Singing and New Testament Worship

Eph 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and

hymns and spiritual songs, singing and

making melody in your heart to the Lord”

Col 3:16 “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”

Col 3:17 “And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord

Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him”

“whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the

Lord Jesus”

By the authority of Jesus Christ.

Matt 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto

them, saying, All power is given unto me in

heaven and in earth”

Matt 21:23-27 “And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the

elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said…

Matt 21:23-27 …By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask…

Matt 21:23-27 …you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it?...

Matt 21:23-27 …from heaven, or of men? And

they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we

shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did…

Matt 21:23-27 …ye not then believe him? But if we shall

say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as

a prophet. And they answered Jesus, and…

Matt 21:23-27 …said, We cannot tell. And he said

unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these

things”

Heb 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became

the author of eternal salvation unto all them

that obey him”

Testimony of Early History

Chrysostom(c. 400 A.D.) stated:

“It was the ancient custom, as it is still with us, for all to come together and unitedly to join

singing. The young and the old, rich and poor, male…

Chrysostom(c. 400 A.D.) stated:

…and female, bond and free, all in one song…All worldly

distinctions here cease, and the whole congregation from one

general chorus.”

Ignatius Bishop of Antioh around 110 A.D., wrote: “Now all of you together become a choir so that being harmoniously in

concord and receiving…

Ignatius Bishop of Antioh around 110 A.D., wrote:

…the key note from God in unison you may sing with one voice through Jesus

Christ to the Father.”

M’Clintock and Strong identify departures from first century

congregational singing, labeling the “innovations,” which arose from the fourth century onward. They include responsive singing

and choirs in this category.”

H. Leo Boles: “Usually quartets are used “not so much for

worship, but for entertainment. I think it sinful to use an item of

worship as a mere entertainment. …A quartet may sing God’s

praises, but God does not call upon us to praise Him by proxy.”

Testimony of Scripture

Eph 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and

hymns and spiritual songs, singing and

making melody in your heart to the Lord”

Col 3:16 “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”

Josh 24:14 “Now therefore fear the LORD,

and serve him in sincerity and in truth:

and put away the gods which your fathers…

Josh 24:14 … served on the other side of the

flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.”

Deut 10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what doth the

LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the

LORD thy God, to walk…

Deut 10:12-13 …in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD

thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul…

Deut 10:12-13 …To keep the commandments of

the LORD, and his statutes, which I

command thee this day for thy good?”

John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must

worship him in spirit and in truth”

Are we authorized to sing outside of

the worship assembly?

Matt 26:30 “And when they had sung an

hymn, they went out into the mount of

Olives”

Acts 16:25 “And at midnight Paul and Silas

prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the

prisoners heard them”

James 5:13 “Is any among you afflicted?

let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing

psalms”

What kind of singing has God

authorized?

Dave Miller, Singing and New Testament Worship

“…choir groups have no place in the worship

assembly of the church”

Singing requires speaking: Eph 5:19 “Speaking to

yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody

in your heart to the Lord”

Therefore: Vocal bands are not authorized.

“Vocal band” = Sounds made to sound like

instruments.

Col 3:16 “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”

For the same reason clapping, whistling,

humming, and dancing is unauthorized.

The Bible clearly teaches that worship is designed

to praise and worship God, not entertain the

worshipper.

Col 3:16 “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”

“…psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…”

rules out all other forms of songs.

Not authorized

God wants Christians to

assemble together and to sing together.

Why is there such a ground swell of support for musical innovation? It is exciting,

enjoyable, pleasurable, and aesthetically appealing =

entertainment.

Congregational singing is for edification, teaching, admonition, emotional

satisfaction and directed to God in the way God has commanded. (spiritual)

Singing and New Testament Worship

Rom 10:17 “So then faith cometh by

hearing, and hearing by the word

of God”

Acts 3:19 “Repent ye therefore, and be

converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when

the times of refreshing shall come from the

presence of the Lord”

Phil 2:11 “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus

Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the

Father”

Gal 3:27 “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on

Christ”

Acts 10:48 “And he commanded them to be

baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him

to tarry certain days”

Hear Believe Repent Confess Baptized

Eternal Life

Singing