Can a Christian worship God using music from a church with unbiblical teachings?

If then there are no inspired hymns preserved for use in the assemblies of the saints, what is there to guide the believer today, seeing there are many thousands of hymns extant in the English tongue alone? A selection must unavoidably be made; and the question presents itself as to what principles should be followed in the selection. This however goes rather beyond the main subject of these letters which is the singing rather than the selection of hymns. The recent articles on this topic in the B.T. will be of great service in this direction, especially if the references made are carefully studied.

But a further remark may be helpful to you as an individual in the actual matter of singing. One criterion alone there is by which to judge what should or should not be sung. And that criterion is the scripture of truth. It cannot be too much insisted on that the Father seeks that singing as well as every other form of worship should be "in truth." The spiritual understanding is enlightened that it may offer intelligent praise. So that when a hymn is proposed to be sung, its sentiments should be carefully compared with the teaching of the word, not of course in a spirit of petty carping criticism, but in the fear of the Lord. For it must not be overlooked that there is a wide difference between perusing a hymn in private and in singing the same, whether in home devotion or in the assembly. In reading a hymn we view it as the production of a certain author and seek to discover its beauty and correctness; but in singing it to the Lord, we make its expressions our own; hence the importance that as far as possible they should be in strict accordance with the only standard of truth. How shall we justify ourselves to the Lord for singing to Him what we know or what we ought to know is contrary to the plain teaching of His own word

As the term "psalms" has been quoted more than once, a few additional words seem called for upon the use of the Jewish psalter in the worship of Christian assemblies. And it is truly lamentable to think that saints should so far close their eyes to the true character of the Christian calling and hopes as delineated in the New Testament, as to adopt, as the expression of their own hearts, words and sentiments which are utterly incongruous with their own status before God.

The action of singing enlarges the heart and the mind, and leads to a more practical acquaintance with truth. Just as man's mental and physical powers are developed and strengthened by exercise, so it is with the faculties and emotions of the believer's spiritual nature. The hymn affords a suitable channel for the outflow of the affections and aspirations of the soul, which react in blessing and profit to the singer. So that, if in the words of the Psalmist, "It is a good thing to give thanks unto Jehovah and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High" (Ps. 92:1), it is not less so to sing praise unto the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, it is a notable fact that singing is a means of deeply embedding truth (or, alas! that it should be so, error) in a person's heart. There is an extravagant paradox that is often quoted, to the effect that if a man had the making of a nation's ballads, he need not care who had the making of its laws. Whatever the degree of truth this may contain, it is certain that sacred hymnology has an incalculable effect upon Christian thought and belief. Scriptural hymns exercise a sanctifying and instructive influence whenever sung; while on the contrary an unsound hymn, whatever its "beauty" as a composition, injures and does not help. How many hearts have thrilled with fervent adoration as they have joined in Watts' "When I survey the wondrous cross," etc., or in Hart's "How good is the God we adore," etc. And on the other hand how many hearts have been blinded as to the fact of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit by the many hymns, which pray for His present coming or His outpouring, such as, "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator blest, Vouchsafe within our souls to rest, etc." Such sentiments entirely overlook the Lord's promise that the Comforter should come to abide forever (John 14:16), and expressly deny that Acts 2 was the fulfilment of that promise; and the mass, who are alas! not accustomed to "prove all things," through singing such hymns receive this false and mischievous unbelief to the damage of their own souls.

It behoves us therefore to take heed what we sing. And the only infallible test of a hymn must be the word of truth. Of what use, for we are now taking that side of the question — of what possible use can an unscriptural hymn be to me or any one else? It certainly cannot contribute to spiritual advancement but rather to the propagation of its own erroneous notions.

Because I sing in communion with the saints, I have no ground for refusal, unless I am asked to sing what is manifestly contrary to scripture and the mind of the Spirit.

Loyalty to CHRIST leaves no option but to dissociate from a community which has generally accepted doctrines (embodied in a Revised Hymn Book) which dishonour both the Son of God and the Scriptures of Truth.

In these remarks there is a fallacy, and there is a confounding of things that surely differ. It is assumed that the assembly is restricted to the hymn-book. And hymn-singing is here treated of as if it were similar to prayer or preaching, from both of which it is very different. To sing together, we must acquaint one another with that in which all are to join. We listen to one who preaches; we follow one who leads in prayer, so as to say Amen to that which he rightly utters. But we sing together. The exercises, then, are distinct, and that of singing most markedly different from the other two. Need we also point out the incongruity of calling attention to the song of Zecharias, and the utterances of Elizabeth and Mary, when writing on such a subject as congregational singing? Zecharias, we read, filled with the Holy Ghost, prophesied; his was an inspired communication. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, gave vent to her thoughts by addressing Mary the virgin. Mary, in the fulness of her heart, poured forth her praise alone. It is difficult to understand anyone seriously referring to these three when writing on such a subject. Zecharias was uttering inspired predictions. Is that congregational singing? Elizabeth addressed Mary, whose visit formed the theme of her communication. Is that the character of congregational psalmody? Mary, in the presence of Elizabeth, poured forth alone the Magnificat. Is that, we ask, an instance or illustration of congregational singing? But further. As all sing together, it is necessary to communicate to all the words about to be sung. Hence we must know before we utter it what it is we are to sing. Does this, then, necessitate an assembly being restricted to a certain selection of hymns? By no means. If any one was led to give out words to be sung not in the collection — and such a thing has been done — there is nothing to hinder it, provided the scripture rule is observed, "Let all things be done unto edifying." (1 Cor. 14:26.) This rule, and the other, "Let all things be done decently and in order," are to be observed when the church comes together.

