QUESTION:  You have made statements that the New Testament church used only vocal music.  Almost all churches today use instruments of one kind or another.  Do you believe this is wrong?

ANSWER:

Many people seem to be surprised when they attend a church that does not use instrumental music as a part of its worship service.  Almost always the question “Why?” comes up, quite often followed with guesses like, “Can’t the church afford a piano?” or “That’s a really strange view, isn’t it?”

  Actually, given the background, it should be surprising that Christians who do not use instrumental music are the ones who are thought of as strange or different.  The ones who changed are not the ones using vocal music in their worship service but rather those who have added instrumental music.  To gain an understanding, please consider the following three sources of information (scripture, history and the dictionary) regarding the background and use of vocal and instrumental music in worship.

Scriptural Background:

  When one looks at the Old Testament it is apparent that instrumental music was a common practice.  There are multiple references to using instruments of music as a part of worship throughout the Old Testament.  While there was some use before his time (for examples, see Leviticus 23:24 and Numbers 10:2), King David is credited with organizing musicians for the purpose of worship in I Chronicles 25:1-8.  The Psalms are full of references to the use of various instruments to worship Jehovah (for an example, see Psalm 150).

  However, when music is mentioned regarding the New Testament church, it is always presented in the context of using the voice to sing.  While music and dancing were common at social events of the day and musical instruments were certainly available (see Matthew 9:23, Mark 6:21-22, Luke 7:32 and 15:23-25, I Corinthians 14:7-8), it didn’t happen in the church.  Even with at least 1500 years of prior Jewish history and many Jewish Christians influencing the development of the New Testament church, instruments are were not a part of the Christian worship experience.  The following scriptures are examples of singing in the early church:

  Ephesians 5:19-20 – “Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

  Colossians 3:16-17 – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

  Hebrews 13:15 – “Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.”

  I Corinthians 14:15 – “What am I to do?  I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”

Historical Background:

There is a plethora of material to establish that singing in the church for the first several centuries was vocal singing:

Somewhere close to 200 A.D. Tertullian (lived 150-222A.D.) wrote, “each one who is able is called into the center to chant praise to God either from the Holy Scriptures or from his own talents.” Tertullian, Apology 39.18.

“It was perhaps as late as the tenth century when the organ was played as part of the service.  This makes instrumental music one of the late innovations of the medieval Catholic church.  When introduced in the Middle Ages, the organ was still not part of the liturgy proper.  That is, it did not initially accompany the hymn service, but was a separate item in the service.  The type of chant employed left no room for instrumental accompaniment until new styles of music developed” (Everett Ferguson, A Cappella Music in the Public Worship of the Church, Biblical Research Press, Abilene, Texas, copyright 1972, page 81).

“For almost a thousand years Gregorian chant, without any instrumental or harmonic addition, was the only music used in connection with the liturgy” (The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, George Arthur Buttrick, editor, Abingdon Press, New York and Nashville, copyright 1962, page 657).

“The Fathers of the Church forbade worldly and pagan music but commended worthy Christian songs and chants.  They prohibited musical instruments that were associated with pagan music" (New Catholic Encyclopedia, Prepared by an editorial staff at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, copyright 1967, Volume X, page 106).

The first major split from the Roman Catholic Church was the Orthodox Catholic Church or more commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church.  This separation took place in 1054 A. D.  The Eastern Orthodox Church did not use instrumental music and still does not to this day.

John Calvin, who is credited as the founder of the Presbyterian churches, Christian Reformed churches and Reformed churches, states, “But when they frequent their sacred assemblies, musical instruments in celebrating the praises of God would be no more suitable than the burning of incense, the lighting up of lamps, and the restoration of the other shadows of the law.  Papists, therefore, have foolishly borrowed this, as well as many other things, from the Jews.  Men who are fond of outward pomp may delight in that noise; but the simplicity which God recommends to us by the apostle is far more pleasing to him” (John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, Translated by James Anderson, William B. Eerdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, copyright 1949, Volume I, page 539).

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist church, states, “I have no opposition to the organ in our chapel provided it is neither seen nor heard” – John Wesley as quoted in Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Volume IV, page 686.

According to the Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, written by John McClintock and James Strong, “The general introduction of instrumental music can certainly not be assigned to a date earlier than the fifth or sixth centuries; yea, even Gregory the Great, who towards the end of the sixth century added greatly to the existing Church music, absolutely prohibited the use of instruments.  Several centuries later the introduction of the organ in sacred service gave place to instruments as accompaniments for Christian song, and from that time to this they have been freely used with few exceptions.  The first organ is believed to have been used in church service in the 13^th century” (Volume 6, page 759).

Dictionary Background:

The term “a cappella” is commonly used to identify vocal singing without the use of instrumentation.  This is a correct definition according to most modern dictionaries.  Webster’s New World Dictionary states this and also points out that this term is from the Italian and means “in chapel style” (Webster’s New World Dictionary, Pocket Books, New York, copyright 2003, page 4).  Vocal music, without instrumental accompaniment is in the style of the chapel or church!  Scholars have further explained, “A cappella comes from the Latin by way of Italian and means ‘in the style of the church,’ ‘as is done in the church’” (Everett Ferguson, A Cappella Music in the Public Worship of the Church, Biblical Research Press, Abilene, Texas, copyright 1972, page 83).  Isn’t it interesting that the use of vocal music has been so connected to Christian worship that the term a cappella (“being like the church”) automatically assumes music without an instrument?

Conclusion:

It is virtually uncontested that the music of the first century church and for several centuries after was exclusively vocal music.  Even though most of the early followers were Jews and were familiar with the use of instrumental music in the Old Testament, they did not use it in Christian worship.  Even though, at that time, instruments were readily available and used on many occasions such as parties, weddings and funerals, they were not used in Christian worship.

It is obvious by reading the scriptures, reviewing church history and looking at a modern dictionary that singing without using instrumental music (A Cappella) was the practice of the New Testament church and Christians for many centuries thereafter.  It was those who added instrumental music who changed from what the New Testament church practiced.  The appropriate question is “Why do you choose to change what the New Testament church did by adding instrumental music?” not “Why don’t you use instrumental music?”  The question becomes, “Do we take what the Bible clearly teaches and early Christians practiced as our way of approaching God or do we change that practice to suit ourselves?”  If we are attempting to be New Testament Christians, the answer is obvious!