SEP 4

Colossians 3:16
Memorise 2 Timothy 3:16
“…teaching and admonishing one another…”

DO THE SONGS THAT YOU SING TEACH AND ADMONISH YOU?

Colossians 3:16 is oft-quoted: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Paul exhorts us to let God’s Word dwell in us; to inhabit us and reside in us.

The focus here is not only on the spoken Word, but also the Word expressed in song. It is human nature to sing, and the more our songs also reflect the Word, then surely the Word will stay in us all the more, leading us to wisdom in spiritual matters. There are three types of songs we can sing. Jewish Christians after conversion would still love to sing the 150 Psalms, and thus are not forbidden from doing so at all though no longer a Jew. Hymns are songs of praise to God that are meant for public worship. In contrast, spiritual songs are meant to be sung in private, not directly praising God but rather encouraging us Christians spiritually, but like hymns every lyric reflects God’s Word. The purpose of such songs are to teach (doctrine, instruction in righteousness) and admonish (reproof, correction), just as 2 Timothy 3:16 states the function of the Word of God is, as shown in parenthesis. Songs can only perform these functions if they are sung to profit others (one another…singing with grace), and if they are sung both in tongue as well as in thought, and if they are sung to the Lord. If for example songs are sung to glorify the singer, the audience is not taught but is instead only entertained. If songs are only mouthed but not meant, they can hardly teach or admonish the singer.

I wonder whether you can honestly say that the songs that you sing teach and admonish you. Certainly secular songs almost never admonish us, for the world that buys such songs do not want to be admonished, for they love the darkness of sin. Secular songs seldom teach us: whatever little there is in the song that resembles Christian doctrine is drowned in a pool of worldliness and desire. I would rather let myself be taught and admonished by the hymn “I wonder, have I done my best for Jesus”, then to let my heart be fed with lustful lyrics. I rather meditate upon the spiritual song “The Lord is My Shepherd”, that through singing it teaches me even more about the words of Psalm 23 that I knew before, than to tap in rhythm to a seductive drum beat heralding ungodly lyrics. I would rather join in a wholehearted congregational singing of praises to Almighty God, than to marvel at gifted individuals for having gifted voices that croon worldly songs.

Thought: Am I desiring both the secular and spiritual equally?
Prayer: May my songs reflect my desire to walk worthy of the Lord.