Furthermore, the
Biblical requirements of regeneration and uprightness limit who is to be set up
as an example in public worship. 
Pastors, song leaders, choir members, and all others involved in any
leadership capacity in the corporate worship of the holy Trinity must be
regenerate and holy people, as both the song writers and worship leaders in the
psalter were godly men such as David and Asaph. Vocal or musical skill is certainly
valuable—to “play skilfully”[1] is a command alongside of
“sing” (Ps 33:3; cf. 1 Chr 15:22; 2 Chr 34:12)[2]—but it is by no means
sufficient.  Holy and skilled men—not
merely skilled men—are to lead the congregation of the saints in their worship.[3]

All of the
psalms were written by “holy men of God” (2 Pet 1:21).  Does this fact teach the church that she
should not sing hymns composed by unregenerate and wicked men, any more than
churches should have the sermons of such men read from their pulpits?  David Cloud notes:

All of . . . [the] influential
contemporary worship musicians are radically ecumenical and the vast majority
are charismatic in theology. . . . All are enemies of a separatist Biblicist
stance. . . . Contemporary Christian Music is a jungle of end-time apostasy . .
. led by “another spirit” (2 Cor. 11:4). . . . There is something deeply and
inherently wrong with music that is comfortable in the midst of the most wretched
heresy and apostasy.  And that is exactly
where Contemporary Christian Worship is most at home. (pgs. 1-2, Directory of Contemporary Worship Musicians,
David Cloud.  Port Huron, MI:  Way of Life, 2014)

Indeed, if choir or individual “special music” cannot be
done skillfully, it ought not to be done at all.  In any case, congregational singing in the
church—which is far easier to justify from the commands of Scripture than
having one or a few sing and the rest listen—is at the very least equally “special
music” to such solos, duets, and choral singing.  Indeed, in light of the ease with which one
can fail to personally offer the words of such music to the Lord while
listening to it, the argument can with much greater ease be made that
congregational song is definitively more special than “special music.”  Simply playing music without words in
worship, even if the sound itself meets Biblical criteria, cannot be justified
in the assemblies of the Lord—none of the psalms, and nothing else in
Scripture, provides warrant for instrumentation without words in the worship of
God (short musical interludes between sections of a song with words being a
justifiable exception with exegetical support from the signification of Selah, [LXX, diapsalma, “musical interlude” (LSJ)] Ps 3, 4, 7, 9, etc.)

            It is
important to note that the singing of solos in the church of God is a recent
practice popularized by D. L. Moody’s associate Mr. Sankey:

Mr. Sankey’s . . . solo singing in public worship is
quite a new thing . . . The words are plain and pleasant, but nothing
extraordinary;  often not to be compared
to those of our well-known church hymns. 
The music is generally pretty and pleasant, but little more” (pgs.
475-476, A Century of Gospel-Work:  A History of the Growth of Evangelical
Religion in the United States, W. F. P. Noble.  [Philadelphia, PA:  H. C. Watts, 1876])

We conclude with a word touching the office of Mr.
Sankey, “singing the gospel.” The Jewish temple service had its chief singer.
It will be a curious result if [Moody and Sankey’s] modern movement should
develop this function into a new and prominent branch of the ministry
unauthorized by the New Testament. Singing is unquestionably a scriptural means
of grace, and good singing is a very efficient one. But in order that the
church may retain the blessing of good singing, the privilege which Mr. Sankey
and his imitators claim, of importing their own lyrics into God’s worship, must
be closely watched. . . . The most that can be said of Mr. Sankey’s developments
. . . is . . . that they exhibit no worse traits than a marked inferiority of
matter and style to the established hymnals of the leading churches. The most
danger thus far apparent is that of habituating the taste of Christians to a
very vapid species of pious doggerel, containing the most diluted possible
traces of saving truth, in portions suitable to the most infantile faculties
supplemented with a jingle of “vain repetitions.” What shall we gain by giving
our people these ephemeral rhymes in place of the immortal lyrics of Moses,
David, Isaiah, Watts, and Cowper, so grand in their rhythm and melody, so pure
in taste, and above all, so freighted with compact and luminous truth? “The old
wine is better.” (Pgs. 94-95, Discussions
by Robert Lewis Dabney: Evangelical, Robert L. Dabney, ed. C. R. Vaughan,
vol. 2. [Richmond, VA:  Presbyterian
Committee of Publication, 1891].)

Third, it is clear that worship is not to conform to
culture or to men’s desires, but is to be distinctly different, set apart, or
holy.[4]  Believers must regulate their praise by
Scripture alone (Deut 12:32) and recognize that “strange fire” in worship is
everything “which He commanded . . . not” (Lev 10:1)—whatever is not commanded
in worship is forbidden.[5]  The Lord warns His people not to be snared
into looking at what the wicked do, and then saying, “even so will I do
likewise” (Deut 12:30) in worship.  On
the contrary, Scriptural worship is to be distinctly set apart and different
from that of heathen, unbelieving culture. 
Consequently, the “contemporary worship” philosophy—which is nothing
less than taking the sound and style of this world system, which is under the
control of Satan (Eph 2:1-3), and offering it to God—is an abomination in His
holy sight.  Musical styles created by
the world to glorify the devil, lust, and every sort of wickedness—such as rock,
jazz, blues, country-western, pop, and rap[6]—can
by no means be acceptable to that holy King who demands purity, solemnity, and
reverence in His worship.  True church
growth does not come by offering the Head of the church false worship, nor by
turning the Father’s house into a house of merchandise through marketing and
promotion techniques (Jn 2:16), but through the miraculous power of the Holy
Spirit working through the Word as unified, holy, self-sacrificial disciples
boldly preach the gospel to every creature. 
Consequently, pleasing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so that
heavenly fire and supernatural efficacy attend the proclamation of the gospel,
will lead to far more genuine church growth than will blaspheming the Father
and grieving the Spirit through false worship and man-made marketing
techniques.  Godly music will drive
demons away and please the Holy Spirit, while ungodly music will summon demons
and cause God the Holy Ghost to depart (1 Sam 16:23; cf. 1 Chr 25:3).  Do you regulate your worship by Scripture
alone, and consequently reject all worldly and fleshly worship?

TDR

This entire study can be accessed here.

---