Several years ago, my family attended a church with a wonderful, tightly knit community. However, one Sunday morning, the worship leader led the congregation with “In Christ Alone” by Keith and Kristyn Getty. In the verse, “‘Til on that cross as Jesus died, / The wrath of God was satisfied,” the worship leader replaced the latter part of the stanza with “the love of God was magnified.” Puzzled at the lyrical change, we asked why the alteration was made. The worship leader explained that the term “wrath of God” was potentially offensive and the change was necessary to be more appealing to the listener. Unfortunately, this lyrical change and shift in theological messaging is not unique to the church my family attended, but is a practice seen throughout much of Christian culture today: changing and writing song lyrics in order to suit personal, emotionally driven worship styles. The songs Christians sing should have a clear focus: the Gospel and the nature of God. In Colossians, Paul gives guidelines for biblically grounded worship, exhorting his readers to “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” (Col. 3.16). However, rather than singing the Word of Christ and theologically rich lyrics, many Christians consume worship songs that seek to elicit a personal emotional response over biblically grounded words.
Lyrics are often created to focus on the “positive” qualities of God, like His goodness and kindness, but neglect to address other “negative” topics, like God’s holiness and justice, man’s fallen nature, and eternity after death. Keith Getty, a Christian musician and songwriter, explained that “less than 5 percent of modern worship songs talk about eternity” whereas “over 75% of what are called the great hymns of the faith talk about eternity.” While it is necessary for believers to remind themselves of God’s goodness and grace, many modern worship songs provide a one-sided view of God which results in an inaccurate portrayal of His nature.
Take, for example, the modern worship song “Goodness of God” by Bethel Music. With one version garnering over 240 million views on YouTube, the first verse goes:
I love You, Lord
Oh Your mercy never fails me
All my days, I’ve been held in Your hands
From the moment that I wake up
Until I lay my head
Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God
The lyrics culminate in the chorus, stating “All my life you have been faithful / And all my life You have been so, so good / With every breath that I am able / Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.” Believers are called to reflect on the goodness of God and to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps. 34.8). However, throughout the song, there is no mention of any other aspect of God, namely His justice, perfection, or holiness. The good news of the Gospel is only good if we also know the truth of the bad news of sin. Furthermore, the song spares no lines for illustrating man’s fallen condition. The song vaguely illustrates the action of how God saved His people through His goodness but does not explain why He extended His saving grace nor how He carried out His salvific plan. The song can easily substitute the word “God” with a vague “spiritual being” or deity and still be sung coherently. Rather than letting the “Word of Christ dwell richly” in the singer, “Goodness of God” focuses instead on an emotional response from the listener, painting a one-sided picture of God in which He is nothing more than a source of help in troubling times. Emotions and heartfelt responses to music are gifts from God and should not be ignored or suppressed. However, theological depth should not be exchanged for an emotional high in worship songs. Many modern worship songs can still be used to worship God, but if a Christian’s diet of music consists of songs that avoid talking about eternity with God, His judgment, or other vital topics of the Gospel, the believer is in danger of adopting a biblically inaccurate view of God.
The solution to theologically shallow worship songs is to recognize the objective standard for biblically grounded worship. As Paul explains, believers are to have the “Word of Christ dwell in [them] richly, […] singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” The songs Christians sing should accurately reflect the character of God and illustrate the full story of the Gospel without reservation. The Psalms of the Bible, sung throughout history by believers, illustrate the different aspects of God’s nature and seasons of human life, through sorrow, triumph, and joy. Furthermore, the “Word of Christ,” comprising the creation of the world, fall of man, redemption through Christ, and the restoration of all things should be proclaimed in what Christians sing. Although a song may not cover all aspects of the Gospel, the listener should leave with a holistic view of God and the Gospel rather than a narrow one.
Regardless of the songwriter, Christians ought to critically examine each song and evaluate whether it truthfully and holistically preaches the “Word of Christ” (Col. 3.16). Classic hymns that have withstood the test of time, such as “It is Well with My Soul” and “Be Thou My Vision,” show the fallen human state, Christ’s redemption, and consummation with God in heaven, giving a full view of the Gospel and God’s redemptive plan. Take the modern hymn “Rise, My Soul the Lord is Risen” by Rich Thompson, Jonny Robinson, Matt Boswell, and Matt Papa. The first two verses begin with illustrating Christ’s triumph over the grave as well as portraying man under judgement of death:
Rise my soul, the Lord is risen
Come behold the empty grave […]
Death defeated and life restored
By that great immortal power
Christ is risen, arise my soul!
The song ends with proclaiming the future joy of heaven and exhorting the listener to live in light of eternity:
For this trial is brief and fleeting
Tears will turn to glory soon […]
As my life belongs to heaven
Fear shall hold it sway no more
Onward, upward, toward the treasure
Filled with courage and endless hope
From presenting man’s sinful nature to announcing Christ’s triumphal substitutionary sacrifice for sinners to reminding believers of their future hope, this song allows the “Word of Christ” to flow over the singer. Biblically rooted songs ought to remind the singer of the fullness of the Gospel and the good news of the life to come.
The songs Christians sing matter. Throughout the week, many believers will not recall the teaching in the Sunday sermon but they will remember the lyrics and melody of the songs featured in their worship service or on their playlists. If a believer’s musical diet is one of theologically shallow songs, the result will be a theologically shallow believer. Singing on earth is a shadow of the worship that is to take place in the throne room of God with all believers proclaiming, “worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5.11). What better way to look forward to this promise than to sing theologically robust songs on this side of eternity?
