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Is God’s Blessing of the Rechabites for Abstaining from Alcohol Relevant for the Contemporary Alcohol Debate?

June 7, 2013

Jeremiah 35 records a fascinating account of God’s dealings with the Rechabites and with Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Because the Rechabites’ abstention from drinking wine was a key reason for God’s blessing them, this post examines the issue of the relevance of this account for the contemporary debate among believers about the propriety of drinking alcohol.

Divine Initiative in Testing the Obedience of the Rechabites

God directed Jeremiah to bring the Rechabites into the house of the Lord and “give them wine to drink” (Jer. 35:1-2). Jeremiah obeyed and brought them all into a chamber of the sons of “a man of God” (Jer. 35:3-4).

He set before them a large quantity of wine and cups and told them, “Drink ye wine” (Jer. 35:5). They refused, saying that they would not drink any wine because “Jonadab the son of Rechab our father commanded us saying, ‘Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your son for ever’” (Jer. 35:6).

They also spoke of the other things that he had commanded them to do that they might “live many days in the land where [they were] strangers” (Jer. 35:7). They then affirmed, “Thus have we obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab our father in all that he hath charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, nor our daughters (Jer. 35:8).

They further related their total obedience to what their father had commanded them (Jer. 35:9-10) and how they now had come to dwell in Jerusalem (Jer. 35:11).

Divine Initiative in Rebuking Judah and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem Based on the Obedience of the Rechabites

Following the testing of the Rechabites, the Lord instructed Jeremiah to go to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and rebuke them (Jer. 35:13). Central in that rebuke was the Lord’s highlighting how the obedience of the Rechabites contrasted starkly with the disobedience of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem:

Jer 35:14 The words of Jonadab the son of Rechab, that he commanded his sons not to drink wine, are performed; for unto this day they drink none, but obey their father’s commandment: notwithstanding I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye hearkened not unto me.

15 I have sent also unto you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return ye now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and go not after other gods to serve them, and ye shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.

Because of their disobedience and because of the shameful contrast between the Rechabites’ obedience of their father’s commands and Judah’s disobedience of the Lord’s commands, the Lord pronounced fierce judgment upon His people (Jer. 35:16-17).

Divine Pronouncement of Blessing on the Rechabites

After pronouncing the Lord’s upcoming judgment on Judah and all Jerusalem, Jeremiah declared the Lord’s blessing on the Rechabites:

Jer 35:18 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he hath commanded you:

¹⁹ Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before me for ever.

Because they had obeyed their father’s directives, God promised to bless the Rechabites forever! Thus, the Rechabites who had abstained perpetually from drinking wine because their father had commanded them to do so were greatly rewarded for their obedience.

Is This Account Relevant for the Contemporary Debate about Alcohol Consumption?

This account relates how a group of people perpetually obeyed directives given to them by their forefather for their good (Jer. 35:7). The passage provides no clear indication for the specifics of why he had commanded them to do so.

Furthermore, stylistically, although it does mention and reiterate that there were several commands that the Rechabites had obeyed, the account focuses special attention in at least two ways on the command for them to abstain from drinking wine. First, God specifically tests their obedience concerning only this command (Jer. 35:1-11). Second, God refers specifically only to this command when He rebukes His own people (Jer. 35:12-17).

These observations suggest to me that this account that records divine blessing for obeying parental admonition not to drink alcohol provides biblical justification for fathers today to direct their children authoritatively not to drink alcohol. Moreover, the account also provides justification for children to heed that admonition regardless of how much pressure they may get from others who tell them that their parents’ instruction to them is “legalistic,” contrary to “the gospel,” unbiblical, and does not need to be followed.

If your parents have instructed you to abstain from alcohol consumption, you will honor God and bring blessing on yourself by doing so. Doing so for your entire life, you will bring them joy in their old age by having treasured their instruction that will preserve you from ever suffering the great harm that alcohol consumption has brought to multitudes of families in human history.

In Discipleship, Exposition, Theology

How God’s Amazing Protection of a Philistine King Should Affect Our Praying

June 1, 2013

Genesis 20 relates Abraham’s initial (recorded) encounter with Abimelech king of Gerar. Through studying the record of God’s confrontation of Abimelech after this encounter, we should learn how His amazing protection of this Philistine king should affect our praying.

ABRAHAM’S ENCOUNTER WITH ABIMELECH

Although this account involves God, Abraham, Sarah, Abimelech, all his servants, and even sheep and oxen, its main characters are God, Abimelech, and Abraham.