If it be asked what is the character of the worship, we must refer to the preceding pages. It is Christian worship in its fullest sense — united, unhindered. If Church worship is of such a character, we need not say that only Christians can truly join in it. If otherwise, either the sinner would be elevated to a place he could not occupy, or the saint would be degraded to the level of a pleader for mercy. How unseemly for one who knows Christ and God's love to pray for deliverance from His "wrath and everlasting damnation." How unseemly, on the other hand, to put such words in the sinner's mouth as "We praise Thee, O God: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord." And how utterly inconsistent and perplexing to make each utter both!

From what we have just said we need hardly add that all Church worship should be in truth. How much this most palpable truth is ignored can be seen at a glance in any ordinary church hymn-book. Here for the sake of sentiment, poetry, or even rhyme, doctrines are presented utterly subversive of the truth of the gospel. "Help me to watch and pray, And on Thy grace rely, — Assured if I my trust betray I shall forever die!"

Whether believers sing in the assembly, or at gospel meetings, are not their hymns the expression of their hearts to God? If saints do not sing to God, to whom do they sing? Is it really meant that they should sing to attract the unconverted? What is it to debase the praises of God as a bait to entice natural men to halls or meeting-rooms? Is it reverence and godly fear? Or shall we endeavour to combine the praise of God with the attraction of men in the same action? To state such a mixture of motives is really to condemn it; yet is it, or is it not, the fact? Is it to imitate the apostles and his companions? or are preachers wiser now-a-days? No! the principle of singing is, and must be, that it be to God. What room then for instruments and choral effects, or even solos? Leave them to such as preach little or no truth. It is a sin and a shame to bring into preaching the elements of the world and of Judaism, from which we have been delivered by the death of Christ (Col. 2). I distrust the utilitarian argument, that is, of success in divine things, when our prime call is to obey God alone. But if music and cultured singing work powerfully on the feelings and imaginations of many, how often do they not supplant Christ in the soul! There were some in a bygone day, who came to the Lord out of mere nature in mind or sentiment. The word concerning them is solemn: — "Now when He was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in His name, when they saw the miracles which He did. But Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man: for He knew what was in man" (John 2:23).

Psalms were, in the Old Testament, songs sung with the accompaniment of plucked instruments. Trench does not doubt that the psalms of Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 (and probably 1 Corinthians 14) were the inspired Psalms of the Old Testament Canon. This interpretation, however, we must decisively reject. Naturally all Catholic, Anglican and Reformed (Presbyterian) commentators interpret the word in this sense, and are now bound to do so since for centuries the Book of Psalms from the Old Testament has been sung in their assemblies. If this fact stood alone, it might be impressive, but it does not stand alone. It is one element in the settled system of carrying over the details of the Old Testament worship into Christianity. In its buildings, its priesthood, its sacrifices, its incense and its music, the historic Church is Judaism carried over; and the use of the Book of Psalms from the Old Testament as a vehicle of Christian worship is one further item in this picture. The Old Testament Psalms cannot be vehicles of the true worship because in them worship is directed to Jehovah and not to the Father and the Son; because a finished redemption was not known; and because the imprecatory Psalms are quite out of keeping with the spirit of the New Testament. For these reasons the psalms of Ephesians 5:19 cannot be the Psalms of the Old Testament. They must be psalms composed for the purposes of Christian worship.

Perhaps this is why the enemy so often tries to make us succumb to our inclination to judge or, as the case may be, to despise: it puts a spanner in the works of praise and worship. It hinders us in acting in unison, as a ‘holy priesthood’ (not just individual priests). Here is another powerful motive to help us get these differences resolved so that Christ and the Father are not robbed of their due worship ‘with one accord, with one mouth’.

This principle can certainly be applied to a denominational association. Many denominations have been so mixed with idolatry that any Christian should discern this clearly, and have no fellowship with such things. The very effort to exalt and justify a certain denomination, has in it the element of idolatry; for it puts the denomination in the place of Christ. Certainly we are to love those Christians who may be deceived by such things, but the thing itself we should avoid.