THE MUSIC IN NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP

1
THE MUSIC IN NEW TESTAMENT WORSHIP
2
Introduction

• It is often said that churches of Christ have no
  music in their worship.
  
• This inaccuracy is based on a widespread
  misconception of what constitutes music.

3
Introduction

• As we look at this subject, we need to keep in
  mind that, since it is not in man who walks to
  direct his own steps (Jer. 1023), we would not
  know how to please God in worship unless He
  revealed such to us.

4
Introduction

• Hence, we must look to that which God has
  revealed on the subject of music in order to know
  how to please Him in this area of our worship.
  
• Someone may think that he can please God in a way
  that God has not revealed, but our thoughts are
  not Gods thoughts, and our ways are not His ways
  (Isaiah 558-9).

5
Definition and Properties of Music

• Music may be defined as "a rhythmical succession
  or combination of tones."
  
• Tones (musical sounds) have four properties
• Pitch - the highness and lowness of a tone
• Length - how long a tone is sustained
• Power - the volume of a tone
• Quality - the kind or character of a tone
• These are properties of both vocal and
  instrumental music.

6
Branches of Musical Study

• There are three branches of musical study
• Melodics - the study of tonal pitch
• Rhythmics - the study of tonal length
• Dynamics - the study of tonal power and quality

7
The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• Consider the following quotes from the programmed
  instruction booklet, Developing Vocal Skills,
  Part 1 Vocal Fundamentals Kit, which was
  published by Convention Press (publishing arm of
  the Southern Baptist Convention).

8
The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "Singing and whistling are the most personal of
  all the musical arts. The person who sings or
  whistles does not have to depend on any separate
  instrument in order to be able to make music."
• "A person who sings or whistles possesses in his
  own mind and body all that is needed to produce
  musical sounds."
  
• "The singer is a musical instrument."

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The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "In learning how to make good sounds, it is
  helpful if the singer understands how his vocal
  instrument operates."
  
• "All musical instruments, including the human
  voice, have three basic elements an actuator, a
  vibrator (or vibrators), and a resonator (or
  resonators)."

10
The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "The actuator of a musical instrument is the
  power source (or motor) which causes the vibrator
  to start vibrating (moving back and forth). In a
  wind instrument, the breath of the player is the
  actuator. On a drum, it is the stick set in
  motion by the player."

11
The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "The vibrator of a musical instrument is that
  part which is set in motion by the energy from
  the actuator. It is this motion, which produces
  musical sound by creating sound waves. On pianos
  and guitars the strings are the vibrators."

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The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "The resonator of a musical instrument is that
  part which takes the basic sound produced by the
  vibrator and reinforces (amplifies) or improves
  its quality. The sounding board on a piano and
  the soundbox on a violin are examples of
  resonators."

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The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "On a trumpet, the actuator is the breath of the
  player the vibrator is the lips of the player
  (against the mouthpiece) the resonator is the
  horn itself (all the tubing contained therein)."
• "In the human voice, the actuator is the breath
  supplied by the singer the vibrator is the vocal
  cords the resonator is certain cavities of the
  throat and head (primarily the throat and mouth)."

14
The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "When a person sings or speaks, he engages in
  four important physical processes respiration,
  phonation, resonation, articulation."
  
• "Respiration is the process of moving air in and
  out of the body--inhalation and exhalation."

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The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "Phonation is the process of producing vocal
  sounds by the vibration of the vocal cords. When
  your actuator (breath) starts your vibrator
  (vocal cords) moving back and forth, sound is
  produced and the result is called phonation."
• "Resonation is the reinforcing (amplifying) or
  improving of the quality of the sound produced by
  the vocal cords, mainly by the correct shaping of
  the throat and mouth."

16
The Human Voice Is A Musical Instrument

• "Articulation is the process of making all the
  movements and adjustments of the speech organs
  necessary to form a certain sound. The tongue,
  lips, and jaw are very important to this process."

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• Notice Paul's charge to the Ephesians on the
  subject of music
  
• speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and
  spiritual songs, singing and making melody in
  your heart to the Lord (Ephesians 519)

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• We are to speak to ourselves in
• psalms - songs devoted to the praise of God,
  extolling His name, power, character works.
  
• hymns - songs of praise, thanksgiving
  supplication, teaching our dependence on God.
  
• spiritual songs -intended to inspire cultivate
  feelings of spiritual devotion to bring the
  spirit of man into harmony with the Spirit of God.

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• Singing is a combination of music and intelligent
  speech.
  
• Making melody in your heart to the Lord is
  bringing the thoughts and feelings of the heart
  into harmony with the sentiment of the song (in
  other words, "mean what you sing").
• Paul gives no instructions to the Ephesians
  concerning the use of man-made instruments to
  accompany the singing.

20
Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• Notice also Paul's charge to the Colossians on
  the subject of music
  
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all
  wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in
  psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing
  with grace in your hearts to the Lord (Colossians
  316).

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• We are to teach and admonish one another in
  psalms, hymns spiritual songs.
  
• The ideas contained in the words do the teaching
  admonishing.
  
• The song is the vehicle by which the sentiments
  are conveyed to the heart of those who hear
  understand.

