Northwest Church Of Christ
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Leaders/Staff >
      • Elders
      • Deacons
      • Preachers
      • Office Staff
    • Calendars >
      • 2022 At A Glance
      • Daily Events
    • Contact Us
  • Media
    • Livestream Videos >
      • Our Facebook Page
      • Our YouTube Channel
    • Picture Gallery
    • Sermons & Other Lessons
    • Video Gallery
  • Ministries
    • Bible School
    • Care Groups
    • College Age/Young Adults
    • Community Link
    • Men's Ministry
    • Prayer Warriors
    • Women's Ministry
    • Youth & Family
    • 39ers
  • Missions
    • Apologetics Press
    • Brown Trail School Of Preaching
    • Heiner Montealto, Costa Rica
    • Home Of Recovery & Restoration
    • Komarolu School Of Preaching, India
    • Mission Printing
    • Northwest Mission Trips
    • Sahiwal Bible College, Pakistan
    • Spencer Ross, World Bible Institute
    • The Jenkins Institute
    • World Bible School
    • World Video Bible School
  • Preacher's Pages
    • Robert's Blog
    • Robert's Writings
    • Robert's Wednesday Morning Blessings
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Northwest Church App
    • Online Giving
    • Online Member Directory

Helping Others Towards Heaven

Does God Want Musical Instruments In The Worship Of The Church?

1/15/2019

2 Comments

 
Picture
​Most denominations that profess Christianity have used and continue to use musical instruments in their worship. Today, more and more churches of Christ are joining them in that practice. Many don’t think it matters to God and others think it’s what God wants. So, here are a couple of thoughts that I have found in the Scriptures for us to consider.

First, I could just leave the rest of this page blank because God doesn’t say anything about the church worshipping God with musical instruments. They were used to worship God in the Old Testament, especially after King David introduced them into the worship at the Temple. The Revelation compares the worship of God in heaven to the beautiful sound of musical instruments. But there is no mention of musical instruments ever being used in the church of Christ you read about in the Bible, even though they were taught to observe all things Christ commanded (Mat. 28:19).
 
Some argue that Paul’s command concerning “psalms” and “making melody” in Ephesians 5:19, includes the use of musical instruments in our worship to God. If so, then would we not all be required to play an instrument just as we are all required to sing? But how did Paul command us to use psalms? He did not say to play them on an instrument but “speak to one another”, “singing”. And how did Paul command us to make melody? He did not say to use the harp or some other musical instrument but “the heart”. It is the heart that Paul commanded to accompany our worship in song.
 
Second, we do not respect God’s holiness, nor do we glorify Him when we act presumptuously; that is, on our own without authority from Him. This is the lesson of Leviticus 10:1-3, in the event of Nadab and Abihu. They approached God with “profane fire…which He had not commanded them”. As a result, they were killed by fire from God. If God was not pleased with Nadab and Abihu, how must He feel when we offer profane music which He has not commanded us?
 
God seeks true worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). May we be those worshippers.
2 Comments
Thomas Walker
1/25/2020 11:38:57 am

I wonder if Christians are to limit their corporate worship and musical teaching to acapella Psalms Hymns and Spiritual songs with a melody from/on the strings of the heart.

Would it be biblical for whatever reason to broadly restrict all expressions of PRAISE to only voice expressions without use of any accompanying instrumentation ever?

What rationale could be put forth to restrict this wholesale prohibition?

Would it be wrong to ever play any music glorifying God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit or Biblical truth even in one's home outside the "official assembly" of the saints?

If Jesus could command inanimate stones to give praise would this be a violation of the church age prohibition for only vocal praise?
Does God still enable inanimate physical bodies of our present cosmos to give acceptable praise as in the Psalms? HOW is this acceptable yet a believer bringing into submission the "voicing" of a physical instrument to give PRAISE is not?
Or is the restriction that it is accompanying the vocal the problem?
Or is it the content to be restricted to only Psalms, Hymns and spiritual songs for the end of teaching and consulting with wisdom?
This was the, what seemed to me, hypocritical engagement of my fellow believers in many kinds of secular music but prohibition of any with spiritual or religious words.
I had real problems with this dichotomy for Christian choice in music.

How do you reason this out in your mind, experience and doctrine?

Reply
Robert Dodson link
2/3/2020 02:17:00 pm

Our worship to God, as all we do in doctrine and practice, must be done by His authority. This authority is derived from the new covenant of Christ. The only kind of music authorized is the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. To go beyond this is to act presumptuously without a word from God. If God wants to enable inanimate physical bodies to praise Him that is His business, but we must follow His commandments. It is not hypocritical to use musical instruments for good entertainment, but we have no authority to use them to worship God any more than we have authority to worship God with the pots and pans we use to cook. Just because we use common things at home in many common ways does not mean they are authorized to be used in worship to God at home or in church. For more information concerning this, please go to my article “Why Does The Church Of Christ Not Use Mechanical Instruments Of Music In Worship?” at https://www.northwestcofc.org/why-does-the-church-of-christ-not-use-mechanical-instruments-of-music-in-worship.html.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Author

    Robert Dodson is the Preaching Minister for the Northwest Church of Christ.

