Presentation 4
Music in the New Testament

1. Intro

Not many references to music in NT – only 12

What are some?

Jesus after
Last Supper Matt 26:30
in hardship
/Paul and Silas sang hymns in prison Acts 16:25
Teaching and
admonishing others Col 3:16
when happy
James 5:13
Singing around
the throne of God Rev 14:2

Why is it that there are fewer references to music in NT than in OT?

Early Christian worship grew out of Jewish worship

Jewish worship of NT – met in synagogue (grew out of Temple
worship)

This may be reason music is not mentioned much in NT – already
understood

Also, common practice for religious grps in ancient Mediterranean to
sing hymns to their gods

Don’t know how it sounded No
church or synagogue music notated until 7^th c AD

2. Study of Col. 3:16-17

Most direct and detailed reference to music-making in NT

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. (ESV)

Word of
Christ – we know all of Scripture speaks of Christ – so
entire Bible is to be used
Word must dwell
in us – we must take time to dwell on it!
Richly –
abundantly, extravagantly, overflowing, permeates all aspects of our
lives
Teaching and
admonishing one another

Teach –
imparts positive truth
Admonish –
negative side – correct, or impart consequences, warning, rebuke
We address most
of our songs to God, but here we are also to sing to one another

In all
wisdom – as Word shapes our lives, we learn to live life from
God’s perspective, not our earthly wisdom

singing psalms,
hymns and spiritual songs
How might we
understand these categories?

Psalms =
book of Psalms: NT writers included quotations from Psalms (Israel’s
hymnbook) 283 times
Hymns = Gk
word from 8^th c BC – praise to Gk gods

Augustine defined as “song containing praise of God”

Not in rhyming verses (as in Amazing Grace) – didn’t exist yet ;

Hymn texts in NT

Song of Mary
Song of
Zechariah
Song of Simeon
1 Tim 3:16 He
appeared in the flesh, was vindicated…..
Phil 2:6-11 Who
being very nature God….
Eph 5:14 It
says, Awake sleeper…..
Song of the
Lamb Rev 15:3-4

Spiritual Songs (ESV, NASB)/Songs from the Spirit (NIV)

i. Singing
….with thankfulness in your hearts to God
Gk. chariti =
grace (KJV)/thankfulness (other versions)

3. Compare: Col 3:16-17 and Eph 5:18-20 – same
teaching viewed from 2 sides

Col 3:16, 17 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.

Eph 5:18And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery,
but be filled with the Spirit, 19addressing one another in psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with
your heart, 20 giving thanks always for everything to God the Father
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…

To be filled with the Spirit = to be controlled by His Word.

To have the Word dwelling richly in us = to be controlled by His
Spirit.

Control by the Spirit leads to singing

Look at context of Eph passage (vs 15-17):

Singing is one of the best ways to use our time; combats days of evil
& foolishness

4. Take-away

1. Who is to make music?

In OT, who made
music? Levites (priests were subset of Levites)
In NT, all
believers are now “priests” 1 Peter 2: 5, 9
No longer
priestly and professional — but, congregational
Responsibility
of all Spirit-filled believers to this ministry

2. What is the purpose of singing these 3 types of songs?

5. Go back and look at the examples of NT hymns
listed above. What types are they?

We are told to sing “new” songs – here are some (not psalms)

Reformed scholars consider these song lyrics

1. Eph 5:14b

poetic song, full of metaphor (sleep, dead, Christ = “sun”);
admonishes

2. Colossians 1:15-20

Often called the “Christ hymn”

Vs 15-17 Christ supremacy in creation

Vs 18-20 Christ supremacy in His church

3. 1 Tim 3:16 – a creedal statement

4. 2 Tim 2:11-13 “If ______ , then ______” statements; lyrical

Sing (old) psalms – Eph 5:19, Col 3:16

This goes along with OT teaching – Psalms says sing “new” and
also includes “old” (through remembering past history, ex. Ps 81)

6. Songs in Revelation

These are all written in song structure; all are cross-centered or
Lamb-centered

Rev 4:11

Rev 5:9-10

Rev 5:12b

Rev 5: 13b

Rev 15:3-4

Rev 19:6-8

7. Quotes about music and the church

Augustine (354-430 AD):

“When we sing, we pray twice – not only words, but the music
lodges in us and adds depth to what we are saying”

Martin Luther: (1483-1546):

“Next to the
Word of God, music deserves the highest praise. The gift of language
combined with the gift of song was given to man that he should
proclaim the Word of God through Music.”

“Music is hateful and intolerable to the devil. I truly believe,
and do not mind saying, that there is no art like music, next to
theology. It is the only art, next to theology, that can calm the
agitations of the soul, which plainly shows that the devil, the
source of anxiety and sadness, flees from the sound of music as he
does from religious worship. That is why the Scriptures are full of
psalms and hymns, in which praise is given to God. That is why, when
we gather round God’s throne in heaven, we shall sing His glory.
Music is the perfect way to express our love and devotion to God. It
is one of the most magnificent and delightful presents God has given
us.”

John Calvin (1509-1564):

“[The church needs] to have songs … which will be like spurs
to incite us to pray to and praise God, and to meditate on his works
in order to love, fear, honor and glorify him.”

William Booth (1829-1912):

“Secular music, do you say, belongs to the devil? Does it? Well,
if it did I would plunder him for it, for he has no right to a single
note of the whole seven. Every note, and every strain, and every
harmony is divine, and belongs to us.”

Keith Getty:

“In our song worship, we have to be spiritually alive (dead
people don’t sing), spiritually assisted (through the enabling of the
Holy Spirit), and spiritually active (committed to daily walking with
the Lord).”

Vida Chenoweth:

“When a people develops its own hymns with both vernacular words
and music, it is good evidence that Christianity has truly taken
root.”

Session 4

Presentation 4 Music in the New Testament