Someone asked me about this issue sometimes ago during bible study. He said that some churches believe that God requires our voices only without the use of musical instruments and that the use of musical instruments is an Old Testament thing. I understand where that assertion is coming from. They hold on to scriptures like Hebrews13: 15 which says, “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name” (NKJV)

They lay emphasis on the phrase ‘fruit of our lips’ and they also refer to John4:24 where Jesus enjoined that our worship must be in spirit and in truth. The use of musical instrument does not nullify our spiritual worship, neither does it enhance it. It is possible to worship in truth and in Spirit with or without instrument. That the apostles in the early church didn’t use instruments does not mean it is an iron-clad rule that fits for churches in all ages. If I may ask, did the Apostles use sound system? We can deduce that the answer is ‘NO’. But is it useful in our meetings today? Yes it is. God didn’t create dummies and He is not against creativity. In fact, God gave the wisdom to invent those musical instruments.

One can also put up this argument about the use of modern conveniences like cars, internet, phones,etc. Did the apostles of Jesus use any of these things? No, they didn’t. But hasn’t it been useful in the spread of the gospel? If we are going to be true to ourselves, trying to condemn the use of musical instruments and declaring it an ‘anathema’ for the new testament church is just like trying to assume what the scriptures didn’t say. I can also tell you that if we are to run churches exactly the way the Apostles did, the church may not have made progress like we have seen today. There are many churches streaming their services online. Now for someone living in an environment that is hostile to the gospel, such a fellow can watch those services from his/her room and still be blessed. Did the apostle of Christ stream church services online?

When I searched the scriptures, I found two places in the book of Revelation where instruments were mentioned and used in praising God. Below are a few scriptures out of many that mention the use of instruments:

Psalms 150:3,“Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! 4 Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! 5 Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.” (NLT)

Revelations 5:8, “And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people.” (NLT)

Revelations 14:2, “And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of mighty ocean waves or the rolling of loud thunder. It was like the sound of many harpists playing together. This great choir sang a wonderful new song in front of the throne of God and before the four living beings and the twenty-four elders. No one could learn this song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.” (NLT)

If in heaven, harps, flutes, lyre and other wind instruments would be used, what makes the use of these instruments sinful in this present age? The opponents of this view may say that those things in the book of Revelations are figurative. I agree to some extent on that, though, not every word in the book of Revelations is figurative. But if those instruments (harps, flutes, lyre, ram’s horn) are forbidden for worship on earth, why would a holy God use them to depict a beautiful scenario of worship in heaven? Common sense is needed here. There is nothing wrong with the use of musical instruments provided the purpose and intentions are pure.