A Biblical Understanding of Music

God created all things for His glory and pleasure (Rev. 4:11). This includes music. It is a gift from God to humanity as a good and perfect gift (Gen. 1:31; Job 35:10). God intends mankind to enjoy and use the blessings of music for His praise in both public and personal worship (Ps. 96:1-2). God continually commands man to sing with joy (Ps. 65:13) in response to His glory (Ps. 138:5), greatness (Ps. 126:2), deliverance (Jer. 20:13), and works (Rev. 15:3). This indicates that God cares about music and desires for us to cultivate a biblical understanding of music.

Music Teaches

Music is often included as part of worship in both Christian and non-Christian cultures. In corporate worship, Paul instructs early Christians to sing psalms, hymns, and Spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Regarding these musical terms, theologians generally agree that they overlap significantly and cannot be distinguished. Considering this, Psalms may convey biblical and prayerful expressions in poetical form. Musicologist Donald Hustad suggests that perhaps hymns are songs of human composition that generally use extra-biblical texts and teach doctrine. Others classify church music as songs of common grace, which emphasizes general revelation (i.e., God’s creation), or songs of saving grace, which focus on the doctrine of salvation.

Music Communicates

According to some biblical scholars, the word psallo means to make melody (Eph. 5:19). John MacArthur suggests that it references instrumental music as well as singing. Paul instructed the churches to communicate spiritual truth through teaching and admonishing through music. This command, along with God’s example of a soldier responding to the sound of the bugle (I Cor. 14:8), implies that musical sound communicates and thus displays moral quality. Furthermore, it is supported by secular scholars, including David Temperly, Elena Mannes, and Victoria Williamson, who believe that music serves as a means of communication. They even go as far as to describe it as a language.

Music Affects

Biblical examples of the effects of music are illustrated in David’s playing before Saul and the resultant departure of the evil spirit (I Samuel 16:23), the hand of the Lord resting upon Elisha (II Kings 3:15), and Nebuchadnezzar’s use of music to signal the crowd to worship an idol (Daniel 3:1-7). John MacArthur writes that “each note, chord, and phrase has a musical purpose—to communicate joy, sadness…strife, or whatever the composer intends.” Musicologists confirm that musical sounds have the power to influence behavior and evoke emotions. Elena Mannes suggests that it “affects and changes” the listener. David Tame states that music can have a positive or negative effect on blood pressure and digestion and that its “effect upon the emotions and desires of man is believed to be vast.” John Sheinbaum suggests that “music of repetition, groove, evolving texture, and rhythmic interest are seen as dangerous as they supposedly engage the body at the expense of the mind.” These observations support the fact that music affects listeners both positively and negatively.

Theology Affects Musical Choice

An individual’s theology drives musical choice. The outgrowth of a biblical theology is spirit-filled singing coupled with gracious thanksgiving (Col. 3:16-17). There is also an emphasis on worshipping God with singing for His attributes and works (Ps. 95:1-6). Non-biblical theology is characterized by the “noise of war” (Exod. 32:17) and insincere songs (Amos 6:5). Jeremy Begbie, a Christian philosopher, indicates that music conveys the essence of theological, even unbiblical, expression. For example, according to music historians David Lemley and Zachary Young, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179 CE) wrote music that conveyed her nonbiblical theology of mysticism. Also, musicologist Scott Aniol suggests that the music of Hillsong expresses a Charismatic theology of worship.

Text and Sound and Worship Music

The words chosen may draw a person away from the absolutes of scripture, replacing God’s commands with sentimentality. John MacArthur writes, “Bad church music isn’t bad just because it is ‘contemporary.’ But the content of the lyrics is what reveals most graphically how low our standards have slipped.” Music is the vehicle through which texts are communicated. (I Cor. 14:7-15). Christian researchers agree that the sound of music communicates and is interrelated with its text. In general, listeners understand the meaning of music through its sound, context, and the way it is performed. Theologian Brandon O’ Brien writes that the power of musical sound is so prevalent that younger worshippers “may interpret the dopamine release they experience while singing a contemporary worship song… as a profoundly spiritual experience.”

Music and Lifestyle

Lifestyle refers to the way of life and how a person or a particular group of people live. It can also be considered a consumer behavior pattern that identifies a society. Music both affects and reflects lifestyle. For example, music that sounded like “the noise of war” may have encouraged the Israelites’ immoral behavior while worshipping the golden calf (Exod. 32:4-6, 17-18). The musical effects on lifestyle depend upon the sound itself and the style in which it is presented. David Lemley comments that music “structures everyday experience regardless of whether a person is conscientious about musical participation.” Some kinds of music are culturally linked to drugs, immorality, and violence. Other musical styles are characterized by dress and body language that is conventional, conservative, restrained, and formal. Thus, a biblical understanding of the relationship between music and lifestyle is essential.

Music and God’s Beauty

“Sing unto the Lord, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people” (Ps. 96:2-3). These commands indicate God’s desire for man to behold His beauty through music. God’s beauty emanates from His divine nature, displaying perfection and order. Scott Aniol writes, “Because earthly beauty is a reflection of God’s beauty—His glory—then earthly beauty can actually reveal to men something of the nature of God.” Thus, true beauty stems and overflows from the beauty of God. Music intrinsically possesses qualities that bring enjoyment to humans and glory to God. Today, worship the Lord with music that displays “the beauty of His holiness” (Ps. 96:9).

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Erik Hanson holds a DMin. in Preaching and Leadership and serves as Assistant Pastor at Stanfordville Baptist Church in Hallstead, PA.