Enjoying God’s good gift of music.

God has given us richly all things to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17) – and that includes music. Over the past few weeks we have seen how music is an innately spiritual phenomenon with power to affect people deeply which can be turned for good or ill. We have seen how music features in Scripture and how, throughout history, it has both expressed and shaped the spiritual state of societies.

We finish this short series, which is not intended to be comprehensive, but more a starting point, by looking at how we can apply good principles of discernment to our music-making and musical consumption.

What Makes ‘Good’ Music?!

The question of ‘what makes good music?’ is, of course, incredibly (some might say completely) subjective. However, through history and around our diverse world, certain qualities are repeatedly valued. Broadly speaking, music judged to be of good quality is:

• Evocative: speaking to and expressing the emotions
  
• Creative: a vehicle for imagination, inspiration and originality
  
• Intelligent: thoughtful and perceptive in both composition and performance
  
• Skilful: displaying talent and proficiency – again, in both composition and performance.
  

Dwelling on these prized attributes this week, I realised how closely they align with the command that we are to worship God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27). It seems that the Lord designed music with in-built capacities to enable us to worship with our whole beings. At the same time, He also designed it to be accessible and enjoyable for everyone, regardless of ability. It really is the perfect vehicle for worship. What a wonderful God we serve!

However, as intimated above, music can be put to the service of the flesh, the world and the enemy, instead of the service of God. Musical evocativeness, creativity, intelligence and skill – though intended for godly worship - can instead be used to entice and corrupt. Even within the Church, it can be used to draw attention to man more than God, or to sow seeds of false doctrine instead of proclaiming truth.

The Lord designed music with in-built capacities to enable us to worship with our whole beings.

The rest of this article will focus on the principles that characterise truly biblical music (particularly that used in church, though CCM – discussed last week – overlaps and can be judged on the same merits), though I will remark at the end on how we might be discerning in our everyday consumption of music – i.e. for leisure, background music, etc. This is not something to be over-thought or approached legalistically, but rather something to be surrendered to the Lord as part of our daily existence as ‘living sacrifices’, wholly set upon his altar.

As we yield our music-making and musical enjoyment to him afresh, I pray that he will breathe new life into it through the Holy Spirit, and that we will discover more of what it means to do everything for his glory.

Testing Needed

Music written and brought into being as part of worship is not something to be taken lightly, for it is a primary vehicle through which we offer our sacrifice of praise to the Lord (Heb 13:15). It also affects us, and others, very deeply, touching and feeding the soul.

For these reasons, I believe that music and lyrics used in worship ought to be tested, even as teaching should be, and a culture of healthy musical discernment should be encouraged in churches and home fellowships – led with wisdom and involving the input of mature, trustworthy Christians.

So, how do we set about this? How can we bring to bear biblical discernment on the music we use in worship? How can we encourage the worship leaders and musicians of our acquaintance - especially the younger ones - to think biblically when it comes to their musical production and consumption?

Hallmarks of Biblical Music

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” (Colossians 3:16)

“…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:18-20)

I believe that truly godly music will bear some specific hallmarks in increasing measure and developing maturity, which we can use as part of any testing process. I offer five below.¹

Truly godly music will bear some specific hallmarks in increasing measure and developing maturity.

Biblical music…

…glorifies God: It may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at the amount of Christian music in existence which draws attention to us more than to the Lord. Good worship music points people to God, lifting the soul’s eyes up to Heaven and putting life’s trials in the context of his unchanging character and overarching purpose.

In that respect, worship music is always humble, whether it manifests as quiet reverence or joyful noise; ultimately all the sounds we make as part of worship should be about him and for him, not about and for us. We can be blessed, healed and delivered through the Lord ministering to us in times of worship, but these are wonderful by-products which should never eclipse worship’s main goal.

…edifies believers: Godly music feeds the new man, not the old sinful self, speaking truth into the human spirit and encouraging the growth of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In other words, if music always takes us somewhere, godly music encourages us in the direction of Heaven, not Hell (Eph 4:1), stirring up the spirit, not the flesh!

As such, in congregational contexts, it builds up the Body of Christ around the truths of Scripture, binding believers together in the same faith and the same hope.

…proclaims scriptural truth: Whether directly quoted or not, godly music is rich in the truths and principles of Scripture: not selectively, nor manipulatively, but comprehensively, clearly and in good faith. Feeding on biblical music can be a fantastic way to memorise Scripture. The word is sharper than a double-edged sword (Heb 4:12), and truly biblical music will allow its refining power to cut us to the quick, even as we sing. And in forthtelling the word of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, godly music will naturally have a prophetic edge.

In these ways, lyrical substance is more important than musical style, though style is obviously not morally or spiritually neutral, being an outflow of the writer’s heart (as we unpacked in the second part of this series). Instrumental music inspired by biblical truth will bear witness to godly principles, such as [creative] order and moral decency (1 Cor 14:40).

