Revealed or  Authorized

Protestants when first leaving Catholics revisited all of the commandments given to the church to determine what was actually biblical. This brought into question subjects such as musical instruments and a separated priesthood. Martin Luther and John Calvin both rejected instruments as did almost all protestant leaders. Musical instruments were simply not found in the New Testament in a visible form except in Revelation, there instruments such as drums, organs, or pianos were not used. Only harps of God were seen. Trumpets were not for music. You don't see any modern band type music.

Modern churches infer just having harps of God would give us the authority to expand into modern music types with modern instruments with equalizers and synthesizers, etc. God really never said to expand based upon a whim, but apologists reason that way.

The concept of needing authority for our worship style was actually a protestant question, not a Church of Christ question only. All protestants considered authorization for their practices a big issue. It was definitely protestant terminology.

Keep in mind authorization as a term was not in the King James bible. Perhaps it is viable as a doctrine but not that specific term. Those wanting to call bible things by bible names might choose better terminology that more exactly fits the wording. I would use the word revealed to compliment authorized. Protestants argued for specific authorization where I would ask where such was revealed to us.

Authorization as a word does not command something, it may simply give one the choice to do something. If God has given us liberty we are authorized. We could be authorized to do something personally but not authorized to demand it of others or make it a law. In using the word authorized early protestant usually argued for anything that was of liberty, we could do things without a commandment, but a commandment meant it was imperative.

Where was it revealed that the Harps of God in Revelation should be a precedent to expand into our own favorite instruments? What about instruments and songs brought from pagan religions into Christianity? We must realize that liberty can be viewed when God never gave us liberty to expand via imagined precedent.

The concept that our religion is a revealed religion is a New Testament concept and term. The concept, that what we practice was revealed by the Holy Spirit, isn't debatable.The idea everything must be authorized isn't the same as everything was revealed. If revealed we could see it in writing. Authorization just isn't the exact wording.

All authority was given unto Christ in heaven and earth, that authority was expressed through revelation. Authorized could be an acceptable term if seeing it as an extension of Christ's authority, but then it would somewhere be revealed in some way.

Eph 3:5  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 

Our knowledge was shut up but then revealed.

1Co 2:10  But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 

Gal 3:23  But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 

Since New Testament doctrine was shut up before being revealed, there is no Old Testament example that can be used to tell us what worship would be like in our era, all Old Testament examples couldn't open to us if not later revealed.

There was nothing in the Old Testament that would give us clues about the specifics of Christianity. It was shut up at that time. Many have tried to look back after the fact to say some verses were meaning instruments would be used in the church while other verses have no instruments. The verses quoted in the New Testament from Old Testament prophecies do not reveal instruments.

Psa 22:22  I will declare thy name unto my brethren: in the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.

Heb 2:12  Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 

The Hebrew writer translates the word praise in Psalm to mean "sing praise", the concept of the voice being the context. Praise never seems to be specifically with an instrument by itself. An instrument with non-vocal music could never be praise. Praise is with the heart, mind, and voice. Praise requires understanding.

The point of this article is simply that instruments such as used in modern churches are not revealed in the New Testament. Protestants tried to use the concept they were inferred in the word for sing or song, from Psallo, but there are too many times in New Testament history and that era that psallo could not infer instruments.

Psallo is used because the vocal chords twitch, so the word does not infer external instrument, the heart, mind, and voice are the instrument. Psallo can be used with external instruments, but the context would reveal it. Mechanical instruments would have to be specifically mentioned for psallo to be used that way in Christ's era. (They would have to be Revealed for psallo even to be used that way.).

Psallo without the mention of instruments came to mean by twitching the voice.

What was revealed is that Old Testament law was nailed to the cross. How this applies to Christian worship can be debated, but citing an old testament passage for authority without New Testament support is not the way to go. We should have actual revelation to support us before adopting different types of worship.

In the light that the Pharisees were standing against Christ by quoting Old Testament prophecy as if they understood everything, Jesus says wait for revelation to clear it up.

Luk 12:2  For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. 

Luk 12:3  Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 

Christ's doctrine would be revealed and proclaimed. When we use passages from the Old Testament and do not see it later openly revealed, it isn't Christian doctrine. The idea all would be revealed is important and is a viable test of doctrine.