Does God Care What we Sing?

Colossians 3:15-17

Does God Care What We Sing?

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

orship wars still rage among the churches of the Lord our God.  Christian against Christian has tragically become the rule of the day as traditionalists look down their noses at contemporary worshippers and contemporary worshippers consign traditionalists to the trash heap of history.  The controversy has yet to be settled despite many sermons on the subject.

Some of us struggle to define worship.  Take a moment and write down on the back of your bulletin your definition of worship.  Now compare what you consider worship to be to the following definition.  Worship is the expression of our love to God.  It is the examination of His divine attributes and our response as each divine perfection is revealed in turn.  Worship is less what we do than it is what we experience as God reveals Himself to us.  Worship is the unlearned and unrehearsed response of the creature to the presence of the Creator.

We were created to worship.  The eternal vocation of the redeemed is to praise and glorify God forever.  Worship is our earthly responsibility as a congregation; and this singular action assumes eternal significance as we understand that this shall be our eternal vocation to glorify the One True and Living God.  Throughout all eternity we who are the people of God shall express reverence toward and exultation in God as we revel in His holiness, His glory, and His majesty revealed through His infinite mercies.

According to Scripture, worship is intimately associated with singing.  The question thus remains, does God care what we sing?  Worship, the act of recognising God as God, has become one of the most controversial acts among contemporary Christians.  That which should unite Christians—contemplating the glories of our God—divides us and leads to recriminations and attempts to destroy one another.  Is there anything we should not sing?  Is there any particular form of music which should not constitute part of our worship?  I am less concerned with specifics than I am to discover principles.

It would be helpful to have a hymnal delivered to us, complete with words and tunes and instructions for which musical style to employ.  Of course, we do not have such a hymnal, because Scripture is not simply inerrant and infallible, but it is also sufficient.  We have everything we need in the Word of God.  Therefore, as we consider what we should sing, we need to look to the Word to discover what God would reveal to us.

We will not find in Scripture a prescribed list of hymns or songs, but we shall find principles to guide us in our ascription of praise to God.  We shall find principles which are designed to direct us into paths pleasing to God.  The particular passage to which I direct attention in this study today is that which Paul penned from prison to the church of Colosse.  I suggest that the principles enumerated include the following: (1) music should unite the community of faith; (2) music should be theologically sound, and (3) music should exalt Christ the Lord.  These principles are provided in the text before us and beg our careful consideration.  Join me, then, in study of the art of worship.

Music should Unite the Community of Faith — Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.  Christians are to be marked with certain divine characteristics.  Without question, we are called to love one another, but one mark which is frequently acknowledged and seldom embraced is unity.  Here we are urged toward unity in the Faith.  We who are believers in the Lord Jesus are members of one body and we have been called to peace.  I suggest that unity is one of the most—if not the most—vital and divine marks of one born into the Family of God.

Eugene Peterson has captured the essence of the dynamic statement Paul penned.  Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.  None of this going off and doing your own thing.[1]  I am using this particular translation at this point in part because music has divided churches, and our own congregation is not exempt.  Where the peace of Christ rules we find unity, and where unity is absent we should not be surprised to discover that the peace of Christ does not hold sway.

Some years ago a cartoon appeared in a pastoral periodical which showed a man standing in the pew at a church shouting “I just received a word from the Lord and He hates guitars.”  We have people, some in positions of authority, who would make similar pronouncements.  Perhaps it isn’t guitars which the Lord doesn’t like.  They are convinced that the Lord doesn’t like drums.  Others are equally convinced that the Lord doesn’t like pipe organs.  Believe it or not, there are conscientious people convinced that the Lord hates pianos.  Something is wrong whenever an individual (or a congregation) makes such pronouncements.  Such statements express sectarianism of the worst sort.

Let’s be honest enough to admit that many of our most precious arguments concerning worship are barely disguised arguments for personal preferences.  Most of our arguments for worship come down to justification for what makes us most comfortable and what we like.  Something is wrong when preferences are substituted for that which unites.  Consequently, churches today offer a smorgasbord of services.

Churches offer a Gen-X service at one hour, a Baby Boomer service at another hour and a traditional service at yet another hour.  Some offer a “blended” service, which too often becomes organised chaos as worshippers slavishly follow a specific formula.  What we too often create in such efforts is a variety of churches, each differing from the other and there results as many different congregations as there are “worship” styles.  What defines these congregations?  Theological conviction?  Ecclesiastical priorities?  Doctrine?  No!  These differing congregations are defined by matters of taste.

