The Sin Of Using The Wrong Instrument

Roelf L. Ruffner
Many sincere people think it is permissible with God to worship Him any way they please. They forget the foundation of Christian worship is the word of God. "God is a spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (Jn. 4:24).
  1. Worship must be directed to the right object — not the sun, moon, dead saints, the virgin Mary or ourselves, but God. "Thus saith God the Lord, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein." (Isa. 42:5).

  2. Worship must be in the right attitude — sincere, with respect and awe of God and our fellowship with Him. "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord." (Josh. 24:14).

  3. Worship must be offered in the right way — not what I think is appropriate or according to our tradition, but how God commands. There is such a thing as absolute truth to guide us. "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." (Jn. 17:17).
Over the past generation what passes for Christian worship in this country has changed dramatically. It is not only organs or pianos but performing stages, bands, theatrical lighting and expensive sound systems. Most of this perverted worship is based on entertainment with emotional songs and solos. "And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, til the blood gushed out upon them. And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded." (1 Ki. 18:28-29). These were the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel before Elijah.

Quite simply Christians should not use mechanical instruments of music in praise or worship of God. It is a sin (Col. 3:17; Rom. 14:23). But why may we call such a sin? Why is it a sin to use the wrong instrument to worship God?


Because It Is Not A Command Of God

We often forget who we are attempting to worship — Jehovah (Heb. 12:28-29). As such, there is not one verse in God's word which commands Christians to use mechanical instruments of music in worship of God. Some might consider this a bold statement since the Old Testament has many examples of people worshipping God with musical instruments. But they forget that they are referring to the Old Testament, not the New Testament. The Old Testament, or covenant, is not binding upon anyone today. It has been nailed to the cross (Col. 2:14). Those under the Old Covenant also offered animal sacrifices, kept the Sabbath, kept strict dietary laws, circumcised their male children, etc. To be consistent we must keep all of the Old Covenant not just part of it (James 2:10).

Because there is no command from God in this matter, those who use a mechanical instrument of music in worship do not have God's permission to do so... do not go beyond what is written (ASV, 1 Cor. 4:16). In the Old Testament we read where two priests did exactly that. Nadab and Abihu, "offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." (Lev. 10:1,2).

In the Bible there are two kinds of commands — generic and specific. By generic we mean universal, general; with liberty. Jesus Christ gave a generic command to His disciples. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matt. 28:19,20). In this Great Commission Jesus commands them to go but he doesn't say how. I can go by walking, flying, swimming, etc. He also commands us to teach. Again this is a generic command. I can teach from a pulpit, over the internet, in the newspaper, etc. But He also specifically commanded them — and us — to baptize. In the New Testament the mode of baptism is always to dip, plunge or immerse (Col. 2:12).

Likewise in the New Testament the command to sing in worship is always specific (cf. Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19). By its very nature this command excludes mechanical instruments of music. The New Testament does not authorize playing, humming or yodeling, only singing.


Because There Is No Approved Example Of Its Use In The New Testament

There is no example of the New Testament church using mechanical instruments of music in worship. The silence in this area is deafening! Yet some turn to the book of Revelation where harps are mentioned in Heaven, (Rev. 14:1-3), for example. But this book uses very symbolic, figurative language. In this passage the apostle John speaks of Jesus as the Lamb and 144,000 virgins in Heaven. If we acknowledge that these terms are figurative, why not harps? Besides, Heaven is a spiritual place with spiritual beings. Why would a spiritual being use a physical instrument such as a harp?

Yet some use the silence of the Scriptures as their authority for using the instrument in worship, or the old "the-Bible-doesn't-say- I-cant-use-it" argument. But God didn't tell Noah not to use pine wood in the ark he built. Yet Jehovah specifically commanded the use of gopher wood (Gen. 9:14). God did not say we could not use coke and pizza as emblems in the Lord's Supper. But the New Testament church used unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. Likewise the Bible does say we are to sing (Col. 3:16) in worship.

When we have an approved example to follow in the New Testament we are standing on solid ground — the word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). "Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." (2 Thess. 2:15).


Because The Bible Does Not Infer Its Use

Inference means to conclude from something known or assumed. In ascertaining the will of God inference is correctly reasoning in regard to what God has said. What the Bible teaches it teaches either explicitly or by inference/implication.

