What Is God’s Will?

The Bible makes abundant reference to the use and place of music within the worship services. I assume the reader is familiar with the extensive musical and vocal liturgy of the Old Testament worship services. In the New Testament we find reference to the place and use of music, particularly in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (compare with Colossians 3:16).

This text is sometimes quoted to defend the legitimacy of using hymns besides the psalms, since the Word of God itself mentions it. The distinctive meaning of the various words, “psalms,” “hymns,” and “spiritual songs,” is not certain. “Psalms” primarily pointed to “a striking or twitching with the fingers on musical instruments”; later it more specifically came to denote “a sacred song sung to the musical accompaniment.” The word “hymn” means “a song of praise addressed to God.” This word is also found in Matthew 26:30, referring to Jesus’ singing before they went out in the night. This “hymn singing” of Jesus was actually part of the Jewish Passover ceremony. The Jews would sing the “Hallel Psalms” at this occasion, which consisted of Psalms 113-118.

Lastly, the word “song” is always used in the New Testament (as well as in the Greek translation of the Old Testament) for praise of God or Christ. Since it is a generic word, the apostle adds the adjective “spiritual.” When we trace the use of this word in the book of Revelation (5:9 and 14:3), you will observe that indeed the theme is the praise of God or Christ. Matthew Poole and the Dutch marginal notes add that the spiritual songs not only included praise but also doctrinal, prophetical, and historical teachings.

When we compare this text to the book of Psalms and search whether these various nuances in intent and content are found among the sacred, inspired songs, then we must conclude that the various components of this New Testament command are fully satisfied. There are the songs of praises to God and Christ, songs of prophetical meaning for all times, as well as songs which worship God by way of historical review of all His great deeds.

However, it would be difficult to defend from this text that the use of spiritual songs and hymns of praise is absolutely forbidden. Throughout the ages many of God’s children and servants blessed with poetic talents have composed beautiful songs. Such songs can be and often are used with great edification. What beautiful lessons are captured in the moving song of McCheyne, Jehovah Tsidkenu, or what precious instruction in Cowper’s song, God Moves in a Mysterious Way! What encouragement one can glean from Luther’s A Mighty Fortress! How impressive are the thoughts in John Newton’s song, Amazing Grace. No, the singing of such songs cannot be unscriptural or objectionable.

Looking around in the various like-minded denominations, one may also become confused. Our Strict Baptist brothers have composed the Gadsby’s Hymnal, which they use in their worship services. On the other hand, godly men and women in the Lree Presbyterian Churches of Scotland will not use any songs other than the original Geneva Psalms, which are one of the most faithful renderings of the biblical songs into English. Likewise it is our practice to use exclusively our Psalter during the worship services.

Yet our practice of singing only psalters within our worship services is good. It may be mainly historical. A former Roman senator once said, “He who knows only his own generation remains forever a child.” In other words, we must learn from history in order to avoid mistakes. When we trace the results of the introduction of uninspired hymns into churches, it often has led ( sometimes generations later! ) to the introduction of doctrinal error. Why does that happen? I think that is related to two issues.

First, there is the issue of “Where do we draw the line? Which hymns are acceptable and which are not?” New hymns are proposed to be introduced which may be objectionable at first, but eventually find acceptance. Such discussion and struggles are avoided when we stick as closely as possible to the metric versions of the Psalms which we sing in our worship services.

Secondly, when we depart a “little bit” from the truth today, it will become a large departure in the future. In the second commandment the LORD commands us not to worship Him through graven images. If we make a graven image ( also mentally or in song ) of Him, this sinful misrepresentation will show itself in the “third and fourth generation.” Therefore, slight departures in songs today may bring about an entire misrepresentation of the doctrines of Scripture several generations later.

The safest and wisest course for us, with an eye on our future generations, is to stay with the practice to limit ourselves exclusively to the Psalms in our worship services. In anticipation of your question whether you may use them privately in the family circle, we would counsel that you do so only occasionally and on a limited basis. Our families are, by the grace of God, the nursing ground of our churches. If we make our children more familiar with the hymns than the psalters at home, we create confusion in them. The same counsel holds for our schools. Let us seek to instill the precious truths embodied in the psalters into the minds of our youth.

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