Verse fifteen urges us to remember that we are one body.  You wouldn’t know this from watching many of our churches.  You certainly wouldn’t know this from listening to our discussions about worship!  Principles long neglected need to again prevail among the people of God: the principle of unity—what promotes peace among the people of God; the principle of doctrine—what has God said concerning the issue; and the principle of Lordship—is this action or attitude worthy of Christ the Lord.

The questions I should ask when I seek to worship are not, “Do I like it” or “Am I moved,” but I should rather ask, “Does this unite the people of God,” “Is this doctrinally correct,” and “How does this honour Christ as Lord.”  Perhaps we are fighting because we are asking the wrong questions.  We are asking the wrong questions because we are still contending for our preferences instead of seeking Christ’s glory!

I am driven to encourage you as the people of God to examine your own hearts to ensure that you are seeking the unity of the Faith and not simply expressing your preferences as you seek to worship.  I urge you to consider whether your actions and your attitudes unite and strengthen the people of God or whether you are a source of disunity.  Whether you tend to be of the traditionalist persuasion or whether you consider yourself more contemporary in your preference, are you considerate of your fellow worshippers and are you seeking above all else to unite the Body.

When we have finished a service, are we stronger for the time we have spent together?  When we have concluded our service, are we in tune with one another because we have discovered the presence of the Risen Son of God among us?  Music should unite and bind us together as the people of God instead of driving us into separate camps from which we sling fiery word bombs at one another, anathematising and condemning one another over what are really mere preferences.

Music should be Theologically Sound — Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

In an effort to make this verse relevant— so it will find lodging in each heart—permit me to again cite Peterson’s recent translation.  Listen carefully to this translation.  Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.  None of this going off and doing your own thing.  And cultivate thankfulness.  Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house.  Give it plenty of room in your lives.  Instruct and direct one another using good common sense.  And sing, sing your hearts out to God![2]

The New Living Translation makes it abundantly clear that it is the words of Christ Himself—the Word of God—which are to teach and counsel us.  Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.  Use his words to teach and counsel each other.  Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.[3]

In the church, it is the Word which has authority.  We don’t have too much trouble agreeing that the Word must determine what is preached and what we believe.  Each of us should quite legitimately expect the preacher to provide sound exposition of the Word, directing those who listen to that which God has said and instructing the congregation in the Word instead of merely delivering his opinions.  This is the reason I feel constrained to provide you with the scriptural references for my points.

In a similar manner, the regulating authority for all worship should not be preference or generational music style, taste or tradition—the authority for our songs of worship should be the Word of God.  Our music should be saturated with the Word.  A hymn or a song without theological content is no hymn at all.  Again, theology which cannot be sung is not theology at all.

Music used in corporate church worship should not seek to amuse, to entertain or to manipulate congregations; rather, every text and tune should be carefully and thoughtfully informed by Scripture.  Music often competes with preaching and teaching for supremacy in the contemporary church, when it should serve as an underpinning for the proclamation of God's Word.

I know of no other ministry in the church that has so great a potential to help or to hinder the pastoral ministry of teaching and preaching than does the music ministry.  The worship team plays a far more vital role in the teaching ministry of the church than we might suspect.  The music in our church has the potential to become an obstacle to worship by amusing, distracting, or entertaining the people and, as a result, minimising and trivialising the preaching of the Word of God, or worse, contradicting the pastor who is trying to be faithful in preaching the Word to the congregation.

Perhaps I can clarify what I am talking about by asking you to think with me of your worship experiences.  How many of us have ever left a worship service saying, “Boy, that was something.  That was powerful.  I enjoyed it.  Wasn’t the music something today?”  In such instances, what we remember is the sound—the musical notes and the rhythm.  Augustine said, “If you find yourself humming the tune rather than reciting the words, you heard the wrong thing.”  In such instances, the music has robbed God of His glory and has failed to serve Him to glorify Him.  If the choir or the worship team is what we remember, we have failed to worship in spirit and in truth.

A hymn's text should be of primary importance, because it voices the content of the believer's worship.  Therefore, the words must be faithful both in context and in theological truth drawn from Scripture.

Scripture is foundational for the presence of music in worship.  Songs and spiritual songs are particularly found in the Psalms and should inform the words sung in worship.  Among the various roles Scripture assigns to music are praise of God; giving thanks to God; prayer; proclaiming the truth of God's Word; exhortation; confessing one's faith; and enriching worship with beauty.  The text conveys truth as we sing the words of Scripture, as we teach and admonish one another through music with Scriptural truths.