Abraham Lies to Abimelech about Sarah

Because Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was very beautiful (cf. Gen. 12:14), Abraham feared for his life as he traveled through pagan places (Gen. 20:11). He instructed Sarah to say that he was her brother (Gen. 20:13c), which was partially true because she was his half-sister (Gen. 20:12).

While they were staying in Gerar (Gen. 20:1), Abraham said that Sarah was his sister (Gen. 20:2a). As a result, Abimelech sent and took Sarah (Gen. 20:2b).

God Confronts Abimelech in a Dream

In a dream at night, God confronted Abimelech with the surety of his dying (Gen. 20:3; cf. 20:7) because of what he had done: “Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man’s wife” (20:3). Abimelech, however, had not yet come near her and asked the Lord if He would “slay also a righteous nation?” (20:4).

Asking this question, he queried the Lord in a remarkably similar fashion to how Abraham had earlier pled with the Judge of the all the earth about His righteous dealings with the righteous and the wicked (Gen. 18:23-32). Through this inquiry, Abimelech asserted to the Lord that he believed that he was righteous in what he had done regarding Sarah.

Furthermore, he protested to the Lord that Abraham had said that she was his sister and that Sarah herself also said that he was her brother (Gen. 20:5a-b). Remarkably, he further asserted his uprightness in what he had done: “In the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this” (20:5c).

God responded to him with an acknowledgement that he indeed had done what he did with integrity: “Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart” (Gen. 20:6a-b). God did not, however, stop with this acknowledgement, for He added a profound revelation about His protection of him that he otherwise would never have known anything about: “For I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her” (Gen. 20:6c-d). (Before considering this stunning revelation further, it is helpful to treat the rest of the account briefly.)

God then commanded Abimelech to restore Sarah to Abraham because he was a prophet, and informed him that Abraham would pray for him so that he would live (Gen. 20:7a). He also warned him that he and his entire household would surely die if he would not restore her (20:7b).

Abimelech Confronts Abraham

Following God’s dealing with him in a dream, Abimelech confronted Abraham about what he had done in bringing such a great sin on Abimelech and his kingdom (Gen. 20:8-10). Abraham explained that he thought that no one among them feared God and that they would kill him because of his wife (Gen. 20:11).

He added that Sarah actually was his half-sister and that she had become his wife (Gen. 20:12). He then explained the kindness that he had requested that Sarah would show him by saying that he was her brother wherever they would go (Gen. 20:13).

Abimelech Restores Sarah to Abraham

Abimelech did much more than just return Sarah to Abraham; he also gave Abraham sheep, oxen, and male and female servants (Gen. 20:14). Moreover, he gave him permission to settle in his land wherever he would like (Gen. 20:15) and 1000 pieces of silver on behalf of Sarah (Gen. 20:16).

God Heals Abimelech and His Household through Abraham’s Prayer

The account ends with God’s healing Abimelech and his entire household through Abraham’s praying for them (Gen. 20:17). They now bore children, after God had stopped closing their wombs because of Sarah (Gen. 20:18).

DISCUSSION

Several profound gems of truth are embedded in this otherwise somewhat obscure account. First, contrary to Abraham’s negative expectation, there was at least one person in Gerar (Abimelech) who did fear God and understood that it would have been sin for him to take another man’s wife. Long before the Ten Commandments had been given, therefore, even pagans knew that adultery was sin.

Second, somehow Abimelech knew and believed that the Lord was a righteous judge who would not slay a righteous nation. We are not told how this pagan king knew this information, but it is amazing that he knew it, believed it, and even appealed directly to God based on his belief of this truth!

Third, Abimelech protested to God his innocence in what he had done, and amazingly, God attested to his innocence. Yet, despite that divine attestation of his innocence, Abimelech had sinned by what he had unknowingly done.

Fourth, and perhaps most profoundly of all, this passage teaches us that God protected this pagan king from sinning against Him by keeping him from actually having relations with Sarah! We, therefore, learn that for His own purposes, God sometimes keeps even pagans from sinning against Him!

Furthermore, through God’s saying, “I also withheld thee from sinning” (Gen. 20:6), we learn that Abimelech’s not coming near Sarah was the result of both his integrity and God’s protection of him. Thus, the righteous actions of this lost man stemmed from a mysterious and fascinating interplay between human actions and divine working.

