Eph 4:11-19; Heb 5:12-14

"Our church does not use musical instruments, as harps and psalteries, to praise God withal, that she may not seem to Judaize." (Thomas Aquinas, Bingham's Antiquities, Vol. 3, page 137)

"musical instruments were not used. The pipe, tabret, and harp here associate so intimately with the sensual heathen cults, as well as with the wild revelries and shameless performances of the degenerate theater and circus, it is easy to understand the prejudices against their use in the worship." (Augustine 354 A.D., describing the singing at Alexandria under Athanasius)

" We have brought into our churches certain operatic and theatrical music; such a confused, disorderly chattering of some words as I hardly think was ever in any of the Grecian or Roman theatres. The church rings with the noise of trumpets, pipes, and dulcimers; and human voices strive to bear their part with them. Men run to church as to a theatre, to have their ears tickled. And for this end organ makers are hired with great salaries, and a company of boys, who waste all their time learning these whining tones." (Erasmus, Commentary on I Cor. 14:19)

"Of old at the time those of the circumcision were worshipping with symbols and types it was not inappropriate to send up hymns to God with the psalterion and cithara and to do this on Sabbath days... We render our hymn with a living psalterion and a living cithara with spiritual songs. The unison voices of Christians would be more acceptable to God than any musical instrument. Accordingly in all the churches of God, united in soul and attitude, with one mind and in agreement of faith and piety we send up a unison melody in the words of the Psalms." (Eusebius commentary on Psalms 91:2-3)

The Kind of Music Revealed in the New Testament  The New Testament authorizes singing only - Matt 26:30; Acts 16:25; Rom 15:9; 1 Cor l4:15; Eph 5:l9; Col 3:16; Jas 5:13; Heb 2:12  The command to sing excludes all other kinds of music

The Latin maxim: expressio unius est exclusio alterius. Black’s Law Dictionary defines this maxim as follows: “Expression of one thing is the exclusion of another. (Citations Omitted). Mention of one thing implies exclusion of another. (Citations Omitted). When certain persons or things are specified in a law, contract, or will, an intention to exclude all others from its operation may be inferred. (Citation Omitted). “Under this maxim, if statute specifies one exception to a general rule or assumes to specify the effects of a certain provision, other exceptions or effects are excluded. (Citation Omitted).” (Emphasis Supplied). Black’s Law Dictionary, Fourth Edition (1951), p. 692.

The Kind of Music Revealed in the New Testament  The command to sing excludes all other kinds of music The command to build the ark of gopher wood excluded all other kinds of woods – Gen 6:14 The Passover offering was to be a “lamb…without blemish, a male of the first year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats.” This was specific and excluded all other animals for the Passover. - Exo 12:5

The Kind of Music Revealed in the New Testament  The command to sing excludes all other kinds of music The fire to be used in the incense censer was specific to forbid all others. Nadab and Abihu “offered strange fire” and found out the hard way that God means what He says! - Lev 10:1 God’s command to sing excludes any other kind of music When something more than singing is done, God has been disobeyed - 2 John 9

The Kind of Music Revealed in the New Testament  The New Testament authorizes singing only - Matt 26:30; Acts 16:25; Rom 15:9; 1 Cor l4:15; Eph 5:l9; Col 3:16; Jas 5:13; Heb 2:12  The command to sing excludes all other kinds of music  What about trumpets and harps in Revelation?

The Right Attitude Toward the Purpose Of Singing  As in other items of worship, it is not entertainment and attraction  It is for praise and thanksgiving unto God - Heb 13:l5; Acts 16:25; Rom l5:9  It is an avenue of “teaching and admonishing one another” - Eph 5:l9; Col 3:1b

Singing Involves The Principle Of Rendition  Directed “unto God” - Acts 16:25  It must be done in all sincerity - 1 Cor 14:l5; Eph 5:19; Col 3:l6  We need to understand what we are singing. “and I will sing with the understanding also” - 1 Cor l4:l5

Singing Involves The Principle Of Rendition  We are to sing that others might understand, “admonishing one another” - Col 3:16  We are to sing proper songs, “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”