Question: Why does your church sing without instrumental music during worship?
Answer: The reason we sing without instruments is because the New Testament is very specific in regard to its instructions about music. It teaches us simply to "speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to God" (Eph 5.19; cf. Col 3.16). Thus, like the first-century Christians, we "sing" and we "make melody in our hearts to God". If this seems odd, you may not realize that a capella worship actually has been the universal practice of all Christians and all denominations for most of history. In fact, the word a capella, which refers to vocal singing unaccompanied by instruments, literally means "in church style". The "early church fathers" of the first three centuries A.D. unanimously rejected using musical instruments in worship. The first instruments were introduced by the Roman Catholic Church more than 1200 years after Christ died. Then during the Protestant Reformation, the instrument was rejected by nearly all Protestants until the mid to late 1800s. During the Restoration Movement of the 1800s, Restoration disciples once again rejected the use of the instrument as unauthorized by scripture. We are not to add to or subtract from the scriptures (1 Cor 4.6; 2 Jn 9; Rev 22.18-19), but rather to follow the pattern and practice of the apostles exactly as it was given to us (Acts 2.42; 1 Cor 11.1-2; Phil 3.17; 4.9; 2 Thes 2.15; 2 Tim 1.13). They tell us to sing to one another, so we do -- with all of our heart. In this way we seek to respect the silence of the scriptures (cf. 1 Pet 4.11). Since we do not know the mind of God unless he reveals it to us (1 Cor 2.11), we feel it would be presumptuous on our part to "play" when the Bible only tells us to "sing". It is not that we have anything against instrumental music in general. It is simply that God has not authorized its use in our worship.
Sometimes people appeal to the Old Testament to justify the use of instruments. Actually, however, the Old Testament teaching strengthens the New Testament silence in regard to instrumental music. For in the Old Testament, instruments were not used in worship until the time of David, who was commanded by God to add them to the worship. But they were only allowed to be played by the Levitical priesthood. However, the Levitical priesthood was done away with along with the Levitical worship (cf. Heb 8.13-9.1-6). The New Testament's specific instructions to "sing and make melody in your heart" seems to be an intentional silence. That is, instead of singing and making melody with instruments, we now sing and make melody with the heart. The Old Testament witness, coupled with the witness of 1800 years of Christian history, adds strong testimony to the silence of the New Testament on instrumental music. Click on the study below for details regarding instruments in the Old Testament.