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    March 2022
    February 2022
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017

    Categories

    All
    Abortion
    Addiction
    Adultery
    Anger
    Assurance Of Salvation
    Atheism
    Attitude
    Baptism
    Becoming A Christian
    Believe
    Bible
    Bible School
    Blessings
    Body Of Christ
    Calling On The Lord
    Challenges
    Christ
    Christian
    Christian Living
    Christians & The Government
    Christmas
    Christ's Coming
    Christ's Love
    Christ's Sacrifice
    Christ's Sufferings
    Church
    Church Attendance
    Communion
    Compassion
    Condemnation
    Contentment
    Coronavirus
    Creation
    Cremation
    Dads
    Deception
    Deliverance
    Denominationalism
    Depression
    Despair
    Disappointment
    Discipleship
    Divorce
    Easter
    End Of The World
    End Times
    Evangelism
    Faith
    Faith Only
    Family
    Fathers
    Fear
    Fellowship
    Forgiveness
    Forsaking The Assembly
    Freedom
    Future
    Gambling
    Giving
    Glorify God
    God
    God's Comfort
    God's Cure
    God's Faithfulness
    God's Goodness
    God's Guidance
    God's House
    God's Love
    God's Will For My Life
    Grace
    Happiness
    Heart
    Holding Grudges
    Hope
    Humanity
    Humility
    Hypocrisy
    Image Of God
    Jesus' Birth
    Joy
    Judgment
    Knowledge
    Life
    Lion Of Judah
    Losing A Loved One
    Lost Souls
    Love
    Marriage
    Mothers
    Music
    Obedience
    Offenses
    Our Purpose Of Existence
    Parenting
    Peace
    Persecution
    Placing Membership
    Prayer
    Pride
    Priorities
    Promises Of God
    Psalms 131
    Race
    Real Christianity
    Reconciliation
    Relationships
    Rest
    Resurrection Of Jesus
    Romans 7
    Saints
    Salvation
    Sanctified
    Scared
    Sexuality
    Signs Of Christ's Coming
    Sin
    Sinner's Prayer
    Spiritual Growth
    Spiritual Health
    Submission
    Suffering
    Suicide
    Temptation
    Thankful For Northwest
    Thanksgiving
    The Blood Of Christ
    The Church Of Christ
    The Existence Of God
    The Family Of God
    The Future
    The Holy Spirit
    The Inspiration Of The Bible
    The Lord's Day
    The Lord's Prayer
    The Lord's Supper
    The New Year
    The Pope
    The Problem Of Suffering
    The Prosperity Of The Wicked
    Trial
    Troublesome Times
    Trust
    Truth
    Unity
    Victory
    What God Requires
    Wisdom
    Works
    Worry
    Worship

Northwest
​church of christ

6059 Azle Avenue
Fort Worth, TX 76135
​817-237-1205
northwest.cofchrist@gmail.com
​northwestcofc.org
Contact Us

schedule Of services​

​
​Sunday

Bible Class...9:00 a.m.
Worship...10:00 a.m.
(5th Sundays - Luncheon)
Worship...1:00 p.m.

Wednesday
Ladies Bible Class...10:30 a.m
​(Except June-August)
​Bible Class...7:00 p.m.
(5th Wednesdays - Singing)
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Who We Are
    • Leaders/Staff >
      • Elders
      • Deacons
      • Preachers
      • Office Staff
    • Calendars >
      • 2022 At A Glance
      • Daily Events
    • Contact Us
  • Media
    • Livestream Videos >
      • Our Facebook Page
      • Our YouTube Channel
    • Picture Gallery
    • Sermons & Other Lessons
    • Video Gallery
  • Ministries
    • Bible School
    • Care Groups
    • College Age/Young Adults
    • Community Link
    • Men's Ministry
    • Prayer Warriors
    • Women's Ministry
    • Youth & Family
    • 39ers
  • Missions
    • Apologetics Press
    • Brown Trail School Of Preaching
    • Heiner Montealto, Costa Rica
    • Home Of Recovery & Restoration
    • Komarolu School Of Preaching, India
    • Mission Printing
    • Northwest Mission Trips
    • Sahiwal Bible College, Pakistan
    • Spencer Ross, World Bible Institute
    • The Jenkins Institute
    • World Bible School
    • World Video Bible School
  • Preacher's Pages
    • Robert's Blog
    • Robert's Writings
    • Robert's Wednesday Morning Blessings
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Northwest Church App
    • Online Giving
    • Online Member Directory