Instrumental Music in Worship

I was reading this gospel tract by A.G. Hobbs for Church of Christ. My friend believes that to worship God you should only worship with singing and without instruments. If you dont then you are violating God's religious law of worship. My church worships with all kinds of instruments and the focus is not turned away from God. I understand that instruments can be a distraction however, when used correctly they are not. The church of christ's focus is on keeping the church as revealed in the New Testament. However the arguement on instraments being used in heaven is invalid to them because they believe that heaven is a spiritual realm of which we can not live in or worship in here on earth. Ok now here is where i am stuck. I know that there are musical instruments everywhere in the bible but how can i prove it to her without using the church of the old testament and revelations?

Hey thereThe limit not to use any Old Testament scriptures is VERY limiting… I can only think of one New Testament scripture that has any reference that can, at a push, be useful for your purpose:Ephesians5:19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making MELODY in your heart to the Lord,Melody refers to any of the following:1.\tA pleasing succession or arrangement of sounds.2.\tMusical quality: the melody of verse. 3.\tMusic. a.\tA rhythmically organized sequence of single tones so related to one another as to make up a particular phrase or idea.b.\tStructure with respect to the arrangement of single notes in succession.c.\tThe leading part or the air in a composition with accompaniment.4.\tA poem suitable for setting to music or singing.Of course, I am not the authority on scriptures but I think you will struggle to find much more than that in the New Testament.James

I'm beginning to feel the same, regarding avoiding worship with instruments, however in that, I'm presented scripture, that is hard to recocile:-Ps33:2-3(KJV)2 Praise the Lord with the harp: sing unto with with psaltery and an instrument of ten strings.3 Sing unto him with a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise.Ps71:22 (KJV)I will praise thee with the psaltery, even thy truth, O my God: unto thee will I sing with the harp, O thou Holy One of Israel.See also Ps 108:1-3; 147:7; 149:3; 150:2-6.

Ephesians5:19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making MELODY in your heart to the Lord,Hi JImmJust thought I would mention that this verse doesn't actually make any reference to musical instruments. I think the only reference to music in the New Testament is in the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15.Perhaps we ought to ask the question 'are instruments used in 'leading' or 'accompanying' the service of God?'

PhilologosLooks like I am a little late for this discussion but I do tend to agree with you on the note that the reference in Ephesians was not alluding to musical instruments.You made a useful comment about whether the instruments are leading or accompanying the service. Unfortunately, more often than not these days they are a lead. My fellow black Baptist friends (not to single them out, but many of the churches I am invited to are usually black Baptist Churches) are especially guilty of that and those of them who are more spiritual know it. I went to a meeting where the piano man did not show up and the choir sounded simply awful! The beat was off and the members of the congregation where unable to keep a uniform tempo…the emotional plea for converts at the end was very dry without the piano in the background. To me the instruments should not make a difference but they do. Many people go to church entirely for the music, which is not really a bad thing (many of the classical hymns have great convicting messages and some of the new ones too) but, if the music is powered musical instruments I think we need to reassess our motives. Even so I have no official position on this matter, and I can almost hear my best friend mechanically churning out scriptures to defend the instruments saying, “…blessed is he who does not condemn himself in the things he approves…” (Romans 14:22) James

The word "testament" means will, law, covenant or agreement. The word old means "old", and the word new means "new".We have the "Old" Testament or agreement; and we have the "New" Testament or agreement.We don't worship/live according to the old testament anymore, friends. Do we build altars and sacrifice animals? Do we stone our children? The old law was nailed to the cross.Read Hebrews chapters...7,8,9,10.

how can i prove it to her without using the church of the old testament and revelations? Asking someone to proove anything about God and His things without using His word, the bible, is close to heresy.Why won't He accept using the church of the old testament and revelations? Are they not valid to him?Tell him that the only difference between the Old Testement and the New is that the New is writen on our hearts and the Old is writen on stone.Jeremiah 31:31-33 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: :32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: :33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.