Any information on the Church of Christ belief about musical instruments?

Question

I am very interesting in learning about this because it is confusing to me. Any help would be appreciated. Only truthful responses. Any abuse will be reported.

Answer 1

Members of Church of Christ do not use stringed instruments in their worship using Eph 5:19 as proof “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” . What they missed is that the original Greek word for psalms (psalmos) & melody (psallo) (both are accompanied by stringed instruments/voice) . They say that heart is the instrument, but the heart is NOT A STRINGED instrument. Rev 15:2-3 states that all those who have gotten the victory over the beast (who are from the earth) have HARPS of God when singing the song of Moses and of the Lamb. They think ALL things written in Psalms, Isaiah are part of Mosaic Law. But there are prophesies that haven't happened yet (Isa 65:17, Psalm 37:29). Psalms 150 encourages use of stringed instruments, which are not laws given to Moses(not part of Mosaic Law) but to the psalmist. Just like praising God, and use of trumpets (Psalm150, rev 8) are still okay in the NT, then all true Christians can use their voice or with an accommpaniment of stringed instruments when praising God.

Answer 2

It comes from a general misunderstanding of the original Greek text of the New Testament. The text tells Christians to sing, but the word translated "sing" (psallo) originally meant "sing with a harp." (Its meaning is known to have changed several times in history, but it seems likely that it included the harp during New Testament times, though the instruments were uncommon in some churches.) In my thinking, if the original intent had been vocal only, there were ways to easily say that in the Greek of the time, but that is not what is found in the text.

A related word, "psalmos" or psalm is "a song for harp and voice."
While the majority of congregations are still a cappella only, some congregations are now holding multiple services with a cappella and instrumental and some are instrumental only. All congregations of churches of Christ are independent, and there is no central governing body, the same as the New Testament pattern. With this situation there can be many differences from place to place.

Answer 3

I am not a member of the Church of Christ, but as a Jehovah's Witness I can tell you that we sing songs at the beginning and end of some of our meetings. There is no choir and I definitely wouldn't classify it as gospel music, since we use our own melodies, but we do use instrumental music. The book of Psalms is literally composed of hundreds of small poems and songs dedicated to God. King David was a skilled musician and as writer of most of the Psalms, would have used music to accompany them. So really, I don't see any problem with musical instruments being used to praise God in song :0)

Answer 4

Sandy gave a good answer, but it is wrong. First you have to understand what the church of Christ is. It is the restoration movement. It's goal is to restore New Testement Christianity to the modern era.

The only way to do that is to speak where the bible speaks and to stay silent where the bible is silent. The New Testement is silent on instruments of music so therefore the church is silent. Eph. 5 says: Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to God.

It says to sing, but it does not say make melody on an instrument, but rather making melody in your hearts.

If you look at history you will find instruments of music in Christian worship did not appear until 600 A.D. Why? Well some of the early church fathers wrote that pagans used musical instruments so the church should not be like pagans.

The beleif in the churches of Christ used to be that if God wanted it he would have commanded it. I say used to be because there is many who would love to change the churches of Christ and make them just like everyone else. There are fewer and fewer faithful elders who are willing to stand up for scripture.

There are many passages of scripture that plainly says not to add to or take away from the written word. Adding musical instruments is an addition to the written word of God.

I am no longer a Christian many reasons, but one thing I do not miss is the debates demoninational people demand on subjects like this. I had to carry a bible around all the time defending what the bible said and I was met with many hostilities and I even found that even within the brotherhood, people fought me. I was alone in my fight for truth.

Anyway I am now pagan, Wicca to be exact, but I answer questionsabout the church of Christ because I still understand what the churches of Christ were in the beginning before deminationlism crept in and started destroying it from within.

Answer 5

Christ says he has "all authority" and the disciples were to teach the things He had commanded.(Matthew 28:18-20) No where in the New Testament did the apostles teach or show an example of the use of instrumental music in worship.

ALL of the verses in the New Testament that talk about music in the church the music is singing. To use another type of music can not be done from authority found in the New Testament because the New Testament no where authorizes its use. The authority to use instruments in the Christian church therefore does not come from God. If used it must be authorized by men. If we follow a man's authority (teaching), does Christ have "all authority"?

One of the verses that teaches about music is Col. 3:16. This verse specifically tells us to sing. The very next verse (verse 17) says, "Whatever you do in word or deed, DO ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS." "In the name of" means by the authority of, or according to the instructions. Jesus and the apostles did not authorize the use of mechanical instruments in worship. The New Testament did specify "singing" as the type of music we are to use in worship.

To do anything else is to follow the commandments of men rather than God. Such makes worship vain. (Matt. 15:9)

Why not be satisfied to worship in the way God's word has authorized?

When God told Noah to use "gopher wood", other types of wood were excluded. When Naaman was told to dip in the Jordan River, he knew other rivers were excluded (2 Kings 5). God has been specific about the music in the church, singing. Why add to his word?

Interesting, many of the founding fathers of denominations that now use instruments were opposed to their introduction. Among those against instrumental music were John Wesley, John Calvin, and Martin Luthur.

So one should not question why we don't use them, the question should be "By what authority do you add them to your worship"? Why not be satisfied to simply worship as God's word instructs?

As for David’s harp, He lived under the Law of Moses (Old Testament). We are now under the Law of Christ (New Testament).

If you bind one part of the Old Law today, you are subject to keep the whole law. In Galatians 5:3, some were trying to bind circumcision, an Old Testament commandment. Paul said if they bound this one item, they were “debtor to keep the whole law”. In James 2:10, if you keep the whole law, but miss one point, you are guilty of all.

If you try to bring over authority for David’s harp from the Old Testament, you must with the same authority bring over all of the animal sacrifices, feasts, Passover, the Sabbath day observance, yearly trips to Jerusalem, and the allowance of polygamy. We must keep the whole law if we keep any part.

If we try to justify ourselves by the Law of Moses, we have “fallen from grace!” (Galatians 5:4)

Answer 6

The way I understand it, the Church of Christ believes that worshipping God with your voice only is the true form of worship. They view musical accompaniment as something that drowns out the bodily voices of the faithful. It also, apparently, borders on entertainment and sets some people apart from others. For example, attention would be on the organist (or guitarist, or whatever) in particular, instead of on all worshippers as equally important.

Answer 7

Proper women shouldn't use instruments to make such noise, it summons the devil.

:P