The Greek word psallo includes instruments.
Look in Greek dictionaries
- Vine’s: “in the NT, ‘to sing a hymn, sing praise’”
- Thayer’s Lexicon: “in the NT to sing a hymn, to celebrate the praises of God in song.”
- Vincent’s Word Studies in the NT: “The verb, however, is used in the New Testament of singing praise generally.”
- The word changed over time to mean singing in the time of the New Testament.
- Words change meaning over time!
Look in reliable English translations
| Romans 15:9 | I Corinthians 14:15 | Ephesians 5:19 | James 5:13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NASB95 | I will sing | I will sing | Making melody | He is to sing praises |
| ASB | Sing | I will sing | Making melody | Let him sing praise |
| ESV | Sing | I will sing praise | Making melody | Let him sing praise |
| KJV | Sing | I will sing | Making melody | Let him sing psalms |
| NKJV | Sing | I will sing | Making melody | Let him sing psalms |
| NIV | I will sing the praises | I will sing | Make music | Let them sing songs of praise |
| CSB | I will sing praise | I will sing praise | Making music | He should sing praises |
| NLT | I will sing praises | I will sing | Making music | You should sing praises |
The elders decided to have instruments. So if it’s wrong, they bear the guilt.
- Titus 1:9; I Timothy 5:19-20 – Elders can make mistakes and should be rebuked when they do.
Harps are used in Heaven.
- Revelation 5:8; 14:2; 15:2; 18:21-22
- The first challenge is to even prove these are literal harps.
- Second, why stop with the harps?
- Events in Heaven aren’t instructions for Christians on earth.
We should use our God-given talents to worship Him.
- Is there any limit to this?
- God wants us to follow His instructions in worship.
- John 4:24; Matthew 15:9
- Genesis 4:2-5; Hebrews 11:4; Romans 10:17 – Abel followed God’s instructions. Cain did not.
- Leviticus 10:1-2
Instruments were used for Old Covenant worship.
- That’s right!
- Numbers 10:10; II Chronicles 29:25-28
- These were commanded by God at that time.
- But we follow the New Covenant, not the Old Covenant.
- Hebrews 8:7-8, 13
- Acts 15
- Galatians 5:1-3
Conclusion
- No one can argue that we should use instruments because they are clearly authorized as acceptable worship in the New Covenant.