Times are rapidly changing! There was a time in most churches of Christ when the services were focused upon worship that exalted God, and the preaching consisted of reverent instruction from the Scriptures. Thankfully, in some places, it is still that way. On the other hand, drastic changes are underway in hundreds of congregations across this land. Some are becoming “us-focused” in worship instead of “God-focused.” One of the manifestations of “us-focused” worship is the addition of handclapping. As near as I can discern, there are two “reasons” why some are involved in handclapping.
Firstly, there is handclapping as percussion. Some advocate and practice handclapping as an accompaniment to the singing. Before we begin to seek the Scripture, let’s make some observations. The issue is not whether handclapping sounds good or bad. The issue is not whether someone “likes” it or not. The issue at hand is whether we have any scriptural authority for handclapping during the singing. God was crystal clear on what He expects in New Testament worship: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19; cf. Colossians 3:16). “Speaking” and “singing” both involve the mouth. I like what one author wrote: “We are not instructed to ‘make sounds,’ rather, the command is to sing (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). Clapping is not singing. Singing is the expression of thoughts by words through melody. Singing is intended to convey ‘understanding’ (1 Corinthians 14:15). There is no ‘instruction,’ analogous to singing, in a mere sound” (Jackson). Handclapping is an unscriptural addition to the singing God expects. We could no more please God by beating live skin (handclapping) than we could by beating dead skin (drums). When God said to sing, that is what He meant!
Secondly, there is handclapping as praise. Some are incorporating handclapping as a means to praise some person or action in the assembly. For example, some will clap at the end of a sermon as a means to applaud and praise the speaker. However, God is the One that deserves all praise (Hebrews 13:15), not a man! Some argue that handclapping is merely equal to saying “amen.” However, such is not the case. Amen is a scriptural way to say “so be it” and is used throughout the Bible (John 21:25; Romans 1:25; 15:33; et al), but handclapping is not. The difference between handclapping and saying “amen” is this: handclapping is a way to show approval for the man, while amen shows approval for the message. There is a serious difference!
True worship has never been, nor will it ever be, about man. It is always about the Creator of heaven and earth! As was said in the long ago and will stand through eternity, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29). Amen and amen!
Works Cited
Jackson, Wayne. https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/1530-clapping-as-an-accompaniment-to-singing-in-worship.
