tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6422857.post5403036381754450169..comments2023-10-05T08:25:13.232-04:00Comments on Biblical Evidence for Catholicism: Biblical Evidence for Musical Instruments in WorshipDave Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07771661758539438173noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6422857.post-38672243903016040082010-03-22T20:35:58.994-04:002010-03-22T20:35:58.994-04:00Hi Dan,
wouldn't Calvin reject most of these ...Hi Dan,<br /><br /><i>wouldn't Calvin reject most of these Old Testament references out-of-hand, calling them "fulfilled"?</i><br /><br />Apparently so, but it doesn't fly, for the reason I gave in this post and the older one about Calvin (in my further comments added today). There is no indication that God ever saw anything <i>wrong</i> with such worship. The things that were wrong were sacrificing to other gods, or offering a wrong animal for sacrifice (say, a pig), or not having a proper attitude in the heart, or committing immorality and then presumptuously worshiping God, as if the two things were unrelated (spiritual pride and hypocrisy, or double-mindedness). That is what God condemned, not musical instruments.<br /><br />Secondly, OT worship can't be so easily separated from the new covenant, since we know that Jesus, Paul, and other apostles continued to observe the feasts and pray in the temple, and attend synagogue worship as well. Jesus observed Pharisaical customs, and Paul called himself a Pharisee after he became a Christian, three times. Therefore, there is no way to separate OT worship completely from the new covenant period, saying it was "fulfilled". We have the Mass, but even that developed from the OT Passover ceremony.<br /><br />Calvin simply has no argument, and what he produces is flimsy as a wet noodle. <br /><br /><i>One could point to several patriarchs and others who did activities for a time that God actually doesn't like (polygamy),</i> <br /><br />Polygamy has been ruled out by subsequent revelation, that a man was to have one wife at a time only. But one cannot argue that polygamy was intrinsically immoral. St. Thomas Aquinas makes this point.<br /><br /><i>or to activities that have been set aside (circumcision).</i><br /><br />Circumcision was also obviously never intrinsically immoral or idolatrous, since it was a command. It was continued in the new covenant: developed as baptism. Paul makes analogical arguments in Colossians about that. And he even had Timothy circumcised, after the Jerusalem council, that ruled it was no longer strictly necessary.<br /><br />The argument isn't merely that David had instruments, therefore it was accepted by God, but that there is no indication it was never <i>not</i> accepted as part of worship, or regarded as idolatry, and as you note, there is the instance of direct divine approval.Dave Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07771661758539438173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6422857.post-84806076016502087472010-03-22T17:49:40.049-04:002010-03-22T17:49:40.049-04:00I'm not Calvinist, I'm Catholic, but would...I'm not Calvinist, I'm Catholic, but wouldn't Calvin reject most of these Old Testament references out-of-hand, calling them "fulfilled"?<br /><br />There are a few that he probably couldn't say that about. Your examples from the Psalms are the strongest, because the Apostles frequently sang the Psalms, giving them tacit approval, and they never said they should be modified to delete the musical instruments. Calvin also probably couldn't say that something idolatrous ever pleased God; but one of your references showed that God WAS pleased by the musical instruments (1 Chron. 23:13-14). So I wonder how he would respond to that.<br /><br />Nevertheless I think you'd have to further defend your case re: "the model of David and others of his time." One could point to several patriarchs and others who did activities for a time that God actually doesn't like (polygamy), or to activities that have been set aside (circumcision).<br /><br />I wonder what your thoughts about that are. Nevertheless, these are helpful references. Thank you. :)dmar198https://www.blogger.com/profile/11913009400701162605noreply@blogger.com