This is a post of mine on a website where the endless quarrel about old hymns versus contemporary choruses has recently been aired .
AS follows:
Genuine worship depends on one's own relationship with Christ. Making laws about certain styles of music will not address the issue for this is one of the heart.
We cannot conjure up "authenticity" by act of will precisely because this is a matter of the heart
Idolatry is a passion for anything at all that comes before our love of God, and if we do not love our neighbour and brethren, as shown in our spontaneous reactions ( forced works do not count as they are hypocrisy) then we do not love God (see I John) so any passion we have will by default be idolatrous .
If this is the true biblical context for the nature of idolatry ( and improper worship is idolatry) then all our efforts are yet again superficial and skirt the issue.
If we won't seek the Lord the Spirit that we be convicted of our sin and so saved from it through the cleansing that follows honest confession (again see I John) then we may as well continue as we are, give up concern for the issue, and simply give motivational seminars and concerts, which is what church is without the Holy Spirit, and be done with it l
AS follows:
Genuine worship depends on one's own relationship with Christ. Making laws about certain styles of music will not address the issue for this is one of the heart.
We cannot conjure up "authenticity" by act of will precisely because this is a matter of the heart
Idolatry is a passion for anything at all that comes before our love of God, and if we do not love our neighbour and brethren, as shown in our spontaneous reactions ( forced works do not count as they are hypocrisy) then we do not love God (see I John) so any passion we have will by default be idolatrous .
If this is the true biblical context for the nature of idolatry ( and improper worship is idolatry) then all our efforts are yet again superficial and skirt the issue.
If we won't seek the Lord the Spirit that we be convicted of our sin and so saved from it through the cleansing that follows honest confession (again see I John) then we may as well continue as we are, give up concern for the issue, and simply give motivational seminars and concerts, which is what church is without the Holy Spirit, and be done with it l
I agree with this - mostly.
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