© Eric M Schumacher – Delivered at the 2009 Tennessee Baptist Convention Music Ministry Leadership ConferenceSession 3 of 4[On August 14-15, I had the privilege of leading four breakout sessions at the Tennessee Baptist Convention Music Ministry Leadership Conference. In preparation, I preached these sermons at Northbrook Baptist Church. The manuscript below is what I used at the conference. The link to the audio is from my sermon at Northbrook.]Audio available here.If Not First, Then What?I remember distinctly an occasion as a child when my mother told me that she loved God the most, then my father, and then my brothers and me. God had the first place, my father the second and my brothers and I tied for third.
I remember being very upset by that thought for two reasons. First, I was born a sinner with a self-centered, idolatrous heart. I was distraught at the idea that my mother did not make me the center of her life, as I had made myself the center of mine. And second, I made a logical error. I assumed that if I was not primary (most important) in the life of my mother, then I must not be important at all. Of course, simply because someone is not the most important, it does not mean that that person has no importance.
This morning, I our session was entitled “The Primacy of Preaching in Corporate Worship,” arguing that the New Testament presents preaching as the primary act of corporate Christian worship.
It would be wrong, however, to make the same mistake that I just described, that I made as a child. It would be wrong to listen to that sermon and conclude, “Well, then he’s saying that everything else is unimportant. He’s saying that singing is not important.” That would be wrong. Just because one thing is presented as the most important, it does not mean that everything else is unimportant.
The Importance of MusicMusic is incredibly important. I am in full agreement with the sentiment of Martin Luther, who wrote, “Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. She is a mistress and governess of those human emotions...which control men or more often overwhelm them.”
The Bible certainly agrees, emphasizing the importance of music with over 600 references to it from Genesis to Revelation.
The Role of MusicThere is no doubt that music and singing is important. But, as we think about what we’re doing here, in corporate worship, the question that I am seeking to answer this morning is: What is the role of singing in corporate Christian worship?
In my last sermon, I defined corporate Christian worship in this way:
Corporate Christian worship is the gathering together of God’s redeemed people to respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ by presenting their whole selves to God as a living sacrifice, seeking by faith to be conformed in the image of Jesus Christ.
So to the question of the role of singing in corporate Christian worship is the question: What does singing have to do with that?
New Covenant SingingGod cares about how he is approached by his people. If we want to know how to worship God properly as a church, and what singing is all about, then we must look to the Bible.
The Bible does not give us a strict liturgy for our corporate services. It provides remarkable freedom. But, that is not to say that he has said nothing. Therefore, we should give careful consideration the those certain things that he has said.
On the subject of song in the church, aside from reading that Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples or that the Apostles sand hymns while in prison, the New Testament includes only a handful of verses. James 5:13 tells us that if anyone is cheerful, he should sing. In 1 Corinthians 14:15, Paul says, “I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.” And, in verse 26, he instructs, “Let all things be done for building up.” Therefore, we can conclude that singing should be intelligent and edifying to the body.
In his letters to the Ephesians and the Colossians, Paul gives us two rich parallel passages that say much about the role of singing in corporate Christian worship. To the Ephesians, Paul writes:
Ephesians 5:18-21 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
And to the Colossians, Paul writes:
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, in hymns, in spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
I want to examine these two verses this morning, to see what the Word of God says about the role of singing in our corporate Christian worship.
Colossians 3:16I want to work our way through the logic of this verse, and then I’ll make some quick observations and applications about corporate singing.
Paul’s letter to the Colossians begins with his explanation and defense of the Gospel and then moves into how the Gospel applies to their lives. He begins by thanking God for the progress the Gospel has made in their lives, and moves on to remind them of the Gospel. It is through death and resurrection of Christ, who is supreme over all things, that God is reconciling alienated sinners to himself, making peace through the blood of the cross.
In chapter 2, he counters the false teaching that has been attacking the church. And, in chapter 3, he begins to apply it to their lives—they are each to be putting to death sin and putting on the virtues of the Gospel.
We should notice that our verse falls within the context of living out the Gospel in a community. In the context of living out the Gospel corporately, Paul gives this central command: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…”
“The word of Christ” is the same word that Paul referred to in Colossians 1:5, “the word of truth, the gospel.” It is the message about Christ, the message of what God has done in Jesus Christ. It is the message that God has reconciled sinners to himself through the blood of the cross. Those who repent of their sin and trust in Jesus, even though they were once alienated and hostile in mind, are reconciled in Jesus’ body of death. When he died on the cross and was buried, they died and were buried. When he rose from the dead, they were made alive together with him. The believer is assured of his salvation with these words:
Colossians 2:13-14 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
That is the Gospel.
