Does the New Testament contain references to musical instruments in the church?

Does the word "singing" (1 Corinthians 14:15;" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19)" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 5:19) imply musical instruments?

The basis of this question is the derivation of the word, "psallo," used 5 times in the New Testament and translated "sing," "sing psalms," or "making melody." The noun translated "psalm" (psalmos) comes from this verb. W. E. Vine gives the meaning as "primarily ‘to twitch, twang,’ then, ‘to play a stringed instrument with the fingers,"’ and adds that it means "in the New Testament, ‘to sing a hymn, sing praise."’ Similarly, Vincent states, "The verb, however, is used in the New Testament of singing praise generally."

The derivation of a word adds color to the meaning but does not define the word. Ephesians 5:19" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 5:19 uses both forms of the word in a way that clearly removes them from the thought of an accompanying instrument. The noun, "psalms," is linked with speech and not music, "speaking to yourselves in psalms. The verb, "sing," cannot involve instrumental music when Paul says, "making melody in your heart."

D. Oliver

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Does "doing all the right things" make a group of believers an assembly?

Does "doing all the right things" make a group of believers an assembly?

No. The title used in the New Testament for an assembly is "church of God." This indicates both the ownership and origin of an assembly. It originates with a divine work. Only God can save souls, but the existence of a number of believers doesn’t constitute an assembly. In Athens, we have no indication of the planting of an assembly, although a number there were saved (Acts 17:34)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 17:34). In the "pattern assembly" at Jerusalem, "they that gladly received His word" were baptized and added to "the fellowship" (Acts 2:41, 42)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 2:41, 42). This willingness to receive the truth of God is essential in the planting of an assembly, because believers are to "continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine." How will these new believers know how to function as an assembly without being taught?

More than that, if the Lord is working to plant an assembly, we would expect some indication that He is raising up a plurality of men with shepherd hearts (Acts 20:28)." TARGET="_blank">Acts 20:28). Novices are not yet fitted for that work (1 Tim 3:6);" TARGET="_blank">1 Tim 3:6); however, when God is forming an assembly, we would expect some among these new believers to display a potential for that work.

The Lord Jesus explained His use of the word "church" (Mat 18:17)" TARGET="_blank">Mat 18:17) by saying, "Where two or three are gathered together in My name . . ." (v 20). Those gathered did not gather themselves, but are drawn to "the name" by another agent, evidently the Spirit of God. This is related to the Old Testament expression, "the place which the Lord shall choose to place His name there" (Deu 16:2)." TARGET="_blank">Deu 16:2). The Lord establishes the testimony (places His name) and believers are drawn to what He has established.

"Doing all the right things" will never make a company an assembly if the Lord has not first of all made it an assembly.

David Oliver

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Did God replace Israel with the church?

Did God replace Israel with the Church?

No.

If we fail to distinguish between the Church and Israel, we will have difficulty in interpreting the Bible, especially in regards to prophecy.

The Church is distinct from the nation of Israel. Israel is God’s chosen people who have specific promises (land, king) that are eternal and irrevocable. There is still much that God is going to do with Israel.
A common error is to teach that Israel was the Church of the Old Testament and the believers of the New Testament are just another manifestation of the chosen people of God. It is taught that since the Jews rejected Christ, God has rejected them forever. That leaves room to say that the Church is the new Israel in sprit. All promises that were given to Israel would therefore apply to the Church of the New Testament.

It can be shown from a few verses that God still sees a future for Israel as well as sees a distinction between Israel and the Church.

The Bible makes a division of the world into three groups:

1 Corinthians 10:32" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 10:32 "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God."

The Jews – Israel
The Gentiles – the unconverted, unsaved of the world.
The church of God – all believers in today’s period of grace.

In Acts 15:14-17" TARGET="_blank">Acts 15:14-17 divides the world in the same way:

The Church

God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name (v. 14).

Israel

After this I will return, and will build you the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up (v. 16).

The Gentiles

That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things (v. 17).

