Why does the Church of Christ refuse to obey Psalm 150?

Answer 1

I think you might have to explain that a little further to most people. I'm familiar with the Church of Christ, I'm assuming you mean the non-instrument Church of Christ. Their thinking is "modern" instruments aren't Biblical and don't belong in worship.

Answer 2

The question itself says that it is the private opinion of Church of Christ alone to refuse Psalm 150. Let me feel sorry for it first of all.

There is no right to any one to disobey the words that are written by the Holy Ghost for that one has to stand in the Judgement. The Bible tells everything about God plans and Humans responsibilities. One has to know the root cause for every question and answer.

God always deals with the people with a Covanent right from the days of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and with the Isrealites. Jeremiah 31 :31 says that the Isrealites broked the covanent and God want to make a New Covanent with the people which is not according to the previous one but the one that he writes on the inwards parts and in the hearts.

One has to observe this verse very keen that God wants to deal in a complete different way. So the Covanent is the new one and it contains definatley not just about the Music of hand made things but the music of Heart and Soul which means the SALO. So the Christians who are called out from the world into the light are under the New Covanent , and many others adjacent ammendments which are under the Covanent.

So it is not the Refuse of Psalm 150 but the honour of Psalm 150 as it was the one of the ammendment of the Old Testament law linked up with II Chronicles 29 :25-30.

The New Covanent is the superset of several amendments and everything comes under it which are included in "Teachings of Christ" one has to be cleared about the Law.

With Love
Anil

Answer 3

Jesus fulfilled the law, the prophets and the psalms. (Luke 24:44) We are now under a new covenant, the New Testament.

If Psalm 150 were a command that we should keep, then it would be necessary for us to use the instruments mentioned. In this case, we MUST use a trumpet, a psaltry, a harp, a timbrel, stringed instruments, cymbals and organs! None of these instruments would be optional! If this were a command we would be sinning if we did not include all of these items. Instrumental music would not be an option.

Also, if based on this chapter, we are to use these instruments, we must also obey the other commands in Psalms, as well as the rest of the Old Testament. The book of Psalms also contains authorization for animal sacrifices (Psalm 20:3), incense (Psalm 66:13), and the 92nd Psalm was for the Sabbath day.

These items, however, are not brought into the New Testament church because we are no longer under the law that authorizes them. Likewise, we cannot get authority for instruments from the Old Testament.

Some in the New Testament tried to bring the requirement of circumcision over from the old law. Paul told them that if they bound this one item, they were “debtor to keep the whole law.” (Galatians 5:3) Those who try to justify themselves by the old Law have “fallen from grace”! (Galatians 5:4) If we are subject to the law, we must keep all of it! “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

Where is the New Testament authorization of mechanical instruments in the church? There is none. Every verse in the New Testament about music in the church specifies “singing” (verbal, vocal music) as the type of music. None of these verses mention a mechanical instrument.

God is not worshiped with men's hands (Acts 17:25) but with the heart. This verse talks about God not living in a temple made with hands, but it also applies this to hand-made worship, yet many say they worship on an instrument that was made with hands and played with the hands. How are you going to make an instrument and how are you going to play an instrument without hands?

The instrument God wants is our heart. Ephesians 5:19 instructs us to make melody in the heart. This verse, along with other verses in the New Testament, says the purpose of music in worship is to speak and teach. An instrument cannot do this. In fact, it is more difficult to speak where there is background noise, therefore an instrument may interfere with these scriptural purposes of music in worship.

We should not add to or take away from God’s word. We should worship as he instructs! The New Testament does not instruct the use of a mechanical instrument in worship, so the church of Christ has no authority to add it.

Yes it would seem that at times, the God at least tolerated instruments in the Old Testament, but we now have a new covenant, the New Testament.

Also by the end of the Old Testament, GOD’s WORD SAYS, “Woe to you… Who sing idly to the sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical instruments like David” (Amos 6:3-5)

Does this sound like God now wants instruments?

Answer 4

OK. I see your point. Some churches do not allow the use of instruments or particular instruments in worship and others do. The Chruch or Christ denomination chooses not to have different forms of music by tradition. The Church of Christ is not the only denomination to do this. Limits are placed on the types of music or instruments that can be used in a church in an attempt to keep the focus of the worship on God and not our flesh, the world, or the enemy. Certain types of rhythms or applications of instruments have been found to arouse our more carnal natures.

Answer 5

I assume you are presently talking about a non-insturmental 'church of Christ', similar to the one I was raised in, and thank God, I left; (then they withdrew from me).
They have not realized apparently, that the done away old testament was the law of Moses, not Genesis-Malachi. They think sing, means vocal music only; but sing (Eph.5:19, Col. 3:16) includes insturmental (Psalms 144:9) music.
Feel free to ask me presently questions about that Protestent sect .