That Word is to “dwell in you richly.” The Gospel is to have its gracious and glorious way in the Colossian church. It is not to be applied to their lives haphazardly or occasionally, but given full sway.
The Gospel is to be normative. It is to be the controlling influence in the lives of believers, defining how they believe and behave.
And while this has individual application, Paul is speaking to them collectively. They, as corporate body, are to be characterized and controlled by the Word of Christ, the Gospel, dwelling in them richly. The Gospel is to be an “operative, transformative, dynamic, powerful force” in the life of the congregation.
Dwell, how?How is this indwelling of the Gospel to occur?
Paul follows his command with two participles, which describe just that. He writes: “…in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another…”
“Teaching” and “admonishing” are participles that define how the command is to be carried out. And this is to be done “in all wisdom,” that is, in a tactful and thoughtful way. The Gospel, the “word of Christ,” dwells within the gathered body of believers as they are “teaching and admonishing one another.”
To teach is to instruct, to declare that this is true and that is not true. To admonish is to exhort in application of the instruction—to get in a person’s face (so to speak) and spell out the implications that this has for their life.
It is interesting to notice that these two words used here for “teaching and admonishing” are the same words that Paul used in 1:28 to describe his ministry, “Him we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we might present everyone mature in Christ.” Paul labored to make mature disciples by means of publicly proclaiming Jesus, admonishing and teaching everyone.
But Paul does not say here that they are to “let the Word of Christ dwell in them richly, as the pastor teaches and admonishes.” The ministry of teaching and admonishing is not limited to Apostles and pastors. No, Paul now includes the phrase “one another.”
Teaching and admonishing is a congregational activity. It is the duty of the whole congregation to see to it that the Word of Christ dwells in them, through the means of admonishing and teaching one another. Every believer in the church, and the church as a corporate body, has the obligation and responsibility to be involved in teaching and admonishing one another.
Teaching and admonishing, how?How is it that they are to teach and admonish one another? Are they to take turns giving sermons and lessons and devotions?
The next words that Paul writes are: “…in psalms, in hymns, in spiritual songs…” The way that they are to teach and admonish one another is through the singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. “Teaching and admonishing” are not a separate activity from “singing.” They are done in and through singing. The way that Paul wrote this sentence communicates that the Word of Christ is to dwell in the body. It dwells in the body through the believers teaching and admonishing one another. They teach and admonish one another in psalms, in hymns, and in spiritual songs.
Paul envisions the local church members communicating Gospel truth to one another by the means of singing. This idea is brought out when we look at the parallel in Ephesians 5:19, where Paul says they are to be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”
Singing, how?And this singing is to be done, Paul writes:
…with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
The singing that teaches and admonishes one other believers is to be singing that is a glad and heartfelt response of thanksgiving to God for what he has done in the Gospel.
SummaryFrom this, we can make at five summary observations about singing in corporate Christian worship.
Singing in Corporate Christian Worship…1) …is a means through which the Gospel dwells in God’s people.The verse began with the command to “let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” As the verse continues, we learn that this happens through teaching and admonishing. And this teaching and admonishing is done through the means of corporate singing. This is not the only means or the primary means, but it is a means through which the Gospel dwells in the church.
That is no small thing. Our life comes through—and only through—the Gospel. God has always given life through his word: to Creation, to Adam, to Israel, through the Word-Made-Flesh. Where there is no word, there is no life. Apart from it, we are dead. Therefore, this makes corporate singing a very, very important matter.
2) …is a means through which the Holy Spirit dwells in God’s people.It is worthwhile to compare Ephesians 5:18-21 and Colossians 3:16 side-by-side. They are almost identical, except for the command that begins both of them. The command in Colossians 3:16 is to “let the word of Christ dwell in you.” The command in Ephesians 5:18 is “be filled with the Spirit.”
There is a strong connection in the New Testament between the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. In John 14, Jesus makes multiple connections between the Spirit dwelling in and with his disciples and their abiding in his word.
The word for “spirit” in both Hebrew and in Greek is the same word for “breath.” It is impossible for God to speak his “word” apart from his “breath.” Where his word is, his Spirit is. Where his Spirit is, his word is.
That means that if we want to be a congregation in which the Holy Spirit dwells, then we should seek to be a congregation in which the Word of God dwells. And, that means we should be a congregation that gives a high place, not only to preaching, but to singing (as it is described in these verses).
