panta dokimazete
Puritan Board Post-Graduate
From a previous thread:
I'd like to explore this a bit.
It might be helpful to start with the elements of OT worship:
1. Animal Sacrifice
2. Music\Singing
3. Praying
4. Reading of Scriptures
5. Preaching\teaching
6. Offerings
If I missed something, feel free to add.
We know #1 is abrogated\substituted\reformed\completed through Christ - Hebrews (in my opinion) containing the strongest substantiation
#3-6 I don't think there is any specific contention in terms of practice - or none we will discuss at this time
now...
#2 - Music\Singing - baseline
We know music with instruments\singing praises had been established as elements of worship prior to the building of the Temple (Exodus 15, 1 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 15)...
We know that the word "instruments" was used specifically to refer to specific instruments of the age and generically in the Psalms and elswhere, so strict specifically prescribed instrumentation is never established...
We know Christ sang the Psalms, but we do not know if there were instruments present when He sang them. Absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence...
We know Paul did not condemn the use of instruments, but he did refer, as illustration, to the use of instruments in terms of incorrect usage\not skillfully played: "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" vs instruments played with distinct tones (1 Cor 13-14)...
We know that instruments will be played and new songs sung at the end times (Rev 5 for one example)...
We know we are commanded to use the Psalms prescriptively in terms of worship (among other things). Colossians 3:16
In light of these things, I contend that music, singing and playing instruments are prescribed as elements of worship, but the specific characteristics are not, thus the circumstances of vocal\musical style and instrumentation fall within the liberty of conscience and the prescription that all things within worship should be done "decently and in order".
However the NT tells us that the OT Temple Worship has been abrogated, all of it. Instruments were more than a "circumstance" and therefore were abrogated along with the animal sacrifice.
I'd like to explore this a bit.
It might be helpful to start with the elements of OT worship:
1. Animal Sacrifice
2. Music\Singing
3. Praying
4. Reading of Scriptures
5. Preaching\teaching
6. Offerings
If I missed something, feel free to add.
We know #1 is abrogated\substituted\reformed\completed through Christ - Hebrews (in my opinion) containing the strongest substantiation
#3-6 I don't think there is any specific contention in terms of practice - or none we will discuss at this time
now...
#2 - Music\Singing - baseline
We know music with instruments\singing praises had been established as elements of worship prior to the building of the Temple (Exodus 15, 1 Samuel 10, 1 Chronicles 15)...
We know that the word "instruments" was used specifically to refer to specific instruments of the age and generically in the Psalms and elswhere, so strict specifically prescribed instrumentation is never established...
We know Christ sang the Psalms, but we do not know if there were instruments present when He sang them. Absence of evidence does not mean evidence of absence...
We know Paul did not condemn the use of instruments, but he did refer, as illustration, to the use of instruments in terms of incorrect usage\not skillfully played: "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal" vs instruments played with distinct tones (1 Cor 13-14)...
We know that instruments will be played and new songs sung at the end times (Rev 5 for one example)...
We know we are commanded to use the Psalms prescriptively in terms of worship (among other things). Colossians 3:16
In light of these things, I contend that music, singing and playing instruments are prescribed as elements of worship, but the specific characteristics are not, thus the circumstances of vocal\musical style and instrumentation fall within the liberty of conscience and the prescription that all things within worship should be done "decently and in order".