In the beginning, a war started in the Garden of Eden, but the war didn't finish. It has continued and its a war for the souls of men. God calls it a war all over scripture (e.g. 1 Tim 1:18-20; 2 Tim 2:4, Eph 6:10-18, 2 Cor 10:3-5). We could call it a worship war, because the first act of worship accepted by God, is the offering of one's soul to Him by faith. It is an act of worship. He will then restore your soul, like He did with the Psalmist David (Ps 23:3). But there is a war for man’s soul. Satan would have us hang on to (keep) our soul or life ("psuche," translated "life" in Matt 10:39) for ourselves, which will result in losing our soul forever.
A major component of this war is "giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim 4:1). The "god of this world" blinds the eyes and minds of men (2 Cor 4:4), keeping the gospel hid so that they remain lost (2 Cor 4:3). People stay lost because their minds are blinded by error, by false teaching, what are called "doctrines of devils" or "damnable heresies" pushed by false teachers (2 Pet 2:1). Satan uses men to spread a false message, so that God isn't worshiped in truth. Evangelicalism, reformed calvinism, protestantism, most Baptists, and the rest of mainstream Christianity, are loaded to the brim with these men and the people love to have it so.
One of these false messages and methods where God fails to be worshipped in truth, is that of contemporary music "worship." If someone gets the first act of worship wrong, he or she won't get any of the proceeding acts right. Before someone arrives at music, he should arrive at the gospel, and essentially every single church the world over that embraces and supports CCM type music gets the first act of worship wrong. Their gospel is corrupted and perverted. It falls miserably, horribly short by only giving a fraction of the truth, by giving half truths which amounts to a total lie, which then means they pervert the gospel (Gal 1:6-9). They leave out critical components such as true faith and repentance and Christ's Lordship.
Someone can still be the boss of their life with these churches. He or she can still be a rebel against God. Their "faith" is nothing more than intellectual assent to (some) facts. The apostle John ends God's gospel by saying he wrote it so that people would believe that Jesus is the Christ. The Christ is the Messiah. The Messiah is King. True repentance goes along with this identity of Jesus Christ. But the heretical contemporary carnal churches in general reference here (and you know who you are, virtually all of evangelicalism, reformed calvinism, protestantism, etc) partition Jesus into what's effective for their lifestyle and leave out necessary parts. Jesus is the way, but He must be the true Jesus of the Bible, not a particular Jesus who is convenient.
This brings this us back to worship. It starts with recognition of worth, but they fall far short of any sort of proper recognition. The person at the end of their "gospel" presentations is not worthy of someone's life, because they will not recognize Him for Who He is. The presenters are actually ashamed of Jesus Christ, unwilling or unable to tell the lost Who He really is, leaving crucial parts out. How is that worshiping God? Worship is offering something to someone. The first act of true worship is presenting yourself by faith. Someone isn't going to give God what He wants, when He won't acknowledge Him for Who He is. The god you make up in your imagination is fine with rock music (i.e. CCM). The actual True and Living God of the Bible isn't however. If someone gets the first act of worship wrong, everything goes down hill from there in this war. And so the war has been lost.
True worship is recognizing Who God is and giving Him what He wants. When we understand Who God is through His Word, we will give Him what He wants. The direction of vocal and instrumental music in Scripture is always "to the Lord." The greatest consideration for worship music is what is the kind of music that God wants. Music should not be a matter of our taste or our feelings, but for God's pleasure. Some might think or say that we cannot know what God wants to hear. We determine what He wants by Scriptural principles. This is how we worship Him "in truth" (Jn 4:23-24). We allow Scripture to regulate the kind of music we use in church. That eliminates most kinds of music that were invented for self-gratification--fleshly, lustful, unresolved, angry, rhythm dominated music. We are interested in music for God that will represent Who He is, not what the lusts of our flesh would like to hear. The false worship that is being propagated by CCM-embracing contempoary churches deserves war.
Today there is a huge emphasis among professing churches on comtempoary "worship services," and its not because churches are becoming more godly or holy or faithful. Commonly this involves the use of a "praise band" and a "worship leader," that pander to an audience, and not to God. This false contemporary worship turns the audience into spectators and the music into a performance. Traditional hymns are discarded in favour of powerful contemporary rock type songs that literally take control of the people. Church members move with the flow of the music and abandon themselves in allgeded adoration to God. There is commonly an emphasis on inviting the Holy Spirit to minister to the people during these occasions. In such circles, it is typical to find the concept that the Holy Spirit and God should not be "put in a box," and that it is not wrong to mimic the manners of the world in musical manifestations for worship. It is not uncommon to find disorder, confusion, women leaders, and other blatantly unscriptural things in contemporary worship services. The Bible is clear, "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump," which applies to both sin (1 Cor 5:6) and doctrinal error (Gal 5:9).
The contemporary music push is the death rattle of a dead church.
Many CCM musicians and supporters will claim it is gospel that they are presenting in their so-called “worship,” even though "gospel music" itself is not historic, biblical worship. It arose in the late 19th century as a means of manipulation and pandering to a fleshly lost crowd under the guise of promoting the gospel. The gospel is to be preached, not sung to an audience, like what these people are allegedly doing. This is really basic Christianity, but the simple minded don't get it, which are mostly religious reprobates, “men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” (2 Tim 3:8). The songs that are sung, including the ones regulated by evangelical churches, sing of “another Jesus” and “another gospel” and “another spirit” (2 Cor 11:4), which reflects the heretical and unregenerate nature of the musicians and those who love this unscriptural raucous and carnal "worship."
It is strange fire.
No better indication of the unsound doctrine abounding today is this itch for worldly music, which is an attempt at validating a selfish and sinful lifestyle that is in no way biblical or honouring to God. It cheapens faith and distorts the gospel, leaving its adherents twice the children of hell they once were.
Praise must be regulated by Scripture alone (De 12:32) and “strange fire” in worship is everything “which He commanded . . . not” (Lev 10:1)—thus forbidden. The Lord warns not to be snared into looking at what the wicked do, then saying, “even so will I do likewise” (De 12:30) in worship. On the contrary, Scriptural worship is to be distinctly set apart and different from that of the heathen and unbelieving culture. Worship is not to conform to culture or to men’s carnal desires, but to be distinctly different, set apart, or holy. God instructs His people to sing spiritual songs (Col 3:16). Spiritual means holy. It refers to that which is separated unto a holy God from the unholiness of this world. CCM is not reflecting what is spiritual. Loving this flesh-feeding music and worldly culture reflects a lot about a persons “Christianity.” It reflects most importantly that you aren’t “worship[ing] the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn 4:23-24).
