The following is a letter sent to me concerning some information, which I had written in defense of the musical instrument in worship.

 

            Hello Brother, I enjoyed your information.  I am a member of a non instrumental congregation and have been all my life.  But I question it.  You commented on the meaning of Psalms, whether it contained the meaning of instrumental music when the New Testament was written. Since many do not believe it does, it makes for somewhat a weak argument.

            The most compelling argument that I have found is the following:

The Psalms are found in the Old Testament but the commandment to sing Psalms that is found in Col. 3:16 is a NEW TESTAMENT commandment. God made the Psalms a part of Christian Worship. That makes what is authorized in the Psalms a part of Christian worship. It is God that put it there! It is hard for me to believe that Col 3:16 says I can sing Psalms 150 "to the Lord", but that it would be a sin to do what God just told me to sing.

            The main reply I have heard is that if what the Psalms authorize is authorized for Christian worship then animal sacrifices would too, since the Psalms mention them also.

            This is not a good reply because the two (instrumental music and animal sacrifices) are not parallel. We have specific statements in the NT not to sacrifice animals, we have no such exclusion statement for the instrumental music authorized by the Psalms.

            This is similar to the reasoning we find with the "example of Jesus".  Jesus kept the Sabbath, the Passover, and commanded animal sacrifices.
            But we don't follow Jesus in these because we have specific statements telling us not to. It is NOT all or nothing with our following Jesus. The 7th day Adventist say, "Jesus kept the Sabbath and if you are going to follow Jesus so will you.  Answer - Yes, I follow Jesus UNLESS I find a specific statement telling me not to!  Likewise, since God made the Psalms a part of Christian worship, what the Psalms authorize is authorized for Christian worship UNLESS we find a specific statement not to! So, animal sacrifices are out and instrumental music in worship is in.  How can we be right by taking out what God has put in?

 

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