GILDING THE LILY: UNNECESSARILY ADORNING SOMETHING WHICH IS ALREADY BEAUTIFUL, OFTEN SPOILING IT IN THE PROCESS.
There are businesses today which, for a fee, will give you a real rose which has been electroplated with a fine layer of gold. While some people may like the idea of coating a beautiful flower with a mineral, it is definitely not something that you would want to do with the flowers in your garden. There, as King Midas discovered, applying the golden touch produced dead flowers and a dead daughter. Man-made attempts to improve on God’s beauty produce dead things. This, I believe, describes the problem of instrumental music in worshiping God.
The most beautiful way of praising God is with a voice speaking from a pure heart. That is the way God was praised at Bethlehem, “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14), and that is the way God was praised at creation, “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7).
From the time of Cain and Abel onward, God has always wanted our purest and best offerings as a sacrifice to Him. Instruments of music are the symbol of empty works without love, as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 13:1, and anything added by man to the voice of praise could be described in the same way as a “noisy gong or a clanging cymbal”. The beautiful instrument created by God does not need man-made instruments added to it.
Instrumental music is often associated in scripture with pagan and satanic religion, as Paul’s reference in I Corinthians 13 may be, and as Nebuchadnezzar’s idol in Daniel 3:7 definitely was. Martin Luther called the organ in worship the insignia of Baal. Augustine said musical instruments were intimately associated with sensual, heathen cults.
Many other bible scholars have opposed the idea of instrumental music in worship. Clement of Alexandria said musical instruments should be excluded from worship as they were more suitable for beasts. Eusebius said the unison voices of Christians would be more acceptable to God than any musical instrument. Thomas Aquinas said our church does not use musical instruments, and that teaching should not be accompanied by any artificial instrument. John Calvin said musical instruments in praising god would be no more suitable than burning incense, lighting lamps, or other shadows of the law. John Knox spoke derisively of the organ as a chest of whistles. Alexander Campbell said it was no more appropriate in church than a cowbell at a concert. John Wesley said the organ should neither be seen nor heard in the chapel. Joseph Bingham said that music in the churches is as ancient as the apostles, but not instrumental music. Adam Clarke said that instrumental music in the house of God is something to abominate and abhor. Charles Spurgeon said he would just as soon pray to God with machinery as to sing to God with machinery.
Instrumental music is found in worship to God in the Old Covenant, but it is not found a single time in the New Covenant. Matthew 26:30 says, “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Acts 16:25 says, “but at midnight Paul and Silas were praying, and singing hymns to God.” Romans 15:9 says, “I will…sing to Your name.” I Corinthians 14:15 says, “I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.” Hebrews 2:12 says, “in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.” Every command regarding praise in the New Testament leaves out mechanical instruments. Ephesians 5:19 says, “speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Colossians 3:16 says, “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Hebrews 13:15 says, “let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips.” The only instruments commanded are the heart and the lips.
The historical record leaves no doubt how the early church praised God. Indeed, for most of two millennia, the word A Cappella was self-explanatory, meaning “as in the chapel” or that in the church God was praised with voice only. The only argument in favor of instrumental music in worship is that it is very popular and people like it.
There are still a few groups which don’t use instrumental music, including Churches of Christ, many Eastern Orthodox Churches, some Primitive Baptist, Amish, Mennonites, Quakers, and other small groups.
The claim that instruments of music are not an actual part of the worship but only an aid in worshipping is disingenuous, because instruments are often, in fact, a hindrance to worship. The musicians may be praising God, but many of the people in the pews just listen. There is melody in the instruments, but how much melody is there in the hearts? Mechanical instruments are also a hindrance to the inclusiveness of worship. All can hear the word; all can pray; all can give, but only a few can play the instruments. True worship, in spirit and in truth, is participatory.
God designed an extremely simple and portable system of worshiping Him. All that is necessary to know His will is to have a copy of the Scriptures. The only thing needed for the answer of a clear conscience is water for baptism. All that is needed for remembering His Son’s sacrifice is unleavened bread and fruit of the vine. All that is necessary for praising Him is the human voice.
Man has taken the New Testament model and added things. Some of these things are not wrong of themselves, but they can be if they separate us from the imminence of God in worship. Adding things besides our heart, soul, mind and strength to worship can insulate us from our communion with God.
The lily is a beautiful example of God’s creation – perfect without any addition by man. When we start adding things to the church, we risk gilding the lily, bending it to our own purpose, and spoiling it for God’s purposes. The restoration of the New Testament Church will be complete when members of the church are involved daily from house to house with each other, when we go everywhere teaching Jesus, and when we have such care and concern and support for each other as if we held all things in common. If we had the spirit and the love and the zeal of the first century Christians, we would not have time or inclination for man-made additions to the church.