Consequently, the “contemporary worship” philosophy—which is nothing less than taking the sound and style of the world which is under the control of Satan (Eph 2:1-3), and offering it to God—is an abomination in His holy sight. Musical styles created by the world to glorify the devil, lust, and every sort of wickedness, can by no means be acceptable to that holy King who demands purity, solemnity, and reverence in His worship. It’s spiritual adultery and such are enemies of God:
“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” (Jam 4:4)
Everyone is free to make up his own religion if he so desires. Everyone is free to sing the songs that they please. Everyone is free to to do these things and live as they please—that is until the day of death and judgement before a Thrice Almighty and Holy God—but no one has the right to make up some songs, call them “Christian” and claim to be “Christian Musicians.” They have no right to do so. And they have no right to transgress Gods decree in how witnessing to the lost is to take place. Christianity, like all other religions, has its Founder, Scriptures, and lengthy history of those who practiced it biblically. Christian music, like all other music fits a specific category and that category must be supported by scripture. It is deceitful for anyone to call a song “Christian” or a band “Christian” when neither follows the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. That much is axiomatic.
The Necessity to Judge and Apply Scripture
It seems the world of Christianity and evangelicalism today, which is mostly apostate, have equally made it their stance that you cannot judge beliefs, doctrine and practices in general, and music in particular, and that music is somehow a personal juxtaposition or moot point. People question the criteria for judging and the ability to judge music. They don’t know how to judge what’s good or bad. They can’t go any further than saying that musical style is personal taste or preference only, there is no objective means of judging between the good and the bad. Many don’t like the idea of judging at all, never mind their beloved music that faithfully feeds their flesh.
Many on the contemporary scene claim that music is merely a matter of preference. But if style is simply a matter of preference, then style choices are a matter of utility, and that gives us pragmatism. Whatever you worship will dictate the way you worship. If you worship man or the flesh, your manner of worship will be fleshly. If you worship God in truth, your manner of worship will be holy and godly. Those who worship success make style choices based on their desire to achieve success. That is also pragmatism. But those who worship the God of the Bible will make their style choices in submission to God’s Word.
The difference between serving the flesh and serving the Spirit is the difference between the nature of unsaved and saved:
“For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Rom 8:5-9)
Those who listen to CCM and other contemporary rock music masquerading as "Christian," have a false view of the character of God. Our concept of God will determine what kind of music we use to worship Him and the manner in which we worship Him. If we think that God is unholy and a cool dude who hip hops to modern rock music with watered down "Christian" lyrics, we will worship him with such music and our lifestyle and appearance will reflect this concept of God. If, on the other hand, we believe that God is a fearfully Holy God before whom the hosts of heaven fall in awe and reverence and holiness, our worship music and our very lifestyle and appearance will reflect this holiness and separation from the world. Those who mix the holy Jesus Christ with the unholy rock of this world are worshiping a false god. By turning from the pattern of Scripture, such professing Christians and churches lead people to think that God is not holy and righteous, but worldly and fleshly like the “worship” they offer Him.
The typical argument in defence of worldly, fleshly music is that the Bible doesn't tell us what bad music is. Music is apparently neutral. ‘Hey, just relax, it’s not that bad.’ Or, 'The Bible doesn't say anywhere specifically that there is sinful music.'
2 Pet 3:3 tells us,
"There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts."
Since these are religious scoffers, a necessary part of the justification for walking after one's own lusts involves a delicate balancing between professed adherence to the Scriptures and a walk according to those lusts. To overcome this difficulty, one simply increases and expands the number of things that "cannot be known or culturally applied" from Scriptures, paving the way to God-approved lust following. Interestingly, at the same time, often these same people have no trouble stretching the "application" of the Scriptures to whatever trendy social justice issue happens to be the cultural rage at the time.
The false arguments however are in defiance of what Scripture teaches. When the Bible speaks of worldliness, we can understand what that means and we do know what it means. The Bible doesn’t say, “Thou shalt not smoke crack cocaine.” Yet the Bible does make that point, but it must be applied to do so. The same argument can be made for dress standards and corrupt communication. The bible doesn't tell us what is profane. It doesn't tell us what the attire of a harlot, the clothing of a prostitute is. Scripture applies to cultural issues. And of course the same can be applied to music. God demands His Word applied to cultural issues. To obey God’s Word, the Bible must be applied to cultural issues. When one disobeys God on cultural issues, he is sinning against God. When one continues to disobey God, thus sinning against Him, in a characteristic manner, he inadvertently exposes his unregenerate hell-bound estate (1 Jn 2:3-5) and spiritually dead carcass abiding on the broad path that leads to destruction and damnation.
We can apply Biblical principles to everything, including music. We can know know what godly Christ-honouring music is, for we are commanded to prove all things (1 Th 5:21). Music is not without meaning. We can know what God wants us to do regarding everything, using the Bible. Not knowing and understanding godly music vs ungodly music is an attack of Satan on Scripture, and his assault on discernment and the ability to apply the Bible to a believer’s life. No one needs wisdom or discernment if obedience to God relates only to explicit statements of Scripture. And this is why true Biblical wisdom and discernment is an important proof of true conversion (e.g. 1 Jn 2:20-21, 27; 1 Cor 2:14-16; Ti 2:11-14; etc).
The Lord expects His servants to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” and “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Th 5:21-22). In other words, He wants us to have wisdom and understanding, that is, discernment, and reject that which is not good but evil. When God says “be not conformed to the world” (Rom 12:2), He means that we have to discern the spirit of the age and not be like it and its culture. When He commands us to “abstain from fleshly lusts” (1 Pet. 2:11), He expects us to discern what fleshly lusts actually are. When God exhorts us “not [to be] brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12); it isn’t optional, therefore we must know what those fleshly lusts are. We are required by Scripture to practice discernment, testing, judging, and obedience. These are non-optional for the true believer, and all true believers will do this because they have the capability to do so. Since music is a worship issue, hardly anything is more important than our discernment concerning music. Tolerating all styles as adequate or acceptable for worship not only lacks discernment but destroys it as well. Worst of all, God isn’t praised or glorified.
Scoffers claim that music is neutral. If music is neutral why does the world call it “the universal language"? That doesn't sound very neutral to me.
Music communicates — music sans words expresses sorrow and joy, but those are by no means the only sounds that music can make. Music can communicate both moral and immoral. Music may be of a “solemn sound,” (Ps 92:3), a “joyful sound” (Ps 89:15), and “uncertain sound.” (1 Cor 14:8). Music is a language, and scripture says not to let filthy communication proceed out of your mouth. Music can communicate good or bad language. As a means of communication, just like speech, it can also be filthy, corrupt, proud, sensual, fleshly, carnal and blasphemous. Is 23:15 says that someone can sing like a harlot. Lam 3:14 speaks of a mocking song. 1 Cor 14:8 says that a trumpet with its sound can communicate different messages. Virtually every person that has no pretense of religion knows these things, because they are common sense. The only people who don't believe that music isn't neutral, that it does have meaning in and of itself, are so-called professing believers. They hang on to this lie so that they can use whatever music they want, so they can walk after the lusts of their flesh. These are the scoffers warned of in 2 Pet 3:3.
