Biblical Standards for Musical Choices

Biblical Standards For Music

“And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” (Ephesians 5:18–19) 

Is there any issue today that is surrounded by more contention than the issue of music? I think not. For decades, churches have experienced strife and divisions over music. Music is not at the heart of the matter because, “Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.” (Proverbs 13:10) This means that the issue of music can and must be settled by our humbling ourselves to deal rightly with God and with our Christian brothers and sisters. Before we go any further, it is imperative that we seriously contemplate our attitudes toward God and our brethren to be sure that we will be dealing humbly and rightly. After all, humility toward God means that we will submit to His Word, and humility before men means that we will treat them kindly. Let us be sure of our hearts.

The Power Of Music

“They say, music charms the savage beast and I believe it’s true
Man’s had it down thru’ history when he’s had the blues
He’d find a drum to beat on and a horn that he could blow

You know it worked for the children of a Israel
At the walls of Jericho
They brought the house down with a

‘Real Good Feel Good Song’
One that makes you feel alright when everything goes wrong
One that makes you move your feet and makes you sing along
You need a ‘Real Good Feel Good Song’”

“Real Good Feel Good Song” https://genius.com/Mel-mcdaniel-real-good-feel-good-song-lyrics, Accessed 08/31/2022

Have you ever noticed the power of music to change your mood? Music has power. Many primitive people groups used music to prepare them for battle. Others used music to get them ready for their primitive worship and idolatry. In fact, we see something akin to that in Exodus chapter thirty-two, where Israel had loud and evidently discordant music (It sounded like a war to Joshua.) when they fell into idolatry and immorality. Music has great effects upon our minds, moods, and movements. “For music to have positive effects on the mind and brain, it should be complex enough to involve brain activity. It should be synchronous and generate sound waves that are in tune with the body’s internal rhythm. It should be played at a volume the listener’s ear can accept and should have regular beats to have any good effects on the body and mind rhythm and functioning. Here are some of the negative effects of music.

• Very loud music can disturb the symmetry between the right and left halves of the brain. Loud music results in a disturbed state of mind. Exposure to harsh or disruptive music at an early age can lead to learning disabilities and behavior problems in children.
• According to a study by Dr. John Diamond, an Australian physician and psychiatrist, body muscles go weak when subjected to the stopped anapestic beat in hard rock music. He also says that shrill frequencies and irregular beats are harmful to the mind and body.
• Disharmony in music has been shown to reduce retention levels of the brain and lead to aggression and hyperactivity.
• Heavily repeating musical patterns can lead to feelings of anger and boredom.” https://psychologenie.com/effects-of-music-on-mind-brain , Accessed 08/31/2022
• Music has great effects on us in numerous ways.

Notice King Saul who, when he was plagued with an evil spirit and greatly terrified by it, called for David to play his harp for him. When David played his harp, this terror and the accompanying violent fit would depart from Saul. Just think of how a simple song on the harp could produce such a drastic change! 

Many of us have noticed that movies and television shows use music to set the mood for what is going on in the pictures. It is very interesting to watch some of the old silent movies and listen to the instrumental accompaniment, noticing how it changes with the actions of the characters and your feelings and mood often change with the music.

I can recall sitting in the dentist’s office and hearing the easy listening music. I hated it then, wanting something upbeat; but now I realize that music was playing for a purpose. The dentist and his staff no doubt knew that music that is easy on the ears would help settle folks’ nerves and get them relaxed and ready for their procedures.

Music has great power! As Christians we must acknowledge that something that has the power to move us to fleshly lusts, calm angry hearts, induce terror at times, and even support the reverence of God must be regulated by God’s Word. Dare we live and act as if God has nothing to say about something that plays such a huge part in our lives?

Music And Culture

Have you ever noticed that music and culture are closely related? Some people wish to relate music to skin color or particular geographical areas, but music is more closely related to culture.

Notice that there is music associated with idolatry, as we have seen in Exodus chapter thirty-two. We also see that the idol worshipers leapt or danced about and upon the altar in First Kings chapter eighteen, leading us to realize that they had music associated with their particular form of worship. Music was also employed when Nebuchadnezzar commanded the people to bow and worship his idol (Daniel 3), and we should have no doubt that it was of a sort of music conducive to people willingly yielding to the command given them.

Generally, we can observe cultures that are more refined and civilized will have music that has a certain calmness or calming effect. That culture’s music may be upbeat at times, but it will also be harmonious music that has a positive effect on their minds. On the other hand, when cultures go downhill into disorder and violence, their music will often become loud and discordant, generally tending to promote and incite anger and immorality. 

This can be seen even in the music that professing Christians listen to. For many years, what we know of Christian music was lyrically centered. While there may have been melodies and harmonies, the focus was on the lyrics. Most of the time over the last two centuries, the prominent music in professing Christendom was of the sort that was relatively soothing, uplifting, and tended to turn the mind to calmness and reverence. Sometimes there have been upbeat songs that are both enjoyable and with godly lyrics. Over time, however, especially since the late 1960s, what is called Christian music has changed, going backward toward the loud, discordant, and sensual music of uncivilized and idolatrous cultures. Some say that it is all a matter of preference, and that there are not godly or ungodly beats. I repeat myself: Music has great power! As Christians we must acknowledge that something that has the power to move us to fleshly lusts, calm angry hearts, induce terror at times, and even support the reverence of God must be regulated by God’s Word. Dare we live and act as if God has nothing to say about something that plays such a huge part in our lives?

