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Why Don't We Have Instrumental Music?

Music has always held an important role in the worship of God's people. In the Old Law, the people were commanded to use various musical instruments in their service to God. However, in every instance involving songs, hymns, or praise in the New Testament church, musical instruments are never mentioned. The change from instruments of music in the Old Law to the human voice as noted in the New Testament is one that makes a significant statement about the nature of worship required in the New Testament church. Complete obedience, love and praise abounding from the heart of man and expressed by the lips is the only musical contribution acceptable to God as noted in the New Testament scriptures below:

  • "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives" (Matt 26:30)
  • "But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God" (Acts 16:25)
  • "Therefore will I give praise unto thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name" (Rom. 15:9)
  • "I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also" (I Cor. 14:15)
  • "Speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart unto the Lord" (Eph. 5:19)
  • "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God" (Col. 3:16)
  • "In the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise" (Heb 2:12)
  • "Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name" Heb. 13:15)
  • Is any among you suffering? let him pray. Is any cheerful? let him sing praise" (James 5:13)

    • Many of us enjoy instrumental music and many of us can play instruments. But like Cain, we shouldn't offer to God something that He didn't ask for. And we should be thankful that God didn't ask us to worship Him with a method that he didn't equip us all with. We might not all have equally talented voices, but we all have voices. Those who have added instrumental music to the worship service have done so without any scriptural authority.