First Witness. Being a Christian requires the use of the mind. In the Ephesians epistle we are commanded to be mentally wise by mentally understanding "the will" of our Lord Jesus (5:15-17; cf. 4:5).ⁱ The "will" of Jesus is of course the same as the Father's.ⁱⁱ The context tells Christians [plural] to do this by being filled in spiritⁱⁱⁱ [singular] by "Speaking [with voices, BBE] to one another [group] in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs", while "singing [ado] and making melody [psallo] in your heart to the Lord" (5:19, ASV), and while "giving thanks always for all things" (v. 20), and "subjecting yourselves one to another." No physical musical instrument is authorized in this witness of the Holy Spirit.

Second Witness. While the Ephesians text tells us to understand the Lord's will by speaking with vocal music, the parallel passage in Colossians 3:16 commands it this way: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you [plural] richly in all wisdom; [how?] teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs" while [also] "singing [ado] with grace in your hearts [plural] to the Lord." In these passages it should be clear that we are to teach one another verbally with congregational singing. However, this is sometimes overlooked. Just a cappella is not sufficient for this command; a cappella is just music without an instrument. It must be with words that are understood and that promotes the wisdom from above (James 3:17) by the teaching and the warning of others from the Word of Christ which apparently is equivalent to the Will of the Lord. .

Third Witness. A third witness of the Holy Spirit on this subject is in first Corinthians chapter 14 which commands our likewise understanding in the assembly [of the church] for the aim of "edifying one another" in doctrine (or by teaching the inspired Word,^iv 14:6).

UNDERSTANDING in 1 Corinthians 14. On the one hand, the speaker must understand what he is saying to the assembly while making certain that the instruction will be understood by the audience. "Therefore if I know not the meaning of the voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a barbarian unto me. Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church" (1 Corinthians 14:11,12, KJV). The word "seek to excelling in the edifying of the assembly" is active imperative; i.e., it is a command.

EDIFY. "edification" Thayer's G3619: "(1) building up; (2) the act of one who promotes another’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness." One's wisdom, piety, [spiritual] happiness, and holiness is promoted by teaching with words that are understood.

The Spirit-inspired context is dealing with properly using the voice in the assembly which description would necessarily exclude the use of any musical instrument. The praying must be audibly understood so that the listener might be edified. This is why I have always urged those leading in prayer or desiring to speak to practice speaking so that they can be understood by the assembly. A professor at Freed-Hardeman years ago said sensibly that if you have something to say, make certain that you say it to be heard. To mumble or to speak so low so that the assembly cannot understand is in violation of 1 Corinthians 14. I remember as a child the confusion that occurred in an assembly during a dismissal prayer. First, the one announcing the one to lead the prayer was not clearly heard; second, two men responded, one on each side of the building, who thought that he had been called on. Both spoke so low that only each respective side could even identify his final "amen." The right side of the building heard their "amen" and departed while the left side remained to wait for their extended prayer's "amen." But the fact is, the praying leader must pray so that the congregation can understand and say their "amen" ("so be it") to the words said. And so it is with singing.

"Making Music" [PSALLO (ψάλλω^G5567)]. It is interesting that the translations, including the KJV, that translate "psallo" as "making melody" in Ephesians 5:19 translate this same word "psallo" in 1 Corinthians 14:15 as "sing" or "sing psalms" or "sing praises."^v The "making melody" or our ABP+ translation's "strum" according to 1 Corinthians 14:15 requires an understandable use of the human language and no musical instrument can do that. The singing must be voiced from the Lord's approved "revelation, or knowledge, or prophesying, or doctrine." All witnesses that we have considered in this series, 1 Corinthians 14:13, Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 require that we must use as source for our singing the Scriptures, i.e., the "Word of Christ" and the "Will of the Lord" so that the congregation is edified. That is, to be Scriptural and "doing all things in the name" (authority) "of Jesus", we must promote "one another’s growth in Christian wisdom, piety, happiness, holiness." This cannot be obeyed with a musical instrument which at the most can convey meaning of only carnal things, a battle and not spiritual (and mental spiritual warfare) information (1 Corinthians 14:8).

For documentation on the meaning of the word "psallo" in the Koine Greek (i.e., as used in the LXX and N.T.), I recommend the following:
(1) Jackson, Wayne. "Psallo and the Instrumental Music Controversy." ChristianCourier.com. Access date: December 10, 2018. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/829-psallo-and-the-instrumental-music-controversy
(2) https://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=868
(3) http://www.pb.org/PBDocs/Psallo.html
(4) http://www.truthmagazine.com/archives/volume18/TM018293.html
(5) Sophocles, E. A. Greek Lexicon of the Roman and Byzantine Periods (From BC 146 to AD 1100); NY: Scribner's. https://archive.org/stream/cu31924021609395#page/n1203/mode/2up - p. 1178.

- Gaylon West

Throw Out the Lifeline