Instrumental Music and the Principle of Authority 樂器和權威原則

Resource: 

https://apologeticspress.org/qa-david-and-musical-instruments/ 

https://apologeticspress.org/instrumental-music-and-the-principle-of-authority-1215/ 

All People Must Worship According to New Testament Authority
所有人都必須按照新約的權柄敬拜

All people are to worship God in accordance with His worship instructions specified in the New Testament. It so happens that since the cross, God confines all musical worship expression to vocal music—not instrumental (1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; James 5:13).
所有人都要按照《新約》中所規定的敬拜指示來敬拜神。自十字架以來，神將教會中一切音樂敬拜的表達限定在聲樂上，而非器樂（哥林多前書 14:15；以弗所書 5:19；歌羅西書 3:16；雅各書 5:13）。

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“Speak as the Oracles of God”
「按著神的聖言講」

What did Peter mean when he wrote, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11)?
彼得寫道：「若有講道的，要按著神的聖言講」（彼得前書 4:11），這是什麼意思？

He meant that whatever a person advocates in religion must be found in God’s Word.
他的意思是，人在宗教中所主張的一切，都必須能在神的話語中找到根據。

But everyone knows that baby dedication services, handclapping, instrumental music, choirs, praise teams, the worship of Mary, non-weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper, and church raffles are not authorized by God’s Word.
然而眾所周知，嬰兒奉獻禮、拍手、器樂敬拜、合唱團、敬拜團、敬拜馬利亞、不按每週守主餐、以及教會抽獎等，都沒有神話語的授權。

Thus, their use violates the principle of authority—failing to “speak as the oracles of God.”
因此，這些做法違反了權柄原則——沒有「按著神的聖言講」。

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“Not to Think Beyond What Is Written”
「不可過於聖經所記」

What did Paul mean when he wrote, “…that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6)?
保羅寫道：「叫你們效法我們不可過於聖經所記」（哥林多前書 4:6），他的意思是什麼？

He meant that whatever we do in religion must first be found in the Scriptures.
他的意思是，我們在宗教中的一切作為，都必須首先在聖經中找到根據。

But everyone knows that “sacred drama,” swaying arms in worship, and religious observance of Christmas and Easter are not found in Scripture.
然而眾所周知，「神聖戲劇」、敬拜時搖擺雙手，以及將聖誕節與復活節作為宗教節期來守，都不是聖經所記載的。

Their use violates the principle of authority—going “beyond what is written.”
這些做法違反了權柄原則——已經「過於聖經所記」。

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Faithfulness Requires Conformity to Divine Directives
忠心等於順服神的指示

When all is said and done—after all the rationalizing about why we choose to do certain things in religion—we are still faced with one question: Are our practices truly in accordance with God’s instructions?
當一切辯解與合理化都說盡之後，我們仍然必須面對一個問題：我們所做的，是否真正符合神的指示？

By definition, being faithful to God entails conformity to divine directives—right doing (1 John 3:7; Acts 10:35).
按定義來說，對神忠心意味著遵守祂的神聖指示——行義（約翰一書 3:7；使徒行傳 10:35）。

When one “transgresses (i.e., goes ahead), and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ” (2 John 9), he becomes unfaithful and removes himself from the benefits of God’s grace (2 Peter 2:20–22; Hebrews 10:26–31; Galatians 5:4).
當一個人「越過基督的教訓，不常守著」（約翰二書 9節），他就成為不忠之人，也使自己脫離神恩典的益處（彼得後書 2:20–22；希伯來書 10:26–31；加拉太書 5:4）。

Remaining within the grace and favor of God depends upon our compliance with the all-important, God-ordained principle of authority.
是否能留在神的恩典與恩寵之中，取決於我們是否遵守這個極其重要、由神所設立的權柄原則。