Email Answered on instrumental Music


I received a email from a man in another country who was asking about my teaching on no instrumental music being used in the New Testament body. Since he was very kind about it all (we went over the gospel first) I asked him if I could answer it here for all to be edified and he agreed. 

See his email below with my words having  ***** by them. 


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 Hello Mr. Polanek,

I sure do encourage the mission of your website :) 

***Thank you sir....

You are right on many things and you are a reason why I no longer watch sermons, I learn merely on the written word now. 

*** Praise God you are focused on the Word. Not all sermons (teachings) are bad IF you have godly biblical men doing them but they are very rare indeed! 

However, I see you give many reasons on yours and your wife's website to trust you. That can be dangerous, see James 3:1.

***** James 3 is just saying teachers will be held to a high standard and I am fine with that. I give reasons people can know why that can trust my teaching as 1 Thess 5:21 says test all things. I want them to test me and every one else as well so; I see no issues with that per the Word.   

One thing I just cannot agree is your idea that musical instruments cannot be used to glorify God. Such teaching was made up by the 'Church of Christ' and it has no root in scripture.

**** In love, I need to correct you on two things here:
1) What I teach is that we do not see the NT body use instruments so we feel it is biblical to NOT use them and I teach in depth how we are now the instrument. See the links below that go into the Greek and all. 2) The false Church of Christ system did not make this up at all. There was NO instruments in the NT bodies for about 900 years after Jesus until the Roman catholics brought in organs. The practice of NOT using instruments in the NT body was way BEFORE Church of Christ came along in the 1800's. 

 Yes, musical instruments are not mentioned in the NT, only in the OT, but that is no reason. Likewise, getting a tattoo is only forbidden in the OT, not in the NT. Does that mean it is now OK to make cutting into your flesh? Certainly not.

********Paul says to keep the traditions he handed down 2 thess 2:15 / We do not see instruments in the NT body ever and we are to model imitate Jesus and Paul (1 Cor 11.1)  not the OT ways that we moved on from. Side note: the NT does cover not getting tattoos as it says do not adorn ones self. 1 Peter 3 

Psalm 150:

"Praise ye the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary:praise him in the firmament of his power.Praise him for his mighty acts:praise him according to his excellent greatness.Praise him with the sound of the trumpet:praise him with the psaltery and harp.Praise him with the timbrel and dance:praise him with stringed instruments and organs.Praise him upon the loud cymbals:praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.

Praise ye the Lord."

1 Samuel 16:23:
"And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him."

***** Yes the OT is full of commands to praise God with instruments and since they had NO holy spirit in them; instruments were the means they did it. Now we are the instrument and physical instruments have become fleshly but our singing from the heart to God and others is spiritual. 
Keep in mind my intentions are not to attack, but to correct you. I run no ministry, for I take the warnings seriously.

**** Thank you and we love to be tested in the Word....
Certainly, music can be used to draw people away from God, but in David's example, it can also be used to glorify Christ. 

**** Yes satan is using it today in a big way both in the world and in false churchianity. Again your using David as a example NOT Paul or Jesus. We are in the NEW and so we follow their example NOT the OT. If we follow David we will be killing sheep, wearing tassels and building temples too. The NT body in the first century is our example. 

Sadly, most music does the former, but I discovered several men and women who use it for good. I am not going to send links, and I am not saying every one of them is/was a true Christian. 

**** Please share who they are as I do not know of ANY people who use instruments that are fully biblical. Most of them are fleshly, worldly and full of man made false ways. Why not share them to be tested to the Word as you are doing to me? Are you being partial because just you like their music? God hates partiality as you know. (1 Tim 5)  

But likewise, your car may not have been created by Bible believers either, and likewise, King James and Martin Luther were not genuine Christians. 

*****  Cars are a bad example as we do not use them to worship God but instruments; oh they are being added to God today by most church goers and His ordained ways do not show it in His Word... as you have admitted. 

There is nothing evil about loving pure music itself. Just like it is only wrong to love nature if it turns into 'mother nature'. According to Philippians 4:8, it is important to meditate on the good things. Likewise, there is lots of bad food. Is all food bad because of that? Certainly not.

*******Lets focus here as the discussion is not about good or bad music. It is that the NT Word does NOT show instruments and to add them is dangerous as God said do NOT add to my word. (See Deut and Revelation) God killed men who offered strange fire for worship you know. See a link about that below.....

I greatly enjoy the sound of the harp and I have the desire to play it. If you think that was wrong, you are free to think so, but I sincerely doubt that you can proof such strange ideas from scripture, for they are Islamic, not biblical.