Answer 6

Most of my relatives are Church of Christ in Arkansas, probably the reason is, "they do not accept the 'old testament or Hebrew Scriptures'."

They believe since we have the "new testament or Greek Scriptures" you do not need the "old"

The apostle Paul wrote: “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.

What Bible or Bible Scrolls did Jesus read out of, or the Apostles or early Christians?

Answer 7

They say there was no proof that first century Christians used instruments and that in the NT, only singing was mentioned not instruments.

I don't see the problem with singing or instruments, but it is just another thing to make a denomination unique, I guess.

Answer 8

If your talking about dancing, then the Southern Nazarene doesn't either (the church I used to attend). The movie Footloose was based on a Nazarene Church town in Oklahoma.

Answer 9

This is the kind of reasoning that Jesus commented on in Matthew 23:24 by saying:"You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." It's all about loving God and following Jesus, not about quarreling whose checklist of religious chores is better.

Answer 10

I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows, Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble. I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah. - Psalm 66:13,14.

Probably for the same reason they do not come to God with incense of rams, which is also mentioned in the Psalms.

The non-instrument position is NOT unique to the churches of Christ, most orthodox reformed churhes have been against mechanical, man made instruments in worship:

http://www.fpcr.org/blue_banner_articles/psalm150.htm

Ambrose
Arnobius
Augustine (354-430)
Psalm 149
Psalm 41
Aquinas, Thomas
Basil the Great (c. 329-379)
Beza, Theodore
Boethius
Calvin, John
Campbell, Alexander
Cardinal Cajetan
Charles Spurgeon
Chrysostom
Clark, Adam Methodist
Clement of Alexandria
Cotton Mather
Cyprian
Dabney, Presby.
Edersheim
Erasmus
Gaudentius
Girardeau, John
Green, William
Gregory of Nyssa
(c. 330-c. 390)
Gregory of Nazianzus
Guess, Jack, Baptist
Hislop
Hippolytus
Ignatious defines unison to Ephesians c. 110ad
Irenaeus
Jerome (c. 347-420)
John Knox
Josephus
Justin Martyr
Kerr
Martin Luther
McGarvey, J. W.
Milligan
Mosheim
Neander
Niceta
Pliny
Robertson
Smith, John
Stone, Barton W.
St. Ephraim
Tennyson
Tertullian
Theodoret
Zwingli
and on and on....
Churches which rejected or reject Music

Apostolic Christian Church
American Presbyterian Church
Baptists prior to the 19th century
Catholic church for 1250 years (The pope in 1906 outlawed most instruments)
Church of God groups
Church of Scotland
Church of the Brethren
Eastern Catholic Church
Gospel Hall
Irish Presbyterian Church
Islam
Is Music Allowed in Islam
Jews (some do not even today)
Mennonites
Methodist Episcopal Church
Old German Baptist Brethren
Primitive Baptists still do not
Quakers groups
Reformed (Calvinistic) church of North America
Restoration churches until the mid 1800's
Serbian Eastern Orthodox
The Established Church
Some modern Baptist churches
(Many other churches with denominational structures {Church of England etc.} made attempts to remove instruments from the worship services. Rejected by the queen).

Methodist Adam Clarke wrote:

"I believe that David was not authorized by the Lord to introduce that multitude of musical instruments into the Divine worship of which we read, and I am satisfied that his conduct in this respect is most solemnly reprehended by this prophet; and I farther believe that the use of such instruments of music, in the Christian Church, is without the sanction and against the will of God; that they are subversive of the spirit of true devotion, and that they are sinful. If there was a wo to them who invented instruments of music, as did David under the law, is there no wo, no curse to them who invent them, and introduce them into the worship of God in the Christian Church? I am an old man, and an old minister; and I here declare that I never knew them productive of any good in the worship of God; and have had reason to believe that they were productive of much evil. Music, as a science, I esteem and admire: but instruments of music in the house of God I abominate and abhor. This is the abuse of music; and here I register my protest against all such corruptions in the worship of the Author of Christianity. The late venerable and most eminent divine, the Revelation John Wesley, who was a lover of music, and an elegant poet, when asked his opinion of instruments of music being introduced into the chapels of the Methodists said, in his terse and powerful manner, "I have no objection to instruments of music in our chapels, provided they are neither HEARD nor SEEN." I say the same, though I think the expense of purchase had better be spared." - Commentary on Amos 6:5.