APPLICATION

The teaching of this passage suggests many applications, some of which I may treat in other posts. At this time, I would like to focus on its implications for our praying as believers.

God kept Abimelech, a Philistine, from sinning unknowingly against Him by committing adultery with another man’s wife. Because God does not tell us exactly how He prevented him from doing so, we should conclude that our knowing that information is not as important as our noting what God did on behalf of this pagan man.

On that reading, our learning about God’s keeping this pagan from sinning against Him should motivate us to pray that God would keep us from sinning against Him! I have no doubt God that would be very pleased with His people who allow this passage to shape their prayer lives in this way.

I have begun to make the request that God would keep me from sinning against Him a regular part of my prayer life and encourage you to do the same thing.

In Discipleship, Exposition, Prayer, Theology

Better Health through Making Healthful Dietary Changes: A Testimony by Daniel Hendrix

May 31, 2013

My friend Daniel Hendrix and I work together at Majesty Music. When he recently shared with me how much weight he has lost, I asked him to share a testimony of the changes that he made to lose weight and improve his health.

Eating Less Healthfully in My Early Years

“You only live once!” I have heard this statement incessantly throughout my life, and I have usually heard it in the context of nutritional choices. When presented with options of what to eat or drink, people tend to use this phrase to encourage the consumption of a nutritionally inferior food product or to justify overeating.

An experience I had as a teenager on a church youth outing exemplifies the former. I was quite thirsty from a day of walking around in the hot sun, so I contemplated buying either a bottle of water or a sugary soft drink. The youth pastor himself came walking up to me as I was trying to decide, so I asked him for his sage advice. “Well, you only live once, Daniel; get whichever tastes best,” he replied. I bought the soft drink. I had two options, and I chose the one with fifty-two grams of sugar!

This is just one account, but it is typical of the first twenty-five years of my life; I would generally choose the less healthful of two options. The practice of consuming whatever brings immediate pleasure without thought of future consequences is prevalent in modern American culture, and I was completely caught up in it until recently.

Gaining Much Weight in College

When I went to college, I weighed 160 pounds, which is about where I should be. “Wait a minute, Daniel; I thought you said you had an unhealthful diet?” Well, I did, but I was incredibly active. Before I went to college, I worked outside for eight hours a day, so I could eat all the junk food I wanted and not gain weight. It actually worked out quite well for me; I could practice my love of eating without fear of getting pudgy in the middle!

All of this changed when I went to college. I was no longer burning more calories than I could take in. By the time I graduated, I was just above 185 pounds—I had gained over twenty-five pounds!

If you understand the diet I had, however, it should be no surprise. I would drink three or more soft drinks a day, eat fast food every day, and eat snacks whenever I desired. I had this same diet before college, but now it had caught up to me because of a lack of exercise. You would think that I would have been seeking to lose weight, but I had become content with carrying twenty-five extra pounds.

Hearing of Close Relatives with Diabetes Motivated Me to Change My Dietary Habits

In 2009, two years after I graduated, news came that two of my closest relatives had been diagnosed with diabetes. One of these two is only five years older than I am. This really struck a nerve, so I decided to start changing my diet.

Cutting out soft drinks and drastically reducing the consumption of restaurant food

It started very modestly. Simply by cutting soft drinks out of my diet, I lost ten pounds in a year. Now I was 175 and feeling a lot better. I was still eating a plethora of processed foods, and I did not increase my exercise regimen, but I had lost weight nonetheless.

Between 2011 and 2012, I drastically reduced my consumption of restaurant food. Granted, some of this was due to monetary reasons, nevertheless I saw my weight drop ten more pounds. At the beginning of 2013, I was steadily holding my weight of 165 pounds, which was well within the range I should be.

Getting more nutrients through an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and a drastic reduction in meat consumption

“Okay, so the story is over, right?” Wrong. There is still an issue of nutrition. Losing weight is great, but I had not figured in proper nutrition. I had dramatically reduced my caloric intake, but I had not increased my intake of necessary micronutrients. As a result, I was constantly running out of energy and having to consume copious quantities of energy drinks. Every day by around 3:00 PM, I was ready for a nap. I also had constant stomach troubles. Sometimes my stomach would hurt so much that I would have to call out sick from work. My body was crying out for proper nutrition!

Early in 2013, my wife and I saw several documentaries about the benefits of fruits and vegetables, particularly in their raw form. I was quite interested in the idea that the nutrients in many plant-based foods can actually have a positive effect on preventing diabetes, the disease that has affected several in my family.

