Continued from last month

God does request that we give our bodies as living sacrifices unto Him (Romans 12:1) and that we love Him with all our heart, soul and mind (Matt. 22:37) but such expressions of what we should give to serve him should not be confused with body parts used to express praise to him. If the concept of giving our bodies to the Lord authorized worshipping him with different body parts, then we would have to click our teeth, stomp our feet, snap our fingers, knock our knees together and make all kinds of strange noises in worship. Also, such would mean that those who were paralyzed in various parts of their body would be unable to worship acceptably. The truth of the matter is that the concept of worshipping God with all our being, doesn’t have to do with body parts, but rather with worshipping with all our soul, energy and love. And yet, the instrument of expression of that worship with all our being is specified, the lips (Hebrews 13:15).

It is an error to confuse the position of the body while praising God, and the instrument used to give that praise. One, corporal position, is not specified, the other, the instrument is. A band director might tell a student, “I want you to learn to play the flute. I don’t care if you play it standing up, sitting down, or even kneeling or lying down, I just want you to play it!” In such instructions, liberty is given as to the corporal position, but the instrument, the flute, is specified. God hasn’t specified a body position in praising Him in the New Testament. Therefore, we can praise him while standing, seated, kneeling, raising the arms, bowing the head, etc. Whatever corporal position one may take, however, he should use the instrument of praise which God has exclusively requested in the New Testament, the lips. The hands are not the lips!

A distinction should be made between the usually silent, incidental, isolated and unobtrusive patting of the foot sometimes seen while brethren sing, and loud, collective clapping. One doesn’t justify the other.

Questions That Need to Be Answered about Rhythmic Clapping to Music

1. Does God specify fruit of the lips as the type of praise He wants in the New Testament age? (Hebrews 13:15)

2. If “fruit of the hands” (clapping) is an acceptable way of praising God in New Testament times then why not the “fruit of feet” (foot stomping), the fruit of fingers (finger snapping), etc. Why not the fruit of drums, the fruit of cymbals, etc.?

3. If God wants rhythmic clapping, did Christians generally worship him through the millennia in an unacceptable way if they didn’t clap?

4. What is the origin of rhythmic clapping to music in the church? Is it from heaven or from men?

5. Is there any evidence of rhythmic clapping to music among Christians in the first century?
I want to be open to any thoughts or ideas from those who may think the reasoning here is wrong or inconsistent. But until these questions are answered, I feel it my duty to speak out against clapping in worship as a practice that will take us away from the Lord and the spiritual, “fruit of the lips,” worship he has authorized.

It is true that there needs to be more enthusiasm among brethren, more amens, hallelujahs and songs or praise. But there doesn’t need to be applause, rhythmic clapping or any other type of expression that would move us away from the simple spiritual pattern which God has given us.

gardnerhall3@cs.com