The Hand Clapping Controversy

Today, we are living in an entertainment crazed society that expects to be entertained almost twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Hand clapping, whistling, and yelling are expressions of approval at various sports and entertainment events, and indicate satisfaction of the entertainment presented. Unfortunately, this worldly influence has crept over into the Lord’s church where people want to clap during the worship or at a baptism, to show their approval of the “entertainment” they are receiving. As Christians, we need to realize that we are not in the worship service to be entertained, but to humbly offer our worship to God “in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 95:6; Psalm 29:2; Psalm 96:9).

As we come to worship the Lord, do we not understand how great He is? The Bible tells us, “O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth” (Psalms 96:9), and we are to be “perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1). Since we worship an awesome God, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him” (Psalm 33:8). Hand clapping may be acceptable in various entertainment arenas, but it shows utter disrespect and lack of reverence for God in our worship service. 

The Psalmist tells us, “God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him” (Psalm 89:7). The vast majority of the denominational world thinks their worship to God is acceptable, but Jesus says, “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:7). When we ignore what God says and worship “our way” then our worship to Him becomes vain or empty (Matthew 15:8-9). It becomes “will worship” (Colossians 2:23) because we seek to worship God according to our will rather than God’s will (Matthew 7:21). If we expect to be pleasing to God and go to Heaven, we must pay attention to what God says in the Bible as to how He desires to be worshiped. The Hebrew writer tells us, “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). If our worship is not acceptable to God, then the end result will be disastrous, as we spend eternity in “everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41).

God has given us explicit warnings in the Bible concerning unacceptable worship of Him. One example is that of Nadab and Abihu in the Old Testament. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (Leviticus 10:1-2). Just as Nadab and Abihu were severely punished by being consumed by fire for their unauthorized worship, we also will be severely punished eternally in Hell for our unauthorized worship as we offer strange sounds of hand clapping to the Lord. We need to realize that, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

People who clap their hands in worship may “have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:2-3). People may be sincere in their hand clapping in worship, but they are sincerely wrong and will lose their souls in eternity. It will be too late on the day of judgment if the Lord says to us, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity” (Matthew 7:23). Going to Heaven must be our number one priority in this life.

The hand clapping controversy is no controversy at all, when we know and understand that God desires our worship to Him be “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23-24), the way He has authorized.

Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

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