Gospel Minutes.org Instrumental Music or Acapella Singing As I understand the history of events that brought the acapella churches of Christ and instrumental Christian churches into existence as they are today, the issue that drew the line in the sand, was that of instrumental music. Apparently Southern congregtions were upset about the extravagance of spending money on instruments by richer Northern congregations after Lincoln's war. Over time the subject became a doctrinal issue. Here are the two verses that are associated with this issue. Ephesians 5:19 "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord," and Colossians 3:16 "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." It is basically from these two verses that it is taught that using an instrument in a worship service would be a sin. However, the context of these verses does not indicate that a worship service is the subject being discussed. Did God intend for the instrument to become a salvation issue? A growing number of people in the church of Christ are listening to Christian music and attending Christian concerts where instrumental music is used. Has anyone ever asked the obvious question? If Christian instrumental music is evil, is it not evil all the time? If it is godly and sanctioned by God, as it was in the Old Testament, is it not godly all the time? Your entire life is to be dedicated to God. The idea that there is a sacred part of our lives and a secular part of our lives comes from the Catholic church who adopted what Augustine wrote over 100 years ago. Augustine took this teaching from ancient Greek philosophy. It has absolutely no basis in scripture. Our God does not arbitrarily make something right one day and then make it wrong the next. It is a fundamental understanding concerning God and His nature. Even God must obey His own Law for His Law constitutes His morals. God's morals did not change with Christ's death on the cross. If something is immoral today then it was immoral on the day that the Adam was placed in the garden. Instruments were accepted and even commanded in the previous covenant's worship, but supposedly not accepted in the current covenant's worship. This current belief shows a lack of understanding as to what constitutes the New Covenant. Some say that using instrumental music will send you to "hell". Here is a verse that I found to prove this. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor users of musical instruments in worship, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. I needed to make a point by inserting "nor users of musical instruments in worship". The Bible is very clear what sins are "sins unto death". No where in any list of sins in the New Testament is any kind of music, singing or instrument mentioned as sinful much less a sin that will send you to "hell". I am aware that it is taught that the general practice of worship was accomplished without instruments after the time of Christ. The reason for the practice was probably more closely linked to the fact that the Catholic church controlled nearly all worship for the greater part of the time period before they came into use. One must also consider that during the times of the apostles a church that was basically in hiding would not be forming choirs or holding public concerts. There are several writings from the early church fathers condemning instrumental music in worship. Upon close examination it appears that some of the reasoning was a reaction to "Jewish/Edomite" worship practices and as Augustine put it, "The pipe, tabret, and harp here associate so intimately with the sensual heathen cults, as well as with the wild revelries and shameless performances of the degenerate theater and circus, it is easy to understand the prejudices against their use in the worship." (Augustine 354 A.D.) It would appear that perhaps the instrument was avoided becuase of how it was used elsewhere in society. One thing is certain is that much of true history has been hidden, changed, still unfound or recently discovered and not commonly known. The more I learn about the history of Israel the more I find that is the opposite of what we have been taught. I do not like to speculate, but I have to wonder, maybe some congregations in the first century did use instruments? I have had one church of Christ preacher who admitted to me that if the instrument was wrong it would be wrong all the time. Another told me that he had no problem with instrumental music. I witnessed both of them as they taught the use of instrumental music as sinful from the pulpit. I believe that most people in the church believe it to be ok, but would not admit it publicly. I personally enjoy the four part harmony employed in acapella singing but, many churches are now losing the four part harmony when they stop using song books. In churches that use instruments some times the instrument may become more important than the song to be sung, but that in itself is not a reason to avoid its use. We often emphasize the wrong aspect of any worship event. I believe that in the next 20 years most churches of Christ may have or allow, in special situations, instrumental music. (Since writing this six major congregations of the churches of Christ began to accept the instrument to some degree.) We have a Master Key Chromatic Pitch Instrument commonly known as a pitch pipe. Note both words that are associated with the device, instrument and pipe. It is both a musical instrument and a pipe. It can be used to play a tune. Now, would there be anxiety among the pews one Sunday morning if I were to substitute the pitch pipe