When can music be considered "Christian music"?

Firstly, this attitude of joy and singing. In past years, did we not get a great deal of joy in standing round a piano and singing these wonderful hymns, what a comfort it was. Did it not bind the saints together? The enemy knows that music binds people together. Was there ever such a time when music played such a part in ideologies in this world? It did so in Nebuchadnezzar's day when he set up his great image on the plane of Dura (Dan.3). All the music that was there was to bind these different nations together with one object, to induce them to bow down and worship the image. So it is in that great city that is in opposition to the things of the Lord in the book of Revelation, all the music that we find in it is all to draw souls away with it's sensual power (18:22). Oh what an evil thing it is. But oh how wonderful that when the saint is set free, when the saint is filled with the Spirit, it produces this happy singing of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, compositions that make much of God, that make much of Christ, that make much of the Holy Spirit and all the divine blessings that we have. These compositions are really teaching compositions, joyous compositions, comforting compositions, and, thank God, we have many of them.

"'Teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.' It enters into the affections, because that is the character of hymns and spiritual songs. It is not so much knowledge written down like a sermon, but it is where the heart answers in its affections to the revelation of Christ; perhaps something that I have heard in a meeting when Christ has been unfolded: it is the Holy Ghost raising up the affections in answer to the revelation of Christ. Then there is the expression of the heart that has received it in the affections of the new man, answering to this in the praise and adoration that it produces. It may not be the reproduction of the same ideas, but it is the adoration of the heart that is drawn out towards the Person that has been revealed."

Surely it need scarcely be pointed out that none but believers could share in such songs of praise — and, in the measure of these scriptures, only those believers whose hearts are under the direct action of the Holy Spirit and the word of Christ.

In Colossians, on the other hand, the same result is produced by the word of Christ dwelling richly in us. The effect, in the first place, is to be seen in our teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and then in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing with grace in our hearts to God ("to God" is the true reading). We have seen that praise is produced in Ephesians by the Spirit occupying the soul with Christ. So also here; for the word of Christ is but the unfolding and display of what He Himself is, and hence, when it dwells richly in us, we have Christ - Christ in all His glories — constantly present to our souls. It is of necessity therefore that we worship with the voice of praise and thanksgiving.

Surely it need scarcely be pointed out that none but believers could share in such songs of praise — and, in the measure of these scriptures, only those believers whose hearts are under the direct action of the Holy Spirit and the word of Christ.

As to conversions in singing, there is nothing at all unscriptural. If the truth is in the hymn spoken of with divine affections for souls, affections expressed respecting a truth already outwardly admitted, it is quite within the ways and operation of the Spirit of God to act on the soul in a quickening way by it, not without truth, but by truth so addressed to the soul.

As to conversions in singing, there is nothing at all unscriptural. If the truth is in the hymn spoken of with divine affections for souls, affections expressed respecting a truth already outwardly admitted, it is quite within the ways and operation of the Spirit of God to act on the soul in a quickening way by it, not without truth, but by truth so addressed to the soul.

As to conversions in singing, there is nothing at all unscriptural. If the truth is in the hymn, spoken of with divine affections, or souls' affections expressed respecting a truth already outwardly admitted, it is quite within the ways and operation of the Spirit of God to act on the soul in a quickening way by it, not without truth, but by truth so addressed to the soul. I do not say that the work will be there as deep, or the foundation as solidly laid at the moment for after exercises, as if it was the direct application of the word by the Holy Ghost to the conscience, but the heart receives Christ convincingly and lovingly, so as to love. I have ever said that the smallest atom of Christ suffices for the Holy Ghost to quicken by, if it be really Him. No doubt a profound conviction of sin by the word casts off a mass of imaginings of the flesh by a deeper inward work, which such a conversion leaves undiscovered; but if God works, He will do His own work, and bring it to a good issue.

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.

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.

When one does rest in faith, rejoicing cannot but be. The singing of saints is quite another matter. What more proper when filled with the Spirit than to speak to one another in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs? This wholly differs from introducing music to soothe or stimulate the heart which the Spirit would exercise in self-judgment. Among happy saints it is a question perfectly settled: the outbursts of thanksgiving and praise may well fill the ordinary life of the Christian. But the first injunction to which God calls in the presence of the Day of Atonement is grief of heart because of our sins, though God is covering them with the blood of propitiation.