On the car back to the east, a younger brother asked me today about Christian music and what I thought about a particular band. I surprised myself with what I said to him, that these were thoughts I never completely gave words and air to:
The songs we sing must contain scriptural truth. We are told in the clear words of Scripture in Colossians 3:16 -
Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
We are first told that the Word of Christ must dwell in us richly. We Christians are Word-based people who are to meditate on the Word of the Lord daily and nightly, abiding in them.
Songs have the tendency to linger in our minds and be replayed over and over. They stick easily to us, and we may sing tunes and words without much thought or much restraint. Should the song that flows out of our heads be a worldly one with carnal concerns and desires or one that contains the Word?
Songs today are soulish; they bring about moods, emotions and induce-encourage feelings. They have sway over us, and get us to harmonize with tunes in body and movement. We take in the ideals and the philosophies of these songs without much thought over what they say. They advertise irresponsible fun and overt sexuality.
We have been given good examples of songs we may and should sing. Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs as expressions of praise and adoration. What makes a song spiritual? What are the sounds and the words of the song? I am not musical, but my literary mind will seize hold of the words and place them aside the Scriptures and see if they have any counterpart. For only the Word has lasting value and so much power to instruct His people.
2 Timothy 3:16 - 17
All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
God's Word contain the words of wisdom. Modern Christian songs today are doctrinally shallow and contain much emotive expression. It seems as though these songs are designed to train us to feel a certain way and to calibrate our hearts and emotions to feel a certain way. So many lyrics are in the pattern of : "How I love you", "I offer my life to you", "Jesus I love you". Do we need to be conditioned to praise God and love God?
I am wary that we could be singing lies, because we often do not mean or really feel these things, nor do we yearn very much to be as how we sing of ourselves. We do not really or fully love Him, for we are told in the Word that if we love Him we will obey His commands, yet we fail to do so daily. Nor do we offer our lives, or the large parts of our lives to Him. How much movement do we make to live in such an exemplary manner?
We are singing ourselves into ideal emotional states of devotion that we do not have rightly. We do not love God because the feelings of love is cultivated as per the pattern of worldly romance-I feel and thus I love. Our love of our God comes from Him. We grow in a knowledge of the One True God and in His Son, and we love Him in response to His great and deep and wide love of us. We learn of this love from His Word and not from songs that we sing and get ourselves into.
All singing is for worship, not mainly self-expression. So many songs today look to pour out our soul and give public air to how we feel. But we see in Revelation 4 and 5 and in other places that the loud voices of the saints are lifted in praise of our God: "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." and "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory and blessing."
We are to admonish one another and sing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. Our songs must be able to teach and encourage one another in the faith and in godly behaviour, and exalt our God. We sing in relation to our God.
David's Psalms poured out his feelings, guilt, shame and also joy and gladness, all in relation to the Lord. None of it were vain expressions he did not feel-when he was besieged by enemies on all sides; when he sinned in adultery and murder and when he gave thanks to the Lord.
Psalm 111
1Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
2The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
3His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
4He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.
5He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.
6He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.
7The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.
8They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.
9He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.
10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
The songs the Church sings must be wholly different from the songs of the world. How may they sound alike? May what was bred outside of the sanctified Church gain entry to our clean and godly worship?
I can think of rock music as a good example. It grew outside the church and the genre was led by self-destructive rockers who exemplified the spirit of rebellion, having a lifestyle of drugs, alcohol and sex. The music is disquiet and encourages people to 'follow their hearts' and 'do what they really want'.
Can we 'clean' it up and Christianize the lyric and feature it in our worship of a Holy God? I do not agree with the introduction of Christian rock into the Church. Do we need to imbibe what is of the world into our worship to make us current and relevant? Our gospel is relevant and powerful, no matter what age and culture! We do not need to amass cultural capital to endear ourselves to the world that is not dying, but already dead.
Our Spirit is a different spirit. It is unlike the spirit of this world. Songs of the world upset the stillness of our hearts and stir unrest, whereas spiritual songs may bring about a climate of peace to our hearts.
We have 150 good examples of how we are to sing in praise of our God, and express our adoration for Him, and so many more other songs of old, and also in recent times that are rich in His Word and sound in Biblical doctrine.
Close
I am highly demanding of Christians and of leaders especially. While mindful that we fail daily and depend so hugely on His grace and mercy to even get through our day, I could be very severe on these fellow vessels of His love, Spirit and grace.
I speak before I understand, I judge before I know completely. This is something I need to work on, that I withhold grace and refuse to bear with others who are younger believers in the faith.
I suppose when I use the upper key "Church" I refer to the universal body of Christ, and not any local body or community, even though the observation is made of the congregational groups of churches.
An example of a spiritual song and hymn.
Blessed Assurance
Text: Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915
Music: Phoebe P. Knapp, 1839-1908Tune: ASSURANCE, Meter: 9 10.9 9 with Refrain
1. Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of his Spirit, washed in his blood. Refrain: This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long; this is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long. 2. Perfect submission, perfect delight, visions of rapture now burst on my sight; angels descending bring from above echoes of mercy, whispers of love. (Refrain) 3. Perfect submission, all is at rest; I in my Savior am happy and blest, watching and waiting, looking above, filled with his goodness, lost in his love. (Refrain)
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