The Litmus Test
The non-instrumental church of Christ denomination has used instrumental music worship as a litmus test to determine whether you are saved or lost. I have actually heard this universal condemnation from them " if you us instruments in worship, you are hell bound". I find it to be ironic that 2000 years ago there was a litmus test from religious people; " except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved"( Ac.15:1). They insist that our worship must be "congregational" (sung in unison) and " accapella" ( no instrument). It is interesting that these two words that they use to describe the proper way to worship are nowhere to be found in Scripture. Their most frequently cited verse to demand a type of worship is Ep.5:19. They teach that "speaking to yourselves" means accapella and congregational.
Let's see if they are right. If you look at the surrounding verses in Ep.5 (in context) you will find instructions given to believers ( verses4,11,15,17,18,20,21,25,and 33). Let's apply this logic to these verses and see how they sound. read these instructions and then add the phrase "only when you are gathered together on the Lord's day". It doesn't sound right does it? In other words, all these verses apply to a believer regardless of location or number of people. So does verse 19. The ones who teach "congregational only"( Exclusionists) have taken this one verse out of context in order to teach a theological doctrine. How about the "accapella" argument? The Greek word for "psalm" in verse 19 is "psalmos". The definition of this word is "a set piece of music, a sacred ode( accompanied with the voice,harp or other instrument). The Greek word for " melody " here is "psallo", a verb, which means " to rub or touch the surface; to twitch or twang; to play on a stringed instrument. Ephesians 5:19 allows either the voice or musical instrument or both in our worship. It is a preference choice just as eating or not eating meat sacrificed to idols was a preference choice(1 Cor. chapter 8) and man has no right to bind what God has not bound. All the Greek Lexicons( dictionaries) have only allowed for accapella, they have never demanded it. No Christian in the first 500 years of church history demanded only accapella worship and you will find no condemnation of musical instruments in worship during this same time period. It is man that condemns, not the Word of God rightly divided. When we look at the Scriptures we find that the "congregational, accapella only" doctrine that Exclusionists attept to use to condemn everyone who does not meet their requirements fails the litmus test of rightly dividing the Word of truth. The Judaizers had no right to condemn others for not accepting their theology in their day and modern day Judaizers have no right to condemn those who do not worship exactly as they do in our day. Why don't we all use the litmus test that Jesus gave to the people in His day " If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (Jn.8:24)? Unbelief is what condemns, not whether or not we use musical instruments when we worship God.
The non-instrumental church of Christ denomination has used instrumental music worship as a litmus test to determine whether you are saved or lost. I have actually heard this universal condemnation from them " if you us instruments in worship, you are hell bound". I find it to be ironic that 2000 years ago there was a litmus test from religious people; " except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved"( Ac.15:1). They insist that our worship must be "congregational" (sung in unison) and " accapella" ( no instrument). It is interesting that these two words that they use to describe the proper way to worship are nowhere to be found in Scripture. Their most frequently cited verse to demand a type of worship is Ep.5:19. They teach that "speaking to yourselves" means accapella and congregational.
Let's see if they are right. If you look at the surrounding verses in Ep.5 (in context) you will find instructions given to believers ( verses4,11,15,17,18,20,21,25,and 33). Let's apply this logic to these verses and see how they sound. read these instructions and then add the phrase "only when you are gathered together on the Lord's day". It doesn't sound right does it? In other words, all these verses apply to a believer regardless of location or number of people. So does verse 19. The ones who teach "congregational only"( Exclusionists) have taken this one verse out of context in order to teach a theological doctrine. How about the "accapella" argument? The Greek word for "psalm" in verse 19 is "psalmos". The definition of this word is "a set piece of music, a sacred ode( accompanied with the voice,harp or other instrument). The Greek word for " melody " here is "psallo", a verb, which means " to rub or touch the surface; to twitch or twang; to play on a stringed instrument. Ephesians 5:19 allows either the voice or musical instrument or both in our worship. It is a preference choice just as eating or not eating meat sacrificed to idols was a preference choice(1 Cor. chapter 8) and man has no right to bind what God has not bound. All the Greek Lexicons( dictionaries) have only allowed for accapella, they have never demanded it. No Christian in the first 500 years of church history demanded only accapella worship and you will find no condemnation of musical instruments in worship during this same time period. It is man that condemns, not the Word of God rightly divided. When we look at the Scriptures we find that the "congregational, accapella only" doctrine that Exclusionists attept to use to condemn everyone who does not meet their requirements fails the litmus test of rightly dividing the Word of truth. The Judaizers had no right to condemn others for not accepting their theology in their day and modern day Judaizers have no right to condemn those who do not worship exactly as they do in our day. Why don't we all use the litmus test that Jesus gave to the people in His day " If ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (Jn.8:24)? Unbelief is what condemns, not whether or not we use musical instruments when we worship God.
