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Why should our worship come from the words of Scripture?
A low view of songs from Scripture is fairly common (and not without good reason). Far too often the result has been uninspiring music awkwardly tied to a Bible text as a blunt tool for memorization. It's tragic because music (which existed before us, see Job 38:4-7) and the eternal Word always present the opportunity for the intersection of divine truth and grace with human artistry.
If the Lord has set a feast before us in His Word, why should we be content with anything less in our personal lives and churches to worship the uncreated, only true God? Sheer emotionalism that merely entertains and tickles the ear will never stand the test of time or the gut-wrenching realities of life. God promises to reach farther and deeper into our hearts and minds through His Word that is living and active. It's as simple as this: human words are mortal, frail, vacillating and limited in knowledge while God's words are immortal, powerful, unchanging and infinite in wisdom, beauty and goodness.
It's definitely not our wish that every song should be a Bible text set to music (although we wish it were done well and more often!). But we do hope for an ever-increasing harvest and treasure of songs that are inextricably tied to the wonder and truth of what God has chosen to reveal in the Bible.
So why should our worship come from the words of Scripture?:
1. To obey God by meditating on His Word.
3. When we worship with Scripture together we connect to God’s words in a fresh way.
4. To help remedy the questionable theology of some modern worship songs and even in some older hymns.
6. To re-center our worship of God with the surprising, refreshing and deep honesty of God’s very words.
7. To be changed as we worship God with the sanctifying power of His very words.
8. The ultimate point is and always will be knowing and loving Jesus.
Music can often help us focus and concentrate on a verse or passage from the Bible.
2. To obey God by memorizing His Word.
Memorization is almost inevitable when words are set well to music.
Memorization is almost inevitable when words are set well to music.
3. When we worship with Scripture together we connect to God’s words in a fresh way.
Songs like these ground us in the Scriptures that have blessed the people of God over the last four thousand years. In the end, even the great hymns of recent past centuries are only valuable to the extent that they are faithful to God’s Word.
4. To help remedy the questionable theology of some modern worship songs and even in some older hymns.
Most of us will agree that it's less than helpful when song lyrics have an excessive focus on personal felt needs or spiritually misleading ideas. We need music that encourages a passion for God’s greatness, His goodness and saturated with His words rather than our own ever-inventive ideas.
5. To help remedy the biblical illiteracy sometimes within our own churches.
Obviously, the first place that an issue like this is addressed is in strong biblical preaching. But learning to feel and think biblically with songs based on God's own words can be a powerful adjunct.
6. To re-center our worship of God with the surprising, refreshing and deep honesty of God’s very words.
It never fails to surprise us how often the Bible welcomes rather than avoids difficult, uncomfortable questions and emotions (like the psalms of lament and sometimes shocking words of Jesus, just to name a few).
7. To be changed as we worship God with the sanctifying power of His very words.
Try not being changed by God's Word...we believe that's impossible if you truly belong to Him.
8. The ultimate point is and always will be knowing and loving Jesus.
Our ultimate focus should never be on Scripture as an end in itself, though they are God’s own words. The original purpose and final goal of the written Word is to always point to Jesus Christ who is called the Word of God. It is He of whom the Scriptures are always speaking. It's an obvious point but still worth remembering: we worship from scripture rather than worshiping the Bible itself.