Music in the Church

Make it stand out.

Introduction

Music is a gift from God, an expression of art, culture and emotion that infiltrates all areas of our lives. It is a medium that has enriched the life of the church, but has also caused great division.

Music in the church is interwoven with the concept of worship. Music and corporate singing are designed to facilitate God’s people to draw near to him. If worship is defined as a response to the goodness and greatness of God with our heart, soul mind and strength (Romans 12:1, Mark 12:30), then music and corporate singing are an expression of worship. However, music is not the full extent of worship.

The worship that pleases God’s heart is the giving of ourselves fully to him. This is evidenced in the renewing of the mind and a changed lifestyle that mirrors the gospel. While music and corporate singing are powerful tools of expression and teaching, as the word of God enters our hearts and minds, it is not sound theology to define corporate singing exclusively as worship.

Biblical Examples

There is much evidence for the use of music in the life of the church. Throughout the Bible music is used in many contexts and situations.   

·      Exodus 15 - After the Israelites were protected from Pharaoh and his army and led safely through the Red Sea, it is noted that Moses sang a song.

·      1 Samuel 16 - David played music before King Saul and it released Saul from the grasp of an evil spirit.

·      I Chronicles 16 - When David brought the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem he assigned musicians to minister before the Ark day and night.

·      Psalm 33 - The Psalmist exhorts us to "sing to the Lord a new song" and "give thanks with the lyre."

·      Isaiah 35:6 - A prophecy about the coming Messiah. One of the works that he will perform is loosing the tongue of the mute and enabling them to sing for joy.

·      Mark 14:26 - After the first Lord’s Supper, Christ sang a hymn with his disciples

·      Ephesians 5:19 - The writer instructs believers to "speak to one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord."

·      I Cor. 14:15 - The writer instructs believers to sing with the spirit and also with the mind.

In the Bible there are over 1500 references to music and about 400 references to singing. Fifty of those references are in the imperative, meaning God asks us, and even commands us to sing.

Role of Music in the Worship Service

 There are three distinct attributes to corporate singing for the believer: God is glorified, we are edified, and the church is unified. 

God is glorified

The Westminster Catechism states “The chief end of man is to worship God and enjoy him forever.” If through our singing, the only outcome is that God receives glory, music would be full and complete in its purpose, lacking nothing (Ps 115:1). The Praise of God is commanded in his word (Ps 113:1-3). The Praise of God should be the center point of our lives, encompassing every thought, word and deed.  

We are edified

God in his richness has designed corporate singing to be a mutually beneficial experience for believers. We grow in our personal intimacy with God as we are still and as we reflect and express our devotion to him (Ps 46:10).  We are edified by the words we sing, they reorient us, heals us, restore us, teach us and send us out for his kingdom (Ps 119: 9, 11, 28, 35, 97-105).

The church is unified

The church is unified as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to one another. It is a visual and audible reminder of his faithfulness as we stand together and sing (Eph 5:19). The interaction/encouragement/sending out of the body of Christ brings glory to the Bridegroom of the Church, and his bride, who is made beautiful through his word (Eph 5:26).

The true worship of God is full and robust in its breadth, impacting absolutely everything in our lives. The gathering of believers is commanded and it is the center of God’s mission on earth (Heb 10:24-25). From here we are called to take our worship into the world that we might be transformed by what we have heard and sung.