My wife and I decided to increase our consumption of fruits and vegetables, so we bought a juicer and started down the path to better nutrition. Later, after our health improved dramatically, we drastically reduced our meat consumption.

Reaping Multiple Health Benefits from These Dietary Changes

I am now under 160 and feeling great! I have experienced a dramatic change in not only my energy levels but also in my overall quality of life. For one thing, I can count on one finger the number of times I have had a bad stomachache since switching to a mostly plant-based diet.

Another positive effect is that I sleep much better at night. Losing twenty-five pounds has shrunk the soft tissue around the back of my throat, increasing oxygen flow and drastically reducing vibrations.

I truly feel more energetic and alert throughout the day. It stands to reason that taking care of your body means giving it the nutrients it needs not only to survive but also to thrive!

Encouraging Others toward Making Healthful Dietary Changes

This testimony is meant solely for encouragement. I am not asserting that my dietary choices are perfect, or that I have all the answers; I am merely sharing my experiences to help others who may have similar health concerns.

If you are like I once was, and you eat meat nearly every meal, perhaps this article will get you thinking. Perhaps you will be encouraged to introduce more fruits and vegetables into your diet.

If you are overweight, you should know that making positive changes in your eating habits could lead to great results down the road. It may take you years to get to where you need to be, but if I can do it, nearly anyone can. Just stick with it and take it one day at a time.

It is true that you only live once on this earth, but this is all the more reason to eat right and take care of your body!

In Discipleship, Health, Testimony

Beware What You Expose Your Children To . . . !

May 29, 2013

Highly trained people know how to use music to enhance the effectiveness of violent scenes so that they influence others to the ends that they desire:

Aggressive behavior is more likely to occur when the violence is seen as part of highly exciting content (Tannenbaum and Zillmann 1975; Zillmann 1971).

Close-up shots, camera angles, and sophisticated film editing techniques can make violence even more graphic and larger than life. A steady undercurrent of music and sound effects also adds to the horror of many violent scenes. These techniques amplify fear in small children. Small children simply cannot comprehend that in real life, music rarely underscores an about-to-be-committed murder. The violent acts are often portrayed using these techniques so that the violent action becomes something of a climax. It’s an end result that brings with it a release of tension, and in that the act becomes a good thing because it relaxes the tone of the movie and the muscles of the viewer! It also releases the anxiety or suspense that has been built up in the viewer’s mind. In the real world, a child is more likely to exhibit aggressive behavior and to commit an act of violence to experience that same release of pent-up emotions. —Saturday Morning Mind Control, 57

These highly skilled people use music in such settings to manipulate young children who are defenseless against such manipulation. Beware what you expose your children to because they do not have the same abilities that you have to process highly emotionally charged situations that use music in this way!

In Discipleship, Music, Quotes

On Supernatural Evil Beings and the CCM Debate

May 27, 2013

Based on what Scripture teaches about the deceitfulness of Satan and his blinding the minds of all unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4; 11:14; Rev. 12:9), it is understandable to me that an unbeliever would mock any suggestion that supernatural evil beings have had important influence in the origins of certain musical styles. For a likely example of such unbelieving mocking, note the response by one of the judges at the end of this brief video excerpt from an episode of American Idol: “and demons, [laugh, laugh, laugh, laugh].”

It is puzzling to me, however, when someone who is presumably a believer appears to hold a similar perspective. For example, in a recent Christianity Today article, Dr. Russell Moore, who is the Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Seminary, writes, “Myers’ critique of Christian hip-hop wasn’t a fundamentalist scold, wary of the Devil’s music” (Dr. Russell Moore, W.W. Jay-Z?, http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2013/may/ww-jay-z.html?paging=off; accessed 5/27/13; bold added). Because he does not say anything further about the subject in his article, we can only infer that Dr. Moore apparently thinks that fundamentalists are erroneously “wary” of what they mistakenly regard as “the Devil’s music.”

How is it possible for a learned believer (presumably) to hold such a view of the Devil’s influence on human music? Although I have some ideas about why he might hold such a view, I’d be interested to hear what others think about this subject.

For an introductory article that explains my view about this subject, see my post Fallen Spirits and Their Influences on Human Music—Part I

In CCM, Music, Theology

Guitar Music for "Holy Is the Lord"

May 25, 2013

Holy Is the Lord by Charles H. Davis and Franz Schubert is a good intermediate level guitar song. This PDF provides the melody notes, first stanza, chords, and chord diagrams for the song in the key of D.

