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Pilgrim said:
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Dave U. said:
How much more then should the music we use in our worship of the King of Kings, whether for private, family, or public worship, be separate and distinct from the music we enjoy for personal pleasure!
And that begs the question as to how much of a distinction should there be between how we worship God formally and how we live before God (our reasonable worship, Heb. 12:1, 2). Should the "elements" of our everyday lives be contrary to that which we use in formal worship, e.g., speaking, listening, etc.? Doubtless, the subject has been debated for centuries, i.e., "Sacred vs. Secular". But I have to question (not referring to you specifically Dave since I have no knowledge of what kind of music you allow yourself to listen to) the allowing of most of the worldly music by those who profess faith in Christ and seek His kingdom in righteousness. For example, is it acceptable or even possible to listen to pagan "head-banging" music Monday-Saturday and in one's quiet time approach God where choirs of angels sing music that extols His majesty and holiness with these tunes still floating around in one's brain?

How should a Christian apply the wise Apostle John's admonition:

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1 John 2:14-17 (ASV) "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye know him who is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one. Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the vain glory of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."<br>

That's an excellent question.

There is no doubt that a Christian is prohibited from loving the present world or the things that are in it. One cannot obey the command to wholeheartedly love God while loving the depraved world system through which we are presently sojourning.

But yet God, in his mercy, gives us good things to enjoy with thanksgiving so long as we do not cause ourselves or others to stumble in their enjoyment. He prohibits drunkenness, but leaves us free to enjoy wine, etc., in moderation. He prohibits gluttony, but grants us in Christ the privilege of eating food of all kinds. In the matter of Christian liberty, God presents us with the freedom to enjoy earthly things so long as we hold them with a loose grip lest we come to love them inordinately.

FYI, my musical tastes are doggedly "retro": 99% of what I like was either composed or recorded before my birth forty-something years ago. Although the secular music of these former days, like the Hollywood movies of the 30's and 40's, isn't entirely free of sexual innuendo and romantic idolatry, it tends to reflect the greater degree of common grace that was present in the culture of former generations. So long as I enjoy this music in moderate doses, I find that it doesn't present an undue hindrance to my walk with Christ. It helps that I'm mature enough to discern good from bad with a reasonable degree of success, something that young people who listen to today's latest sounds just aren't equipped to do. Although I am quite sympathetic to those who are appalled by today's secular music (with limited exceptions, I find the best of it to be a lifeless recycling of better music from the past, with the worst of it being unspeakably awful in every sense: spiritual, moral, and artistic), I have not yet been persuaded by Scripture or reason that I must lay aside all enjoyment of secular music. To be sure, it is good and right to lay aside any liberty should it become a hindrance to running the Christian race.

Although I will defend the wise and moderate use of secular music for personal enjoyment within the bounds of Christian liberty, I am nonetheless a staunch advocate of the regulative principle of worship. Whereas God has granted us a degree of liberty regarding how we live our everyday lives, he has left us far less latitude regarding how he is to be worshiped. I believe that many evangelicals have been overly strict regarding Christian liberty, but overly liberal regarding the worship of God.

Although we ought to defend ourselves against any attempt to bind our consciences to anything besides the Word of God, that battle is a small thing compared to the crucial matter of the right worship of Almighty God. If I am made to choose between my liberty vs. obedience to Scripture, I must of course choose the latter! Although God has left me free to enjoy many things in Christ, he would not have me to love any thing besides Christ. To do otherwise would be to commit idolatry.

Dave