**** Islamic? Aposlte Paul and all the men Jesus taught NEVER used instruments in the NT body. Keep in mind we do not live by or conduct our service to God by what you or I like/desire. We are to obey and keep all He commanded (Matt 28:20) It does not matter if you like the harp; is it modeled by the saints God who called in the first century? No it is not as you admit. By doing this; you are making your own way not keeping God's way. I offer up that instruments are fleshly, they move your flesh and we are to be in the spirit. (they danced in the OT as proof it was fleshly) Romans 8 says to be in the flesh is death.   
Now, do not get me wrong. I am 100 %ly against 'Christian' rock, rap, jazz, country etc. Such are of the world. Indeed there needs be a difference between worldly and spiritual music. 

**** Your going down a dangerous road here. Your means of bible study is seeming slanted to what you want as your reasoning is void of good study habits. Example: you say no verse says we "cant use instruments" but also admit; no verse says what KIND of music is to be played, correct? If you play the harp then others can jam out on stringed instruments (metal guitars with rock) and call it godly too. In truth; you have no basis to close the door on harps only or to dictate what type of instrumental music is used do you? See the danger here? You are opening a flood gate you cant later stop an that is what happen when organs stared the current heretical ways we see all over in churchianity.    

But such is not 'instruments VS no instruments'. For many popular songs that do not make a use of musical backing exist. I will not name any examples, but you do know what I am talking about. 

**** Actually I do not get yourpoint here? 

If you have the holy spirit in you, you should know which music is made to glorify God and which is to exalt your flesh. 

**** Again you are on a dangerous path and painting yourself in a corner and here is why. You say I can have a harp as it was in the OT but you admit it is NOT in the NT model. This means that anyone can then play any of the many instruments that we see in the OT like; string lutes, trumpets, shofars, flutes, tambourines, shakers, drums, cymbals, bone rattles etc etc / By your way of just doing as you please and what you like/desire; you will have a full blown orchestra going with all these instruments and you cant stop it can you? By the way; you cant stop dancing either as they did that in the OT and we do not see the NT saints doing it do we? This is why I choose to keep the NT model Paul set up via God; it is the best holy route to be pure and biblical.  

Music can be beautiful and pure, and it is important to focus on such. It helped me to get away from bad music from groups I used to like such as Linkin Park, Guns'N'Roses, REZ, Stryper and many others. 

**** Glad you left them but; we cant base our theology on what helped you get over evil music; we base it on the Word. If we do that then I have all kinds of examples from the OT that people will say they like to do as it helps them. Things like Saturday Sabbaths, incense, festivals, Nazarene rites etc etc / Again by doing what you like from the OT ways; (harps) your body would turn into a dancing orchestra / rock band and you have no way to stop them as you opened the flood gate up didn't you? And that is exactly what we see in churchanity all over the world isn't it? They opened up unbiblical ways and it grew into fleshly musical mess to draw what people by what they desire. 

Likewise, sexuality between a married couple is not sinful as long as it remains within that covenant and it is natural sexuality.

**** In truth; your using examples that just do not apply. Sex in marriage is for all times. We see it taught in the OT and the NT word. Instruments, as you admit are NOT in the NT model. Realize Jesus said you worship God in vain if you add man made ways into His ways. (see Mark 7) Harps are indeed ADDED to the NT model aren't they? Playing instruments is most often a way to uplift your mood in the flesh when we are to trust in God, the Spirit and His Word for that, aren't we? Again we are now the instrument (our heart/ see the articles) we do not need instruments at all. Paul said sing to each other and God and our hearts/lips are the instrument now. Jesus said go preach the gospel and the harp it is NOT a usual biblical tool for the great commission is it?
I apologize in case you find errors in my grammar, for I do not live in an English speaking country.

Greetings

*** You did very well I thought. Let me leave this topic with this. You can do as you please in your own home but; if you were to bring your harp to a gathering with us; you would cause others (who left their fleshly instruments behind as they are NOT in the NT model) to stumble. You need to consider that point! You are adding it to the NT way and that is dangerous for many reasons as I showed you. Also by following God's perfect way; we have can have perfect theology and we cant get pulled into the abyss of more sin and false ways.  Bad / man man made theology (like harps in the NT) just leads you into the ditch of fleshly false music/bands/dancing when we are to be in spirit and truth. (John 4;24) I want better for you sir. My suggestion is toss the harp and live by every word out of Gods mouth (Matt 4:4) and of course, we do that in context. We are in the NEW today so walk as a NT man like Paul and Jesus, no harps had they! Maybe God will make you a harp player in heaven (that is His call) but today we obey what he ordained; no instruments! See these links that go into great depth on instruments and false worship. 
Many articles here:
Strange Fire article here:

God be praised

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