Again we see the same division in Ephesians and Colossians:
    the Jews-the circumcision made with hands (Eph. 2:11)." TARGET="_blank">Eph. 2:11).
    the Gentiles-the uncircumcision (Eph. 2:11)." TARGET="_blank">Eph. 2:11).
    the Church-the circumcision made without hands (Col. 2:11)" TARGET="_blank">Col. 2:11)

What difference does it make?

Israel will one day have a son of David sit on the throne in Jerusalem. This kingdom will have no end.

And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." (Luke 1:31-33)" TARGET="_blank">Luke 1:31-33)

All Israel will be saved. They will repent and receive Christ and be forgiven for their sins.

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob"; "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins." As regards the gospel, they are enemies of God for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers.

(Romans 11:25-28)" TARGET="_blank">Romans 11:25-28)

Currently, most of the Jewish people are not saved. Only a “remnant” is saved.

So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day."

(Romans 11:5-8)" TARGET="_blank">Romans 11:5-8)

When the Jews did not receive Christ as their Chosen One, they were temporarily set aside. No longer does God work through them to accomplish his work on earth. They will remain in this dormant state until Christ returns. The work of God with the Jews has been put on “pause” until God is done working with the Gentiles.

Three phrases tell us about this time of parenthesis:

1. The riches of the Gentiles (Rom_11:12) is the great blessing that falls to the Gentile nations through salvation by faith in Christ. The Gentiles are spiritual rich while the Jews remain in poverty.
2. The fullness of the Gentiles (Rom_11:25) is the time allowed to the Gentiles to be saved. When Christ completes the church with the last soul saved, He will come again to rapture the church home. That will mark the end of the Gentile’s time of salvation.
3. The times of the Gentiles (Luk_21:24) refers to the political domination of Gentile nations over the nation of Israel. The Gentiles have been asserting control over Jerusalem ever since the last king of Juda was led captive to Babylon in 521 B.C. The times of the Gentiles will end when Christ liberates Jerusalem (Revelation 18)." TARGET="_blank">Revelation 18).

The Mystery of the Church

The Church is “a mystery”. A mystery is a doctrine that was kept hidden from Old Testament believers but has been revealed to us now. The fact that the Church was a mystery means that it is something new in comparison to the Old Testament.

This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

(Ephesians 3:6-10)" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 3:6-10)

The Beginning of the Church

The Church had it’s start on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2." TARGET="_blank">Acts 2. The Church did not exist before this date. In Matthew 16:18," TARGET="_blank">Matthew 16:18, Christ spoke of the Church as a future event yet to be fulfilled.

Entrance Requirements

To become a member of the nation of Israel, one must be born to Jewish parents. To become a member of the Church, one must be born again. One must receive Christ to become a member of the Church.

Spiritual Benefits

If a person is born a Gentile they are naturally without hope and without God. Gentiles which here are called the "Uncircumcision" suffered two types of separation. For centuries, the Jews looked upon the Gentiles as lower-classed, rejected, dogs, alienated peoples who were in darkness. Seconldly, the Gentiles were separted spiritually:

1) they were "separated from Christ". They had no Messiah, no Savior, no Redeemer. They had no hope of ever coming to God without a mediator to bring them.
2) They were "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel." The people of Israel being God's chosen people enjoyed the only physical place on earth where God dwelled and worked. Without being part of the nation, people were alienated.
3) They were "strangers to the covenants of promise," aliens to God's blessings. While the church doesn't have the priviledge of participating in all the Covenants of the inheriting the Land - "To your offspring I give this land" (Genesis 15:18)" TARGET="_blank">Genesis 15:18) or of having the King rule over them - "And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. " (2 Samuel 7:8-17)," TARGET="_blank">2 Samuel 7:8-17), the church does enjoy the blessings that come from the Covenant of Promise that God made with Abraham that "and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3)." TARGET="_blank">Genesis 12:3).
4) They were "having no hope". They were lost and had no possibility of changing their future.
5) They were "without God in the world." While they had many gods, they did not have the One True God.

Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands-- remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

(Ephesians 2:11-12)" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 2:11-12)

However, once a person is in Christ, the barriers that kept Gentiles away from God's blessings are removed. God created a third group, the Church, in which both Jews and Gentiles enjoy intimacy with God and blessings.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

(Ephesians 2:13-18)" TARGET="_blank">Ephesians 2:13-18)

Conclusion

God defines the nation of Israel as his people. They may have been set aside, but they are not forgotten. The promises regarding an eternal kingdom for Israel should not be allegorized into some undefined blessing for the Church. God has preserved the Jews throughout the centuries as a distinct people. God is preserving them for the Day of Christ when he comes again and begins to work with them to fulfill all that was written about them.

Shad Sluiter

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Did the Lord Jesus bear our sins only during the three hours of darkness?

Did the Lord Jesus bear our sins only during the three hours of darkness?

Mark, by inspiration, tells us that the Lord cried, "My God, My God, why didst Thou forsake Me?" (Newberry) at the ninth hour, when the darkness ended (15:33, 34). Mr. Newberry’s alteration indicates that the Lord was no longer forsaken during the remainder of His time on the cross. Coming at the close of the darkness, this question seems to imply that He was forsaken either during all the darkness or at some time during the darkness. Those three hours were a special time of God’s dealing with Him for our sins.

At least one other passage shows that His bearing our sins was not limited to those three hours. "Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13)." TARGET="_blank">Galatians 3:13). 1 Peter 2:24" TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 2:24 seems to support this view, since He bore "our sins in His own body on the tree."

In Deuteronomy 21:23," TARGET="_blank">Deuteronomy 21:23, from which Paul quotes in Galatians 3," TARGET="_blank">Galatians 3, a rebellious, incorrigible son was to be stoned. Along with anyone who died because of disobedience to the law, this son’s body was to then hang on a tree, "accursed of God." The message was, "This is the drastic price of disobedience to God’s law." This was the message to Israel when God’s submissive, impeccable Son hung on a tree. No wonder they esteemed "Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted" (Isaiah 53:4)" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 53:4)! The price was drastic, but the disobedience was theirs and by extension ours (Romans 3:19)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 3:19). During the first three hours God graphically displayed to man what sin cost, as Christ hung in shame, accursed of God. During the next three hours, God veiled from man the full cost of sin, for none but Divine Persons could measure such agony.

With unshod feet, we conclude that our Lord was bearing sins from the moment He was nailed to the cross until the moment He dismissed His spirit.

D. Oliver
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Should a person who is being disciplined by the assembly be present at the discipline meeting?

Should a person who is being disciplined by the assembly be present at the discipline meeting?

Yes. Not every form of New Testament discipline involves putting an individual away from the fellowship. How could an assembly rebuke a fellow-believer (1 Timothy 5:20)" TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 5:20) who is not present? In the case of excommunication, an individual remains part of the assembly until the assembly has acted to put him away Silently attending such a gathering might indicate submissiveness to and concurrence with the assemblys action. It may also convince a person of the sensuousness of his sin and of the saints concern for him. No one can force a person to attend; advising him to do so would be wise.

D. Oliver
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Please explain Romans 11:26, "All Israel shall be saved."

Please explain Romans 11:26," TARGET="_blank">Romans 11:26, "All Israel shall be saved."