Here is an audio mp3 of the song.

In Guitar Music

Christian Blogging Principles from Psalm 45:1

May 24, 2013

Obviously, blogging did not exist when Psalm 45 was written. Nevertheless, the Psalm opens with a statement that suggests some key blogging principles for Christians:

^KJVPsa 45:1 <To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves.> My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

^NKJPsa 45:1 To the Chief Musician. Set to “The Lillies.” A Contemplation of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love. My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

^NAUPsa 45:1 For the choir director; according to the Shoshannim. A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A Song of Love. My heart overflows with a good theme; I address my verses to the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.

1. A Heart Overflowing with a Good Matter – “My heart is inditing a good matter:” (Ps. 45:1a)

A Christian blogger, like all Christians, must serve God with all his might (Eccl. 9:10). With his heart filled and overflowing by the work of God’s Spirit (Eph. 5:18), he writes about whatever good subject God burdens his heart.

2. A Message about the King – “I speak of the things which I have made touching the king:” (Ps. 45:1b)

A Spirit-filled blogger writes everything with his King in view and when his subject legitimately permits, he writes about his King. Such blogging, however, does not artificially insert content about the King where it is not fitting. Just as not all Scripture is explicitly about the King, neither does the Spirit-filled blogger write every blog explicitly about the King. In fact, he need not even mention the King directly, but whatever he writes will seek to make his readers disciples of the King (Matt. 28:19).

3. A Message Skillfully Written by a Prepared Writer – “my tongue is the pen of a ready writer” (Ps. 45:1c)

A Spirit-filled blogger writes with whatever skill God has given him and does so with the eagerness and willingness of one who has been called and discipled by God to write for the sake of the kingdom. Having acquired skill through diligence and experience, he diligently researches his subject and ponders carefully what he says (Eccl. 12:9).

He sets in order his blog post so that it skillfully communicates words of truth and uses words that communicate his delight in his subject (Eccl. 12:9-10). Through such writing, he teaches God’s people knowledge (Eccl. 12:9) and goads them to serve their King (Eccl. 12:11).

Christian Blogging to the Glory of God

Through posts written by Spirit-filled bloggers who manifest these principles in their writing, God desires to advance His kingdom and righteousness (cf. Matt. 6:33). May God grace all of us who blog to honor and glorify Him in these ways with what we write (1 Cor. 10:31).

In Discipleship, Exposition, Theology

The Precious Priceless Potential Value of Every Small Church

May 23, 2013

Applying the teaching of a remarkable passage in Genesis 18 to the world today reveals a profoundly encouraging aspect of the priceless potential value of small churches.

The Judge of All the Earth Reveals the Profound Value of Righteous People

Genesis 18 records a remarkable exchange between Abraham and the Lord, the Judge of all the earth:

22 And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the LORD.

²³ And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?

²⁴ Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?

²⁵ That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?

²⁶ And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.

²⁷ And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

²⁸ Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.

²⁹ And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake.

³⁰ And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.

³¹ And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake.

³² And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.

This conversation reveals that the Judge would have spared Sodom, despite its exceeding sinfulness, had there been even ten righteous people in it. Thus, the presence of even ten righteous people among a vast number of exceedingly wicked people in a contemporary city, state, or country potentially could have a profound sparing effect on the entire population!

The Incomparable Potential Value of a Small Church

By applying this truth to our world, we learn that a small church of as few as ten righteous people could have a precious priceless value for a community that no other group could have for it. This reality should profoundly encourage all believers in small churches to persevere in walking worthily before God regardless of how small their ministry may be!

Because the revelation of this remarkable exchange in Genesis 18 was in the context of intercessory prayer by a righteous man, we should also learn of the immense potential value of even one righteous person who intercedes faithfully for his city, state, and country. Moreover, we should allow this passage to motivate us to be faithful to attend prayer meetings in our small churches, and we should make intercession for our communities one regular aspect of our praying for them.

May God grace all of us in every church to be true to Him, especially in private and corporate prayer for our communities.

