Why A Cappella Music? / Christ, Once for All
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Straight to the Cross
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Today's Forthright:
Why A Cappella Music?, by Barry Newton
Christ, Once for All, by Mitchell Skelton
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COLUMN: Hands-on Faith
Why A Cappella Music?
by Barry Newton
A fairly common question asked by those first
encountering our worship services is: Why do you
sing without instruments? Perhaps a more
interesting question would be, why did early
Christians insist on going against the prevailing
pagan culture and Jewish temple worship to
deliberately exclude instruments? Scripture seems
to provide a rather straightforward answer.
Both Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:19 reveal
that while our worship should contain an
instructive and encouraging aspect toward one
another, our worship is supposed to be directed
"unto the Lord." We are worshipping God, not
ourselves. Accordingly, God has the right to tell
us what He wants. We must never lose sight of the
fact that the fruit of our lips is one of the
sacrifices God has requested from us. Heb. 13:15
Our Creator and Savior has the right to describe
the sacrifice He wants from us. The only
descriptions or teachings we have in scripture for
Christian worship involves a cappella worship.
Someone might ask, "But if what drives how we
worship is determined by God's requests, has not
God through the Old Testament already shown that
He wanted instrumental music as a means to praise
Him?" Psa. 150:3-5; 98:5-6
It is true that David's use of instruments in
worshipping the LORD was commanded by God (2
Chron. 29:25) and God did give regulations for
instruments (Psa. 81:2-5). These verses also
indicate that the use of instruments was not
merely an aid for worshipping, but were used to
worship God!
Nevertheless, Israelite worship is not our guide
for worshipping God today. Why? Because that
former mode of worship which included external
regulations was to be in effect until the time of
the new order! Heb. 9:1,10 The incense, the
physical layout of the tabernacle, the ark of the
covenant, and, yes, the use of instruments are
characteristic of the external directions under
the Law. The Law with its regulations for worship
were only a shadow of the reality which was
coming. Heb. 10:1
In contrast to a set of regulations dictating the
type of incense which had to be offered,
instructions about where to sacrifice, and the
instruments which should be played, the new order
of worship is characterized by being in spirit.
John 4:20-24; Deut. 12:13-15 The stone altar with
its sacrifices has been replaced by Christ's
sacrifice, God's people are now His temple and the
instruments making music to praise God have become
the instrument of our hearts. Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16
Without even weighing in on what God has done in
the past when His people deviated from offering
the worship He commanded, my question is simply
this: "Why would anyone want to take a step
backwards to a worship built upon external
things?"
The old has passed, we have the new order! Let's
worship God in spirit and in truth!
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COLUMN: The X-Files
Christ, Once for All
by Mitchell Skelton
Names like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger
Woods roll from the lips of those who talk about
golf's premier event, the Masters. One name that
will probably never surface in a conversation
about golfing legends is Doug Ford.
Few people would have any idea that Ford won the
1957 Masters. He never won another green jacket
and he hasn't made the cut since 1971 (four years
before Tiger Woods was born), but he is invited to
play in the Masters every year. The Masters's
rules include a lifetime invitation to every
champion of the event. Ford only won the
tournament once, hasn't qualified with his golf
skills in nearly three decades, and hasn't been
able to break par in the event since 1958.
Nonetheless, he gets to play in the tournament
every year because on one single occasion he won
the jacket.
Our salvation is similarly linked to a single
event. Christ's work on the cross was a one-shot
deal. He died once so that all could live
eternally./1
There aren't many things on this earth that we do
"once for all." In Hebrews 9:23–28, the Hebrew
writer examines a job that Christ accomplished
"Once, for All." Moreover, this was the most
important task ever completed.
Christ's Sacrifice
Christ's sacrifice is final and permanent.
"For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary
that was only a copy of the true one; he entered
heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's
presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself
again and again, the way the high priest enters
the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is
not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer
many times since the creation of the world. But
now he has appeared once for all at the end of the
ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of
himself" (Heb. 9:24–26).
Christ's sacrifice on the cross was complete
perfection. In contrast with the sacrifices of the
Old Testament, when Christ sacrificed himself it's
efficacy was such that it only needed to be
performed once for all time.
Christ's sacrifice took care of sin once for all.
"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a
heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially
unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly
clean. How much more, then, will the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself unblemished to God, cleanse our
consciences from acts that lead to death, so that
we may serve the living God!" (Heb. 9:13–14).
Christ's one act of redemption was so powerful
that it cleanses our sins permanently. "He did not
enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;
but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by
his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption"
(Heb. 9:12).
Death and Judgment
The fact that Christ died and through his death we
have eternal life should be a word of
encouragement to all Christians. Yet the Hebrew
writer continues with a curious statement that in
no way sounds encouraging. "Just as man is
destined to die once, and after that to face
judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take
away the sins of many people" (Heb. 9:27–28a). We
will all die. We will all be judged. How can this
in any way be construed as encouraging? Death and
judgment have always been talked about with much
fear and apprehension.
The encouraging word for Christians is that Christ
took the sting out of death. "The sting of death
is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But
thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through
our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:56–57). Christ's
victory over death equates to our victory over
death. Judgment does not necessarily mean
condemnation. "Therefore, there is now no
condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 8:1). For the Christian, there is no
condemnation therefore death and judgment are
events to look forward to, they signal a beginning
instead of an end.
Christ's Second Coming
The Day of Atonement was a special day to the
Israelites. On this day, the High Priest entered
the Most Holy Place to make sacrifices. Since no
one except the High Priest is allowed to enter the
Most Holy Place, the people waited outside to see
if God had accepted their sacrifices. When the
High Priest reappeared, the people shouted with
the joy of salvation.
In similar fashion, Jesus' second coming assures
our salvation. Those who are in Christ can look
forward to the day Jesus, our High Priest, returns
from the Most Holy Place.
It is strange to think of the second coming of
Christ as an assurance of salvation. The idea of
salvation has many facets. Our salvation is past;
Jesus died for our sins. Our salvation is present;
Jesus continues to forgive. Our salvation is
future; Jesus is coming again./2
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1/Houston Chronicle, April 10, 1998, p. 1B
2/Gary Holloway, "Certain Hope" (ACU Press, 1999).
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