Players on Instruments Shall be There

Everyone agrees that God approved of musical instruments in the Old Testament.  They were considered instruments of praise and their use in worship was even commanded, (II Chronicles 29:25, I Chronicles 23:5, Psalms 150: 1­4).  Yet some teach that it is wrong to use musical instruments in worship today.  They claim God only approves of singing in worship. They claim the New Testament is silent on the use of musical instruments. These claims are incorrect as we will show as you read on.  That musical instruments are used in Bars and nightclubs have no bearing on their use in worship.  Singing is also found in the same places.  God is looking at the motive and condition of the individual’s heart.   A very talented and eloquent voice could sing or speak good words, yet if it was coming from a sinful heart, God would not honor it.  Likewise a voice lack­ing these qualities would be accepted of God if it came from one living a holy life.   The same would hold true for the player on a musical instrument.

Besides the misuse of musical instruments in Bars etc., there is also the perversion of musical instruments in what is called “Christian Rock”.   The worldly beat of so called Christian Rock stands in direct contradiction to “... be not conformed to this world... (Romans 12:2) and “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world..” (I John 2:15).  This type of music is “...not of the Father, but of the world,” (I John 2: 16).  So the fact that musical instruments have been misused and perverted by the world and false religion does not nullify their proper use.  The meaning of the words “Christian,” “born again,” “saved” etc., have also been perverted yet are still valid words to use. 

Some have said that those who approve of musical instruments base it on David’s use of them in worship.  Then they go on to point out that David also offered incense, kept the Sabbath etc., which are not binding on Christians today.  Before we get into the New Testament teach­ings about musical instruments, there are a few comments needed about Old Testament worship.  Israel’s worship of God was not just meaningless rituals with out any significance.  There was a di­vine purpose behind it all.  The Mosaic rites, those outward forms of religion were “typical” or “shadows” of things to come, (Colossians 2: 16-17).  The tabernacle and all connected with its worship are said to be an “example and shadow of heavenly things” (Hebrews 8:5). The animal sacrifices typi­fied the sacrifice of Christ, the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world,” (John 1:24).  Jesus Christ “washed us from our sins in his own blood, (Revelations 1:5).  Only after the blood of Christ has been applied (spiritually) to our heart can we worship God acceptably.  The Sabbath that David kept was one of physical rest.  It was to typify a perfect soul rest of the Christian, (Hebrews 4:3-11). The Sabbath, like other ceremonial requirements of the Mosaic Law were abolished, (Colossians 2:14-17, Hebrews 8:6-17) but the blessed soul rest it prefigured re­mains for the people of God.   So Christians do not offer animal sacrifices, keep the literal Sab­bath, etc. because we have the substance of those things the Mosaic Law fore-shadowed.  Explaining types and shadows are not our purpose in this booklet.  Our point is that David’s keeping the law etc. has no affect on the use of musical instruments.  David also sang and prayed as Christians do to­day.  Musical instruments nor singing and praying were abolished by the scriptures.   

Now we come to the New Testament author­ity for musical instruments. Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wis­dom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” The meaning of the word “psalms” in this verse taken from Vine's Exposition Dictionary of Biblical words copyright 1985, Thomas Nelson Pub­lishers, is as follows: Psalm - psalmos - 5568 - primarily denoted “a striking or twitching with the fingers (on musical strings)”; then, “a sacred song, sung to musical accompani­ment, a psalm.”  The Greek dictionary of the New Testament in Strong's Concordance of the same word says “a set piece of music, i.e. a sacred ode accompanied with the voice, harp or other instrument; a psalm.  So we see the New Testament is not silent on the sub­ject of musical instruments when we under­stand the meaning of the word psalm.  Therefore, Chris­tians are admonished to use musical instru­ments (Col. 3:16) in their worship.  This same thought is also found in Ephesians 5:18-19, “... be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, sing­ing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”  God has approved the use of musical instruments in worship in both the Old and the New Testaments.  This is the reason God’s church, the New Testament Church, the true Church of God uses musical instruments in their worship services.  In the eighty-seventh chapter of the book of Psalms we read of prophecy concerning the church of the New Testament.  “And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man were born in her: and the high­est himself shall establish her.  The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there,” (Psalms 87:5-6).  Zion is a metaphor for the Church of the New Testament, (see Hebrews 12:22).  Salvation adds one to the New Testament Church (Acts 2:47). So to get into the church one must be born, (born again) into it. The Highest Himself has established the New Tes­tament church.  When one is born again his name is written not in some man made mem­bership book but written in the Lamb's book of life (Revelation 21:27).  Continuing on is this same chapter about the New Testament Church the very next verse should forever settle the issue about musical instruments in worship.  For we have a direct quote of the use of musical instruments in New Testament worship.   “As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there…” (Psalms 87:7).   Amen!

By: Bill Roberts

Gospel Truth and Publications, P.O. Box 142, Jackson Center, OH 45334

Note: Also available from this publisher is:

Our Ministerial Letters Feb. 1917 (Neck-Tie issue) – D. O. Teasley

The editor of that issue said that “the time has now come when the controversy may be regarded as settled”.   He brought out that a large number of those who opposed tie wearing “have been proven by their life, spirit, and fruits to be out of God’s order”.  In that issue, D. O. Teasely explains through truth and reason the differences between custom and fashion, what consists of worldly conformity, morality versus necessity, etc.