12 comments

1. I wonder how much effect chiliasm had on the use of instruments in the Church. The notion that the Temple and Temple Worship would be reestablished seems to be a likely justification for the use of instruments/choirs/bands in worship.

2. The connection between sacrifices and instruments is inconclusive. They sang. We sing. They played instruments, many churches play instruments. Sacrifices was shedding of blood which Jesus did once for all. I cannot see your argument.

   • JP,

     You write, “they sang.” Who sang? The Levites.

     Who played the instruments? The Levites.

     The Levitical priesthood is fulfilled. It has been replaced by Christ’s Melchizedian priesthood, premised on the power of an indestructible life.

     I understand that people are emotionally connected to instruments but logically how does one clean the blood of bulls and goats, as it were, from the instruments? How does one extract the instruments from the types and shadows without bringing the blood of bulls and goats with them? How is that not special pleading?

     Israel had military weapons and conducted divinely ordained military operations. Under the new covenant, the church, the Israel of God in Christ no longer has has literal military weapons or conducts literal, military operations. Why not? Because they were typological of the 1) heavenly spiritual warfare; 2) of the figurative and spiritual warfare of the new covenant.

     If we may extract literal musical instruments from the types and shadows and literally use them in new covenant worship, why may we not do the same with military weapons, as a church? How does that work logically?

     The early Christian church, most of the medieval church, and the early Reformed churches all agreed that it didn’t work logically, that it was, to use Aquinas’ term, “Judaizing,” i.e., going backwards in redemptive history, to use instruments just as it would be Judaizing for the visible church to take up arms and go to war.

     • Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

       The New Testament congregations sang. Although it does not speak of instruments, it does not forbid instruments either.

       Aquinas’ statement is interesting, considering that orthodox synagogues do not use instruments either.

       • JP,

         In the Greek translation of the Old Testament (LXX) known as the Septuagint (for the 70 who allegedly translated it) there are 4 classes of psalms:

         1) Psalms
         2) Hymns
         3) Spiritual songs
         4) Wisdom

         In Col 3:16 and Eph 5:19 Paul uses three of these four categories.

         In other words, these are known categories, with which the Colossian and Ephesian congregations would have been familiar. We are not because we, for obvious reasons, aren’t using the LXX.

         For more on this see this essay.

         The phrase “making melody in your hearts” is telling. It’s in contrast to making melody with musical instruments.

         As to doing what is not forbidden, that principle is not the principle of the Reformed, nor does it seem it was the principle of the ancient church. Their principle was (and ours is) we do that which God has commanded.

         On the principle that we do what is not forbidden, we would be hard pressed to keep out animal sacrifices. They are not explicitly forbidden.

         • Making melody in your hearts could refer to the state of our heart. Worshiping should be not only with voice (instrument) but with the heart.

           My initial point was that the New Testament church sang, and by the rational you give, because the priests sang and played instruments, we should do neither, but sing in our hearts, because these traditions are part of the old dispensation. I don’t think you can take one and not the other.

           Our voices, our instruments are consecrated through Christ.

           We as ‘soldiers’ of His church are consecrated through Christ. Blood no longer has to be shed, hence baptism is now our sign of being included into the covenant.

           I don’t believe one way or the other way is wrong. It’s Either Or.

           1 Cor 10:23 All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

         • JP,

           Making melody in your hearts could refer to the state of our heart. Worshiping should be not only with voice (instrument) but with the heart.

           It does but it is interesting that it refers explicitly to melody without an external musical instrument.

           My initial point was that the New Testament church sang,

           Agreed. All the internal and external evidence is that the people sang in the NT church and in the early post-apostolic church. This was not necessarily true under the types and shadows. We know with certainty that the Levites sang under the types and shadows. The synagogue, which set the pattern for NT practice, developed after the exile, during the inter-testamental period. In Ex 15:1 “the people” are said to have sung. That was arguably an extraordinary service. OT worship, especially under Moses and following, was focused on the sacrifice.