3) …is a means of grace.God’s grace is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Good News of Grace. God’s grace is applied to our hearts and lives through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
But, through what means does the Holy Spirit apply the grace of God available in the Gospel? God’s word is a means of grace. Paul begins his letters, “Grace to you,” expecting God’s grace to be mediated through his inspired and authoritative word. We should come to the word of God expecting to receive grace.
Likewise, since the Gospel and the Holy Spirit dwell in God’s gathered people through the thankful singing of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, we understand that corporate Christian singing is a means of grace.
We should come to our corporate worship and to singing, expecting God to give us grace to believe and follow Christ. We don’t do this in a ritualistic way, as though the mere act of mindless singing assures us of God’s favor.
We do it as this passage describes—with the teaching and application of the Gospel overflowing in song from grateful hearts.
This should caution us against an overly private approach to Christian devotion. We need each other. We need to be sung to by other Christians. It is how God works.
4) …is a means through which God’s people teach and apply the Gospel to one another.This is the role of song in corporate Christian worship—to teach and admonish from the Gospel.
Christians teach each other the Gospel each week as they sing it to and with each other. The facts of the Gospel are recited, explained, and celebrated in a variety of different songs.
Christians admonish one another as they sing songs that call for application of the Gospel, as they sing songs that exhort and encourage Christian living.
5) …is to God from hearts full of thankfulness for the grace given in the Gospel.Singing must be full of gratitude to God for what who he is for us in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
It must take place in our hearts – a reference to our whole being, everything that we are. As one commentator writes, (Lohse): “Man should not only praise God with his lips. The entire man should be filled with praise.”
As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:19, in your song, you should be “singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
ApplicationIf this is what Paul is teaching in Ephesians 5 and Colossian 3 about singing in Christian gatherings, then certain applications must follow.
Therefore, Singing in Corporate Christian Worship…1) …is the central and primary music ministry in every New Covenant church.As I said, not much is said in the New Testament about singing in worship. These passages comprise the bulk of it.
Singing isn’t optional. It is commanded. Look again at the context of this verse. It is in the midst of a collect of commands given to all believers. We would never argue that “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,” along with “bearing with one another” and “forgiving one another” and “love” and letting “the peace of Christ rule” are only given to those who are particularly gifted in these virtues or enjoy them. No, they are for all believers—as is the command to sing.
We should notice that Paul’s command to sing is not given to a special group within the church—to a choir, a soloist, an ensemble. This command is to every believer. Every believer has an obligation to sing to other believers with thankfulness in their heart to God—even if they do not particularly like singing.
There is certainly room for choirs, ensembles, and soloists. 1 Corinthians 14 might refer to such “special music,” where “each of you has a hymn.” But, the main thrust in these verses is on corporate singing. The main thrust in these verses is what all Christians do when they come together and relate to one another.
This means that the main instrument, the central choir, and the only indispensable element in the church’s music ministry and corporate worship is the congregation. Everything else is either music leadership or special music.
The one thing that a church must have in order to have a music ministry is a singing congregation. And if a church has a singing congregation, then it has a biblical music ministry.
2) ...should employ songs that……are both vertical and horizontal.There is both a vertical and a horizontal element involved when the church gathers to sing. You are to sing “with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” And, at the same time, you sing “teaching and admonishing one another.”
That means that we will sing songs addressed to God, such as “Complete in Thee” or “Be Thou My Vision.” And, we will sing songs addressed to each other, such as “Come, Christian, Join to Sing” or “Be Strong in the Lord.”
This also means that we should be able to hear the congregation sing! If we are teaching and admonishing one another, then we must be able to hear one another. A music leader, a choir, vocalist and instrumentalists whose volume drowns out the voice of congregation is working against Paul’s instruction.
We should also encourage listening. It is valuable to occasionally stop, be silent, and listen to the congregation sing the Gospel to you.
One very practical applications of this is that we should look at each other when we sing. We should be singing to one another. You would not be a very good teacher if you had a face that looked like you’d been sucking on green persimmons and you buried it in your book. Look up! Look around! Look other believers in the eye! Sing to each other!
There are plenty of churches that are known for their praise bands, for their choirs, for their worship teams. But, how many congregations are known for their congregational singing? How many congregations are known for being the church where the whole body teaches and admonishes one another in song?
…are God-centered, Christ-centered, Gospel-centered.If the central function of singing is to be a means through which the Gospel dwells within us, then the Gospel must be in the songs.
