It depends on whether or not God regulates the worship that is
offered to him. I have shown in a previous post (Does God Regulate
Worship?) that God has always regulated the acts of reverence that
human beings offer to him. Since this is true, the issue of instrumental
music in worship is important. The concept of "Burger King" worship,
that is, the idea that you can have it your way has never been and is
not now acceptable to the most holy God. We must worship God in
spirit and truth. (Jno. 4:24)
It is sometimes argued, "God could care less if we worship with
mechanical instruments, because he hasn't said anything about it one
way or another in the New Testament. " Friends, if this is true, a
person has the right to act in areas where God is silent. If one may
act in areas where God is silent, then truly the sky is the limit and
human wisdom is the standard. (Prov. 14:12; Jer. 10:23; 1 Cor. 4:6;
1 Pet. 4:11)
The fact is, a person cannot know that his actions are pleasing to
God if God has not revealed his will! A person can only know that
his actions are acceptable to God if God has told him so. Therefore,
we see the need for divine revelation. In the absence of revelation
from God, any steps that man takes are presumptuous, for he can
only assume that he has warrant to do whatever he does. In religion,
"assuming" is like a person who stands in total darkness with death
on every side; any step he takes will be the fatal one!
The New Testament clearly teaches that God expects people to
conform to what he has spoken, and anything more in this context
is fatal. Paul wrote, "For who knows a person's thoughts except the
spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends
the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God...And we impart this
in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit,
combining spiritual things with spiritual words." (1 Cor. 2:11-13)
God has given his plan through the revelatory process, and this has
come by means of words.
When we sing as an act of worship, we know of a certainty that
we are pleasing Yahweh. Why? Because he has told us to sing and
we have examples of our early brothers and sisters singing hymns to
God. (Acts 16:25; Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16;
Heb. 2:12; 13:15; Jas. 5:13) Those who use mechanical instruments
in worship are doing something God has not told them to do. They
are not respecting God's revelation. They are adding to the word
of the living God. They are acting presumptuously. Their motives may
be sincere, but sincerity alone is not a model of acceptability to the
creator. (Prov. 14:12) They are afflicted by the Naaman virus. God,
through the prophet Elisha, told Naaman to go dip seven times in the
Jordan. Naaman's first response in anger was to say, "Behold, I
thought..." (2 Ki. 5:11-12) It was only after he yielded to God's word
spoken by the prophet that he was cleansed of leprosy. We plead
with those who use mechanical instruments in worship to recognize
the seriousness of adding to the word of God, and to yield their will
to God's will thereby abandoning a practice that is without divine
authority.
RD
Copyright 2011
offered to him. I have shown in a previous post (Does God Regulate
Worship?) that God has always regulated the acts of reverence that
human beings offer to him. Since this is true, the issue of instrumental
music in worship is important. The concept of "Burger King" worship,
that is, the idea that you can have it your way has never been and is
not now acceptable to the most holy God. We must worship God in
spirit and truth. (Jno. 4:24)
It is sometimes argued, "God could care less if we worship with
mechanical instruments, because he hasn't said anything about it one
way or another in the New Testament. " Friends, if this is true, a
person has the right to act in areas where God is silent. If one may
act in areas where God is silent, then truly the sky is the limit and
human wisdom is the standard. (Prov. 14:12; Jer. 10:23; 1 Cor. 4:6;
1 Pet. 4:11)
The fact is, a person cannot know that his actions are pleasing to
God if God has not revealed his will! A person can only know that
his actions are acceptable to God if God has told him so. Therefore,
we see the need for divine revelation. In the absence of revelation
from God, any steps that man takes are presumptuous, for he can
only assume that he has warrant to do whatever he does. In religion,
"assuming" is like a person who stands in total darkness with death
on every side; any step he takes will be the fatal one!
The New Testament clearly teaches that God expects people to
conform to what he has spoken, and anything more in this context
is fatal. Paul wrote, "For who knows a person's thoughts except the
spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends
the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God...And we impart this
in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit,
combining spiritual things with spiritual words." (1 Cor. 2:11-13)
God has given his plan through the revelatory process, and this has
come by means of words.
When we sing as an act of worship, we know of a certainty that
we are pleasing Yahweh. Why? Because he has told us to sing and
we have examples of our early brothers and sisters singing hymns to
God. (Acts 16:25; Rom. 15:9; 1 Cor. 14:15; Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16;
Heb. 2:12; 13:15; Jas. 5:13) Those who use mechanical instruments
in worship are doing something God has not told them to do. They
are not respecting God's revelation. They are adding to the word
of the living God. They are acting presumptuously. Their motives may
be sincere, but sincerity alone is not a model of acceptability to the
creator. (Prov. 14:12) They are afflicted by the Naaman virus. God,
through the prophet Elisha, told Naaman to go dip seven times in the
Jordan. Naaman's first response in anger was to say, "Behold, I
thought..." (2 Ki. 5:11-12) It was only after he yielded to God's word
spoken by the prophet that he was cleansed of leprosy. We plead
with those who use mechanical instruments in worship to recognize
the seriousness of adding to the word of God, and to yield their will
to God's will thereby abandoning a practice that is without divine
authority.
RD
Copyright 2011
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