Music can exalt God or degrade Him. Words can be wrong. Melody can be wrong. Both need to be judged. Both need discernment, and the Holy Spirit through the Word of God will give that kind of understanding, but only to a genuine born again believer.
Man's communication relates to man as a moral creature, as moral agents capable of either good or evil. Since man's fall, whatever people create is a potential expression of sin. Man does not by nature act morally, so everything that he does or makes is subject to judgment. We should judge man's communication.
It is obvious that music speaks a very strong language. It can lead people to worship the Triune God in spirit and in truth, or cause people to worship a false "god," a false "christ," and embrace a false "gospel." It can ‘persuade’ many to engage in activities they would never otherwise get involved in. A simple illustration, why don't nightclubs play gospel music or militant march music? The reason is very obvious. One is dishonest and greatly deceived when they take the seductive, syncopated sound of the world, and sing the songs of Zion to those melodies, while claiming that music is neutral or such music can be Christianized.
Rock music (i.e. CCM) is corrupt communication. The Bible doesn't say what corrupt communication is. It expects us to know. We have known. We do know. If we didn't know what corrupt communication was, which requires discernment, then we couldn't even judge words, let alone music.
Rock music (i.e. CCM) violates numerous biblical passages. This is not an arbitrary interpretation or application of God's Word. God hates rock—CCM— music. He doesn't accept it as worship. Rock music itself is a fleshly lust that wars against the soul (1 Pet 2:12). It was not invented by the godly. It conforms to the spirit of this age (Rom 12:2). It is not lovely (Phil 4:8). It makes provision for the flesh (Rom 13:14). The genre itself means something and that meaning is corrupt and evil.
The matter of not judging music and everything else is exceedingly wrong, unbiblical, evil and foolish, as is the matter of not being able to absolutely apply Scripture to every single area and aspect of life. The weak, pablum-feeding, and flesh-serving arguments of the pop music protectors like neo-evangelicals and reformers, mainstream heretical "Christianity," are repulsive. Their attack on application of Scripture is in fact a devious, ungodly Satanic attack on the Word of God and he uses his minions to accomplish it. So those who attack application of Scripture to all areas of this life, including music, are evil workers and the ministers of Satan (2 Cor 11:12-15). I won't be marginalized by this ungodly, devious crowd. People, and especially Christians, can judge music, and must. By refusing to "judge" (or so they say, since all men judge, only they use their own personal opinions to judge vs using the Word of God, as genuine true believers do: Jn 7:24; 1 Cor 2:15; Ac 17:11), they present a serious spiritual danger and reflection of unregeneracy, but also a demonic attack on Scripture and obedience thereto.
And when someone does judge, which is completely and perfectly Biblical, and necessary, they weaponize Matt 7:1 and cry “judge not” (Matt 7:1), reflecting even more of their true nature, and corrupting ever more Scripture, which commands and demands judging: 1 Cor 2:14-16; 10:15; Jn 7:24.
“But he that is spiritual [i.e. saved] judgeth all things” (1 Cor 2:15)
He judgeth all things because he has the indwelling Spirit of God, and thus he is commanded to judge and test everything (see 1 Cor 6:1-5; 5:3; 10:15; 14:29; Ac 17:11; Ps 37:30; 58:1; Pr 21:3, 15; Ze 8:16; Matt 7:15-20; Jn 7:24; Lk 12:57; Rom 16:17; 1 Th 5:21; 1 Jn 4:1-2; 2 Jn 1:9-11). Judging is not optional and “It is joy to the just to do judgment” (Pr. 21:15). Its also not unloving. True Biblical love actually produces judgment (read Phil 1:9-10). Lost people, false pretending “believers,” do not like to be judged, yet almost everything they argue is by matter of judging, albeit falsely and hypocritically (Rom 2:1-5; Matt 23:1-36; Lk 6:37-49). Of course they don't. They are after all the hypocrites illustrated in Matt 7:1-5. Click the link to continue reading The False Philosophy of "Judge-Not" and “Don't Reprove."
Another article worth reading that relates to this subject: The Biblical Necessity to Critically Test, Judge, Expose Error, and Name Names.
So we will judge. (And not only music, but absolutely everything for "he that is spiritual judgeth all things," 1 Cor 2:15a).
The entertainment and “worship” music of churches and mainstream professing Christians is judged to be wholly worldly and unBiblical, which genre includes “Christian” Rock and Roll (i.e., CCM), and other outright worldly and ungodly music (such as country, pop, rock), which they dare call “worship.” Its in fact only worship of the flesh. These forms of carnal and worldly music are loved and played at practically every single evangelical churches, in their homes, in their cars and on their phones. It’s part of their every day life, while godly music is not. They replace “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph. 5:19) with praise (?) choruses and other contemporary songs filled with unsound doctrine and “vain repetitions” (Matt. 6:7) that have nothing like the content of the 150 inspired psalms of the Bible or traditional godly songs such as those by Fanny Crosby. They use worldly music (e.g. rock, jazz, blues, easy-listening, country-western, pop, rap) always written to encourage rebellion, sexual immorality and wickedness, put Christian words to it, and think God will accept it. How horribly deceived can the contemporary professing Christian get? Many also gravitate to outright worldly music that has no pretence of religion, though it differs little from what they call "Christian" Rock Music or CCM.
The False Worship and Philosophy is a Satanic Ministry of Doubting
Not worshipping in godliness and according to Biblical truth is an attack by Satan on the Word of God. From the Garden of Eden to the Wilderness of Temptation to Our Present Day, Satan has opposed God’s plan by undermining God’s Word. He questions its inspiration and authority, “How do we know God said it?” He questions its preservation, “How do we know this is what God said?” In this area of knowing godly music and ungodly music, we see another conspiracy of Satan, “How do we know what God meant?”, which is actually an attack on the clarity and truth absoluteness of Scripture, together with its corollary, “How can we know the application of what God said?”
The conscience works off the law of God, written or in the heart (Rom. 2:14-15). Satan opposes God by confusing God’s righteous standard. He damages the conscience of mankind. Satan himself rejects God’s law and influences all people to do the same. He blurs the boundaries to harm the operation of man’s God-given, inbred warning-device. The negation of the law lessens the work of the conscience over sin. Satan replaces God’s direction with toleration. He persuades men not to judge. His world system has taken on this ungodly philosophy, and now it has spread into churches and religious organizations. He attacks the principles of God’s Word. He convinces men that they no longer have Scriptural authority to apply Biblical principles to their way of life. This creates a system of unsaved people, because at the foundation of Satanic attack, is the doctrine of salvation. Unsaved people feigning Christianity cannot consistently apply the Bible to their lives, so they won’t (and can't) have wisdom, understanding, or discernment too.
