In one of your posts, you made a statement that instrumental music is a form of worship that God does not desire. How can you make such a bold statement? For all you know, He does enjoy it, but you haven't been able to tell or not, so that's why you don't do it. Other than that, you simply do not know whether God desires it or not. The onus is yours to prove God does not desire it. It's one thing to choose not to worship in a way you are unsure whether it is acceptable, but to boldly proclaim you know that God has no desire for it is not yours to make. You don't know if God desires His people to build places of worship, do you?

Sincerely,
Why So Bold?

Dear Why So Bold,

We feel comfortable making that bold statement (and you are right, it is bold!) because God says He has told us what is good (Mic 6:8) and that the way to worship Him in a pleasing way is to listen to what He says He wants in worship (Eccl 5:1-2). It isn’t enough to say, “The Bible doesn’t say I can’t worship God in such and such a way”… according to Heb 7:14, 1 Cor 4:6, and Rev 22:18-19, silence in the Bible is prohibitive.  If the Bible is silent on a subject, we must be, too.  That is exactly why we don’t have instrumental music in worship – the Scriptures never authorize it, so, by default, it is prohibited. We would disagree with you that the burden is on us to prove that you can’t do something – we would say the opposite.  Whenever we do something, we must prove that the Bible authorizes it.

With that under our belt, lets talk about how we can know whether or not God is okay with things like building church buildings or any other behavior not specifically found in the Scripture – it all comes down to authority.  If God authorizes something through His Word, then we can know He is okay with us doing it.  There are three ways to establish Bible authority:

1. A direct command.  If the Bible gives us a direct command on a subject, that is the easiest way to find authority.  For example, 1 Cor 16:2 is a direct command to take up a collection on the first day of the week.
2. Approved examples.  If we find an example in the New Testament that clearly is approved by God, we can use that to establish authority.  2 Thess 3:9 says that it is proper for Christians to imitate the faithful actions of those we read about in the Bible.
3. Necessary inference.  ‘Necessary inference’ is another way of saying that something must logically be true.  Necessary inference means that we use logic to put Bible concepts and teachings together to come up with proper conclusions.  For more on that subject, read “Necessary Inference”.

After finding authority through the Scriptures, the last thing to consider is how specific the authority is.  Every command that you find in the Bible has specific and general qualities to it.  For example, when God told Noah to build the ark, He told Noah to use a specific kind of wood (gopher wood – Gen 6:14) and build the ark to specific dimensions (Gen 6:15-16), but He left the details of how to cut, fasten, and construct the ark up to Noah.  It would have been wrong for Noah to use oak or birch, and it would have been wrong for Noah to change the dimensions of the ark, but aside from that, Noah had freedom to use his own wisdom in the engineering of the ark.  The things that God was specific on, Noah had to be specific on, too… but the things God was general about, Noah had freedom to decide for himself.

Another way of saying this is that anything required to fulfill a command is inherent within the command.  This means that if I ask someone to fill my car with gasoline, by default, I have given them permission to drive my car and take it to a gas station of their choosing.  Why?  Because driving my car and going to a gas station are necessary to fulfill that command, and I didn’t tell them which gas station I wanted, so I’ve left that to their discretion.

There are many things that congregations do today (such as own buildings, purchase songbooks, etc.) that the Bible never specifically authorizes, but they fall under general authority.  For example, the commands that give a congregation the authority to own property can be found in Heb 10:24-25 and 1 Cor 14:26.  In both those verses, the church is commanded to assemble.  We are told that we must assemble, or we will be displeasing to God… but we aren’t told where to assemble; that detail is left to our discretion.  We could meet in homes (if we had ones that were big enough), we could meet in a park (if it were legal and weather permitting), or we could buy some property and a building to use.

This is a lengthy answer, but it is a difficult question to answer without some length.  Hopefully, that helps as you try and find Bible authority for everything that you do.

     Do you think the music at the beginning of the videos is "instrumental music"?

Sincerely,
Harmony

Dear Harmony,

Yes, we do.  The Daily Cup video music is definitely instrumental music (pretty sure it is whistling and ukulele), but it isn’t used as part of worship, and it isn’t religious music.  The Bible has no problem with the use of instruments, but when we are commanded to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God, we must fulfill that command by singing only (which means no instruments).  See “Instrumental To Worship” for further details.  The introduction to our video series isn’t an attempt to fulfill that command or be a form of worship.