The Gospel should have a rich presence within the overall selection of songs. This means that we should look for and use songs that focus on what God has done for us in Christ. This does not mean that every song should harp on the bare facts of Christ crucified for sins and his resurrection from the dead. But, it does mean that all the songs involved, working together, present and apply and celebrate the Gospel message.
If we go through a whole service (or musical program) and the facts of Jesus atoning death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God through faith are completely lacking or marginalized, then the Word of Christ has not dwelt within us richly.
And if a Gospel-lite or Gospel-less diet of songs characterizes a congregation week after week, it will produce Gospel-lite or Gospel-less Christians in the long-run.
…explain, apply and celebrate the Gospel.In seminary, I had a woman tell me that churches should sing choruses because they are “all Scripture.” The songs we sing should be merely Scripture set to music. Such songs are fine, but they are not to be the bulk of our singing.
We do read Scripture in our services, but the emphasis in the New Testament is on preaching and teaching the Word. Merely reading Scripture is not the same as teaching and admonishing. Likewise, merely singing the Scripture is not the same as teaching and admonishing.
The difficultly with songs that are merely Scripture verses is that they can easily be taken out of context and sung without understanding.
We need songs that outline, explain and apply Christian doctrine. We should therefore look for songs that teach and admonish us in the Gospel.
The songs we sing should instruct us in the facts of the Gospel. They should teach us about who God is, particularly as it relates to the Gospel.
Our songs should also admonish us. They should call us to respond, to believe, to repent, to obey in faith.
…are biblically grounded and theologically sound.Music is incredibly powerful. You can think of the stirring power of a school fight song or a national anthem. They stir people to action, to allegiance, to loyalty.
Most of us tend to like a song when we hear it sung, and only afterward pay attention to what it says. That is incredibly dangerous.
The text of a song should be considered before the tune is ever heard. If the text is not grounded in the Bible and theologically sound, there is no point in going forward with hearing its tune.
This is true even if a song is “much loved” by a large number of Christians. I’ve heard people argue that because a particular hymn is a favorite of so many or because a song is sung so widely in the Christian community that is must be a good song, regardless of what it actually says.
The Bible, and not popular opinion, is our grounds for truth and the standard by which we judge everything. Every other church in the world can applaud something, but if it gets the Bible wrong, it’s wrong.
…that engage the mind and the heart.Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14:15, “I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.”
A song that teaches must engage the mind. A song sung with thankfulness to God from the heart must engage the heart.
This requires that our people understand how to think as they sing. Our church entered into a 10-month hymn-study project aimed at helping us to learn just that. I’ll be sharing more about that in session four.
…vary in style.Paul says that we should sing “psalms, hymns, spiritual songs.” Theologians and commentators differ on what the distinction is between these three terms. “Psalms” probably refers to the inspired Psalms of the Old Testament. “Hymns” may refer to human compositions that focus on Christ. “Spiritual songs” might refer to songs that are spontaneously prompted by the Spirit. “Songs” is used in the New Testament of songs that praise and glorify God for what he has done in Christ.
Probably, we are not able to make sharp distinctions and classifications about these three terms. But, what they do show us is that Paul wants the church to use a full range of music in our worship. Paul is describing the variety and richness, the range of songs that should be used in Christian worship.
Our songs should vary in their style. Some should be joyful. Some should be reflective. Some should be simple. Some should be complex. Some should repeat, allowing us to meditate and emphasize truth. Others should progress, making doctrinal arguments. We should recognize that certain styles and forms of songs speak differently to differing generations. And, because we want to teach and admonish the whole body, we want to use such a variety.
3) …should be accountable to pastoral oversight.It has been said, “We are what we sing.” Andrew Fletcher once wrote, “I know a very wise man that believed that, if a man were permitted to make all the ballads, he need not care who should make the laws of a nation.”
Singing is incredibly powerful in determining the theological shape of a congregation. Gordon Fee rightly comments, “Show me a church’s songs and I’ll show you their theology.” It was said of Martin Luther by his opponents that he made more “heretics” through his hymns than through his sermons. Warren Wiersbe writes (as quoted in Sam Storms, The Hope of Glory, 284):
I am convinced that congregations learn more theology (good and bad) from the songs they sing than from the sermons they hear….[Music] has power to touch and move the emotions, and for that reason can become a wonderful tool in the hands of the Spirit or a terrible weapon in the hands of the Adversary.
If this is true, and it certainly is, then those who are charged by God with being “overseers” of the flock, should pay close attention to what is being sung, even if they are not planning the services themselves.
