In the entertainment realm, most Christians don’t consider it legalistic to eliminate profanity, violence, nudity, and provocative situations from books, movies, or plays. But it would be legalistic to say that all secular books, movies, or plays are sinful.
 
This same principle should apply to worship music: it would not be legalistic to eliminate identifiable carnal music techniques that appeal to the flesh from worship music. But it would be legalistic to say that all contemporary Christian music is sinful.
 
[NOTE: The subjects of legalism and personal preference are often intertwined, yet they are also distinct; see article, “Isn’t Music Preference Subjective?”]

What is legalism? Simply stated, any man-made effort to obtain favor with God, particularly when it applies to gaining salvation or growing in our personal Christian maturity. In other words, man-made lists of rules and regulations (do’s and don’ts) imposed by ourselves or others in order to attempt to please God and obtain righteousness, outside of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the area of worship music, the terms legalistic and legalism are quickly applied when the legitimacy of many styles of CCM are questioned, particularly because everyone has their personal favorite musical style they would like to see validated within the Church.

This is not unlike secular society that labels Christians as intolerant when it comes to taking a stand for righteousness; in the Christian realm, those who take a stand for righteousness in music are labeled legalistic.

Nevertheless, identifiable carnal music techniques, originally designed by rebellious secular musicians to specifically create sensual responses in the listener, don’t edify us in our Christian walk, whether or not the lyrics are biblical, and whether or not we think those musical devices personally affect us.

Even so, we persist in defending these carnal musical devices. Do we defend other forms of biblically identifiable carnal sin, such as pornography, fornication, or adultery? Why is carnal music different?

Why would it be legalistic to eliminate undeniable carnal techniques from our Christian music? Wouldn’t the meaning of the lyrics remain the same?

While we certainly don’t need to strain at gnats to hear the occasional random off-beat drum or other potential sensual device in every piece of music, do we really think we have the liberty to imitate the world and use identifiable, carnal (flesh-pleasing) music techniques and sultry vocal styles in our Christian worship music?

Doesn’t the Apostle Paul caution us about misusing liberty? ” …do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh…” (Galatians 5:13). I think we can safely apply that principle to music, particularly because we are specifically told to sing “spiritual songs.”

Thankfully, while God has declared us righteous the moment we trust Jesus as our personal Savior, He is also gracious about our personal journey to be transformed to be more like Him. Even so, God’s grace is not a license to live as carnally as we please, musically or otherwise.

At minimum, shouldn’t our corporate worship to Him set a standard of reverence and purity to the best of our ability?

Could it be that we hide behind the term legalism so that we may excuse certain practices that are near and dear to our heart? Practices that we refuse to give up? Practices that we have become comfortable with and have accepted in our worship services and personal lives for so long? It bears repeating: anything experienced over and over again becomes acceptable over time.

Since we can a identify specific, carnal, flesh-pleasing music techniques, and since the Bible specifically tells us (twice) to sing “spiritual (non-carnal) songs,” and since the entire Bible supports holy living that exhorts us to deny our old carnal sin-nature, shouldn’t we try to make an effort to clean up our Christian music in order to sing worship music that pleases a Holy God? Is that legalistic?

Undoubtedly, burdensome legalistic religious rules in any form, for any reason, are to be avoided; however, would God consider it legalistic to avoid sin or anything else that might contribute to moral failure? (Music and Morals documents examples of personal moral failure attributed to CCM.)

Would He consider it legalistic to avoid using identifiable carnal music techniques in our worship music, so that our worship music can truly be spiritual (non-carnal) in both lyrics and music?

And is trying to press on towards our personal maturity to be more like Christ, and encouraging others to do so, too, legalistic?