Do Church of Christ people worship the absence of an instrument in worship?

Question

They seem awfully proud of how right they think they are.

Answer 1

The Church of Christ worships God with the absence on instruments. If Jesus is Lord of your life, you will do as He instructs.

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 of the church. 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 the New Testament church. You cannot play an instrument by the authority, according to the instructions of, or in the name of Christ because he did not instruct it.

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, Adam Clark, 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?

Some point out that David used instruments. 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)

Acts 17:25 says God is not worshiped with men's hands. (God is worshiped 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.

The instrument God wants is our heart. Ephesians 5:19 instructs us to make melody in the heart. These verses also say 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 from the Bible 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 2

It is not about right or wrong. there is no president in the scripture that says instruments are ok. So we don't know if instruments are wrong we just know that no instruments is how it was done originally. We try to follow how the original Christian's practiced. That is our model.

David was not taking communion on the Lords day when he used instruments. The first century Christian's never used instruments as far as the Bible says. Anything in the Old Testament does not describe how the first Christian's held a service.

Again it does not mean it is wrong to have instruments we don't know so we follow the example of the first christian's

Just like baptism we follow Jesus's example and get water emmersed. It might be fine to get sprinkled like the Catholics but that is not how the example of the Bible shows us.

Answer 3

What is more interesting are their arguments for why musical instruments aren't godly. They find all kinds of excuses for why David was allowed to play the harp but we cannot, or why many of the Psalms had musical accompaniment.

The best one I have heard so far is, "We don't go by the Old Testament, but by the New Testament." This attempt to nullify the allowance of musical praise to God is so ridiculous as to make the entire establishment of the Church of Christ a mockery to the True Church of worldwide believers.

Answer 4

Yep, one of my best friends is Church of Christ. I gave him a hard time about wanting to play the paino at his wedding!

Answer 5

They don't advocate the use of musical instruments because in their belief system, instruments take away from the proper worship of God. Never mind that the bible encourages the use of muscial instruments when worshipping God. But they have their own ways aside from everybody elses. Their loss.

Answer 6

indeed they do. and they are very sure that they are the one true church.

Answer 7

I know nothing about them.