This statement occurs in the dispensational section of Romans (chapters 9-11) where Israel, mentioned 12 times, is the main subject. Chapter 9 shows God's sovereignty in Israel's past election. Chapter 10 reveals God's righteousness in Israel's present rejection, because of refusing the gospel and their Messiah. Chapter 11 unveils God's wisdom and faithful ness in Israel's future restoration. God cast off Israel nationally, not individually and finally (11:2). Paul was an Israelite, in the remnant called out to form part of the church with believing Gentiles "according to the election of grace" (11:5). "Blindness in part is happened to Israel..." (11:25). The unbelieving in Israel have been blinded. Those Jews who have believed the gospel have the veil taken from their minds. In like manner, "All Israel shall be saved" nationally, not individually. All believers in Israel who repent and accept the Lord Jesus as their Messiah will inherit the kingdom. Unbelievers in the nation will be destroyed at the second advent of Christ (Zechariah 13:8, 9)." TARGET="_blank">Zechariah 13:8, 9). The setting aside of Israel was according to divine purpose (Hosea 3:4, 5;" TARGET="_blank">Hosea 3:4, 5; Acts 15:14-18)," TARGET="_blank">Acts 15:14-18), but only "until the fulness of the Gentiles (believers gathered from the Gentiles during this church age, the many days," Hosea 3:4)" TARGET="_blank">Hosea 3:4) be come in."

J. Abernathy

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Why did people in Genesis live so long?

Be the first to give an answer to this question. Write an answer in the comment section below. Please provide your name and if you have a website or blog, be sure to include the URL and email address in your answer.

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Did Achan's stolen objects have spiritual symbolism?

Joshua 7:21." TARGET="_blank">Joshua 7:21. What would the “Babylonish garment and two hundred shekels of silver and the wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight” represent? What is the teaching in this verse?

I think they would stand for what most attracts the eye and fills the heart of the natural man; for what is more desirable to the flesh than fine clothes to deck oneself withal, and gold and silver, which will purchase “everything except peace of mind, and entrance anywhere except to heaven”! “Babylonish garment” is literally “a garment of Shinar,” the locality where Babylon was built, renowned, it is said, for its beautiful robes. The word for “garment,” is from a root meaning, “wide,” hence an ample covering, a cloak. It is used of Elijah’s mantle and also of the royal robe the King of Nineveh doffed in sign of repentance (Jonah 3: 6)." TARGET="_blank">Jonah 3: 6). Gesenius says these “cloaks of Shinar” were “variegated with figures, or interwoven with various colours, having the figures of men and beasts,” reminding one of the great copes worn by ecclesiastics to-day at their religious ceremonials—true “cloaks of Shinar” those! Let all see to it, lest fine clothes, ministering to the pride of life, or silver and gold, ministering to its “many foolish and hurtful lusts,” occupy our hearts! “But thou, 0 man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

W.H.

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Has God lost control of the world to Satan?

GOD’S GOVERNMENT OF THE UNIVERSE

Is it scriptural to teach that God has ceased to hold the reins of government relative to the universe (presently)?

If so, give a little enlightenment on such verses as Jeremiah 27:5-8;" TARGET="_blank">Jeremiah 27:5-8; Daniel 4:25" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 4:25 and 26; Matthew 22:21;" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1-7;" TARGET="_blank">Romans 13:1-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-2;" TARGET="_blank">1 Timothy 2:1-2; 1 Peter 2. 17." TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 2. 17.

I should say it is very unscriptural. There is no such thought, that I know of, in the Scriptures. If Satan and man are in rebellion against God and try to usurp His authority, and apparently succeed to a certain extent, it is only by His permission and within strictly prescribed limits. I think Jeremiah 27:5-8;" TARGET="_blank">Jeremiah 27:5-8; Daniel 4:25;" TARGET="_blank">Daniel 4:25; Matthew 22:21;" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 22:21; Romans 13:1-7," TARGET="_blank">Romans 13:1-7, verses quoted by the questioner, are quite sufficient to prove that God has never relinquished the reins of government of the Universe or of this world even. Satan is certainly called the “Prince of this World,” but it was only by God’s permission, Who “makes the wrath of man to praise Him,” and he is never called this since the Cross and resurrection of our Lord. But nowhere is Satan entitled as Prince of the Universe. How could it be said “The Lord reigneth” (Psalm 93," TARGET="_blank">Psalm 93, Psalm 97," TARGET="_blank">Psalm 97, Psalm 99.)," TARGET="_blank">Psalm 99.), had He ceased to hold the reins of government?
W.H.

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