Instrumental worship for New Testament Christians can be justified (debate #2)

My comment about Pharisees was certainly not intended as character assassination. I hardly know you, so I could not successfully launch a personal attack against you. I was merely pointing out that the insertion of human opinion into interpretation of the scriptures was labeled "tradition of men" by Jesus. This phenomenon BEGAN with the Pharisees and has been the root of all denominational differences. There would be no Baptists, Catholics, Church of Christ, Methodists, or Pentecostals, etc. if human opinion were taken out of the picture. This is not a character assassination, this is an observation. At the root of EVERY doctrinal difference between Christian groups there is an "interpretation" of scripture that involves human opinion. I was debating a racist who believed that he had the right to murder "inferior races" and "race-mixers" based on Leviticus 20. When I mentioned how Jesus addressed Leviticus 20 executions in John 8 with the woman caught in adultery , he began to explain what that passage "meant." If one bases a doctrine or teaching on an opinion, he is guilty of the error of the Pharisees: "tradition of men." "It's not my opinion on what this means, it's what it explicitly says. Let me explain..." Then you go on to give your opinion, rather than posting scriptures. Here are some examples: "Paul is prescribing how we are to worship God, " "we are told following that we MUST sing." "To only play and not sing is a form of worship not authorized by God." None of these statements come with a footnote as to which scripture one might find the information given in those statements. " So for example we are told to fellowship in Acts 2:42. There are various ways to fellowship, but if God has said when you fellowship you should only do it on Wednesdays that would exclude any other day of the week because it was specific" The problem I have with your position is that the scriptures do NOT specifically teach that God is NOT to be worshiped with musical instruments. Psalm 150 specifically states that God IS to be worshipped with instruments. There is nothing in the New Testament that would indicate that God has rescinded this form of worship. Jesus fulfilled the sacrifice, the priesthood, access to the Holy of Holies, the Law, the Prophets and MANY other Old Testament types and shadows; but, there is nothing in the New Testament that would indicate that He fulfilled the need of Man to worship God! "What this evidence is saying is that the word psalms means exactly the same as it's Old Testament usage. To say it means just sing or just use instruments is to redefine the term, and to prove it has changed meaning means that the burden of proof falls on you to prove that it did, in fact change." OK, you are bringing us back to my "straw man" argument. Ephesians 5:19 does NOT have the word "ONLY" in it's text. Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs are three ways to worship; however, there is no indication in scripture that those are the ONLY ways to worship God in the New Testament. In Luke 19:37, disciples worshipped by rejoicing and praising God with a loud voice-not with Psalms, hymns or spiritual songs. Does this mean their worship was unauthorized? Here, in II Samuel 6, and in Matthew 26:6-13, when people spontaneously performed "unauthorized" (unspecified by scripture) worship, they were rebuked by man, but commended by God! The only limitations placed on worship in the New Testament are those given by Jesus, "A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers. God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality). (John 4:23-24 AMP) "Truth" here is from a word derived from ἀληθής, "true (as not concealing)." Ephesians 5:19 does not contain the word "must," but John 4:24 does. John 4:23-24 encompasses not only Ephesians 5:19 worship but also Psalm 150 worship and ANY worship not mentioned in scripture that is done in spirit and in reality toward God.