4) …should be planned by those who are rooted in the Word, doctrinally sound, mature in their faith, and desire to serve the congregation’s spiritual interests.Mark Ashton (in Worship by the Book, 93) writes:
The person who controls the music at the church service plays a very powerful role in its life, often on par with the power wielded by the person who controls the church’s finances and beyond that of any [appointed lay leader]. It is well to recognize this fact and to pray for a mature, godly, humble person with a servant heart, who wants to use music in the service of the gospel and not for his or her own ends.
The person who is choosing the songs that a congregation will sing is playing a key role in the spiritual formation of the congregation.
Therefore, the person choosing the songs should have a firm grip on the Word of God. They must be theologically discerning. They must be a mature disciple. They must desire the serve the spiritual interests of the congregation, before they desire to win congregational approval. As the songs go, so goes the congregation.
5) …should be regularly led by those who…Those who lead the church in music include those who lead the service, instrumentalists, and vocalists (whether in the choir, in solos or ensembles).
…are believers, who love the Gospel and live godly lives.Proper singing is to be done “with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” True thankfulness to God from the heart is only possible through faith in Jesus Christ, and can only come from a person who has a regenerate heart. An unbeliever cannot sing “with thankfulness in his heart to God.” So, how can he lead Christians in song? Do we find any place in the Bible where idol-worshippers, unbelievers, or the unrepentant are given a role in leading worship?
…serve the church and God from thankful hearts.Does a musician who is only willing to join and participate in a congregation in so far as he gets to use his musical gifts set a good example of being a servant to the congregation?
Should vocalists, instrumentalists, choir members, and soloists be people who are known for their gossiping, complaining, murmuring, and criticism of the church? Are they a good choice for those who are leading people to sing with thankfulness in their hearts to God?
The mouth speaks the overflow of the heart. A person characterized by unthankful, ungrateful, bitter, murmuring, complaining words has an ungrateful heart. And such a person fails to meet the most basic qualification for Christian music ministry—namely, thankfulness. A person with such a heart, who stands on a platform and leads the congregation in song is worthy to receive Christ’s condemnation in Matthew 15:7-9:
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me…”
This also means that preparation to minister to the congregation through music involves much more than showing up to a mid-week or Sunday afternoon practice. It means that you must steep yourself in the study and application of the Gospel, so that your heart is overflowing in thankfulness to God for what he has done for you in Christ. Otherwise, you will never be able to lead a congregation to do the same.
6) …requires and cultivates Gospel-humility and Gospel-unity.If our singing is for the purpose of “teaching and admonishing one another,” then we must have “one another’s” interests ahead of our own.
Too often, the “worship wars” in churches are fought by people who are looking out for themselves, and not for the other believers. They leave churches, split churches and plant churches based on having what they want in singing. They want to be traditional, contemporary, or otherwise. (Such battles are only valid if it is to get the Gospel at the center of the singing! Otherwise, if the Gospel is present in the singing, the division might be a denial of the Gospel!) Our goal is to minister to one another.
This is why Paul ends his instruction in Ephesians with “submitting to one another out of reverence to Christ.” A body in which the Gospel dwells richly will be a body that lives out the Gospel.
Paul tells us in Philippians 2:3-4:
Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
That is what we should be doing in our singing—not looking out for our own interests, but for the interests of others.
Every generation develops unique musical expressions. This is why changes in musical style are so controversial—the language in which you learned to worship is changing or lacking.
This means that those who are younger must be sympathetic to those who are older. Gladly learn their songs, so that you can minister to them in song. And, it means that those who are older must be likewise sympathetic to those who are younger. They also must gladly learn newer, modern songs so that they can minister to the younger generation in song.
The one constant that must remain is that the songs be God-centered, Christ-centered, Gospel-rich, appropriate for mutual teaching and admonition.
The young people should be asking the question, “What songs will help the older people be instructed and admonished in the Gospel? For their sake, I want to sing those.” And, likewise, the older people should be saying, “What songs will help the younger people be instructed and admonished in the Gospel? For their sake, I want to sing those.”
If the mind of Christ is in a congregation, they won’t be fighting to get what they personally want in singing. They will be fighting to get what the other person needs in singing!
7) …requires a congregation that loves God, the Gospel and each other.Simply put, a people who love the Gospel and are full of the Gospel are a people who overflow in song. They are a people who love each other, and seek to teach and admonish one another, so that the Word of Christ might dwell in them richly.
Singing can only be used properly in Christian corporate worship when we simultaneously have both God and other Christians in our mind. (And why should that surprise us, if the whole law is summed up in loving God and loving neighbor?)
And that is what song is about—loving God in Christ as we love one another and seek through music to help each other know and love Jesus better.
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