What Should be the Main Ingredient of Gospel Music? Read more...

• Today, the Gospel music has little place for lyrics glorifying God and more concentrated on music. The lyrics and the music are composed to stir up people emotionally. What they are failing to see is that the joy that comes from singing is not just emotional but rather “joy of salvation” and “spiritual enlightenment”. The significant part of music is the lyrics – that is, the words that are sung with it. They are very important. The idea about speaking “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”, as we read in Eph 5:19, is that we glorify God through the words that are coming with that music. A true believer cherishes the melody of lyrics that are Bible based rather than the music.

Eph 5:19 “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;”

Col 3:16 “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.”

• If we look at the lyrics of Hymns of old and today's contemporary Christian music, we will see the difference. Today's lyrics only contain phrases like 'I magnify you', 'I glorify you', 'I praise you' and so on repetitively, nothing on reason why. The lyrics of our songs should reflect the broad themes of Scripture and should contain the Word of God richly. Lets ask ourselves, if the teaching of our church was limited to the songs we sing, what would our people ever know or learn about God from these songs? In Deu 31, God uses music to help his people remember his words.

Deu 31:19 “Now therefore write ye this song for you, and teach it the children of Israel: put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel.”

Exodus 15:1 “Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.”

Psa 119:54 “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.”

Psa 96:1-3 “O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. 2Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. 3Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people.”

Psa 33:3 “Sing unto him a new song; play skilfully with a loud noise.”

• And What is this “new song” that God has placed on the lips of all Believers? This refers to the rejoicing of the believers for the Salvation God has provided them. We even read about God Himself singing with joy over His body of believers in Zep 3.

Psa 40:3 “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD.” 

Psa 98:1 “O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm [Lord Jesus], hath gotten him the victory [Salvation for his people].”

Isa 12:2 “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.”

Isa 51:3 “For the LORD shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody.”

Isa 35:10 “And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.”

Zep 3:17 “The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.”

• There will be great rejoicing with singing and harp music in Heaven as God completes His salvation plan for mankind, as we read in Rev 14:2-3. The host of heaven is not united in their style of music but in the words of their song. What kind of music do people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation sing, as seen in Book of Revelation? We don't know! But the Bible tells us what the focus should be: Worthy is the Lamb who was slain. The Lamb must always be central to our corporate singing. Why? Because Jesus is the one who made it possible. God doesn't hear us on account of our skill in singing. He hears it because it is in his Son. We shouldn't look for music to move us to sing. God has already done something worthy of moving us. How can we then keep from singing? O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation (Psa 95:1).

Rev 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation;”

Rev 14:2-3 “And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: 3And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand (144000 represents the completeness of God's Elect), which were redeemed from the earth.”

Rev 15:3 “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.”