’s Day it was used.

i.        After this, other congregations started using it and it became very divisive in the church.

           i.      Along with the Civil War and the church’s response to that, instrumental music became a dividing line between brethren.

           ii.      What took place was a great divide, with a lot of bitterness.

           iii.      There were congregational divisions, fights over property, and a lot of personal conflict.

           iv.      Eventually, the two sides split into two sides: the church of Christ were the non-instrumental music congregations and the Christian Church/Disciples of Christ were the instrumental music congregations.

           v.      This split was officially recognized in the 1906 US Census.

           vi.      The Disciples of Christ had 8,293 buildings and almost a million members.

           vii.      The churches of Christ had 2,649 buildings and about 160,000 members.

j.        So that is a brief history of the use of instrumental music in worship to God after the beginning of the New Testament church in the 1st century.

II.            Numerous arguments for the use of instruments.

a.      When those who propose the use of instruments talk with us they have several arguments for their use.

b.      One is that it is a natural talent and so it ought to be dedicated to God.

           i.      Some have the talent of singing, while others have the talent of playing an instrument, and since God gives both abilities, we should be able to use both in worship to God.

           ii.      If this were true, that natural abilities should be used in worship, how can we limit it to just playing instruments of music?

           iii.      Anything that involves the natural senses should be allowed then.

           iv.      God hasn’t given a religion to use that is based on natural senses.

           v.      Paul said “singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,” not “be natural and do what your senses allow you to do.”

           vi.      We are told that we walk by faith, not by sight, or anything else natural.

c.       Some say that since we can have instruments on the home, we should be able to have them in the church.

           i.      The argument against instruments of music not being allowable in worship has never been on any basis of instruments, in and of themselves, being sinful.

           ii.      There is nothing inherently sinful in any musical instrument.

           iii.      There are things in our home that we would never have in worship.

           iv.      We have meat in our meals at home but we would never put that on the Lord’s table.

           v.      It needs to be pointed out that if we were to meet in our homes for worship, as they did in the 1st century, it would be just as wrong to use instruments there as it would be in the church building.

           vi.      It is the worship that matters, not the place of worship.

d.      A big one is that there is supposed to be instruments in heaven so we should be able to have them on earth.

           i.      This argument comes from some verses in the book of Revelation (Rev. 5:8; 14:2).

           ii.      We need to remember that the book of Revelation is a book of symbols or signs.

           iii.      We also need to remember that heaven is a spiritual place and physical things are not in heaven.

           iv.      When it comes to 14:2, G.K. Wallace made a great observation that I want to share with you.

           v.      What John heard was “as the voice of a great thunder,” “as the voice of many waters, and “as harpers harping with their harps.”

           vi.      There is a great difference between saying a thing “is” and saying it was “as.”

           vii.      What this means is that this passage is nothing more than a comparison.

           viii.      The volume of the 144,000 singers was as great thunder, the rhythm was as many waters, and the melody was as harpers harping with their harps.

e.      Another big argument is that there was use of instruments in Old Testament worship.

           i.      This is a true statement.

           ii.      There were also a lot of other things in Old Testament worship.

           iii.      Lamps burning, incense burning, animals burning.

           iv.      Are we going to allow any of those things in our worship?

           v.      Another thing to remember is that because something is found in the Old Testament but not condemned in the New still doesn’t make it acceptable.

           vi.      There is no passage in the New that says we should not burn incense, but we don’t do it.

           vii.      If silence authorizes the practice, then everything in the Old Testament that isn’t specifically condemned is to be allowed.

f.        Some say that instrumental music is an aid and compare it to using a walking cane to help walk or glasses to help see.

           i.      Think about it like this: writing and typing are co-ordinate – two ways of printing words on paper.

           ii.      Instrumental music and singing are co-ordinate – two types of music.

           iii.      A song book is not co-ordinate to singing.

           iv.      A pen is not co-ordinate to writing.

           v.      The song book has the same relationship to singing that a pen has to writing.

           vi.      When you use an instrument in worship you are doing another thing than sing, not the same thing.

           vii.      A man singing uses a song book with notes to aid him.

           viii.      One who plays an instrument uses a song book as well, the same aid.

           ix.      So an aid aids the aid in this argument.

           x.      The instrument is not aid, it is an addition.

           xi.      It is not like a pen or paper, which are aids to writing.

           xii.      It is not like a computer or typewriter which are aids to typing.

g.      Some say that there is no law against instrumental music so it can’t be a sin because sin is transgression of the law.

           i.      That definitely is the definition of sin (1 John 3:4).

           ii.      The idea is that since there is not a “thou shalt not,” then it is okay to use it.

           iii.      Listen to 1 Cor. 4:6 and 2 John 9.

           iv.      There is a law on how to praise God (Eph. 5:19).

           v.      To go beyond that law is transgression, which means instrumental music in worship is sinful.
III.            The use of “psallo” as means to authorize instrumental music in worship.

a.      The word translated “making melody” is from the Greek word “psallo.”

            i.      A form of this word is used five times in the New Testament.

            ii.      It is found twice in 1 Cor. 14:15 and is translated sing.

            iii.      It is found in Rom. 15:9 and is translated sing.

            iv.      It is found in James 5:13 and is translated sing.

b.      This word is interesting because it changed meaning through the years in the Greek language.

            i.      The basic meaning of the word has to do with plucking or twanging.

            ii.      It referred to plucking or twanging a beard or hair, a carpenter’s chalk line, a bowstring, or the strings of an instrument.

           iii.      As you can tell, in order to “psallo” something, there has to be something to pluck.

c.       For instance, an archer would pluck the string of his bow to shoot an arrow.

           i.      You can say the archer psalloed his bow.

           ii.      He had to have a bow to pluck though.

d.      A man building a house or building would pluck the carpenter’s line to make a chalk mark.

           i.      You can say the builder psalloed his carpenter’s line.

           ii.      He had to have a line to pluck though.

e.      A musician would pluck the cords of a musical instrument.

           i.      You can say the musician psalloed his instrument.

           ii.      He had to have an instrument to pluck though.

f.        You might be wondering why I’m giving these illustrations.

g.      The reason for this is that he verb “psallo,” to pluck, like any other verb, has to have an object.

           i.      What is the object in Eph. 5:19?

           ii.      There is no musical instrument mentioned.

           iii.      The heart, though, is mentioned.

h.      Paul is using this in a figurative way – to pluck the strings of the heart.

           i.      Paul is saying that when a Christian sings, he or she is psalloing the heart.

           ii.      The Christian is simply making melody in the heart.

i.        The Greek word “baptidzo” means to dip, plunge, or immerse.

           i.      You can dip someone in a lot of things can’t you.

           ii.      The Bible says to dip, plunge, or immerse in water.

           iii.      The element is named.

j.        Same with the word “psallo” – the heart is the element that is to be plucked or twanged.

k.      Our hearts are to be part of our worship in song – it is not just merely chanting words to a melody.

(Some material came from a sermon by G. K. Wallace)