Among evangelical churches, we have a tradition inherited from past generations.  That hymnody which we received contains revivalist hymns, great classic hymns and many spiritual songs.  I acknowledge that some of the tunes are dated and even uninspiring, but this hymnody has come to us intact in no small measure because it expresses the great theological truths of the Faith.  In recent years, we have witnessed the rise of a new style of worship which includes renewal songs and worship choruses.  Someone has defined contemporary worship songs as one word, two notes, three hours.

This definition is unfair, because it has been formulated by someone who has already positioned himself or herself in the worship wars.  Unfortunately, truth compels me to acknowledge that it is nevertheless true that much of today's praise and worship music tends to minimise theology and doctrinal content while maximising feelings and subjective experience.  This is an issue which should concern us.

Positively, contemporary worship songs frequently directly quote the Scriptures, and that must be seen as conducive to worship.  Such songs are a marvellous way in which anyone can learn Scripture and in which each of us can praise God acceptably.  These newer songs should be embraced as part of a dynamic and growing hymnody, but we must ensure that all worship songs are filled with doctrinal truth.

If we are only trying to reform worship with praise choruses and songs with catchy tunes, we're going to have a very difficult time doing it.  We need worship music that has substance to it—that keeps us focused on the truth of God's Word.  Texts and tunes should not be framed according pragmatic, man-centred, feel-good methods because God's Word sets guidelines for worship.  Consider the following Scriptures.

A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks [John 4:23].  One aspect of contemporary worship which is commendable is the diligent effort to worship in spirit and in truth.  Contemporary worship attempts to seek the Spirit’s presence and power, though the tendency sometimes seems to seek to do so through manipulative techniques rather than through submission to His reign.  Nevertheless, the acknowledgement of our dependence upon the Spirit if we will worship is essential.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God [Colossians 3:16].

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.  Instead, be filled with the Spirit.  Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.  Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ [Ephesians 5:18-21].

The Apostle places worship under the authority of Scripture.  These two passages in Colossians and Ephesians must be considered together.  The identical emphasis found in Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman is witnessed in the Ephesian passage and it is suggested in our text in Colossians.  It is not only singing that which is scriptural which is vital, but the intent of the song also matters.  It is the Spirit who indwells us, who illuminates our hearts and our minds that we may grasp and understand and respond to the truth of God and his Word.  What we sing before God does matter.  Each of us must ask questions of the musical text regarding quality, purpose and message, examining it carefully to see that the words of Christ are dwelling richly in them.

Music Should Exalt Christ the Lord — Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.  Whilst this verse is often used in a broader context than worship, it should be obvious from the text that Paul is still focused on the church at worship.  Whatever is done in the House of the Lord must seek the glory of Christ the Lord.  Whatever we do as an act of worship must have Christ at the centre of the action.  The hymns we sing must honour Him by uniting the people of God and by instructing each of us in the mind of God as revealed in the Word.

This may be an appropriate time to introduce the controversial subject of the tune.  The music beneath the words has become for many Christians a subject of much conjecture and debate.  I can remember a young man who came to me greatly incensed because the choir had sung a song which he considered to be so dishonouring to Christ that he would no longer worship with us.  The crux of his argument was that the choir had used an accompaniment tract and the music had employed a drum.  He insisted that we must cease from all such music or he would withdraw his membership.

In fact, to my great sorrow that young man and his wife did eventually withdraw their membership from the congregation.  He failed to see that his rigid attitude exalted his preference and attempted to hold the church hostage.  He was unwilling to work to discover a position which would unite, demanding instead that his will must prevail over that of the congregation, and he thus dishonoured the Lord Christ.  He was right about one thing, however.  The style of music is important and must not be neglected.  The tune and the rhythm are not inconsequential, but neither are they all-consuming.

I am compelled to give the subject of the melody and the style of music consideration for three reasons: the tune is the incarnation of the text; the tune helps worshipers to interpret the text, providing an emotional context; and, perhaps of prime importance, the tune identifies the text.  Of course, when I speak of the tune, I speak of the music as it is written (or at least underlying the song), including the tempo and the accompaniment.