In Exhortation, Prayer, Theology

"Un Santo del Rey"

May 21, 2013

Un Santo del Rey is my latest Spanish song! Sung to the tune of A Child of the King, this song highlights that I as a believer am a saint of the King spoken of in a glorious heavenly song:

“And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.” (Rev. 15:3)

“Y cantan el cántico de Moisés siervo de Dios, y el cántico del Cordero, diciendo: Grandes y maravillosas son tus obras, Señor Dios Todopoderoso; justos y verdaderos son tus caminos, Rey de los santos.” (Apocalipsis 15:3)

The song is in the key of D and uses only basic chords in the key of D. This PDF provides the lyrics, melody notes, chords, and chord diagrams for the song.

Here is the audio for this song: Un Santo del Rey

In Guitar Music, Spanish

What the Sufficiency of Scripture Does Not Mean Concerning the CCM Debate

May 20, 2013

Second Timothy 3:15-17 definitively asserts the sufficiency of Scripture. Applying that teaching to the CCM debate, some argue that there must be a direct reference to things such as specific music styles in order for us to speak definitively about the propriety of their use in Christian worship.

Several passages show us that this is a mistaken approach to the CCM debate:

1. Psalm 19 teaches us that God is continuously infallibly communicating moral truth to all people without the use of any words and regardless of whether they ever hear any Scripture or not. Especially in connection with other teaching in the Psalms, God’s doing this has important implications for the CCM debate (see Natural Revelation, Music Related to God’s Providence, . . .).

2. Titus 1 unequivocally supports believers’ using statements by expert secular authorities to confirm their own biblically based assessments of moral issues in the lives of people (see Titus 1 and the CCM Debate). On the authority of Titus 1 (and other Scripture), believers are justified in arguing against the use of CCM by citing secular authorities who confirm their own negative assessments of it.

3. Mark 6 and Matthew 14 show us that Scripture can communicate authoritatively that an activity can be sensual by only mentioning the activity itself in a given context and without having to give any details about the activity. This observation validates the understanding that certain Scriptural statements about music need not be explicit or detailed in order to teach us that music can be sensual (see Will the Sensuality of CCM in Your Church . . .).

4. First Corinthians 11 is another passage that helps us to know what the sufficiency of Scripture does not mean for the CCM debate. Although its teaching and relevance are related to those of Psalm 19, this passage has unique aspects that warrant treating it separately.

Even “Nature” Taught the Corinthians That Something Was Shameful

Paul wrote to believers in Corinth to instruct them concerning the use of head coverings while they were praying or prophesying (1 Cor. 11:1-16). To support his argumentation for his teaching about that practice, he cited the teaching that even “nature” provided them:

1Co 11:13 Judge in yourselves: is it comely that a woman pray unto God uncovered?

¹⁴ Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?

¹⁵ But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.

Although there are many debates about various aspects of this passage, it is indisputable that Paul held that a source other than Scripture was teaching the Corinthians infallibly that something was shameful. Paul thus believed and taught that Scripture was not the only source of authoritative information that informed believers about the moral nature of certain things.

The Specificity of Nature’s Moral Teaching to the Corinthians is Noteworthy

Paul declared that “nature” was teaching the Corinthians that if a man was having long hair, it was a shame to him (1 Cor. 11:14). A non-biblical source of information, therefore, was teaching them authoritatively about the moral character of a specific aspect of the hair of a man.

Moreover, we must note that because God made humans to have hair on their heads, hair itself is not amoral—it is morally good. Yet, a non-biblical authority was instructing the Corinthians that long hair was a shame to a man.

Does “Nature” Teach Us about the Moral Value of Music?

Before we can answer the question of whether “nature” teaches us anything about the moral value of music, we should consider at least briefly what “nature” means in this passage. Some hold that it means what is observable in the natural world that God created. Some believe that it refers to intrinsic moral perspectives that God has put within humans. Some seem to equate “nature” in this passage with culture.

Views that combine these ideas in various ways probably also exist. Regardless of what the word “nature” means here, it is clear that Paul was teaching that something other than Scripture was teaching the Corinthians that something would be shameful concerning something that in and of itself was actually moral.

For an example of how “nature” teaches us about the moral value of music, listen to the following audio with your eyes closed and try to detect impartially whether what is sung is sensual music or not: Nature’s Teaching About Music. Were you not able to know that this music was sensual in spite of there not being any sensual words sung by the singer?

As this example plainly shows, a believer does not need to have Scriptural teaching about what makes music sensual in order to know that this song was sensual. The sufficiency of Scripture does not mean that Scripture must provide an explanation of what comprises music that is sensual.

In CCM, Interpretation, Music, Theology

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