And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit: speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of Christ. – Ephesians 5:18-21
Singing and worship are an important part of the church today. Many are unaware that this is intended to be more than an emotional expression or avenue for artistic release for the believer. In Scripture, singing is not merely emotional expression but a vehicle of discipleship, teaching, and unity in the truth of God. In its earliest instances, song was used to pass on oral tradition. It was a way of memorizing the work of God and passing the story on to others. We see examples of this in the songs of Moses (Exodus 15, Deuteronomy 32). David, known for his heart of worship, also wrote songs. We have a collection of these in the Book of Psalms. While it is true, these were expressions of the heart of the author, they serve to teach us deeper truth about the character and nature of God.
This continued throughout Israel’s history and even poured into the first-century church. At the last supper, Jesus and the disciples are said to have sung a hymn around the table (Matthew 26:30). Even Jesus lifted His voice in worship of the Father, but what did He sing? Knowing that His betrayal and death were coming soon, what song could have been appropriate? Many believe what was sung is known as the “Hallel” or the “Egyptian Hallel,” a collection of psalms (Psalm 113-118 in particular). These were traditionally sung after the Passover meal and are named such because of the common occurrence of “Hallelujah!”, which means “Praise the Lord!”
This hymn was one of praise, but it was more than words of adoration. It was truth magnifying the Lord through song. It is a progression of praise – from God’s character (Psalm 113), to His deliverance (Psalm 114), to His faithfulness (Psalm 115-118). These are not songs expressing fleeting emotion. They are not songs meant to exalt the singer. This collection of songs paints a rich, theological, and even historical picture of the character and work of the Lord. This is how Jesus sang with His disciples, even in the face of death, and this should be the focus of our singing!
This type of singing serves to honor the Lord in a way different than study and prayer. It unites those participating in glorifying God, giving them common words and ideas while allowing individual expression of them. The style or method of expression is not the ultimate goal in this type of singing, though. Corporate worship should still have the focus of passing on truth about God for His glory. The passage from Ephesians 5 makes a stark contrast between self-indulgence and honoring God through corporate worship.
Verse 18 presents the idea of drunkenness and reckless living against Spirit-filled living. Verses 19 through 21 reveal what Spirit-filled living looks like: engaging with other believers in corporate worship that is truth-telling, God-glorifying, and church-edifying while humbly considering others for the sake of revering Christ. It is important to note that we do not see anything in this passage that would lead one to believe that individual worship is for the satisfaction of the worshiper.
Given the context of this passage, it is difficult for one to simply regard worship music as an expression of one’s heart. It must be more than this. Paul’s encouragement from Ephesians 5 shows that singing is meant to bring order and purpose to the body of believers. This goes hand-in-hand with another encouragement of Paul to the church in Corinth. In 1 Corinthians 1, Paul addresses division within the church. This division between believers seemed to concern the leader or the tradition they followed. In 1 Corinthians 1:10, Paul encourages the church to agree together in what they say. It was important for there to be agreement, not just for the church to move forward, but for it to grow stronger together rather than weaker through division.
Paul’s concern for unity was not only about leadership allegiances, but also about shared truth. This extends naturally to the songs the church sings. Singing errant doctrine is just as dangerous, if not more so, than hearing it preached from the pulpit. You may mentally disagree with a preacher, but if you are professing error congregationally because you like the way the song makes you feel, you have traded foundational truth for a convenient lie and opened the door for more division within the church. This is a far greater problem than having a preference regarding leadership, and thus Paul’s words here should ring even more important in regard to this.
When believers come together to worship God, we have the unique opportunity to agree together on whom we worship. We have the blessed opportunity to speak together, encouraging one another, with the truth of who God is, how He works, and what He desires of his people. We point out what He has done for us and His holiness. Worship is meant to bring the church together in the truth of God. Unfortunately, it often brings the church together based on how they feel about God. While I would never condemn an emotional response to the goodness of God, we must not waste this opportunity we have by glorifying our emotions instead of the Lord. When truth about God grips us, it naturally stirs holy joy, gratitude, and awe. If this does not happen, we may not fully understand the gravity of His mercy and grace. When we come together to worship, we must not let seeing these emotions become the purpose, driving response over content. We must be careful to heed the call of the apostle to speak truth with one another, encouraging one another with the blessed truth of God we find in Scripture.
It is with this mindset that worship and singing become an integral part of discipleship as it was originally intended. It is then that, through our worship, we pass down the tradition of truth we find in God‘s Word. It is here that deep theology is meant to be taught to old and young alike. It is in these songs that we are meant to encourage one another with who God is. Worshipping together in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) is one way in which believers can ensure their actions in worship are pleasing to God (Psalm 133:1). When we lift our voices together in song, we have the unique opportunity to practice what we’re meant to do for all eternity.
The scene in Revelation 4 of the living creatures and Elders worshiping before the throne for all eternity should be in our minds as we gather to worship. In verse 11, their song rings out, “Our Lord and God, you are worthy to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things and by your will they exist and were created.” Even in heaven with full revelation of God and all His glory, rather than sing of how God makes them feel, they proclaim the eternal truths of the Lord! To think our job of worship here on earth is any different than this is to misunderstand what true worship is.
Discipleship should prepare the believer for eternity by way of preparing them for the present. Worship is a vital part of the church gathering and should be treated seriously. Put simply, we are what we sing. If our worship aims only to stir emotion apart from truth, we risk becoming emotionally driven people. In that case, we are more connected with our feelings than with the Creator Himself. If we devote ourselves to singing truths about God’s person and work through Christ, we will grow in that knowledge and our ability to share it with others. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so (Psalm 107:2)!
Those leading worship can put this into practice by evaluating songs for theological truth. All worshipers should commit to memorizing scripture to ensure they are able to evaluate what they sing and its accuracy. As you do so, consider memorizing those songs that prove to be deep wells of theological truth so they are available to your mind at all times and not tethered to a projector, screen, or hymnal. In doing so, our singing becomes a fruitful part of purposeful discipleship. So, sing joyfully, play skillfully, praise loudly, but above all, speak truthfully together!
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