The tune for worship songs and hymns, often dismissed as a matter of personal taste, is a critical consideration in singing God-centred worship songs.  The issue runs deeper than mere taste.  I would suggest that there are certain styles of music that are inappropriate for worship.  Heavy metal rock is one example of music that is beyond the bounds of worship because its discordant and violent style fails to promote the dignity, reverence and seriousness that should accompany worship.  It is difficult to be joyful when one is exhausted!  Similarly, a woman who screeches in a foreign tongue as she reaches for some note hidden among the rafters while an accompanist scampers up and down the keyboard of a pipe organ pawing like a puppy digging for a mouse is not necessarily honouring to God.  This issue was addressed tangentially by the Apostle. 

Even in the case of lifeless things that make sounds, such as the flute or harp, how will anyone know what tune is being played unless there is a distinction in the notes?  Again, if the trumpet does not sound a clear call, who will get ready for battle?  So it is with you.  Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying?  You will just be speaking into the air [1 Corinthians 14:7-9].

We must not disregard music styles, because music is wed so closely to desires and emotions.  There are musical gestures, inflections and movements that will always be out of place in worship.  Not all music is suitable for every context.  Music provides an accompaniment for almost every activity in human life, each requiring a certain style and a character of song.  This is the basis for elevator music in public places, the background music in almost every homemaker’s day, and the top forty pop sounds in medical facilities.  Music does not have to be sanctified and used in public corporate worship in order to make it legitimate or within God's pleasure or God's will.

God gives us both music and the freedom to enjoy that music.  We have Christian liberty to enjoy a great variety of music outside the context of worship.  Perhaps we should question whether the words conveyed by our preferred music are conducive to spiritual growth or whether Christ would be honoured were we to adopt the attitudes espoused, yet the tunes and the style are a matter of preference outside of worship.

When we understand the regulative principle of Christian worship—that not everything that God has given us liberty to do are we to do in corporate worship—it shouldn't surprise us that not all music will be adequate or suitable to accompany those activities that God calls us to when we gather together in corporate worship.

Different styles of music lead to different interpretations of the words being sung.  Consider, for instance, an actor on stage in an opera performance.  The actor could be extolling the virtues of another character in song with a serious, sincere tone of music underlying it, thus showing the sincerity of his adulation.  However, if the music were whimsical and light-hearted, yet accompanying the same words, the audience would interpret the singer's tone as mocking and sarcastic instead of truly complimentary.  In much the same way, the tone of the tune beneath church music sends messages ranging from sorrow over sin to exalting worship of a holy God.  There must be a congruency between the text and music.

Do both the text and the tune communicate the same message?  Are the music and the words equally yoked to communicate a clear message suited to the purpose of worshipping God and edifying the church?  When choosing songs for worship we must carefully consider both music and words and how they fit together.  Tone affects how we take the words.  The music should undergird and strengthen worship, not distract from it or confuse it or call attention to itself rather than the content.

This leads to consideration of the issue of repetition.  Repeating a tune until our eyes are glazed and we are essentially entranced is tantamount to witchcraft—or voodoo.  I know there are sincere Christians who believe they should sway and loudly repeat a song to some catchy melody until people begin to swoon, calling such activity worship.  To engage a such a practise is to invite the censure of Him who warned, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words [Matthew 6:7].  Seeking to pass out, making every effort to lose control of one’s senses, trying to lose consciousness, are not elements of worship.  We should each learn to say with the Apostle, I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind [1 Corinthians 14:15]. 

Christians are not to manipulate one another, nor should they ever think they can manipulate the Spirit of God.  There is a fine line which is easily violated between worship and engineering a supposed religious crisis.  Tragically, Christians are not always sufficiently astute to distinguish between the two conditions.

What about the current context?  There is confusion and controversy over worship styles, in part, because we have focused on the tune and the style, on the accompaniment and the tempo, instead of hearing what is sung.  I suggest that as a church we need to be confronted with the challenge that our preferences must be submitted to the Word.  The Much Music generation must be willing to develop an ear for the great traditions of the church, and the traditionalists must be willing to learn new songs and cease resisting change.  All of us must review what we are doing in worship.

Perhaps there are tunes and styles which we introduce that need to be challenged.  Frankly, I am unaware of any tunes or styles introduced during my tenure as pastor of this congregation which have detracted from worship, but should such have been introduced, as a congregation we must be sufficiently courageous to confront the same and ruthlessly reject them as part of our worship.  I know that among some of the favoured hymns of another era are some which simply drag too much to be sung if there is not an experienced and accomplished musician to direct the congregation.

