Genesis 4 gives the first record of worship to the Lord through sacrifice. Abel’s offering was “the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof” (Genesis 4:4). Cain, however, “brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD” (Genesis 4:3). God did not just accept any offering, rather, “The LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect” (Genesis 4:4-5). Why was Cain’s offering rejected? The Bible does not tell us God’s instructions to these two brothers. We could speculate that perhaps Cain brought the wrong kind of offering¬–a vegetable offering rather than a blood sacrifice. Leviticus 2 shows that later under the Mosaic law some offerings were flour, oil and corn, so God did not always require a blood sacrifice. The emphasis from the text is that Abel brought the best. Whether Cain’s offering was of the wrong type or quality or both, the point is the same: God does not accept just anything we wish to offer to Him in worship. “By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain” (Hebrews 11:4). To do something “by faith” is to take God at His word, heeding His instructions (Romans 10:17). Abel offered what God had prescribed while Cain offered only what pleased himself.
When we come before God in worship today we must offer what is prescribed by His word. We do not need a “thou shalt not” statement in the scriptures for us to know that certain worship practices are unacceptable. Unless God has given us a command, an example, or an implication to warrant employing a practice in worship to Him, we should leave it behind. Even if God formerly allowed a practice under previous covenants, that does not mean He accepts such today. Offering an animal upon an altar, burning incense, and having a special priest class are all characteristics of the law of Moses that are no longer viable in New Testament worship with Jesus Christ as our high priest and each Christian offering sacrifices through Him (Hebrews 9:11; 1 Peter 2:9).
In our worship in song, we are to be speaking to each other, singing and make melody in our hearts (Ephesians 5:19). The song, hymns, and spiritual songs we sing serve the purpose of teaching one another (Colossians 3:16). God has prescribed the instrument: the heart. He has prescribed the kind of music: singing. He has prescribed the kind of songs: psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Singing non-religious songs would not satisfy this prescription. Having a few people playing on mechanical instruments while the rest of the congregation listens does not fit God’s prescription. It turns the atmosphere into a performance of a few rather than the speaking, teaching and admonishing of all in the congregation. It replaces the God-approved instrument of the heart with a mechanical instrument that cannot teach spiritual truths in words.
Answer these questions. Why should we not have a pope? Why should we not handle snakes in our worship? Why should we not have chicken and cherry coke as the elements of the communion supper instead of unleavened bread and fruit of the vine? There are no passages that explicitly say we should not engage in these practices. Thus, to answer these is to answer why our worship in song should be without the addition of mechanical instruments. Let us stick with what God has prescribed in the New Testament, offering the sacrifice of praise, that is the fruit of our lips, rather than adding foreign elements to His worship (Hebrews 13:15).
-Mark Day
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