Is There A Difference Between Holy And Profane Music?

“And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.” (Ezekiel 44:23) 

Is there truly a difference between holy and profane music? Before answering too quickly, consider the fact that God’s creation, which He said was very good, has been corrupted by sin. The good things of life have often been twisted and perverted by Satan and made into counterfeits of what is good. We are told that the angels of God sang and shouted as they viewed God’s creation (Job 38:4-7). We are also taught that Satan himself is quite masterful in his use of music (Ezekiel 28:11-19). We should not wonder, then, if there is sacred or profane music. We should, rather, seek to determine what they are.

Notice that the children of Israel rejoiced, worshiped, and sang upon safely crossing the Red Sea. Please take the time to read Exodus chapter fifteen. Let us then consider the characteristics of their music:

• It was lyrically focused.
  • There is no record of the melody, harmony, or beat of the music.
  • The focus is exclusively on their rejoicing in the LORD and praising Him.
• It was reverent.
• It was not sensual but spiritual. Even when the women brought their timbrel (This was some sort of small hand drum or tambourine, it seems.) out and danced (We should not visualize the modern sensual dance, but rather women gathered in circles and leaping up and down as a small child leaps for joy.), we find that they did so separately from the men. Yes, they were segregated by sex and focused on lyrics that honored the LORD rather than concentrating exclusively on the feelings produced by the music.

As we read the Psalms, we find a similar focus on the importance of lyrics that praised God rather than a mindset that exalted the beat and rhythm and any feelings produced thereby.

Scripture teaches us that we are to worship and instruct one another with “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.” (Ephesians 5:19). It is interesting to note the command for spiritual songs rather than carnal music. We can see the carnality of music in the songs and dances of Israel when they worshiped the golden calf. This text, however, is teaching us to have music that addresses the intellect and heart with truth. The emphasis here is on the lyrical content and the intended effects on our minds, hearts, and conduct. This is very different from secular music in which the beat and lyrics tend to lead our minds into various sensual and sinful thoughts and activities.

What Shall We Do With This Truth?

Truth is not abstract but practical and ordained by God to be part of our lives and worship. How, then, shall we practice this? What does it mean to us? 

One thing of great importance is to always seek to honor God above all. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:” (1 Corinthians 10:31–32) Our musical choices must glorify God both by exalting Him in worship and by abstaining from being a hindrance to others. It seems many today are very selfish in their stand on music because they are determined to do what they wish with no regard to others. True worship honors God and seeks to be a blessing to others. Remember, our music is to speak to others of the Lord through admonition (Ephesians 5:18-21), seeking to consider the needs of others.

We must focus on music that has Biblically sound lyrics. Music is a teaching tool and must teach that which is pure and right. Though we may sing mostly old hymns, we still need to be sure our lyrics are doctrinally pure. There are also many popular songs today that are either Biblically shallow and unhelpful or are doctrinally aberrant, having more in common with Charismatic theology than Biblical truth. We must be discerning in this area.

Our music should also be spiritual rather than carnal. Much of today’s music is simply Pop, Rock and Roll, or Country Music repackaged with a religious theme. We must beware of importing secular music and calling it Christian. If the beat is carnal and has more in common with the honky-tonk, it is not spiritual. If the music is cacophonous and the lyrics difficult to be heard and understood, it is not spiritual. If the music makes a person move his or her body in a sensual fashion that attracts the eyes of those around in the wrong manner, we need to reject it as being unspiritual and fleshly. 

We must also be careful of our associations and the culture of music. There are many who write, sing, and produce music today who promote a culture of shallow Christianity, or Charismatic theology, reject godly standards of holiness, or promote the “judge not” culture that militates against a strong stand against sin. The influence of this music and the promoters thereof will often be seen in the doctrinal drift and changing attitudes toward sin and holiness in those who listen to it. Remember, music is a teaching tool and we must be careful who we allow to teach us, our children, and our churches. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” (1 Corinthians 15:33) We must beware not only of the music we listen to or sing, but also the culture in which it is produced and the culture it helps to promote.

Finally, we must exercise discernment. We cannot paint with a broad brush and declare all songs in our hymnals to be right, or all Southern Gospel or Contemporary Christian music to be wrong. We must, however, be very careful who we allow to have a voice in our lives. We must be careful of the beat so that we do not allow carnality to be on display in our cars, homes, or churches. We must also be very careful regarding the doctrines and practices that are taught by the music we utilize. This will probably lead us to reject many songs across many genres. Using discernment will also lead us into a richer experience of worship when we use songs that have a deeper presentation of God and His greatness, which will also manifest itself in how we think and live. Rather than generally accepting or rejecting music because of the genre in which it is presented, we should use discernment to determine whether it is Biblically acceptable or not.