There are few greater joys as a Christian than praising God by singing! James asked: "...Is any cheerful? Let him sing praise" ( James 5:13). Singing is a vital part of our worship to God. Whether you have the booming voice of a Carruso or the whisper of a child, God is praised by making melody in the heart ( Ephesians 5:19).
Our singing is to be "with the spirit." Love for God and the gratitude for His grace should make this opportunity of praise exciting. How can anyone understand the message of redemption without singing "How I Love Jesus" with all of his heart! Therefore, it is to be "with the spirit" ( 1 Corinthians 14:15; John 4:23, 24), i.e., with all fervency!
Our singing is to be "with the understanding." Scriptural singing does not involve gibberish or unintelligible groans. It is offering God our love and praise even while we "teach" and "admonish" ( Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16) one another.
Our singing is a means of "...speaking one to another..." (Ephesians S:19). As we praise Goa', we teach and admonish others by the messages of the songs. Therefore, it is important that what we sing be in harmony with the Bible. Just as a sermon is to "cut to the heart" ( Acts 2:37), singing enriches knowledge and spiritual awareness.
Some criticisms have arisen about singing songs based on a passage of scripture rather than the song book. These criticisms are opinionated and without any scriptural basis. Beautiful songs such as Matthew 6:33 ("Seek Ye First"), Galatians 2:20 ("I Am Crucified With Christ"), and my personal favorite, Psalm 25 ("Unto Thee, O LORD") are far more scriptural than some of the songs in the song book. How can you get any more scriptural than to sing scripture?
In fact, there are some songs in our song book, I am convinced, that are not scriptural! And brethren,'because something is different does not necessarily mean it is wrong. It may be different to many of us to sing verses or passages of scripture, but right or wrong must be decided on a biblical basis, and not a personal one. Next week, the Lord willing, I will review some songs that are unscriptural.
The above article appeared in the Mt. Juliet Messenger on October 14, 1990.
by Steve Hale
I genuinely love and appreciate the brothers that lead the singing. Great love, thought, energy, and talent is apparent. I'm glad Chris is with us regularly to lead our singing. We are fortunate to have other talented men like Preston Walden, David Ackerman, David Begarly, P.D. McCulloch, Tony Huddleston, Bill Speight, Jr., and Charles Bay. This article is in not critical of any of these brothers . or others who lead our singing. I love them and admire them.
As promised from last weews article, there are some songs in our song book, I am convinced., that are not scriptural. Here are two examples.
"Just A Little Talk With Jesus" (#298). Why? First, we do not address Jesus when we pray but the Father ( Matthew 6:9ff.). Jesus is the mediator (I Tim. 2:5; John 14:12), but not the one addressed. I have heard some prayers addressed to Jesus rather than the Father. This teaching from this song is not scriptural.
Second, "just a little talk with Jesus made me whole" won't make one whole. He must obey Jesus ( Hebrews 5:8, 9), and be baptized into Jesus to be made whole ( Mark 16:16).
Third, "find a little talk with Jesus ' makes it right," won't make things right. Repentance, confession, and prayer to the Father are appropriate ( Acts 3:19; 1 John 1:9; James 5:16), but not "just a little talk with Jesus."
"Mansions Over The Hilltop" (#350). Why? This is a very popular song, and an old favorite. But., it's first stanza is materialistic to the core "...but in that city where the ransomed will shine, I want a gold one that's silver lined." It is presumptuous, even with poetic license, for us to tell the Lord what we want. What we have, or will have., is by the grace of God. We are hardly in a position to unionize and tell Him what sort of eternal life we want.
Years ago, Janis Joplin offensively sang: "...Lord, why don't you buy me a Mercedes Benz, my friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends..." Not a one of us would want to sing this song on Sunday morning. It is materialistic, selfish, and sinful. Why then, would we sing a song that tells the Lord what we are satisfied with what we want in reference to eternal life? Eternal life is a gift, not a right ( Romans 6:23). Even blessings in this life are by the grace of God.. and not answers to our demands ( James 1:17).
And., there are others. Certainly, I believe in being patriotic and loving our country, and praying for our country ( I Peter 2:17). But, a patriotic song is not necessarily a praiseworthy song ( John 4:23, 24), because our focus in worship is to praise God.
Let me challenge all of us not to reject a song because it is new, or accept one because it is old. Let's let the Bible be the criteria!