     I'm in a band with a group of guys, some of whom I worship with; others are co-workers.  We have a growing following, and we are considering taking our show on the road full-time.  It has been a true blessing to be a part of.  I'm thankful to God for this opportunity.  However, I'm conflicted.  I feel like this is a good way for me to provide for my family, and the fans love us.  But the message of the songs we sing is very neutral.  We play love songs and songs telling general life stories.  I feel that if we were able to encourage and strengthen faith through our songs, we could be an even greater blessing to our fans.  Without crossing the line into instrumental worship music, how encouraging can we be with a faith-centered focus in our music?  What words would be okay to use without crossing the line?

Sincerely,
Songwriter

Dear Songwriter,

The issue isn’t a matter of what specific words to use (after all, plenty of songs use the word ‘God’ but aren’t at all spiritual songs). The real question is: what makes a song a “worship” song?  Thankfully, the Bible defines that for us.  Eph 5:19 and Col 3:16 say that worship songs are three types: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.  Though there is great overlap in these three types of songs, it also helps us to understand what types of songs should only be sung as acapella worship.

1. A ‘psalm’ is a song or form of pious poetry… in biblical context, this is most likely referring to the psalms found in the Old Testament.  It is common to find worship songs that directly or almost directly get their language from the Bible.
2. A ‘hymn’ is a song written in praise of a hero, a conqueror, or a god.  In the context of the Bible, a hymn is a song written specifically to praise the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit.  Though the language isn’t directly from the Bible like a psalm, the intent is clear – to give glory to our Creator.
3. A ‘spiritual’ song is exactly what it sounds like, a song that relates to the spiritual element.  This is the hardest type of song to pinpoint because almost every aspect of human life involves a spiritual element.  However, the general principle is that if a song’s main focus or message is on spiritual things like heaven, eternity, the relationship between man and God, salvation, etc. – it would be considered a spiritual song.

With these definitions in mind, we can see the principles behind worship songs.  Many songs can include words like ‘heaven’, ‘God’, or even ‘Jesus’ and not be considered a psalm, hymn, or spiritual song… while other songs can have none of those words and be very spiritual.  The key is to look at whatever songs your band composes and run them through the filter of “Is it a psalm or hymn or spiritual song?”

Just remember, even if your music is “neutral”… a band that is moral in its reputation and keeps the lyrics of music wholesome and pure is still a shining example in an industry that is often lacking in godliness.  We wish you the very best in your endeavors.

Can an instrument be in a church, or is it a sin?

Sincerely,
Open Mic

Dear Open Mic,

God has given us instruments to use for worshipping Him – our hearts (Eph 5:19).  In the New Testament, God tells us to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to Him.  He wants the only melody He hears to come from our hearts.  Instrumental music wasn’t introduced into the church until over three hundred years after Christ.  In fact, ‘a cappella’ singing (singing without instruments) literally means ‘as the church’.  There are no examples of the church using instruments to worship God in the New Testament.  If we start using them, we are adding something to God’s Word (Rev 22:18-19).  All we are ever told to do is “sing and make melody in our hearts”… pluck your heartstrings as you sing to God, and you will make God happy.

What do you do when you feel that you have been pushed aside and not allowed to let your calling being used?  I was a director of a youth choir at my local church.  We now have a minister of music, and now I have been told by them that my services are no longer needed.  Whenever I asked to direct the choir because the Lord has laid a song in my heart, I am told that they have to pray about the song.  I talked to the pastor, and I was told that I should work with the minister of music, but they are not allowing me to work with them.  I have been directing and singing since the age of seven, and I am presently 49.  I have asked the Lord to help me with this situation because I am not clear about what I should do.  I have been asked to join another ministry, but I do not want to leave my present church.

Sincerely,
The Other Director

Dear The Other Director,

We are not exactly sure what advice to give you.  On the one hand, we could simply tell you that it is important to do whatever you can to be at peace with all men (Rom 12:18).  There are many times when we must deal with disappointment in order to get along with others.

On the other hand, we are concerned that we would be giving you a small piece of advice on human relationships while overlooking the weightier issue - the fact that you have been caught up in a world of choirs, ministers of music, and other things not found in the Bible.

The Bible gives us a simple example for worship.  God tells us that all christians should sing and make melody in our hearts (Eph 5:19).  There are no choirs in the New Testament church.  Choirs have audiences... in the church, we should all participate in praising God with our voices.  Choirs are a denominational concept that deviates from the New Testament pattern.  We here at AYP love singing and praising God in song, just like you do.  It is important that we stick to the Bible pattern and have everyone praise God and pluck their heart strings together.  Worship only makes God happy when we worship Him the way He wants (1 Sam 15:22).