Question #256

Aren’t your views on worship divisive?

Upon review of your very thorough and thought-provoking website, I am curious as to why no individual member of your brotherhood is named as author of any of the lessons.

In any event, I am a member of a church of Christ which is struggling to bring Jesus to this fallen, modern world. Worship is central to this task. How is it then that I should not employ every means at my disposal, within the bounds of clear and acceptable scriptural practice, to carry out this great commission?

I believe that Jesus died to save me from the fires of hell, not to establish an order of worship which, in truth, is not anywhere in the New Testament formally and firmly set forth. Does not the traditional church of Christ “doctrine” concerning worship, loosely and inconsistently based upon the translation and interpretation of ancient human language, work to divide rather than unite? Such is contradictory to the Bible’s teachings. As Paul says in Ephesians 4, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called–one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” We are commanded by Jesus that “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” Jesus himself is “…the way, the truth, and the life…” It is strikingly more clear from any translation of the Bible that the way of God is that of unity among those who believe in his son. That being said, what good does it do to insist on perpetuating arguments based on human conclusions which fragment the body of believers in the one, true and living God and frustrate the Spirit’s work among and through us?

I very much appreciate your fervor and faith and commend you for your efforts in preparing your website. You should, however, strive to refrain from alienating those who would love and follow Christ by judging and condemning them over the disputable matters of worship.

The Answer:

I am thankful that you find our website helpful. No one can argue with your stated aim of employing every means at your disposal, within the bounds of clear and acceptable scriptural practice, to carry out the great commission. That is certainly one of the greatest tasks of the body of Christ. From your statement (it is not really a question) it seems, however, that your practice is quite different from your statement. While you speak of “acceptable scriptural practice,” you do not say to whom it is to be acceptable. One could infer from your statement that you are governed by what is acceptable to you and to those you say that you are trying to reach. You don’t say where you think Thy Word Is Truth has gone astray from the Truth. In fact, you don’t even say that it has. You simply suggest that there are those who would love and follow Jesus if they could do it their way. Apparently you are willing to sacrifice the Truth in order to reach them. Having done so, have you really reached them with the Truth, the whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth? Most likely, the teaching to which you object is instrumental music in the worship of God. Strangely, you make no attempt to justify your position that this Truth is not clearly taught in scripture. You offer nothing but your opinion. Let me say as kindly as I know how, but as forthrightly as it needs to be said, that your opinion unsupported by scripture carries no weight.

Moreover, it is not those who hold to the apostolic teaching and practice that are divisive. There is no dispute that the apostolic church (the church of the New Testament) did not use mechanical instruments of music in worship. Its introduction was a change of apostolic practice. Logic places the burden of proof to justify change on the change agent. The only argument that you have offered is that if that Truth were surrendered you think you could reach more people. How far are you willing to go with that principle? When someone argues that there is more than one God, are you willing to surrender that Truth to reach more people? When someone argues that Jesus is not the only way to God, are you willing to surrender that truth to reach more people? If you would not do so, then have you not accepted the fact that the principle you espouse is false?

You quote Ephesians 4, and a good passage it is. It says that there is one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of all. If you change the faith thus having at least two (the original and the changed), can not all of the “ones” be changed? If not, why not? The only reason you could possibly give and cling to a changed faith is that you don’t want to. That leaves you with no logical argument against those who want more than one God and one Lord.

The only other answer that you could give is that the manner in which God desires to be worshipped is not a part of the one faith. But you don’t believe that, I am certain. That leaves you to argue more narrowly that it is only instrumental music that is not a part of the faith. Why don’t you try to support that proposition and write again with your argument? Somehow, I suspect that you have tried, recognized that you have failed, and thus are left with only your opinion. Frankly, that is where all of those who use mechanical instruments in worship find themselves. They have tried to justify their use for generations and have failed for as long as they have tried. The bottom line is that, liking their use, they elevate their “likes” above the will of God. Such should never be, even when you think that the matter is a trivial one. Uzzah thought it was a trivial thing to touch the ark; God did not agree and Uzzah died. Nadab and Abihu thought it was a trivial thing to offer “strange fire” upon the altar of God; God did not agree and they died. Are you willing to risk your eternal soul by changing what God desires in worship because you think it is trivial? What if once more God does not agree?