Download Singing - Midway Church of Christ

Jn. 4:19-24
“To the end that my glory may sing
praise to You and not be silent,”
Ps. 30:12
“Then they believed His words; They
sang His praise,” Ps. 106:12
Paul and Silas were “praising God in a
hymn,” Acts 16:25 (Interlinear Bible)
Quotations are from this book, written by
John Price, preacher at Grace Baptist
Church, Rochester, N.Y., 2005
He has written an excellent book against
the use of instrumental music in worship.
“God has always regulated His public
worship even in regard to the specific
musical instruments used…two silver
trumpets, Num. 10:1,2,8,10…the only
musical instruments used in public
worship throughout the time of the
Tabernacle in the wilderness”
(pg. 21,22).
It was “the command of David…from the
Lord,” 2 Chron. 29:25-27
“When the Temple was to be built, its
order of worship to be instituted, David
received a divine revelation in regard to
it, just as Moses had concerning the
tabernacle…Instrumental music would
not have been constituted an element in
the Temple-worship, had not God
expressly authorized it by his command”
(p. 29).
“When we come to the New Testament,
we must again be guided by the
regulative principle of worship. The
God of the Bible has not changed, and
He will still be regarded as holy by
those who draw near to Him (Lev. 10:3; 1
Pet. 1:16). We must ask the question:
What has God commanded in His
worship?” (p. 39).
God “instituted the use of musical
instruments as part of the Levitical
priesthood. It was the Levites alone
whom he authorized to use the musical
instruments…the Levitical priesthood in
its entirety has been abolished (Heb.
7:11,12), and this must include their
musical instruments” (p. 51).
Musical instruments are mentioned often
in O.T., “but what do we find in the New
Testament? Nothing but complete
silence…Are we to assume that there
were musical instruments in the
churches just as in the Temple but the
Holy Spirit has forgotten to tell us about
them?” (p.54).
“When they had sung a hymn” (Mt. 26:30;
Mk. 14:26), “Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns” (Acts 16:25), “I will
sing unto Your name” (Rom. 15:9), “I will
sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the
understanding” (1 Cor. 14:15), “singing and
making melody in your heart” (Eph. 5:19),
“singing with grace in your hearts” (Col.
3:16), “I will sing praise” (Heb. 2:12), “Is
any cheerful, let him sing psalms”
(Jas. 5:13).
The Greek verb - psallo
“To pluck off, pull out; to cause to vibrate
by touching, to twang the strings of a
musical instrument…in the New
Testament to sing a hymn, to celebrate
the praises of God in song”
(Thayer, p. 675).
A verb describes an action – it does not
give you the object.
Baptize (verb) – immerse in what?
Psallo – what? Hair, carpenter’s string,
harp strings, the heart?
“The Church Fathers vehemently rejected
the use of musical instruments in the
worship of the church. These same men
were also masters in the Greek language”
(p. 191).
Why is it played when nobody is singing?
“Singing and playing of musical
instruments are two entirely different acts.
Each can be performed independent of the
other” (p. 49).
A song book, or power point is an aid –
not another kind of music. (Containers for
the bread and fruit of the vine are aids,
not additions.)
Rev. 5:8; 14:2
Revelation is highly symbolic (1:1)
There are also: bowls of incense (5:8), a
golden altar (8:3), bowls of wrath (16:1).
There is no marrying, nor giving in
marriage in heaven (Mt. 22:30). “If this
example of heaven becomes our rule on
earth, then we would cease to exist after
one generation” (p. 202).
“The pitch-pipe is used before the hymn
actually begins, and it remains silent
throughout the entire act of singing…If a
musical instrument is used for the same
purpose as the pitch-pipe, namely to set
the pitch with a single note before the
hymn begins, we will have no objection
to its use” (pg. 206,207).
“The use of organs in churches is ascribed
to Pope Vitalian (657-672)…The Greek
Church disapproves the use of organs. The
Latin Church introduced it pretty generally,
but not without the protest of eminent men,
so that even in the Council of Trent (15451563) a motion was made, though not
carried, to prohibit the organ at least in the
mass” (History of the Christian Church,
Philip Schaff, Vol. 4, p. 439).
Martin Luther – “The organ in worship is
an ensign of Baal.”
John Calvin – “The Papists, therefore
have foolishly borrowed this, as well as
many other things, from the Jews.”
John Wesley – “I have no objection to
instruments of music in our chapels,
provided they are neither heard nor
seen.”
The best argument for instrumental
music in worship?
“I like it!”
What if we like steak in the Lord’s
supper?
“And whatever you do in word or
deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through Him” (Col. 3:17).