(To the Hymnists and Psalmists of This Age)
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, to those who compose songs for the assembly of the saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I Thank God for Your Gift — But I Am Troubled
I thank God for the gift He has given you, to craft words that stir the heart and lift the voice. Yet I am troubled, for many of your songs teach the people to pray for what God has already given, and to seek Him as though He were absent.
Why do you write, “Come, Lord, fill this place” when the Scripture says He already dwells in His people (1 Corinthians 3:16)? Why do you cry, “We are desperate for You” when the Lord Himself promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)?
You Have Become Poets of Unbelief
Your melodies soar, but your theology sinks. You call the people to “press in” and “invite His presence” — as though the church were Israel at Sinai, trembling outside the veil, waiting for God to descend.
But do you not know that the veil was torn? Do you not see that the Spirit was poured out once for all at Pentecost? Why do you teach the Bride to cry for her Groom as though He had abandoned her?
The Church Learns Its Theology from Your Lyrics
Many in the assembly are not students of the Word. They learn doctrine from what they sing. If you teach them to plead for God’s presence, they will believe He comes and goes. If you tell them to “ignite the fire again”, they will think the Spirit burns out.
Have you not read that “the anointing you received from Him abides in you” (1 John 2:27)? Why then do you tell them they must chase after it?
The Danger of Atmosphere Over Truth
You may say, “But these songs stir hunger.” I tell you — a hunger that ignores the feast already set before us is not holy hunger, but blindness.
You trade the solid food of the Word for the sugar of repeated phrases. The crowd sways, the lights dim, the music builds — but what have you taught? That God is reluctant, that He must be coaxed, that His love is not enough unless we sing longer.
Write Songs Worthy of the Gospel
Therefore, I charge you before God: Let your songs proclaim the finished work of Christ, the unshakable presence of the Spirit, and the believer’s full inheritance in Him.
Sing of the cross, Sing of the resurrection, Sing of the Spirit’s indwelling. Sing of the glory already ours in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Let no lyric give the impression that the people of God are abandoned or impoverished.
Final Word
Songwriters, you are teachers — whether you admit it or not. And as James wrote, “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness” (James 3:1).
So write with trembling. Let every line agree with the Scriptures. For melodies fade, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Leave a Reply