Music and Church
“Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).
Some wonder about the proper methods and forms of worship in the church and whether jumping and loud music is allowed. Reverence to God and good basic sense would not allow the worshipers to act in improper forms of worship. Prayer, preaching, and singing should be done in such a way that is becoming of the Creator.
Loud music and worldliness should not be part of the worship. “The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Habakkuk 2:20). Respect and reverence should be the guide to the actions of the worshipers in God’s church.
Some say, “David danced before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14), therefore, dancing and jumping are permitted in church. But David’s dancing or jumping was an act of holy joy. There was nothing in the dancing of David that was dishonoring to God. Improper dance draws no one nearer to God, nor does it inspire purer thoughts or righteous living. Further, David did not dance in the temple but while marching in the road before the ark of the covenant.
Much outward display of excitement is unnecessary because the Lord looks not on outward show and display of talent, but for sincere, loving devotion to Him expressed in prayer and praise. “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). The Almighty is not subject to the same limitations as human beings, and therefore is not so much concerned with visible forms of worship as He is with the spirit of the heart with which men worship Him (John 4:22).
A heart full of praise must find expression in music and there is also a time to “clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph” (Psalms 47:1). For the Lord is “enthroned in the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3). But dignity and reverence should be the guide; actions should be inspired by a genuine sense of the majesty and greatness of God, and not by any response to the impulses of the natural heart. Carnal music, which the world inspires, should not be a part of the divine services. There should be a difference between the holy and the unholy (Leviticus 10:10).
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In His service,
BibleAsk Team