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• We are to sing with grace in our hearts to the
  Lord.
  
• That is, the melody of the lips must come from
  and fill the heart.
  
• Also, the words sung must be the outgrowth of the
  word of Christ in the heart.
  
• It is significant that Paul gives no instructions
  to the Colossians concerning the use of man-made
  instruments to accompany the singing.

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• Notice, also, the example of Paul and Silas
  singing in prison
  
• But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and
  singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were
  listening to them (Acts 1625).
  
• There is no indication that either accompanied
  the other with a man-made instrument.

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• Notice the statement of Paul in 1 Corinthians
  1415.
  
• What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the
  spirit, and I will also pray with the
  understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I
  will also sing with the understanding.
• Singing is to be done "with the spirit and with
  the understanding."

25
Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• Notice the statement of Paul in 1 Corinthians
  1415.
  
• What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the
  spirit, and I will also pray with the
  understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I
  will also sing with the understanding.
• The "spirit" and the "understanding" are two
  aspects of the biblical heart--the emotions and
  the intellect.

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Music that Is Authorized forNew Testament Worship

• Notice, fifth, the admonition in James 513.
• Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is
  anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms.
  
• James gives no instructions concerning the use of
  man-made instruments to accompany the singing.
  
• In fact, nowhere in the New Testament are
  man-made musical instruments authorized for use
  in worship.

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Some claim to find authorization in the Old
  Testament. It is true that the Old Testament
  authorized the use of man-made musical
  instruments in Jewish worship. But neither Moses
  nor the Old Testament prophets have any
  authority, today (Matthew 2818 Luke 928-36
  Hebrews 11-3). Christians are to worship
  according to the New Testament (Galatians 16-9
  Colossians 317 Hebrews 21-4).

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Some claim to find authorization in the New
  Testament book of Revelation ("After all, there
  are going to be harps in heaven, aren't there?").
  The book of Revelation contains several visions
  in which harps are prominent (58 142 152).
  But these are highly figurative visions,
  apparently of things occurring (whether now or in
  the future) in heaven.

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Even if the harps are somehow literal, they are
  certainly not man-made. If, when I get to heaven,
  God hands me a harp, I will play it to the best
  of my ability. But where in the New Testament are
  Christians authorized to use harps in worship
  while on earth? Besides, specific authority for a
  harp would not provide generic authority for all
  other instruments.

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Some claim that the Greek words, "psallo" and
  "psalmos," necessarily imply the use of a musical
  instrument.
  
• Psallo is variously translated as "sing" (Romans
  159 1 Corinthians 1415), "sing psalms" (James
  513) and "making melody" (Ephesians 519).
  
• Psalmos is simply "psalms" (Ephesians 519 and
  Colossians 316).

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• In Romans 159, Paul is quoting an O.T. Prophecy
  (2 Samuel 2250 Psalm 1849). We must interpret
  O.T. prophecy in the light of N.T. fulfillment.
  In 1 Corinthians 1415, the singing is to be done
  "with the spirit and with the understanding."

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• In Ephesians 519, the melody is to be made "in
  your heart." I know of no instrument (other than
  the human voice and the human heart) that is
  anywhere authorized for use in New Testament
  worship.

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Some argue that musical instruments are just aids
  such as songbooks.
  
• However, songbooks can be an aid to either
  singing (vocal music) or playing (instrumental
  music).
  
• When singers use songbooks, no other music is
  created, but when man-made instruments accompany
  the singers, playing is added to the singing.

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Since singing is authorized it may be aided.
• But, since playing is not authorized, it may not
  be used, much less aided.
  
• And, since playing is obviously more like singing
  than songbooks, it cannot logically be considered
  an aid to the singing, but must be considered an
  addition or a substitution.

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Some, in a last ditch attempt to cling to the use
  of the instrument, but being unable to show
  authority for its use in N.T. worship, claim that
  they can use it at certain stated times (e.g.,
  outside the formal, collective worship of a
  congregation), so long as they are not actually
  worshiping (e.g., they may be entertaining one
  another).

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• But if they are singing without actually
  worshiping, are they not misusing the psalms,
  hymns and spiritual songs?
  
• Would this not be like giving alms, praying and
  fasting "to be seen of men" like the hypocrites
  in Matthew 61-18?

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• If they are "singing and making melody in their
  heart to the Lord" it is worship.
  
• If they are "singing with grace in their hearts
  to the Lord" it is worship.
  
• If they are not "making melody in their heart
  to the Lord" or they are not "singing with grace
  in their hearts to the Lord," why are they
  not?

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• And would they not be drawing nigh unto God with
  their mouth, and honoring God with their lips
  while their heart is far from Him?
  
• And would this not be "vain worship" according to
  Matthew 158-9?

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• As far as I have been able to determine, and I
  know of no defenses other than those dealt with
  here, there is no authority in the New Testament
  for instrumental music in worship, whether in or
  out of the congregational assembly.
• Therefore, I refuse to use it, or to sing with
  those who do.

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Defenses of Instrumental Music in Worship

• Interestingly, the Italian Phrase, "a cappella"
  (which refers to singing without instrumental
  accompaniment), literally means "as in the
  chapel."