Satan loves almost nothing more than to take away from the worship of God. To do this, he gladly confuses men about what pleases the Lord in worship. The devil happily nullifies the kind of music that God enjoys, songs that align with His character or nature. He can sabotage the worship of the Lord by causing doubt about someone’s ability to judge what God likes and doesn’t like. And the doubt actually starts long before that, even as they come to "follow Jesus," not from a regenerate heart but one that has a form of religion and self-love and self-fulfillment that doesn't save, a goody "Jesus" that meets all their worldly needs. They believed a lie, which leads to a life of doubt and confusion over God's Word, and music inevitably will fall into that trap.
False Liberty: Turning the Grace of God into Lasciviousness
The unscriptural philosophy we are describing here comes from a perversion of liberty and passages such as Rom 14, and irrational and false argument that since the Bible doesn’t use the terminology ‘rock,’ ‘rap,’ ‘pop,’ jazz,’ or ‘country-western,’ we can’t judge those musical styles to be wrong. With the absence of those terms, we are bereft of the ability to discern what kind of music God wants to hear from us. They would say that we can only judge the words of a song, not the musical style. Oookay. Based upon this same standard of "liberty," can they or anyone else prohibit (as Rom 14 issues): Smoking a crack pipe? (Scripture doesn’t say its wrong to smoke crack); Sculpting a Bible or cross out of dung (fecal matter)? (Feces is an amoral substance); Saying a four letter word? (No verse says that these are wrong to say. Words are just symbols that depend on context, so it comes down to man’s opinion); Writing poetry and prose explicit of the act of marriage? (Nothing in the Bible says this is wrong); Shaping the unleavened bread for the Lord’s Table like animal crackers or choo-choo trains? (Scripture is silent on the shape of the bread); see who can throw their Bibles the furthest in the church parking lot? (The Bible says nothing about this); and the list goes on. Based on their standards of judgment, none of these are wrong because nothing in the Bible says that they are. In their point of view, you might be able to apply principles, but then human opinion would come in, there would be disagreement, and you would need to defer to Rom 14 on this. The purveyors of this false view of liberty and judging will argue that these issues are entirely different. They are not however. Most of them are exactly like the music issue in the application of Scripture, except that Scripture has more to say about music than the above issues.
God forbids certain activities. When someone does one of them, he’s sinning. Whatever activity God doesn’t forbid in His Word, someone has the liberty to do that without it being sin. That isn’t quite Christian liberty though, because someone still doesn’t have liberty if he’s in bondage. Only Christians have liberty. Liberty is not just about not sinning, but it’s also about pleasing God. It’s impossible for a non-born again Christian, an unbeliever, to stop sinning, and he can’t please God. In Rom 8:8, the Apostle Paul writes, “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” A true born again believer pleases God because of his new nature/heart and through the indwelling Holy Spirit. He is now led by the Spirit of God, the same Spirit of God that led Jesus, the Son of God, while He lived on this earth. He now has the ability not to sin. He can do good and obey the Word of God in the Spirit, not in the flesh. A born again Christian pleases God as a son, like Jesus pleased God the Father, doing everything the Father wanted Him to do, because he has received the Spirit of adoption. This is the liberty in which he stands. Christian liberty is freedom to please God as a son. The Christian wants to please God and he can. However, that liberty is not an occasion to or a base of operations for the flesh of the Christian, that he still has. He doesn’t use liberty as a cover to do evil. Liberty is to please God, which is the point in 1 Cor 6 through 10, where the apostle Paul limits the liberty of a Christian.
Christian liberty isn’t about doing what you want to do. It’s about doing what God wants you to do. It’s about pleasing God out of love as a child of His. To practice Christian liberty will require applying principles in scripture to honor and glorify Him.
A Christian doesn’t have the liberty to sin (Rom 6:1-2, 15-18). He is truly dead to sin. He is free from sin, not free to sin. Sin is breaking God’s law. All unrighteousness is sin (1 Jn 5:17). Whatsoever is not of faith is sin (Rom 14:23). Someone does not have liberty to violate scripture. That is sin. He has liberty in non-scriptural issues. That doesn’t mean that he has liberty in every non-scriptural issue, but his liberty is at least limited to non-scriptural activity. Much of what scripture teaches requires application. The Bible forbids corrupt communication, but it doesn’t tell us what corrupt communication is. We are assumed by God in scripture to know that. Just because God doesn’t say what corrupt communication is doesn’t mean a Christian has liberty to use corrupt communication. Knowing what is godly music and what is ungodly music requires application of Scripture. The born again Christian doesn’t have liberty to disobey Scripture in the matter of music, just because it requires application.
The lovers and supporters of CCM music corrupt liberty and turn it into an occasion for the flesh. Worse, they turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. God says these are ungodly men.
"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ju 1:4)
True lovers of God on the other hand no longer pattern themselves after the things of the world or their flesh, but after the things of God. They leave off the entire licentious and carnal scene, which again includes music and by extension all worldly music whether it comes under the banner of “Christian” or not, if it doesn’t align with the truths and principles found in Scripture. There is neutral music such as classical and other, but neither CCM or secular rock music falls under the banner of neutral. They regulate their senses by the Scriptures but a shallow, simple, foolish, heretical, hypocritical and rebellious generation that professes Christianity but whose heart is far from Him (Mk 7:6-7, 9), does not.
CCM's History is Satanic
Most people are clueless when it comes to understand the root of almost anything, especially music. I think for many its a wilful ignorance. They don’t want to know the truth, so by ignoring the truth, the truth stops being the truth, a form of cognitive dissonance. Nowhere is it so bad as in evangelicalism land.
The same problem exists among preachers. Majority don’t seem to have a clue about the difference between sacred music and worldly music, so we can only imagine how bad it is among the laity. As long as the people like it and it gets the preacher’s toe tapping, it’s fine.
This world, fleshly and nauseating music that they jam to and amuse themselves with, originates from the world of contemporary (so-called) praise and worship, the sort of worldly music and rock and roll attitude and entertainment that I entertained myself prior to my conversion to Christ.
CCM is rock music, and rock music’s roots come historically from black culture, which in turn springs from African voodoo. If historical facts are to be believed, the following article should settle the question: "How the church gave B.B. King the blues." Or “Traditional and Contemporary African Music” (Center for Black Music Research, you can read about it here).
