There
are many instances of hymn singing mentioned in the Bible; at large, it
contains over 400 references to singing and 50 direct commands to sing. We're
commanded twice in the New Testament to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs
(Ephesians 5:19; Colossians
3:16).
The
singing of hymns has always been a part of the Christian tradition since the
earliest days of the Church. In fact, early on, Christians were
specifically
identified as "those people who gathered at dawn to sing hymns". It
is certain that the early Christians modeled their worship after the Jewish
Synagogue. Consequently, all traditions of Judaism informed the hymn singing
practices of the early Christians, especially the Psalms, the Old Testament
Canticles, the liturgical music of the Synagogue, the reading of the Torah in
the Synagogue - it wasn't read, it was CHANTED. The singing of hymns extends
back to the sacred ceremonies of the ancient Israelite Temple of Jerusalem and
beyond. Biblical scholar Margaret Barker has stated, “The Psalms were the hymn
book of the temple, and in them we glimpse something of the ancient liturgy.”
Let’s
look at some reasons why congregational hymn singing is so important in the
life of a church that wants to worship.
Hymns teach theology: Biblical
scholar Gordon Fee says, “Show me a church’s songs, and I’ll show you their
theology.” And if that’s true, we should be horrified at the sorts of things
we’ve let ourselves get away with singing. Hymn-singing always carries a
message in the corporate worship by adding a new dimension to the beautiful
truth of the Christian story. If the songs we sing don’t inform, enrich, or
edify our faith and mission, they simply aren’t worth singing. Bad worship
begets bad theology. Bad theology begets a weak church. If we are what we
sing, we should begin with the wealth of hymnody that has endured.
Singing
hymns is one of the ways that the Word of God dwells in us richly: Have
you ever noticed how easy it is to recall the words of songs you haven't heard
for 20 years? We store literally hundreds, even thousands of songs in our
memory vaults. Music has an unusual mnemonic power. We remember patterns in
music much better than patterns in words alone. Rhyme, meter and song are the
most powerful mnemonic devices. Notice in Deuteronomy 31 that God uses music to
help his people remember his words. As we sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs together, we are promised that the Word of Christ will dwell in us richly
– which is what we should crave as believers! Our singing of hymns is more than
a warm-up for the sermon or a filler in the liturgical service. Colossians 3:16
is clearly laying out for us that: Singing stands alongside of preaching as
one of the two great ways that God has ordained for His Word to dwell RICHLY in
each one of us! C.J. Mahaney calls church hymn singing a “Take Home
Theology,” because the hymns we sing together end up serving you as a 3 minute,
easily memorizable, deeply biblical summary of important truths from Scripture.
Hymn singing solidifies and teaches
spiritual truth: Colossians 3:16 says, “Teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,” and “singing with
grace in your hearts,” will help the “word of Christ dwell in you
richly in all wisdom.” To quote Robert Shaw again, “The basic premise of
music is communication…expressible best by music or possibly even only by
music.” This is also the main reason we should be certain our congregational
songs are doctrinally correct.
Singing
hymns unifies the congregation: As
recorded in 2 Chronicles 5:13, at the dedication of the second temple
the Bible tells us, “The trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one
sound.” Robert Shaw, the greatest choral conductor of the twentieth
century, said, “That’s the point of a choir or a congregation, doing the same
thing together at the same time.” Churches today have people coming from
different backgrounds and from distractions and complications of living in the
twenty-first century. When the congregation meets, the best way to get everyone
thinking together and preparing their hearts to hear the Word of God is
congregational singing that is heartfelt and vibrant. Think of the marvelous
blessing that can come to a congregation as the people with one voice sing a
song. Any good hymn book will have many songs that can unite a congregation in
prayer. When people are right with God, they always seek to praise Him, and one
of the best ways for a congregation to do this is by singing heartily together.
The congregational hymn singing can aid in
revival: Psalm 85 is titled “To the chief Musician,” and verse 6 says, “Wilt
thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” A study of
revivals in the Bible and great revivals of the past reveals that they have
always been characterized by live, vital, and fervent congregational singing.
Henry Halley’s Bible Handbook admonishes its readers: “Under proper
leadership, the hymns of a vast congregation could be made to rise like the
swell of an ocean’s roar, and cause angels in Heaven to lean over and listen.” In
the book of Nehemiah, (which emphasizes the rebuilding of the walls of
Jerusalem and the national revival that accompanied it) music and singing play
such a large part in the revival that it is mentioned more than twenty times.
Singing hymns enables us to think about
the words more carefully: Music is a language of emotion in
every culture of every age. It is capable of affecting us in profound and
subtle ways (like when Saul's spirit was calmed by David's harp). Music helps
us engage emotionally with the words we're singing also by stretching things
out. It gives us time to think about the words more carefully. Consider the
repetition of Psalm
136
or the hymn "It Is Well." Through repetition the words and emotions
are amplified.
Hymns
display a social consciousness: An awareness of others is
conspicuously missing from the self-aggrandizing penchant of modern corporate
worship. But the idea that our faith should radically impact the way we relate
to the world around us has long been a part of the hymn tradition through the
likes of Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley, Fanny Crosby. And through the pens of
recent hymn-writers, such as Fred Pratt Green, Brian Wren, and Ruth Duck, we’ve
seen a renewed focus on singing this important part of our faith.
Not
long ago, hymn-singing was an inextricable part of corporate worship in essentially
every Christian faith tradition. Fast forward a few decades to 2017, and
vibrant hymn-singing is all but lost in most evangelical circles, and has a
diminished presence in desperate mainline denominations.
As corporate
worship, singing must be done with an eye towards God and his church and not
merely inwardly. For John Wesley, singing is a harmonious act of worship in tune,
tempo, and sound, but also in spiritual unity for love of God and one another. Collectively,
Wesley’s principles on hymn singing foster a deeper understanding of the priesthood of all
believers. We take courage as a body of priests. Not laying our confidence in
the sound of our voices, but in knowing as priests our words of praise glorify
God through the mediation of Christ.
As
Martin Luther said, "Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest
praise." When music and the Word of God are combined, a powerful force for
good is unleashed. The singing of hymns encourages the best of the Christian
faith. Again, in the words of Luther,
"The gift of language combined with
the gift of song was given to mankind to let him know that he should praise God
with both word and music." Luther again said he gave the German people the
Bible and the hymn book in their own tongue, “So that God might speak directly
to them in His Word, and that they might directly answer Him in their
songs.”
Hymns are a
valuable aid to worship because they help to focus our attention on the
goodness and glory of the Lord. The hymn “How Great Thou Art,” for example,
reminds us of God’s majesty revealed in creation, His perfect sacrifice on the
cross, and His coming return for His own. The classic hymns of Martin Luther,
Isaac Watts, Fanny Crosby, Charles Wesley, and many others have blessed
millions of Christians through the centuries.
Singing
great hymns is as critical for today's Christian as it was for the fourth
century church. For God still uses the hymn as a powerful tool to train the
mind to focus on theological truth and to invoke the grace of the Spirit. In
singing a hymn, the mind is nourished and the spirit lifted as this thrice holy
God becomes the object of worship and adoration. Singing a hymn is not only a
great privilege, it is truly a great spiritual opportunity! It is a way of reinforcing the
gospel message to the congregation. Let’s pray that God would
revive churches today with a resurgence of congregational hymn singing.
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