Bible Authority For Singing

Music can improve mood, decrease pain and anxiety, and facilitate opportunities for emotional expression. Research suggests that music can benefit our physical and mental health in numerous ways. Music therapy is used by hospice and palliative care board-certified music therapist Max Lerman to enhance conventional treatment for a variety of illnesses and disease processes – from anxiety, depression and stress, to the management of pain and enhancement of functioning after degenerative neurologic disorders.

It’s heart healthy. Research has shown that blood flows more easily when music is played. It can also reduce heart rate, and lower blood pressure,

It elevates mood. Music can boost the brain’s production of the hormone dopamine. This helps relieve feelings of anxiety and depression.

It reduces stress. Research has found that listening to music can relieve stress by triggering biochemical stress reducers.

It relieves symptoms of depression. When you’re feeling down in the dumps, music can help pick you up - much like exercise.

It stimulates memories. There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease or dementia but music therapy has been shown to relieve some of its symptoms.

It manages pain. By reducing stress levels and providing a strong competing stimulus to the pain signals that enter the brain, music therapy can assist in pain management. (https://www.northshore.org/healthy-you/9-health-benefits-of-music/)

Music has often been called the universal language. We have music in our homes, cars, stores, restaurants because it has the ability to inspire and motivate us.

Have you ever sang the star spangled banner or God bless America it inspires us to a greater sense of patriotism. Have you ever caught yourself humming a jingle? Have you ever loved to be an Oscar Mayer wiener?

The influence music has on our lives is powerful; we celebrate with song, and we mourn with song. We relax and entertain with a song.

We Worship with a song and one of the things that sets the church of Christ apart from denominations is the absence of musical instruments in the worship assemblies. WHY?

There is no Bible authority for them! There is nowhere in the New Testament Worship that we are authorized to use instruments of music during our worship to God!

The absence of Musical instruments goes back to what we talked about when we talked about the Lord’s Supper “Bible Authority” The law of inclusion

Matthew 26:26-29-NKJV

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.”

27 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

Bread representing the body and fruit of the vine representing the blood. The same applies with the law of exclusion. This fundamental principle asks us to respect both the authority and the sufficiency of a commandment given by God that we not add to or take away from God’s word.

Revelation 22:18-19-NKJV

18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

So an argument remains it doesn’t say anywhere that we can’t use instruments of music. But doesn’t Christ leaving instrumental music out of the worship settle the matter. If the New Testament is silent on the matter it should be evident that there is no scriptural authority for it.

2 Timothy 3:16-NKJV

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Is this not a time for correction and instruction? God has specified what we are to do!

Ephesians 5:19-NKJV

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

Colossians 3:16-NKJV

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.

Singing is the way of getting the word of Christ into our hearts! The thoughts contained in the words do the teaching and admonishing.

Instrumental accompaniment does not aid in conveying the thoughts and feelings to the heart. It would hinder rather than help. If it aids at all it aides in the execution of a performance of entertainment and not New Testament worship! “Making melody in your heart to the Lord” “Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord”It looks to me like the Lord has authorized an instrument to use THE HEART!