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Question about appropriate music during worship services.....

Question: As reformed Christians, we pride ourselves in doing only what the Lord commanded us. Nothing more, nothing less. I read once that the Bible commands us to sing songs to the glory of God in worship, but never mentions writing them. If this is so, why do we continue to use hymns written by man, instead of using only the Psalms given to us in God's Word? Please clear up this matter for me. Thank you.

Response:

Your question dealing with “Exclusive Psalmody in Worship” is one that merits serious treatment and study, not only because it involves an issue which denominations and bodies within the Presbyterian Church disagree upon today, but more importantly because it involves the appropriateness, acceptability, assemblance, assertion and acclamation of our worship before God. As the Westminster Divines clearly pointed out, “… the acceptable way of worshipping the true God is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imaginations and devices of men, or the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representation, or any other way not prescribed in the holy Scripture” (WCF Ch XXI, para I). Additionally, in the Larger Catechism, we read “The duties required in the second commandment are, the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath instituted in his word…”; and “The sins forbidden in the second commandment are, all devising, counseling, commanding, using, and any wise approving, any religious worship not instituted by God himself…corrupting the worship of God, adding to it, or taking from it, whether invented and taken up of ourselves, or received by tradition from others, though under the title of antiquity, custom, devotion, good intent, or any other pretence whatsoever;…and opposing the worship and ordinances which God hath appointed.” In this light, your question, though it forms a point of worthy and scriptural debate between individuals & bodies of believers, is not simply a question of “WHO is right and WHO is wrong?”, but “HOW God intends to be worshipped among his covenant people?”, a question that impacts each and everyone of us, as we offer to him the sacrifice of praise in keeping with his holy and revealed will in worship.

To begin with, this question is NOT NEW, and has RECEIVED EXTENSIVE TREATMENT, not only by Christians throughout the body of Christ, but by Presbyterians as well. I commend to your reading, not only the Ten reasons why the Associate Reformed Pres. Chuch adheres to the exclusive use of the inspired psalter (a work that supports Exclusive Psalmody); but even moreso the Report of the Committee on Song in the Public Worship of God Presented to the Thirteenth and Fourteenth General Assemblies of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (a work that commends the frequent use of the Psalms in worship, but concludes “The content of song, then, like the content of our prayer, need not be restricted to the very words of Scripture, although it must be assuredly Scriptural in teaching.”) I commend these works, not only because they do a reasonable job carefully avoiding “all side issues and arguments ‘ad hominem,’” and confine their attention “exclusively to the Scripture as the sole and sufficient arbiter on this subject”, and not only because they highlight and address significant issues on both sides of the debate, but because in reading the material, I believe one will come to a greater appreciation for using the Psalms (more) in worship, a practice that would benefit and be edifying both in and to the congregations of those who hold to the latter view, such as our own.

Rather than repeating the arguments made in the works mentioned above (which deal extensively with major issues such as: the need for all our worship to be in keeping with the teaching of God’s Word, and therefore the need for us to bring all our thoughts and practices under the scrutiny of God Word; the meaning of Paul’s exhortation in Eph. 5 where he writes “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord…” and in Col 3 where he writes “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.”; the similarities and differences between addressing God in song and in prayer; as well as the testimony of the history of the church, both in Scripture and in times following the closing of the canon, etc.), … Let me suggest (affirm) the position taken by the Orthodox Presbyterian Church to be that which is best in keeping with the teaching of Scripture concerning the overall issue itself, and let me ADD the following additions as points of evidence and encouragement:

The issue here, is not just whether we can write songs, but whether such songs not included in Scripture, may be used in the common worship of God by his people.

The distinctive and historical stance and practice of Presbyterians of only allowing that which God “commands” in worship, includes not only that which is expressly “commanded” in Scripture, but also that which can be “deduced” from Scripture such as those things “prescribed”, “appointed” or instituted in Scripture, including that which can be taken from examples in Scripture.

The history of the church in Scripture shows that worship was required of God’s people prior to the “composing”, collecting, and recording of the Psalms in the Canon.