Rock music, thus CCM, has a wicked history and has never represented anything even remotely close to Biblical. Its always been the unfruitful works of darkness, with its roots Satanic. Remember that when you are listening to the ear-tickling and flesh-loving ear bleeding. But people don't want to be judged. The attack on judging by weak-kneed snowflakes that can't handle godly criticism and reproof is at all time high. The rejection of godly music for some other strange sound is at an all time high, reflecting the apostasy and unregeneracy of majority playing church. Where this music is entertained, one will find a potpourri of other heresies, sins tolerated, worldliness and dead religion of lasciviousness.
God will not accept worldly (Rom 12:2; 1 Jn 2:15), sensual (Jam 3:15), or fleshly (1 Pet 2:12; Rom 13:14; Ti 2:12) irrational music or performance as worship. He calls for rational (Rom 12:1-2) worship in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Col 3:16), not “vain repetitions, as the heathen” (Matt 6:7). God does not want the emotions or the will alone, but also the key element of a “sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7; Ti 2:6; Matt 22:37) and sound doctrine. All “worship” that substitutes emotionalism for the conscious actings of the mind, which is CCM, is demonic. This attack on godly worship is of Satan, who opposes God’s plan by undermining God’s Word and Godly worship.
CCM Music and Style — Further Reasons Why Its Bad, UnBiblical and Evil
The music that modern day “evangelicals,” and most of the rest of Christendom loves and listens to, all of which is of the CCM genre (i.e. "Christian" Rock), greatly dishonours and disobeys God, thus sinful behaviour, because of what it illustrates or produces: fleshly lusts (1 Pet. 2:11), worldly lusts (Ti. 2:12), conformity to this world (Rom. 12:2), provision to the flesh (Rom. 13:14), profanes the Name of God (Lev. 18:21), fashions according to former lusts (1 Pet. 1:14), ecstasy (1 Cor. 12:1-3), sensuality (Jam. 3:15) and Satanic (Mk 8:33; Jam 3:15; 1 Pet 5:8). Not only does this music demonstrate these unscriptural attributes, it also greatly dishonours and disobeys God in what it doesn't produce and demonstrate, which includes showing God reverence (Lev. 19:30, many others), true spirituality (Jn. 4:23-24), beauty and loveliness (Phil. 4:8 — the opposite of course is unlovely or ugly), holiness (Rom. 12:1), gender distinctiveness (1 Cor. 6:9), godliness (Ti 2:11-14; 1 Tim 6:11), solemnity (Lev. 23:36, many others) — the opposite of reverent and solemn are superficial, foolish, thoughtless, vapid, flippant, trivial, and more, excellent overall descriptions of CCM and worship in majority of evangelical churches.
The lyrics. The show and theatrics. The carnal lusts. The singing styles. They all represent something polar opposite to Biblical Christianity.
There are clear biblical principles that are to be applied to every aspect of the Christian life, including music, and by examining these biblical principles we can to discern spiritual from worldly music.
Nothing about CCM is Biblical. Not its lyrics, not its musicians, not its melody, not its beat, not its attraction, not its flaunting sensual style, nor its syncopating voice tones (why not just sing in a normal voice, without syncopating the tone, which only draws attention to you, NOT God?) It is great apostasy in a generation of apostates. CCM has a worldly, non-judgmental, doctrinally unsound, anti-separatist, ecumenical and anti-godly philosophy that is most definitely contrary to the sound apostolic doctrine and faith found in God’s Word (Rom. 16:17; Eph. 5:6-11). It is these things even when the lyrics are allegedly Christian (they are not, but extremely watered-down, vague, and applicable to any false god). The rock medium is so very anti-Christian in its ethos: its libertarian, anti-authoritarian, equates infatuation and sexual attraction with love.
Nothing about CCM or “Christian” rock or anything else remotely like it, is actually Christian, regardless of the vague, shallow lyrics that may contain the word "God" or "Jesus" on rare occasion. The "God" and "Jesus" being portrayed through this music is not the One from the Bible. The music is entirely worldly, ungodly and the unfruitful works of darkness (cf. Rom 12:1-2; 1 Jn 2:15-17; Eph 5:5-11). It portrays a false gospel and a false Jesus and a thus a false god (2 Cor 11:4), Satans subtle objective (2 Cor 11:3) from the time of the Garden (Gen 3). The world of contemporary worship is a terribly dangerous world filled with gross heresies and false christs. Most, if not all, of the influential CCM artists are excessively heretical, apostate and wicked. I know not of one that even comes remotely close to anything Biblical. In many ways they are conformed intimately with the world in blatant disobedience to God’s Word (Rom 12:2). Many of them are woke and effeminate, with some of the men wear earrings and long hair while females appear masculine with their demeanour, hair and clothing. Their beliefs are unbiblical and ungodly and none have anything remotely kin to a Biblical testimony of salvation. Some worship a false non-trinitarian "god," and others are “Jesus Only” Pentecostals who deny the Trinity, and so go their songs. Denying the Trinity is worshipping a false god. Some CCM artists worship a false non-wrathful, non-vengeful "god" (such as Stuart Townend), which is a brazen rejection of the very God of the Bible. Majority CCM artists worship a false non-judgmental "god," such as the ungodly, false, and diabolical "god" of The Shack (which book is also loved by most people who love this canal music), and on its own speaks volumes to the corrupt and deceitful dead nature of most, if not all, of its people), which is very popular and endorsed by Michael W. Smith, Andy Crouch and many other CCM artists and has been well received in prominent CCM circles such as Calvary Chapels, Vineyard churches, and Hellsong. Their music is so doctrinally unsound and shallow, even Roman Catholic Churches can easily invite these so-called “evangelical” artists to come play alongside Catholics in their church. Other popular and influential groups such as Bethel, Elevation, Maverick City music, Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, Mark Hall and Casting Crowns, Matt Maher, City Alight, Phil Wickham, Brian Doerksen, Third Day, Big Daddy Weave, Kari Jobe, High Valley, and the list goes on and on, worship a false universalist "christ," rebel "christ," rock and roll "christ" and those who mix the holy Rock Jesus Christ with the unholy rock of this world are worshiping a false god.
Let's consider just one of hundreds we could expose here, one much beloved by "evangelicals." Big Daddy Weave is a “Christian” rock band that weaves the ecumenical and “non-judgmental” philosophy that permeates CCM into their unsound and unscriptural doctrine, preaching the “unconditional love” and self-esteem heresies of psychoheresy (“Big Daddy Weave’s Mike Weaver Talks about ‘Redeemed,’ Lifeway, n.d.). According to Big Daddy, godly living, a good tree known by its good fruit, is apparently not true grace (“Big Daddy Weave Bio,” website), while the “grace” they and their friends in the CCM scene promote is clearly not the grace of God. Not even remotely close (see Ti. 2:11-14). Its not true Christian grace and liberty at all but an antinomian license to fulfil the lusts of the flesh, a seriously perverted grace (Ju 1:4), as if God can be fooled and mocked. The band even has a slanderous song about the “Pharisee” (Fields of Grace album), not the Pharisee mind you that unscripturally adds works to grace for salvation, the very definition of pharisaicalism (Matt 23), but rather applied to those who seek to obey all of God’s Word from a regenerate heart, and thus reprove and rebuke ungodliness and worldly lusts, with Biblical authority. They don't like that and I am pretending to be shocked. They apply the same label to us, further revealing their simple-mindedness and rebellious nature to God's Word. Even the name "Big Daddy" reflects the irreverence these worldly, blasphemous musicians have towards God.
