The Scriptures teach that all corporate singing of the church is to have the “words of Christ,” in them. Also, our songs are to have two audiences only: “one another” (that’s the church) and “God” (see Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; see also the psalms, lamentations, the songs recorded in Exodus 15, David’s songs recorded in Samuel, and John’s songs recorded in Revelation). Meaning, the gathered church is to sing the truth of God’s word to both one another and to our Lord. Our singing is to give a witness of the gospel to those who do not know Christ.
This truth about the corporate singing of the church raises several questions that can keep us on track with what the Scriptures teach. Here are a few questions that help guide us for Sunday morning singing:
- Can this song be sung to worship God who sent his son Jesus Christ?
- Can this song be sung to worship God by edifying and speaking to the saints as those in Christ?
- Can this song be sung in other countries where Christians gather, AND, would edify those saints? Remember, all of scripture teaches that when the saints sing, they sing from the perspective of “out of every, tribe, tongue, people, and nation”, instead of a “tribalism” that focuses on ones national identity with an earthly kingdom. The Local Church is to display the Universal Church – “sons of Abraham” – so that the song you sing, if translated into another language, that people group could worship Christ, too.
- Is this song scriptural – the words, the philosophy, the purpose and aim? or is it sung more out of tradition, sentimentalism, nostalgia?
- Does this song cause me to think of either what God has done for me in Christ and/or what I am to do for my Lord and my fellowman (Love)?
- Is the gospel expressed in this song either implicitly or explicitly?
- Can this song be sung by believers only, truly in heart and conviction, or can this song be sung by unbelievers outside the church?
Now let’s take a look at what is called, Patriotic Songs. A quick overview of these songs provides helpful discernment for why I do not approve of using them in the corporate worship of the saints.
Battle Hymn of the Republic – Julia Ward Howe, 1862. This song is neither sung to saints nor to God in Christ. This song was written during the Civil War as a war-cry for “Our God” who is marching on, to trample the Confederate South into the winepress where ‘the grapes of wrath are stored.” It is impossible for me to rejoice in the fact that over half-million southern men and women and children were brutally killed so that the union could be saved. I’m glad for the union’s solvency under God’s sovereignty but that does not mean it’s something to be worshipful about. Besides, this song has an unbiblical line: “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea.” And, it equates saving souls from hell with saving men from southern slavery – “as he died to make men holy, let us live to make men free”.
Therefore, this song does not meet the biblical standard for the church to worship Christ.
My Country, ‘Tis of Thee – Samuel Smith, 1832. This song is neither sung to the saints nor to God in Christ; it is sung to America, the political, geographical land. Only on the last verse does it then turn to God, but only to call on God to keep us politically free. The audience of the song is found in “thy name I love.” Meaning, to sing this song is to set one’s affection on the land of America. It exalts political freedom from tyranny as the purpose: “sweet freedom’s song” – “bright with freedom’s holy light” – “protect us by thy might”.
The irony is that in the year that it was written, America, the land of liberty, was murdering 10’s of thousands of “native Americans” under Andrew Jackson’s presidency – (see “Trail of Tears”) and was buying and enslaving 100’s of thousands of blacks. “Sweet Freedom’s Song” evidently was for white people only. In addition, “our father’s God,” that this song writer is appealing to is not the God who sent Jesus Christ, but the god that the French Enlightenment produced, like Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, who denied that Jesus was God in the flesh. They believed in the deist god, an impersonal deity who created men as basically good (which the bible denies, “there is no one who does good” – Rom. 3:10ff).
Therefore, this song does not meet the biblical standard for the church to worship Christ.
The Star-Spangled Banner – Francis Scott Key, 1814. Let’s just keep this in the ball-parks and stadiums. Besides, no one can sing this better than Whitney Houston.
Therefore, this song does not meet the biblical standard for the church to worship Christ.
America, the Beautiful – Katherine Bates, 1893. This song is neither sung to the saints nor to the God of the Bible; the Audience of the song is America. Its main focus is the exaltation of political freedom: “patriot dream” – “heroes proved in liberating strife” – “for freedom beat”. It also stresses the natural goodness of America and to keep this goodness going: “crown thy good with brotherhood from sea to shining sea.” This is difficult to express since the bible teaches that no one has intrinsic goodness but God alone. However, I do appreciate “God shed his grace on thee” as acknowledgement of common grace. But when this common grace is praised because of a future utopia that is brought upon this land through political and military might – then I cannot abide that. Read carefully the last verse:
“O beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years” (a future American Dream)
“Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears” (a time when no sorrows will ever be found upon our soil again, i.e., utopia by the progression of political freedom NOT the Return of Christ!).
This is typical Dominion Theology or Theonomist language that believes in bringing about World Peace by legislation and military might.
Therefore, this song does not meet the biblical standard for the church to worship Christ.
I love it when the church worships our Risen Lord with rich, scriptural, passion-filled singing. I’ve longed for our church to sing to our Risen Lord and to one another as saints of God with a song that calls the citizens of this country to turn to the Lord, and to put a prayer in our mouths for our country, that upon hearing it, sinners who live in America would feel the weight of their sin and turn to Christ and seek a city whose builder and maker is God. Below are the lyrics of a song that I have been working on for many years. It is sung to the tune “America the Beautiful”. Like many of our songs in our hymnal, the tunes were written as ballads for other lyrics, but song-writers along the way wrote biblical lyrics to these old tunes. Likewise, this is my feeble attempt to use a beautiful ballad but worship Christ with biblical truths. This song is based on Psalm 8 and 19, and sections of Revelation. May Christ get all the glory this coming Lord’s Day.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain! Alleluia! Alleluia! Your grace has set us free
May all confess, Your Righteousness
From sea to shining sea
What glory you have giv’n to man, to care for all you’ve made You fashioned him with loving hands, Majestic is your Name Alleluia! Alleluia! The earth pours out your word The law your fame, with grace proclaim From sea to shining sea
What plague then spreads upon this land, that fills the air with doom? Creation groans, the Serpent roams, we do not love our God! Anathema! Anathema! Your judgment now has come Your Word transgressed, there is no rest Oh God, what have we done?
My guilt and shame, I can’t repair, no sacrifice I bring Who is this Lamb, upon a tree, The Son of God has won And now I know, sweet Love bestowed, You gave your only Son The curse you broke, with one pure stroke Sin’s victr’y is undone
Your Kingdom come, your will be done, We pray for this dear land,
Send out your church, stretch forth your arm, Awake the heart of man
Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ Jesus is Enthroned
May all confess Your Righteousness
From sea to shining sea
the sound board 