As every Christian will be very well aware, it is extremely common for Christian worship services to make use of musical instruments.
In fact, I think for
most Christians, musical instruments form such a well-known part of what goes
on at Sunday services, that they would find it very strange to do without them.
What does the New
Testament have to say?
Because musical
instruments are so commonly used in group Christian worship, I suspect that most
believers have probably never really stopped to think about whether the Bible
encourages us to use them in this setting.
There are actually a few
Christians who claim that it is wrong to do this. They argue that because the
New Testament has no explicit examples of Christians using musical instruments
in group worship, and no explicit instructions to use musical instruments in group
worship, therefore we shouldn’t do so.
This line of reasoning,
however, is deeply flawed. Whether something is made explicit or not is not the
key point. Sometimes things can be clearly implied without being made explicit.
And this is the case with New Testament instruction on musical instruments.
To begin with, we
need to take note of what is written in Ephesians 5:18-19:
‘And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart…’ (ESV)
See how this passage instructs Christians to sing psalms to
the Lord when they are together. This is referring to the 150 Psalms that make
up our book of Psalms.
Importantly, some of the Psalms encourage God’s people to
use musical instruments to praise Him in group worship. For example, Psalm
150:3-5 says:
‘Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and
harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise
him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!’ (ESV)
The way that so many musical instruments are mentioned in
this passage surely means that the psalmist is thinking especially of times
when musicians are playing together, not just individuals using instruments
when they are alone. This passage from Psalm 150 is therefore encouraging God’s
people to use musical instruments in group worship.
So the New Testament instructs
Christians to sing Psalms, and the Psalms encourage God’s people to use musical
instruments in group worship. Therefore we can say that the New Testament
implies that it is good for Christians to use instruments in group worship. The
fact that the New Testament isn’t explicit about this is beside the point.
It would be absurd to
think that it is good for believers to sing passages like the one I just quoted
from Psalm 150 when they are together, but that it would be wrong for them to
do what this Psalm encourages them to do!
Skilled
musicians
Another question that
arises about musical instruments in Christian worship services is how skillful
the musicians need to be.
On the one hand, it
would obviously be wrong to expect perfection. Even the best musicians are
occasionally going to make mistakes when they play.
However, on the other
hand, poor players are almost certainly going to cause problems. Mistakes in
playing can be very distracting. People’s attention is drawn away from God to
the player who has hit the wrong note or made a similar mistake.
I think that, if
possible, the standard of musicians in Christian services should be pretty
high. It should be usual for a player, playing half a dozen songs or so, not to
make any mistakes during that time. If someone is in the habit of making
frequent mistakes, that person shouldn’t really be playing in worship services.
It is also helpful if
there is someone in charge of the music who has the courage and tact to know
how to say ‘No’ to musicians who just aren’t good enough. And anyone who wants
to join the music group should need to have an audition. Someone who wants to
join a band or an orchestra would expect to have an audition first, and I see
no good reason for thinking that things should be any different for Christian
musicians playing in worship services.
I know of Christians
who have turned up at Sunday services, musical instrument in hand, expecting to
be allowed to play without asking permission beforehand. While there certainly
shouldn’t be unnecessary barriers put up to stop good Christian musicians
playing after an audition, some sort of assessment needs to take place first.
Nor is it just poor
playing that can draw attention away from God and to the musician. So too can
good playing, if the music being played is technically difficult. Skilled
musicians may therefore need to resist the temptation to add flourishes that
sound good but serve to draw attention to themselves.
I would suggest that
typical music in group worship should be fairly simple but very well played.
What sorts of
instruments?
Another relevant
question concerns what sorts of instruments are best to use in group worship.
For a start, this
will depend in large part on where in the world we live. It is helpful for
Christians living in a certain culture to fit in with that culture as far as
they can without compromising on their values. This helps to bridge the gap
between believers and outsiders.
I think in large
segments of Western culture today the piano –whether manual or electronic – is very
well suited as the lead or sole instrument in worship services. Pianos are
commonly used in a variety of musical genres in the culture at large, and they are
very popular across the age range of people. Pianos also have the advantage of
being able to be used on their own or along with other instruments.
Some churches today
still use the organ as the main instrument in worship services. Everyone is
different, and I have a lot of respect for anyone who personally likes
worshipping God with organ music. There is nothing wrong with that.
Nevertheless, at
least as a general rule, I think using this instrument in group worship at the
present time is a mistake. It is very difficult for other instruments to join
in with it, which means that good Christian musicians are often unable to use
their talents. It is also often far too loud and drowns out people’s voices.
And it is not a popular instrument in the culture generally, but seems
old-fashioned.
Having old-fashioned
things in group worship can by extension make Jesus and the Christian faith
seem old-fashioned and irrelevant. Speaking from personal experience, it was
old-fashioned things that I encountered in churches as a boy that, in large
part, put me off becoming a Christian at that time.
Background music
Another issue
concerns whether to have background music in church services.
As everyone in
Western countries will surely have noticed, it is very common in Western
culture today to find background music in all sorts of contexts.
The same is true in
churches. It is not uncommon to have music quietly playing during the Lord’s
Supper and even during prayers. So what should we make of this?
Despite what I said
above about the usefulness of the church fitting in with the culture, I think
silence is underrated in Western culture as a whole. And in church services I
think when something is happening that requires concentration, such as prayers
or the Lord’s Supper, or pretty much anything else, we do better to avoid
potential distractions like background music.
Maybe when nothing else specific is going on, like immediately before
the service or immediately after it, background music might be OK. But at other
times I think it makes more sense to avoid it.
See also:
Is There Any Place for Entertainment in Church
Services?
What Should the Dress Code Be for Christian Worship
Services?
Beware of Becoming Attached to Church Traditions