These spiritually blind musicians, are the blind singing to the blind. They “profess that they know God, but in works they deny him,” (Ti. 1:16). CCM musicians are ungodly, worldly and actually Satanic (2 Cor 11:12-25), pretending to be playing "Christian" music to "God" when its anything but. Their music is raucous, proud, extremely worldly, sensual, only appealing to the flesh, ungodly, anti-God, anti-Christ, purveying a false "Jesus," false "gospel," and unclean spirits, and is spawned in the depths of hell where it belongs. Not most but ALL of this music ought to be cast into the fire. Not only because of the ungodly and heretical and apostate musicians, but also because of the music itself. Over and over the 7-11 music is played with the same awful, trance-inducing, flesh-stimulating beat. This is post-modernism neo-evangelical "Christianity," but don't dare call it Biblical Christianity. Though these individuals receive total acceptance of their “worship,” the Bible portrays them as ungodly people producing unfruitful works of darkness, thus unsaved people (Jam 4:4; 1 Eph 5:5-11).
Consider the example of one of Phil Wickham's songs, the Secret Place, which is completely void of the Lord Jesus Christ and true salvation/gospel. No mention of either. This song could just as easily have been sung to his wife. There is no doctrinal depth in this song, not even superficial. It’s unsound. It is worse than shallow. It’s not Biblical. There is no mention of Christ’s gospel. There is no mention of God’s holiness or even man’s sinfulness, or Gods wrath and man’s call to repentance. Nothing about living in holiness, godliness and righteousness. It is NOT Biblical. But this is just normal in the CCM world. It is ungodly to call this music “Christian,” but because its emotionally stimulating and appealing, it is called “Christian” even though it isn’t. Even when guys like Wickham sing traditional hymns, they are being re-purposed and downgraded into a repetitive mantra-like chorus, similar to Kundalini Hinduism, which takes the focus off the lyrics itself, and puts your mind in a nearly trance-like state, opening you up to all kinds of emotional and doctrinal suggestions and demonic activity. A good example of this would be Wickham’s song, “This is Amazing Grace.” The general idea is to break you down emotionally so that you become more accepting of whatever is being preached currently through song and dance and will be preached or taught from the pulpit afterwards. It’s actually “seducing spirits and doctrines of devils” (1 Tim 4:1). One can’t help but think of the simple warned of in Scripture, who are professing believers but are actually lost. They are gullible and naive and believe every word and follow after false teachers and believers, those who flatter and deceive with the tongue by good words and fair speeches (Rom 16:18; Pr 14:15). Thats what we see mostly in CCM and contemporary “Christianity” in general.
You cannot Christianize ungodly, worldly, rock and roll music. Yet this is what evangelicalism and similar groups attempt with CCM, which itself attempts to intermix the Thrice Holy God with the unholy world which is spiritual adultery and must always be treated as a symptom of a lost person, since the truly regenerate do not love the world anymore (1 Jn. 2:15-17; Jam. 4:4; 1 Cor. 2:12), and those who commit spiritual adultery are friends of the world and thus enemies of God (Jam. 4:4), the strongest language possible to describe a false believer (seeing that "enemy" in Jam 4:4 is the lingual best descriptive of Satan, and none of God's children are His enemies).
Because those that love this unBiblical and ungodly music are of the world (1 Jn 4:5), they love the world (Jam 4:4; 1 Jn 2:15), and they walk according to the world (Eph 2:2), they will eventually be entangled and overcome by the world, and then finally condemned with the world (1 Cor 11:32).
The true born again believer on the other hand is not of the world (Jn 15:19), is not conformed to this world (Rom 12:2), and does not love the world (1 Jn 2:15), for he is an overcomer of the world through saving faith, i.e. the new birth (1 Jn 5:4-5).
Contemporary CCM Loving Churches Corrupt the Gospel Through Worldly and Fleshly Golden Calf “Worship”
When Moses returned from his meeting with God on Mt Sinai, holding the two tablets containing God's handwriting of the Ten Commandments, he was absolutely appalled and enraged to find the Israelites worshipping a golden calf to raucous, carnal music. The Israelites professed to believe in God but their heart was far from Him. This is hardly different than what we see in our present day with the carnal, unscriptiutal music being entertained in churches and so-called "Christian" homes.
Truth is antithetical. You can’t love truth if you don’t hate error. Nothing is more effectively building the “one-world church” than CCM, so those involved in it are clearly not of God but fulfilling the pogrom of the Antichrist, whether wittingly or unwittingly. Rather than loving the truth and hating error, those that love this music have these behaviours reversed. This music is a bridge to everything else that is unholy and ungodly, while the truly saved have “escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Pet. 1:4). CCM is the music of ecumenical evangelicalism and the sound track of end-times apostasy. The worship liturgy of the emergent church is CCM. That this music is loved by Roman Catholics is tell-tale, and it come as no surprise that some of its musicians are even Catholic themselves or at least yoked together in close fellowship with Catholics. CCM agrees in every point with the ungodly music of Exodus 32. It is carnal, it is ecumenical, it is motivated by sinful lusts, and it is producing (in many churches) the worst immorality imaginable, since it comes from “another spirit.” (2 Cor. 11:4). It also blasphemously misrepresents God, caricaturing Him so strangely that the CCM god resembles the God of our salvation no more than the golden calf resembled Jehovah. “Worship teams” and listeners work up a frenzy not unlike the prophets of Baal leaping on the altar at Mount Carmel. The new music of postmodern religion would be right at home with the pagan anthems shouted out in the worship of the golden calf. Eph. 5:11 says that not only is the believer to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, he is also responsible to reprove them. Hence this report. That is the very thing that worldly Christians such as majority evangelicals consider “judgmental” and hateful and decidedly uncool. But not only in music, the ways of the world are readily accepted by the neo-evangelical because he loves the world, thus void of the Father’s love and relationship (1 Jn. 2:15b; cf. 2 Cor. 6:14-18) and in fact an adulterous enemy of God (Jam. 4:4), clearly language depicting an unconverted people.