Biblical music builds up the Body of Christ around the truths of Scripture, binding believers together in the same faith and the same hope.

…is offered in the right spirit: one of humble surrender, true faith and glad obedience, on the part of both writers and worshippers. The creation of godly music demands hearts that are in the right place before God - not seeking to bend music’s power to selfish ends, or to force God’s hand or work up a particular atmosphere. It is the new age that uses music in a spirit of control – not biblical Christianity, which offers it up freely as part of a sacrifice of praise, allowing God to work through it as he wills.²

This does not require fleshly perfection, but rather new life birthed through true faith, cleansed by the blood of Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. As such, biblical music flows from, and is inspired through, communion with God.³

…has good roots: I would recommend reading about some of the great hymn writers, such as the Wesleys, Fanny Crosby, John Newton and Isaac Watts, to see what faithful and surrendered lives they led. I’m not saying that one must be perfect to write good Christian music, but it is certainly important that both song-writers and worship leaders practise what they preach and remain sound in their theology.

As intimated last week, there are many modern Christian worship leaders who are personally dabbling in wrong teaching. This will undoubtedly show up, sooner or later, in what they write and sing. Good roots bear good fruits.

In Spirit and Truth

So, biblical music glorifies God, edifies believers, proclaims scriptural truth, is offered in the right spirit and has good roots. Its emotive, creative, intellectual and skilful elements are thus put to work for good spiritual ends, through the power of the Holy Spirit. These principles can perhaps be summed up using Jesus’ definition of true worship: godly music is good in spirit and in truth.

Let me re-iterate here how important it is that we learn to be discerning about musical worship. According to John Calvin, “there is hardly anything in the world with more power to turn the morals of men” than music.⁴ Even agnostic composer Ralph Vaughan Williams wrote: “Good music for worship is a moral issue. The eternal gospel cannot be commended with disposable, fashionable music styles, otherwise there is the implication that the gospel itself is somehow disposable and temporary.”⁵

Arguing over styles has sadly often been the raison d’etre of the Church, but when it comes to biblical principle, rather than taste, there is reason to get passionate – for the music we imbibe will both shape and witness to our walk with the Lord.

Godly music is offered up in a spirit of humble surrender, true faith and glad obedience, on the part of both writers and worshippers.

Music ‘In the World’

How does all of this apply, then, to music that we engage with in contexts other than direct worship – e.g. for enjoyment, community or personal improvement? It is immediately clear that we cannot easily apply the same criteria used to weigh worship music to music emanating from the secular realm. Nevertheless, all of our musical activity should still bear witness to our call to serve and honour God with our whole beings, for “whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Cor 10:31).

There is, of course, a time and a place for all kinds of musical activity, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer” (1 Tim 4:4-5; also Ecc 3:1-8). I am sure that God loves music even more than we do – and desires us to enjoy it, build relationships through it, and bear witness through it to his beauty and creativity, just as naturally as birds sing their unique songs. But, permit me to make two further comments on how we can be godly in this.

First, music must always retain in its proper place – in submission to our worship of God - and used for good purpose, not squandered.⁶ We are not to be hedonists - lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (2 Tim 3:1-4) - nor are we to love the things of the world (James 4:4). We must take care that enjoying God’s good gift does not descend into idolatry of any kind. This applies especially to musicians and worship leaders.

Secondly, we ought to take care that we feed ourselves – and others - on good things, even for entertainment and relaxation. These things require discernment, and the Holy Spirit’s leading, for not everything is beneficial or constructive for us (1 Cor 10:23).

Let us take inspiration then, from Philippians 4:8 to round off this series: “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about [listen to/sing/play?] such things.”

Recommended Material

The Family that Worships Together, Episode 5: Music in Worship. National Center for Family-Integrated Churches.

Testing music in the church’, by Sandy Simpson. Deceptioninthechurch.com, October 2000.

‘Entertainment as Worship - Worship as Entertainment’ by Douglas Bond, 22 February 2018.

‘The Christian and Entertainment’, by Rev D Kuiper. Truthaccordingtoscripture.com.

References

1 Thanks particularly to the comments made by pastors in this video.

2 “Musical conditioning is not the same as the Holy Spirit challenging the mind to think, the spirit to be still, and the heart to be humbled in the presence of God.” John Blanchard – quoted here.

3 Many top musicians admit that their best compositions weren’t ‘made’, but somehow ‘found’ – as if they were already there, waiting to be discovered. This perhaps shows music’s spiritual dimension – and so the importance of making and enjoying it in communion with God, looking to him for inspiration rather than inside ourselves…or anywhere else.

4 Preface to the Genevan Psalter of 1545. Quoted here.

5 Preface to The English Hymnal. Ibid.

6 ‘The Christian and Entertainment’, by Rev D Kuiper. Truthaccordingtoscripture.com

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.