Since this is true, one must either assume that God did not allow ANY singing those

times, or that songs of some other content were acceptable before him. While one may

rightly assert that according to the progressive time in which the Psalms were provided,

these songs were available and able to be sung by God’s people (such as the song of

Moses in Ex 15) but one could also argue that during such times before the final collection

of the Psalms in the sacred Scripture, it would have been difficult at best for God’s people

to know which songs were or were not to be used. Note: while one could argue that by

necessity God could and/or would have allowed other songs to be used prior to the

provision of the Psalms later being recorded in Scripture for the purpose of his worship;

the point is that other songs MUST have been acceptable before God in worship. One

could go further to state that the primary reason for Moses and the Israelites singing the

song to the Lord in Ex. 15 was not because it was necessarily known to be included in the

future book of Scripture, but because the present experience and deliverance of the

Israelites called for such worship.

The worship of angels demonstrates that songs other than those expressly recorded in Scripture are suitable for God’s worship.

In Lk 2: 13, a “great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God

and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor

rests.’” Note, here, in an assembly of worship in which a song of praise is offered up to

God, a song is offered (and we can assume accepted by God) that is NOT a part of the

Book of Psalms. One might argue that this is worship offered by angels and not men;

but should we not imitate the practice and worship of those sent and approved of by God

in their worship, be they angels or men?

The worship of heaven as found in the Book of Revelation is replete with songs and sayings used in worship that are not explicitly set forth in the Book of Psalms. (Rev 5:9-10, 12, 13; 15:3-4, etc.)

One could argue that this is the worship of heaven and not that of the corporate worship

of God’s people on earth. But again should we not imitate and participate in that which

is real and lasting and eternal, those things that are accepted as approved worship in the

“most holy place”? As the proponents of exclusive psalmody clearly point out, Paul tells

us to set our hearts and minds on “things above.” (Col 3:2)

Though it can be clearly shown that the Psalms are to be read and sung, it cannot be proven convincingly that it’s primary purpose is to serve as the ONLY source of content for music within the church.

The Scripture, and even the Book of Psalms, is full of references to making and singing a “new song” to the Lord. (Ps 33:1, 96:1; Isa 42:10; Rev 5:9, 14:3; etc.)

Clearly in Ps 33:1-2 this practice of singing a new song to the Lord is to be done “day

after day” and so it is not limited to those inspired writers of Scripture. Likewise, in Isa

42:10, the application is to “all” who live and find themselves in these situations, even to

the “ends of the earth”.

Though there are numerous examples in Scripture where God deals severely with those who fail to “adhere rigidly” to his declared will; in each of these cases, there can be found clear evidence of disobedience and unfaithfulness to God’s clear directive. While it is true the proponents of Exclusive Psalmody use this argument only to address the significance of the issue itself, the warning might (also or) better be applied to their position in “adding to” the requirements of Scripture.

In the same way that one can “add to” the Scripture by affirming songs that are not sanctioned by God’s word, one can “add to’ the Scripture by adding requirements that are not sanctioned in God’s word.

Finally, the testimony and witness of the church testifies to the use of other than Psalms being useful in the corporate worship of God.

This is NOT to say that the church has not or does not err, for certainly it has in the past

at various times and on a variety of issues; but at the same time, the rich history of the

church in using and benefiting from the gifts and songs of its members throughout the

ages is NOT to be ignored or discarded without due consideration.

Scripture tells us that God receives worship in many ways, from many objects, and in many forms that are not “inspired” in the same way that the Psalms are.

While we are not to confuse the corporate worship of God with the worship rendered to

God throughout all creation in every sphere of life; it should be noted that God is

worshipped throughout all creation, even by the beasts of the field and the birds of the

air which offer songs of their own kind to God. While there songs of the field and songs

of corporate worship, the point is that a song does not have to be “inspired” according to

the authority of Scripture to be acceptable before God. It is incumbent upon the

proponents of Exclusive Psalmody to prove that this standard is required for corporate

worship.

In concluding, let me state that the purpose of this response has not been to impugn the persons, intents, motives, scholarship, or methods used by the proponents of Exclusive Psalmody in expressing their views. Rather, the purpose has been to answer your question, to provide new light on this subject that might be useful in continuing the discussion among fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and to expose the readers to additional points made in (and provided by…) God’s word as they relate to this subject.

May God’s church continue to glorify him with songs of praise! May we be scriptural in all that we offer to him! … and May there be both peace and harmony among God’s people, even as we discuss and work out the issues where we differ!

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