Most modern evangelical-type or reformed or even majority mainstream Baptist churches claim to believe in justification by faith alone but severely corrupt the gospel by using worldly and fleshly “worship.” They attract crowds with ungodly marketing techniques that are not fit for the holiness of God, rather than through boldly preaching the gospel, living sacrificially and godly and holy, separated humble lives, and making true disciples through the true gospel and true Scriptures, like churches did in the Bible (Matt 28:18-20; Ac 5:13; Mk 8:34-38). They get people to visit their congregations by attracting them through some worldly means or meeting their worldly or fleshly needs, while the Lord Jesus commanded, “[M]ake not my Father’s house an house of merchandise” (Jn 2:16), and He used a whip to drive out those who did such wickedness from God’s place of worship (Jn 2:12-17). Worldliness and ungodliness is the opposite of worshipping "in spirit and in truth" (Jn 4:23-24; Rom 13:14). EMC churches do not require a holy life for church membership (Matt 18:15-20). They are afraid to boldly and pointedly preach everything in the Bible (2 Tim 4:1-4) because they know that so doing will be unpopular and bring persecution (2 Tim 3:12). Without the Holy Spirit, there is no true boldness. Instead of true exegetical Biblical preaching, they give talks, or have dramas, or do skits, or have circus shows, or do other things not found in Scripture.
God the Son gave two requirements for worshiping God the Father:
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” (Jn 4:23-24)
In spirit and in truth.
The "worship" that occurs in these churches is NOT "in spirit and in truth.”
CCM is apostate. CCM is "Christian" Rock for all intends and purposes, which is a contradiction of terms. CCM replaces “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph 5:19) with praise (?) choruses and other contemporary worship songs filled with unsound doctrine and “vain repetitions” (Matt. 6:7) and fleshly beats and overtones that have nothing like the content of the 150 inspired psalms of the Bible or even many traditional songs authored by the likes of Fanny Crosby or Isaac Watts or Philip Bliss and others. These people use worldly music (e.g. rock, jazz, blues, easy-listening, country-western, pop) originally written to encourage sexual immorality and wickedness, put “Christian words” (barely, if at all) to it, and deceive themselves to believe that God will accept it.
Contemporary professing Christian’s ignore the fact or sear their conscience maybe, that God has sent fire from heaven and burned people up for offering Him false worship (Lev. 10:1-2).
By turning from the pattern of Scripture unto golden calf worship, modern day contemporary churches lead people to think that God is not holy, but worldly and fleshly like the “worship” they offer Him. We are how and what we worship (Ps. 115:8). The rhythm of worldly music is physically sensual and stimulating, even in the “soft rock” form. CCM is all about a feeling, hence why the heavy syncopation, such as the back beat and anticipated beat, suits it so well and the persistent pursuing after a tangible experience of sensing "God’s presence" (like LCCF does). Steven Tyler of Aerosmith testified that rock music “is the strongest drug in the world” (Rock Beat, Spring 1987, p. 23). The experience orientation of CCM is also why it tends to be characterized by repetitiveness (it has been called 7/11 music for a reason—7 words sung 11 times). This creates a hypnotic effect, particularly when accompanied by a strongly syncopated rhythm and non-resolving chording. This, in company with the fake spirituality, creates a desire to “feel” the presence of God, a common epitaph of neo-evangelicals. We see the same thing in CCM. For example, the mission of Integrity Music and Integrity Worship Ministries is “helping people worldwide experience the manifest presence of God" (integritymusic.com). Graham Kendrick, one of the biggest names in CCM, says, “The old way of preaching and singing began to give way to an expectation that . . . God would visit us, and we’d experience His presence in a tangible sort of way” (interview June 11, 2002 with Chris Davidson of Integrity Music). Secret Place Ministries exemplifies the CWM philosophy in that they “long for an encounter with the presence of God” and their worship music is said to “bring down the presence of God" (Secret Place Ministries).
The listeners and lovers of CCM music are always looking for those warm fuzzy feelings and experiences, as the evidence that the Spirit is moving. They are being manipulated by their feelings/emotions, are self-deceived and deceived by Satan, who is very charismatic and loves to keep lost people lost. Satan uses this form of music as a counterfeit for the real Holy Spirit. It’s all about experience. That’s why CCM goes hand in hand with the signs and wonders segment of apostate Christendom. People who are looking for a sensation whereby they can tangibly feel the power of the Spirit at an emotional level are flocking to these kinds of events and churches. It is simply the itching ears syndrome of false pretending “believers.” They are wicked and spiritual adulterers (“A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign;” — Matt. 16:4), and thus enemies of God (Jam. 4:4), the very antonym of a friend of God. All this of course is completely unscriptural and has no place in the true Christians life, who has the Spirit of God continually dwelling in him, and leading him. People that seek after God’s presence have very likely never been saved. They obviously do not know what it is like to be “led by the Spirit of God,” therefore “they are [not] the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:14). Nor do they know what it is like to have the indwelling Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:11-11), where “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:” (Rom. 8:16). You don’t need to seek after “the presence of God” if you have God dwelling in you.
False worship itself is a false gospel, and it leads to further corruption of the gospel and to “churches” that profess some of the truth but are filled with people who have never truly repented of their sins and trusted Christ (Rev 3:14-22). Their faith is a counterfeit and its dead (Jam 2:14-26).
They offer their false Baal worship every Sunday morning in what they call "church," the performance, showmanship, ungodly and fleshly beat, syncopated breathy voices and emotionalism. When the musicians perform, it is entertainment and amusement. It is not solemn and God-honouring worship. When they play the piano or guitar or some other instrument, they do the effeminate soulful eye clinching, placing his face close to the microphone or piano on occasion, with a gentle bobbing of his head with the rhythm. The rock band sings for effect with a breathy and sultry quality, throatiness, the clenched eyes, all the artificial signals of fake authenticity. There is a kind of falsetto effeminate voice when a male sings (including the "music pastor"), singing into microphones ice-cream cone style by syncopated breathy and sensual tones, with a standard rock guitar jamming look and typical rock trap set too, and sometimes the bodies groove like in a night club. Grimaces, bending backwards some, swaying side to side, head bobbing, all to the groove of the audience with their hands typically lifted high and eyes closed, bodies swaying sensually to the carnal beat and the golden calf, blasting out of the alter into the itching ears of the lust-driven groovers. This ungodly rock and roll music and syncopation with the showmanship only feeds the emotions and flesh of listeners. Thats it. God is not and cannot be glorified. The music is Charismatic, always contemporary, with unsound dumbed-down lyrics and unBiblical melody. The music always has a focus on emotionalism, irregardless of their denial of that, and none are doctrinally sound or actually present Scriptural truths.
Such institutions might come with the title "church," but they far from the pillar and ground of the truth that Christ started and governs. This is unholy, unrighteous, and ungodly, through and through and at best could be coined as a Laodicean type church.