Again, Christians struggle over the issue of worship because some have concluded that if a desired outcome—expressing deep emotions or even fainting—is accomplished we will have worshipped.  Consequently, though we mean well, we are guilty of attempting to manoeuvre the people of God toward an end we think desirable.  Those who have enjoyed a deeply moving religious experience must be cautious in making their experience normative for all Christians, and those who are more reserved in their worship must not look down on those who are more emotional.

We have at this moment an opportunity to recover what has been lost—worship.  We can each hold one another accountable to study the content of our worship songs to ensure that they are theologically sound.  Sometimes what Christians sing is unworthy of the Word!  Our songs must be theologically sound, biblical and true to the Word, but they must also be relevant.  We must cease demanding that our worship be pleasing to us and together endeavour to ensure that it is pleasing to God.

Above all else, we must seek to maintain the unity of the Faith.  Those of us who have long been in the church need to realise that we are not more spiritual because we prefer “And Can it be that I Should Gain” to “Create in Me a Clean Heart.”  Both alike are theologically sound, honouring to God, and capable of expressing what resides in the heart of the saints.  Whether it is “O the Glory” or “When Peace Like a River” which moves our soul, we must rejoice that God is glorified and honoured through our psalms, hymns and spiritual songs which are sung together.

Years ago I heard of a black preacher who was noted for his ability to effectively communicate the Word of God to his congregation.  When asked the secret of his ability, he replied, “I tell ‘em what I’se gonna’ tell ‘em.  I tells ‘em.  Then I tell ‘em what I tol’ ‘em.”

I told you the sum of the message when I began.  Then, I delivered the message which God gave me.  Now, I believe it would be helpful to summarise the message.  As a community of Faith—whether as those leading worship or as those following their lead—we want to worship.  If we will truly worship, we must seek the unity of the Faith.  Doctrine counts for far more than a mere statement of our beliefs—it controls whether we will worship or not.  Our worship is dependent upon whether we each seek unity.  I am not advocating mere tolerance, but I am insisting on unity.  This means that each of us must esteem others as better than ourselves.  This means that each of us is responsible to encourage and strengthen one another.

In seeking unity, we must challenge one another to ensure that our efforts to worship are saturated with the Word of God.  Our worship should reflect that which God has showered on us in the revelation of His holy character.  Assuredly, the pastor bears an awesome responsibility to speak the truth, but each member of the worship team bears responsibility before God and to this congregation to ensure that the songs chosen for a particular service are worthy of God in reflecting the Word of God.  This means that each worshipper is responsible to review what is sung and to speak courageously, though courteously, if such is necessary.  This does not permit grumbling or muttering about the worship, but it demands of each of us honesty and openness.

Above all else, each of us must seek to glorify Christ the Lord.  We do this as we enter heartily into the songs of worship.  Let us sing joyfully before the Lord, and if we struggle to carry a tune, let us determine that we will each make a joyful sound.  Let us each determine that we will seek the presence of the Living God, asking that He be glorified and asking that our fellow worshippers will be built up in the Faith and strengthened in their determination to honour the Lord Christ.

As we determine to honour God, I have no doubt that increasingly we will witness in ever greater measure those unbelievers whom God sends to witness our worship falling down and worshipping God, exclaiming, God is really among you [see 1 Corinthians 14:25]!  That is one great reason we worship, is it not?  We long to see God glorified through revealing His majestic power to save.

And that is our invitation to you who have yet to know God.  Believe our message of life in this Risen Saviour and be saved that He may be glorified in your salvation.  The Word declares that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved…  Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved [Romans 10:9, 11, 13].  Amen.

Some of us struggle to define worship.  Take a moment and write down on the back of your bulletin your definition of worship.  Now compare what you consider worship to be to the following definition.  Worship is the expression of our love to God.  It is the examination of His divine attributes and our response as each perfection is revealed in turn.  Worship, then, is less what we do than it is what we experience as God reveals Himself to us.  Worship is the unlearned and unrehearsed response of the creature to the presence of the Creator.

Scripture is foundational for the presence of music in worship.  Songs and spiritual songs are particularly found in the Psalms and should inform the words sung in worship.  Among the various roles Scripture assigns to music are praise of God; giving thanks to God; prayer; proclaiming the truth of God's Word; exhortation; confessing one's faith; and enriching worship with beauty.  The text conveys truth as we sing the words of Scripture, as we teach and admonish one another through music with Scriptural truths.

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[1] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English (NavPress, 1993)

[2] Eugene H. Peterson, The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English (NavPress, 1993)

[3] Holy Bible, New Living Translation (Tyndale House Publishers, 1996)