Nate explores the regulative principle of worship, strange fire, and whether total depravity means babies are born sinners.

Can Instruments Be Used in Worship? Regulative Principle & Total Depravity

What happens when a megachurch replaces the gospel with 20-foot drummer boys and back-flipping elves? Nate and the crew dissect the absurdity of spectacle worship before tackling one of the strangest claims in modern Christianity: is it a sin to listen to gospel music with instruments? From there, the conversation spirals into regulative principle of worship, strange fire in Leviticus, and whether babies are born sinners—a total depravity debate that gets surprisingly heated. Here is what unfolded.

Regulative Principle of Worship: The Biblical Bottom Line

The regulative principle of worship teaches that corporate worship must include only what Scripture explicitly commands. Reformed traditions historically interpreted this strictly—some congregations rejected musical instruments entirely, arguing the New Testament prescribes singing but not instrumental accompaniment. The clip Nate shared featured a pastor claiming it is sinful to listen to gospel music with instruments outside of church services. This position conflates personal listening with corporate worship, misapplying the principle entirely.

Scripture repeatedly references instruments in worship. Revelation 5:8 describes harps in heaven. First Corinthians 14:7 discusses flutes and harps. Ephesians 5:19 commands believers to make melody “with your heart”—which, as Nate quips, is technically a mechanical instrument. The normative principle, by contrast, permits anything Scripture does not explicitly forbid. Most evangelical churches today employ a modified understanding: prescribed elements like preaching, prayer, and singing remain central, but circumstances—instrument choice, service length, musical style—fall under wisdom and order, not rigid prohibition. For more on biblical worship practices, explore our Theology Unpacked category.

Megachurch Gimmicks and the Apostle Paul’s Smoke Machine

The episode opens with Nate describing footage from a megachurch Christmas service: giant drummer boys descending from the rafters, acrobatic elves, artificial snow drifting from the ceiling. Chris jokes that archaeologists recently discovered the Apostle Paul’s smoke machine, which apparently gives divine sanction to million-dollar light shows and amphitheater theatrics. Nate acknowledges that a whimsical holiday intro is harmless—churches can be festive without abandoning reverence. But when spectacle replaces substance, when production value overshadows proclamation, something has gone profoundly wrong. The Holy Spirit does not require pyrotechnics to convict hearts. The question is not whether churches can be creative, but whether creativity serves the gospel or supplants it.