Psalms and Instrumental Music

(What follows appeared in Gospel Minutes of Sept. 3, 2004. It deals with using instrumental music in worship to God, and it deals with the definition of "psallo" as justification for the practice. This came to me via The Sower, which is published by Eural Bingham--Hal.)

(The question concerns a common and controversial practice. Brother Thurman’s answer is a clear and correct explanation according to God’s revelation. Please study it carefully and honestly. E.B.)

Psalms and Instruments

“Dear Mr. Thurman: A friend of mine has been giving me copies of your paper, and we disagree on the matter of instruments of music in worship. A study of ‘psalm’ shows that the use of instruments of music were understood when this word was used. So God would not need to say ‘use instruments.’ It would be the same as if I asked you to a ‘cook out’ — you would understand that we would be eating food, even though it wasn’t mentioned in the invitation. Please comment. —R.F., TX”

I am happy to comment, even though we have covered this subject before. The apostle Paul wrote about our worship: “Speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). Please note that we are to sing “psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” And the word “psalm” is correctly defined by our querist as: “A sacred song, usually sung to the accompaniment of a harp or other instrument.”

But does “psalm” in Ephesians 5:19 authorize the use of instruments of music? This is an old argument, but one we need to answer again and again. First, our actions are predicated on the VERB in this verse, not the NOUN. Actions are never determined by the nouns in a sentence. For instance, we may buy a book, write a book, read a book, hide a book or even burn a book — and it does not really matter how you define “book,” what we do with it depends on the verb of action. The same principle is true in Ephesians 5:19. Our action is determined by the verb, “Sing.” And what are we to do with the psalm? “Sing” it.

The Holy Spirit, in guiding the apostle Paul into the writing of Ephesians 5:19, certainly knew what the word, “psalm,” meant. If that word would bring to the Jewish mind psalms sung with instruments, He took care of it by defining the instrument! Notice what the text says, “making melody with heart.” This phrase in Greek is “psallontes tee kardias.” You see, that names the instrument. “Psallontes” is from the Greek “psallo,” and “kardias” means the heart. So, when we sing, we “pluck the heart strings.” This is another way of saying what Jesus said in John 4:24, “Worship in spirit and In truth.” In other words, as we sing psalms, we put our hearts into it. There is just no authorization — in this Scripture or in any other — to use instruments of music in the worship of God under the New Testament.

It is interesting that, with more than 150 different versions of the Bible in the English language, not one of them translates Eph. 5:19 to include instruments of music. Not one! History tells us that instruments of music were not used in Christian worship for more than 600 years after Christ died. And then it caused great turmoil and was not generally accepted for another 400 years! And maybe the strongest argument of all with regard to “psallo” and “psalmois” is the fact that the Greek Church has never used instruments in their worship, and still do not. If any group knows the Greek language, they do!

The truth of the matter is simple: there is just no authority for the church of the New Testament to use instruments of music in worship, for the Bible does not authorize it. Why can’t we learn to be satisfied with doing what the Lord wants? He defines our worship. Let us, then, in faithful submission, worship as He directs us. —CLEM THURMAN.

Created Nov. 17, 2004 Updated