Vol. XXXVIII March 2, 2006 No 3
WHAT SHOULD WE USE IN WORSHIP?
by Tom McLemore
With confidence of pleasing him, we offer to God in worship that which his word reveals is acceptable to him. We confidently exercise the reasonable constraint of limiting our offerings to that which is expressly revealed. When God has not indicated that he would be pleased with a particular thing, only by shifting the focus away from being acceptable to God can worshipers believe they are pleasing him by offering that thing.
Operating on such valid and venerable principles, we do not use instruments of music made by human hands as we sing in worship. When we play the instrument made by divine hands (and the one which he has instructed us to use as we sing, viz., the grace-filled, thankful heart–Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16), we proceed with confidence that such a procedure is acceptable. The assurance comes from taking his instructions with loving and respectful seriousness.
These are principles which must be emphasized continually, especially to our young. We should continually seek to lead our religious friends and neighbors to understand them. Though sincere and good, many religious folk through the centuries have allowed other considerations besides being acceptable to God to shift their focus away from his revelation of what is acceptable to him. This shift has been responsible for every departure from the divine ideal presented in the New Testament. Regardless of the unwillingness of many to acknowledge the importance of these considerations, they are of eternal consequence.
Recently, there has been much emphasis upon the emotions in consideration of what is acceptable to God in worship. Folks these days are likely to be more concerned with how they feel as they engage in worship than with what is true. In many ways our society in general seems to be shifting away from the cognitive toward the emotional. In particular, this emphasis drives the clamor for more emotional types of songs in worship.
Indubitably, noble religious emotions that are the byproducts of a reception of the gospel of Jesus Christ and a genuine pursuance of the will of God are to be desired, and it is well for us to be more open to experiencing them. After all, the kingdom of God is righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The fruit of the Spirit (with which we are to be filled as we sing in worship–Ephesians 5:18, 19) includes love, joy, and peace (Galatians 5:22).
However, it is very important not to put so much emphasis upon the emotions that the thoughtful consideration of truth is no longer deemed an essential part of worship. Consider 1 Corinthians 14:14, 15: “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unproductive. What should I do then? I will pray with the spirit, but I will pray with the mind also; I will sing praise with the spirit, but I will sing praise with the mind also.”
These words were written in the days when miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were being given and exercised in an infant church. Such gifts have been done away (as Paul predicted they would be 1 Corinthians 13:8), and truly they are no longer needed now that the church possesses a confirmed word (the holy scriptures) in permanent form (cf. Mark 16:20; Hebrews 2:1-4). Nonetheless, Paul’s instruction has something to say to the present trend. While the context indicates that what was sung and prayed came from the Holy Spirit, in 1 Corinthians 14:14, 15, Paul used “spirit” to refer to something that belongs to the human being.
Ordinarily, Paul used “spirit” for the inner person, including the will, the intellect, and the emotions. (See, e.g., 1 Corinthians 2:11a–“The human spirit” obviously includes the cognitive faculty). However, in 1 Corinthians 14:14, 15 (and perhaps in 14:32), Paul seems to be using “spirit” in a more specialized manner to speak of the emotional aspect of an experience in contrast to the cognitive. Obviously, it was possible for the person in Corinth, while exercising one’s gift, to experience something that would not fit under the rubric of “mind.” It appeared that some Christians in Corinth spoke, prayed, or sang in a language none of them could understand. No interpretation was provided, and thus there was no thinking or reflection that resulted (i.e., no one had any information communicated to them). Under these circumstances no one was being built up. Paul’s maxim was “Let all things be done for building up” (1 Corinthians 14:26). This leads us to understand that for edification to occur, there must be some thinking and reflection. This is why only intelligible speech is able to build up, and thus Paul recommended prophecy above all and urged tongue speaking only when it could be interpreted.
A general truth which emerges from these considerations is that worship which is both acceptable to God and that builds up, is worship wherein people use their minds. This does not eliminate emotions. Emotions are to be desired, as emphasized earlier. Anyone with an honest and good heart who thinks deeply and seriously about the truth of the gospel and understands it profoundly will be moved! It may be that the emotion produced is unpleasant (e.g., godly sorrow), and that is good, because godly sorrow leads to repentance (2 Corinthians 7:10). On the other hand, we may expect pleasant emotions (love, joy, peace, etc.) to be produced by worship.
Some folks may think that simply because their emotions have been stirred, they have honored God or have been edified. However, in such a case, we should ask, “What stirred my emotions?” If it was merely a tune, a beat, or some other stimulus distinct from thinking about the truths of the faith, we have not been edified in the biblical sense, and it is highly unlikely that they have worshiped God acceptably.
Does this passage provide any warning about the present gravitation toward the emotional and away from the cognitive in worship? If people desire to “check their brains at the door” of the meetinghouse, their worship activity cannot be acceptable to God, according to this passage. Neither can it be acceptable, on the other hand, if people resist feeling and expressing the noble emotions which are produced by a serious consideration of the grace and love of God manifested in the glorious gospel of Christ. Paul makes clear that acceptable worship involves both my spirit and my mind. It has both emotional and cognitive aspects. In this, his teaching reminds us of a saying of our Lord, wherein he quoted the word of his Father: “[Y]ou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” (Mark 12:30; cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; 30:6; Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27).
In summary, we may answer the question, “What Should We Use In Worship?” as follows. We should use our hearts, and that includes using both our minds and our emotions.
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