Let the Word of Christ Dwell in You Richly

When we sing with the church, we are ministering to one another while we offer our praise to God. Today, Sinclair Ferguson distills three lessons from one of the most important verses in the New Testament about singing.

Well, this week’s series of podcasts has turned out rather differently from what I expected when we began. I was actually anticipating reflecting with you on some of my favorite hymns, but we’ve ended up thinking and talking just about singing itself, not about specific psalms or hymns or spiritual songs that we love to sing.

Yesterday, I said that secular songs have a horizontal direction. We sing about ourselves or what’s around us, or we sing to each other. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s a whole missing dimension. And by contrast, even when a Christian sings in a horizontal direction, even sings the very same songs, there’s always a vertical direction. And the reason is, as I said, because we live before the face of God and in His presence. We know that when we are singing, He’s listening. When we are singing, we’re singing to Him and about Him or for Him or in His presence. So, all of the Christian’s singing is different.

And when we sing specifically Christian praise—psalms and hymns and spiritual songs—it’s very different. I said yesterday I’d say a little more about this today. I was actually thinking about Paul’s words in Colossians 3:16. It’s one of the most important New Testament verses about singing, isn’t it? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”

There’s a whole theology of singing in this verse, and since it’s Friday today, I hope you’ll reflect on it not only today, but also tomorrow and as you go to worship on Sunday. What is Paul teaching us? First, that our singing needs to be informed and directed by the word of Christ, by the teaching He gives us in Scripture. Scripture is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness to equip us for every good work. And that is true when we sing the truths Scripture teaches us as well as when we hear the preaching of these truths. And that’s the first thing we should ask when we read a hymn, isn’t it? Yes, we know hymns are poetical and that can involve a special kind of use of language, but we also need to be just as discerning about what we sing as about what we hear. So, we should always be asking, Is this song biblical? Is it profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness? That’s a fundamental issue.

The second thing to notice is that Paul is showing us here that our singing is actually part of the whole congregation’s ministry of the Word. It’s a ministry that we exercise towards each other. We may not be using our own words, but we need to understand that when we all sing the same words, we’re really meant to be thinking and praying: “Lord, help us to learn what this hymn is saying. Help us, through the singing of this song, to teach one another. Help me to minister to my brothers and sisters about Yourself, about Your Son, about Your Spirit, about ourselves, about our church, about our needs, and about the ways in which You will meet them.”

And then there’s a third lesson here, and it’s an important one too. We are to sing with thankfulness to God in our hearts. Paul makes the same point in the parallel passage in Ephesians 5:19, when he talks about making melody to the Lord with all your heart when you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. We’re to lift up our hearts to God when we lift up our voices in praise. What He’s listening for is the melody in our souls. That’s why Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:15: “What am I to do? I will sing praise with my spirit as well as sing praise with my mind.”

Well, it’s Friday, and Sunday is coming. I hope you’ll set your mind on what we’ve been thinking about this week, and when you sing on Sunday, you’ll want to sing more thankfully and enthusiastically, and with a better understanding of what you’re doing. And don’t forget who the real worship leader will be. Remember Hebrews 2:12. The Lord Jesus will be with you even if there are only two or three present. And when you listen to the sermon, remember the Lord’s words, “I will tell of your name to my brothers.” And when you sing, remember He’s the real praise leader. He is saying in the midst of the congregation, “I will praise You.” That should energize your singing.