Why It Matters That It Doesn't Matter What Kind of Music We Use

Let me start by saying I take the Bible very seriously. That means I believe it means what it says, and it says everything it means to say. I believe the Bible should set our priorities and inform our preferences. I believe it should be the guiding light to the path of life we walk.

So, if the Bible says we should or should engage in certain behaviors; I believe we should engage or avoid those behaviors. Some obvious commands exist. Don't kill, don't lie, honor your parents. These are "no-brainers", and if we value the Bible we must obey them. Some commands, though, are more subtle. "Live by the Spirit" is a more difficult command in which to engage; but, if we are to be faithful to the Bible as our rule in life, we must figure out what it means (this one is from Ephesians 5 by the way).

Faithfulness to the Bible also means that we never allow our preferences or opinions to hinder us in our pursuit of obedience. Thus, even if I prefer to tell a white lie because it will make things easy, I cannot lie and still be in obedience to the Bible. As simple as this seems, we all know experientially that it can be quite complex.

Faithfulness to the Bible also means I don't place less emphasis on something than the Bible does. Jesus said the greatest command was to love God and the second was to love my neighbor. I don't get to emphasize other commands over these. I don't get to suggest that anything is primary to these two great loves. If I am faithful to God's Word, I must place the same emphasis on everything that He does.

Now, consider this. I also don't get to overemphasize anything the Bible doesn't emphasize. Taking the Bible seriously means NEVER making a big deal about something the Bible doesn't make a big deal about.

Fewer things have been a bigger deal in the church over the last thirty years than music. "Worship Wars" have led to "contemporary services" which have given ways to all manner of "innovation"; all the while churches, families, and friendships have been split because some preferred to keep things the same and others wanted change.

The easy approach to this problem is to just quote Romans 14 and tell everybody to just avoid offending each other. (I think that may be why we have so many churches with different services showcasing different kinds of music) This is, however, a less than appropriate response to the question of music in the church. The truth is that the only appropriate position we should take is, "it doesn't matter."*

Practically speaking, every minute I spend discussing music with someone is a minute I'm not spending discipling that or another person. (obviously, there could be initially a discipleship element to such a discussion, but endlessly hashing out the same arguments is far from discipleship) For this reason alone, we could say, "it doesn't matter" is the best answer.

However, far more important is that style of music doesn't matter in the Bible. The most clear passage regarding music in the church is found in Ephesians 5 (the same chapter I referenced above). Paul suggests that singing with and to one another is one recipe for being Spirit-controlled. He doesn't say what style the music is. He just says, "sing together." Psalm 150 paints a picture of worship music that showcases a bunch of instruments, but doesn't delineate the style. Revelation has several passages that describe worship in heaven. All of them indicate large crowds and powerful music, but none indicate the style.

The style of music doesn't matter in the Bible...

...and it shouldn't matter to us.

When we make a big deal about musical styles, we are making a big deal about something the Bible doesn't make a big deal about. That is dangerous enough. But when we choose to let this "big deal" break the unity of the body and when we find ourselves sitting in judgment on others because of this "big deal"; we've become people who are no longer faithful to the Bible.

By the way, this cuts both ways. I'm not just writing about those who favor traditional music. Because I've known several "cutting edge" sorts who think their musical style is the best thing going. "It doesn't matter" means it doesn't matter for ANYONE.

And now the big ending...

This isn't really about music at all is it? It's about everything that we choose to make a big deal about in our relationship with God, but moreso in our relationship with His people. The same principle I've applied to music here applies to all the things onto which we want to place more emphasis than the Bible does. Almost always, it's these things that disturb the unity and oneness of the Body (see Ephesians 4).

So... please... before you place too high a priority on "your thing"...

guitars, skits, puppets, children's ministry, keyboards, pews, pulpits, clothes, small groups, choirs, sunday school, youth group, videos, organs, innovation, awana, study groups, sermons, etc...

... make sure the Bible places the same priority on it. Otherwise, you've turned the Bible into a book of suggestions and the chuch into a social club.

Thanks.

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*I am not saying it doesn't matter what music we use. I AM saying it doesn't matter what style the music is. I don't really buy into the "secular/Christian" music distinction, but that is a different issue anyway. Here we are simply talking about "music I like" versus "music I don't like."