Inference is a proper way to find Biblical authority for what we do. For example, God commanded the ancient Israelites to march around the city of Jericho each day for seven days, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, along with seven priests bearing seven rams horns. On the seventh day they were to go around the city seven times. When the priest gave a blast on the rams horns then the people were to shout and the walls of the city would fall down (Josh. 6:1-5). Joshua, the leader, correctly inferred from God's command that the people were to keep quiet until the command to shout was given (Josh. 6:10). God did not explicitly command it but He did infer it.

Did Saul of Tarsus repent of his sins in order to become a Christian? The Bible does not say directly. But we can infer that he did.
  1. No person can become a Christian without repenting of sins (Acts 17:30).

  2. Saul became a Christian.

  3. So in becoming a Christian Saul repented of his sins. "And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord." (Acts 22:16).
Every place in the New Testament where the church worshipped in song, instruments are not found. Some might falsely infer, "They couldn't afford it." While many congregations in that day were poor, others such as the ones at Corinth and Laodecia (Rev. 3:20) were not, and so could have afforded musical instruments.

Another false inference might be, "No other religion of the day used them." But they did. Ancient Judaism used musical instruments in the temple in Jerusalem, but not in their synagogues. Pagan worship was filled with drums, cymbals, flutes, dulcimers, horns, lyres, tambourines, bagpipes, harps, etc.

Yet guided by the Holy Spirit, the early church understood that they had no authority from God to use mechanical instruments of music in worship. "And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." (Col. 3:17).

In religion one can infer the wrong thing and so be spiritually lost. In Second Kings 5, the Syrian leper Naaman heard he would be healed by the prophet Elijah. When Elijah told him to go and dip in the Jordan River seven times to be healed he was offended. He incorrectly inferred from Elijah's command that He could go home and wash in rivers there and be healed. His servants changed his mind and he did what Elijah commanded and was healed.

Another example is found in Acts 19. There the apostle Paul found 12 followers of John the Baptizer in the city of Ephesus who had falsely concluded they had been saved since they had been baptized in John's baptism. Paul taught them correctly and had them baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:4-5).


Because It Is An Addition To Worship

God has always cared how He is worshipped. In Second Kings 16 King Ahaz of Judah moved the bronze altar of sacrifice from Jehovah's temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon and added a replica of a pagan, Assyrian altar. He died out of fellowship with Jehovah (2 Ki. 16:2).

A mechanical instrument of music is not an aid to Christian worship but an unauthorized addition. Some object by saying that it is no different than using a pitch pipe or tuning fork in order to begin singing. These are not additions but aids in worship since they only provide the pitch to get everyone in the assembly ready to obey the command to sing. Others object saying that the instrument is an aid to worship like a song book. But a song book adds nothing to the command to sing. Again, it only helps carry out the command to sing without adding one thing to the command. We dare not add to what God has authorized (Rev. 22:18).


Because It Causes Religious Division

There is no mention of the use of mechanical instruments of music in the denominational world until the year 670 A.D. when Pope Vitalian I tried to introduce their use in the Roman Catholic Church. There was so much opposition that the practice was abruptly stopped. They would not be used again until 600 years later in the 13th Century A.D.

The instrument was not introduced among Protestant denominations until the 18th Century. And then it came with conflict and upheaval. Please note the following statements from leaders and scholars of religious groups which opposed their introduction:
  1. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist denomination: "I have no opposition to the organ in our chapel provided it is neither seen nor heard" (Clarkes Commentary, Vol. 4, page 684).

  2. Charles Spurgeon, a famous Baptist preacher: "I would as soon pray to God with machinery as to sing to God with machinery" (Professor Girardeans Music in the Church, page 176 ff).
It was first introduced in the Lord's church in North America in 1859 but its use grew and became a source of religious division in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Out of this discord came the Disciples of Christ/Christian Church denomination. "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." (1 Cor. 1:10).


Conclusion

We have seen that, according to the New Testament, the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship is a sin. Sin is what separates us from God (Isa. 59:1,2). Sin is rebellion against the will of God (1 Jn. 3:4). There is no excuse for this sin. God has given us the instrument He prefers to hear in worship — the human heart (Eph. 5:19). "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." (Heb. 13:15).



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