for an Irish whistle playing only one note to obtain the correct key for the song we were about to sing? You can probably see where this is going. What would be the difference if I substituted a guitar? How about if I played one note at the start of each verse to make sure we were still on key? You see we have made an exception that really only amounts to a technicality. We do use an instrument in most churches, but we have created a special method that makes it's use acceptable to those in the pews. It is just a matter of how we were taught. I imagine that the pitch pipe was not originally permitted among the southern churches after the split. A couple of years ago I began learning to play the mandolin. If I sit and pick out "Farther Along" in my home is it a sin? Would it be a sin in a worship service if no one was offended? Would God have been offended in 1000 BC? What changed that made instruments an offense? Can anyone provide any scripture at all that shows why God would decide that instruments or the use of them was righteous one day and sin the next day? Do you know of anything in the Bible that God was totally arbitrary about when it comes to what is sin? The two verses above state that we should sing Psalms. Can anyone explain how we are to sing Psalms with out an instrument when some of them state to use a certain instrument when they are sung? Please see added information in the Notes section below. The verses above use the phrase "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs". A friend suggested that I ask the question why something would be repeated three times if it is the same thing. In other words the verses do not say "non-instrumental music, non-instrumental music and non-instrumental music". Each of the three words have their own distinct meaning. It would be dishonest to suggest that psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are all exactly the same thing. It is also dishonest to ignore parts of the definitions for those words because they do not line up with one's theology. Perhaps what we have missed because of our misuse of the above scriptures was really an admonition concerning how we are to sing. Sing from the heart and not just with the lips. Well I hope you are getting the picture. Most all churches have some pet doctrine that they cling to even though it is evident to most other churches that the doctrine is false. This is the one the church of Christ has clung to. It certainly is not the worst one out there. Someone took two scriptures that were not specifically about worship and made them a vague command for worship only. Here is Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 copied out of the King James version with each main word replaced with the primary Strong's definition. Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in a set piece of music or sacred ode (accompanied with the voice, harp or other instrument; a "psalm") and celebrate or sing non-carnal songs, singing and playing on a stringed instrument in your heart to the Lord; Colossians 3:16 Let the word of the anointed inhabit in you copiously in all wisdom; teaching (learning) and putting in mind (caution or reprove gently) one another a set piece of music, that is, a sacred ode (accompanied with the voice, harp or other instrument; a "psalm") and clebrate non-carnal songs, singing with graciousness in your hearts to the Lord. Psalms 92:1 "It is good to give thanks to Yahweh, and with instrumental music sing to Thy name, O Most High.", Thomson Septuagint 1808. James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing psalms (play on a stringed instrument). Notes 1 Hebrews 8:10 was first written in Jeremiah 31:33. The word Law is "8451 towrah, to-raw'; or torah, to-raw'; from H3384; a precept or statute, espec. the Decalogue or Pentateuch.". The New Covenant is God's Torah written on our hearts. So is it done away? 2 Psalm (säm), n. [<Gk. psalmos, song with harp <psallein, to sing to the harp], a sacred song or poem , especially one of those contained in the book of the Old Testament known as Psalms:  Psalms, Bib., a book of the Old Testament containing sacred songs., The Winston Simplified Dictionary, Advanced Edition, 1931 3 Psalm from Strong's H4210. mizmowr, miz-more'; from H2167; prop. instrumental music; by impl. a poem set to notes. (The word psalm is translated from this word.) H2167. zamar, zaw-mar'; a prim, root [perh. ident. with H2168 through the idea of striking with the fingers]; prop. to touch the strings or parts of a musical instrument, i.e. play upon it; to make music, accompanied by the voice; hence to celebrate in song and music. 4 Psalms from Strong's G5568. psalmos, psal-mos'; from G5567; a set piece of music, i.e. a sacred ode (accompanied with the voice, harp or other instrument; a "psalm"); collect. the book of the Psalms. 5 "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David." 6 James 5:13 Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him psallo (sing psalms (G5567)). 7 psallo psal'-lo ..(to rub or touch the surface; compare G5597); to twitch or twang, that is, to play on a stringed instrument (celebrate the divine worship with music and accompanying odes) 8 Here is Psalm 92:1 copied out of the King James version with each main word replaced with the primary Strong's definition. Psalm 92:1 Instrumental music or Song for the sabbath (intermission) day. It is a good thing to give thanks (worship) unto YHVH, and to play upon a musical instrument accompanied by the voice unto thy name, O most High: Regular Version Feel free to send your helpful comments. Thank You Gospel Minutes