           There aren’t a lot of examples under the types and shadows of the people singing. There are examples of singing (e.g., Judges 5; 2 Sam 22) but not many in corporate worship. 2 Chron 29 is one of the few texts that show us corporate singing and in that case it’s the Levites. The verb “to sing” occurs a out 62 times in the Psalter. In just about every case it refers to an individual singing.

           What changes in the New Covenant is 1) corporate singing by the people—the Levitical priesthood is fulfilled; 2) a cappella singing. We have not a whit of evidence that the NT church used instruments. The early Christian church, immediately after the apostles knew nothing of instruments and wrote against their use.

           and by the rational you give, because the priests sang and played instruments, we should do neither, but sing in our hearts, because these traditions are part of the old dispensation. I don’t think you can take one and not the other.

           This doesn’t follow. Priests also breathe. We have to breathe. The priests prayed. We pray. The priests made offerings. We make offerings figuratively, i.e., of our hearts. We have explicit NT warrant to sing. What you have to show is that the earliest post-apostolic church, by repudiating instruments explicitly, made a change from apostolic practice. I don’t think that case can be made.

           You have conflated some things. “Old dispensation” is unhelpfully vague in this context. I’ve been using the language of Hebrews, “types” and “shadows” deliberately. Not everything that occurred under the Old Testament broadly (Gen-Mal) was a type or shadow. Abraham’s faith is our faith. His Savior is our Savior. We’re in the same covenant of grace as Noah, Abraham, Moses, et al. There are continuities between the Old Testament (as defined) and the new, e.g., “I will be a God to you and to your children” is still in effect (Acts 2:39) but those things that were intentionally temporary and typological have gone away. Specifically, the religious ceremonies and the bloody types of the Old Covenant (everything instituted under Moses and fulfilled by the cross). The Levitical ministry, the sacrifices and the use of instruments was fulfilled. The animals and instruments pointed upward to heavenly realities and they pointed forward to future realities. To a degree, in Christ, the heavenly realities have entered history and as the priest, the temple, and the lamb of God, he has done away with the entire Levitical ministry. It’s all done.

           Our voices, our instruments are consecrated through Christ.

           In order for your argument to work, you need to explain why I may not substitute “lambs” for instruments? Why may not our congregation sacrifice a lamb this Sunday during the service? If you can’t give a good answer to this question then your claim that instruments are “consecrated” is special pleading.

           We as ‘soldiers’ of His church are consecrated through Christ. Blood no longer has to be shed, hence baptism is now our sign of being included into the covenant.

           This is true but inconsistent with your argument for instruments.

           I don’t believe one way or the other way is wrong. It’s Either Or.

           1 Cor 10:23 All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.

           Is the sacrifice of lambs during a Christian worship service lawful? I fear that a lot of people would say that it’s edifying.

           Why are you right and the entire ancient church and all the Reformed churches of the 16th and 17th centuries wrong? Do you think that they were unaware of your arguments?

3. BUT…BUT…my $1,500.00 Taylor 214 deluxe sounds so sweet through the PA! Now what am I going to do? I guess this means my ’17 PRS CE24 is formally out of the question, never mind my ’94 Gibson Special. Oh well, at least I can hold a tune…somewhat.

   • Nick,

     I know you’re joking but here’s what I say to my instrument-playing, hymnn-singing friends: you’ve got six days (and time between the two services on the Lord’s Day) to sing and play to your heart’s content.

     • Yes, joking I certainly was.
       Congregational singing isn’t always an easy thing to accomplish, unless you have competent people leading the arrangement. I would love to find an A cappella psalm singing church here, but the closest I’ve found is an OPC church in Barnstable (Cape Cod) and they still use a piano (softly) to keep them on track melody-wise. Besides, the traffic coming off the Cape in the summer-time is…legendary.

4. I appreciate the case that you made regarding musical instruments. Thank you.

   • Thank you Mike.

Comments are closed.