Some people with their “bible knowledge” speak out to “defend their faith” against Christian Contemporary Music. I’ll try to portray Ps. Mark Driscoll’s style, “It would be easier for me to make fun of them.”
Let’s see few points which are being used as a ‘test’ of what Christians should hear according to: http://www.av1611.org/crktstin.html:
1. A Christian should be SEPARATE from the world.
“Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye SEPARATE, saith the Lord, and touch not the UNCLEAN thing;. . .” 2 Cor 6:17
“Love not the WORLD, neither the things that are in the WORLD. If any man love the WORLD, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
2 Corinthians 6:17 is a quote from Isiah 52:11, but from what I see Paul wants to point out that let not you be defiled by the unclean things, not to separate yourselves from the world, because, reality speaks, we’re living in the same world and we can’t avoid that! Check this out:
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
And about 1 John 2:15, that doesn’t support the point “be ye separate” so we’ll cross that out as we know we’re only using them as a tool, a temporary friendship with mammon, for the glory of God.
Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.
2. A Christian should be DIFFERENT from the world:
“Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holy things: they have put no DIFFERENCE between the holy and profane, neither have they showed DIFFERENCE between the unclean and the clean,. . . and I am profaned among them.” Ezekiel 22:26
“If the WORLD hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the WORLD, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the WORLD hateth you.” John 15:18-19
“Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a PECULIAR people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14
We are not from the world, but we live in this world. Like Paul, we should take liking to people:
1 Corinthians 9:19-22
19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
For what goal?
1 Corinthians 9:23 And this I do for the gospel’s sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.1 Corinthians 9:16 For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!
Being a Jesus Freak is not being a freak to the world. I personally like the term “Jesus Freak”, but I think the song (and the music video) is a mistake, like they don’t care about being a Jesus Freak, and being a freak to the world. That’s not preaching 1 Corinthians 9!
1 Corinthians 9:27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
3. A Christian should have NO FELLOWSHIP with the works of DARKNESS:
“And have NO FELLOWSHIP with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.” (Ephesians 5:11-12)
Some little minded person rebelling against this verse might say, only the “unfruitful works”, but for me products of the darkness are darkness. Darkness tree bears darkness fruit. Still fruitfully dark (no pun intended). So what are the works of darkness?
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not inchambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
Is music a product of the darkness? No! Music is a product of mankind or as the anthropologists and sociologists say, culture. We can see that music is so heavily used to worship our God. God created an angel which was set up to be His archangel of praise and worship, and like we love to say it in Indonesian, music rings everytime the angel walks, and because of pride inside of him, God cast him out of heaven, since then until now the devil has been using what God gave to him — music, to seduce people and take them away from God. But as you read Ezekiel 28:11-19, you’ll notice that it was God who created music, it was God who created harmony and melody, not the devil.
How do men discover music? I haven’t read any books about it, but I believe that the first music they found was rhythm when they are chopping woods maybe, it could make an exciting groove. Then they realize that different objects produce different pitch, and tone pitch in speaking, that would make melodies. Then maybe they fool around, and realize two tones or more could make the music even better, there goes the invention of harmony.
Is rhythm, melody and harmony, a product of darkness? No, again, it is a product of men “realizing”. What made them “realize” that “discovery”? Their brains. Who made their brains? GOD! not the devil! God made the humans smart, not fools! And what the humans did after that discovery? They attributed them to God the Creator of course, or maybe in some cases, people forgot YHVH and don’t know to whom they worship, so they attributed them to “the unknown God” (Acts 17:23).
And for the point of fellowship, this time I couldn’t agree more. But now we know music is not a product of the darkness. Otherwise, you won’t be using computers and/or phones you’re staring at that may be used for searching porns and blasphemous objects.
Music is beautiful, so does Rock Music, synthesizers (I’m saving for one!), and colorful lights. But what makes them evil? Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. This is total depravity. If all our righteousness are the same as filthy rags, what would our sins look like?
Don’t blame the satan for all things, for sometimes it is us. Although the motivation is right, but they don’t usually end up right. Ask Holy Spirit to sanctify all your deeds, not just music, and let Him guide all your steps to use all your talents which are given to you from God alone, for the glory of God. Or else, even the simplest and the most tiniest and unimportant thing you may not think about is seen as a flaw by the devil and bear shameful fruits, disgracing God.
Blessings in Christ,
2012.2.16
Calvin Limuel