These false hypocritical "Christians" “lay aside the commandments of God” (Mk. 7:8), and,
“Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. . . . Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.” (Mk. 7:9, 13).
CCM is End Times Apostasy and the Destruction of Churches, and the Problem Stems from Unregeneracy
Adding lyrics to that music that appear to be Biblical (but are actually practically never) is adding clean to the unclean, the un-profane to the profane. True church unity and purity does not come by offering the Head of the true local church (not some mystical and unBiblical “universal church”) false worship, nor by turning the Father’s house into a house of merchandise through marketing and promotion techniques (Jn 2:16), but through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit working through the true Word as unified, holy, self-sacrificial disciples boldly preach the gospel to every creature. Consequently, pleasing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so that heavenly fire and supernatural efficacy attend the proclamation of the gospel, will lead to far more genuine church growth than will blaspheming the Father and grieving the Spirit through false worship and man-made marketing techniques. Godly music will drive demons away and please the Holy Spirit, while ungodly music will summon demons and cause God the Holy Ghost to depart (1 Sam 16:23; cf. 1 Ch 25:3). Do you regulate your worship by Scripture alone, and consequently reject all worldly and fleshly worship?
Whenever there is an introduction of CCM to a church, it is always accompanied by many other changes in the church’s overall philosophy, beliefs and practices, such as an attitude of broadminded tolerance to error and worldliness, a “positive” focus, ecumenism, and rejection of “separatism,” worldliness, modest standards diminished, and more. But its not because of the music as is often argued, which is only a symptom, but rather because of the underlying yet-lost depraved and diseased condition of the “natural man” (1 Cor. 2:14, the carnal man) gratifying his flesh, the only thing he or she knows and has ever known. Yes rock and roll music, whether lyrics being clearly secular or supposedly “Christian,” is certainly "spiritual;" it is the spirit of the world, the flesh, and the devil. Any man that confuses “Christian” rock and roll (i.e. CCM) with godly spiritual music is far too blind to lead God’s people as a pastor or elder (same thing) or deacon. They should cease even calling themselves a "Christian."
Hence, we exhort all that listen and enjoy this type of worldly and ungodly strange fire music to urgently and earnestly examine themselves whether they be truly in the faith, like Paul does in 2 Cor 13:5:
"Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?"
Why? According to God's Word such are probably not. Why not? CCM is unfruitful works of darkness and its supporters are offering false worship to God on the back of error and worldliness (i.e. love for the world), and Jesus said the only worship acceptable to God is “worship[ping] the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” (Jn. 4:23-24). Only saved people can worship God in spirit and in truth. Unsaved people worship their flesh, which is why they like this type of music. CCM, which appeals only to the flesh and senses, completely violates both of these aspects of true worship, which then means lovers of this music are not worshipping the Father but something or someone else. People that continue to offer false worship to God, which is also a false gospel, have a dead (unsaved) spirit and do not know the truth. The Spirit of Truth has not taught them the truth, through His written Truth, because He doesn’t indwell them. They have deceived themselves and embraced a lie. They have never performed the first act of worship necessary for the sinner, which is offering their entire soul to God (Matt. 6:24; Lk. 14:25–15:32), which means turning (repenting) to God from all their sin, their self, their stuff, their people, their love of the world and its music (incl. CCM), etc (all idols), in godly sorrow, and turning to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith, fleeing from the wrath of God they are presently abiding under (read Matt. 3:1-10; 10:32-39; 11:28-30; 16:24-26; 19:16-30; Mk. 1:15-20; 8:34-38; Lk. 5:31-32; 9:23-26, 57-62; 12:8-9; 13:1-5, 23-30; 14:16-35; 17:26-33; 18:9-17, 18-30; Jn. 3:3-21, 36; 12:24-26; etc).
CCM is entertainment for the lost to entertain themselves on the broad path to hell. Those that love this CCM worldly, fleshly stuff are revealing themselves to be out-of-Christ, since it isn’t the product or fruit of Jesus Christ, but doing their part in ushering in end-times apostasy. They do not hate this CCM stuff, while saved people do hate it, since they “abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good” (Rom 12:9) and “hate every false way” (Ps 119:104, 128). If they were truly born again children of God they would hate what the musicians and churches do with this stuff, they would hate the way they do it, they would hate the philosophy of ministry that it represents, they would hate the way it misrepresents the God of the Bible, they would hate the way it deceives the people with whom it is involved, they would hate what it does to local churches, they would hate the way that it harms and even ruins spiritual discernment, they would hate the way that it perverts a biblical or true understanding of spirituality and love, and they would hate the way that it endorses false worship for churches. They will not tolerate it or have nothing to do with it — they know its disgusting, so they abhor it and everything it represents.
None of the people involved in this evil works of darkness are truly innocent. Its all wilful, an act of volition, the byproduct of denying the Word of God and searing the conscience. Its sinful, and wilfully so. You are who you worship. Who and what you worship is how you worship. Most Evangelicals, Protestants and other mainstream Christianity, don't know God, seeing they think He's fine with rock music. This continues the mumbo jumbo of evangelicals. How cunning. God most definitely isn't.
Mk 8:34-37, 10:21 and Lk 14:25-15:24 is the need of the hour at churches that entertain the goats with carnal music, for true Biblical conversion to happen, which then immediately brings victory over the world, i.e. overcoming the world by separation (1 Jn. 5:4-5; 2 Cor. 6:14-18) and such are never of the world again (Jn. 17:14-16), and true conversion removes the love of the world and replaces it with the love of the Father (1 Jn. 2:15-17), and thus will no longer be spiritual adulterers and enemies of God (Jam. 4:4). When this happens, true conversion that is, the saint has no desire to listen to any of this ungodly, flesh-stimulating CCM and “Christian” Rock music anymore, and casts it into the bin of poison where it belongs, before entering the incinerator. With joy! And by this they have merely followed the pattern of true conversion, to "repent and turn to God..." followed by evidence of their repentance/conversion: "...and do works meet for repentance," (Ac 26:20), exemplified by the true believers at Ephesus (Ac 19:18-20).
What does God prescribe for attitude towards these churches that embrace and support this false worship? 2 Tim 3:5 tells us:
"from such turn away."
People need to stop attending those churches not only because of the music, but also the biblical shallowness of the preaching, the false and heretical teachings, the religious politicking, and the unregeneracy.
2 Tim 2:19-21,
"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, and prepared unto every good work."
Further reports on this subject can be read here: Incongruity of Contemporary Worship Music (CCM) and Country Music (High Valley) with God's Word, and here: Contemporary Worship Music is Dishonouring to God and here: Christian Contemporary Music (CCM), is the Soundtrack of End-Times Apostasy.