Singing With the Spirit and the Understanding

Have we ever awakened during a song to realize what we are singing doesn’t make sense? Have we ever sung an entire song without discerning the message or the content of the lyrics? Hopefully, our answer to the second question is no, but what of the first question.

As the discussions continue around music in our congregational assembly, a few points come to mind. First, our congregational music is an important aspect of our public worship, or collective worship. Congregational music is limited to singing. Congregational singing is for praising God and strengthening, or building up, fellow Christians. Congregational signing is to be reciprocal. We are to sing to God and to one another. We are to speak to one another, and through our speaking, we are to teach and admonish one another. We are to make melody with our hearts unto the Lord. Congregational singing must not be void of emotion, or void of truth. We must sing with the spirit and sing with the understanding. The NASB translates “with the understanding” as “with the mind”. McCord translates the same phrase as singing “in my spirit” and “in my mind”. It is not enough to sing a cappella.

There are songs we sing, and have for years, that cause me to wonder. I wonder why, with all the controversy over some songs, that these have always passed muster, so to speak. I cannot sing “years I spent in vanity and pride, caring not my Lord was crucified; knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary”. I understand poetic license, and I understand the applicability of that verse to some that might be singing, but not me.

The thought process of the lyrics of “I Know Whom I Have Believed”, is outstanding. To a simpleton like me, it simply states that I may not understand everything, but I have faith in the One who does. However, I find it interesting that we can sing “I know not why God’s wondrous grace to me He hath made known, nor why, unworthy, Christ, in love, redeemed me for His own”. I believe John 3:16 says that God’s love is “why”. And doesn’t Romans 5 clearly address our helplessness, our state of enmity, and God’s marvelous amazing grace? Or in another verse of the same song, these words are written: “I know not how the Spirit moves, convincing men of sin; revealing Jesus through the Word, creating faith within”. I have known people who believed in the figurative indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and that He works only through the Word of God, sing that verse. Huh?

Recently, we sang “Rise Up Oh Men of God”, and in that song there is a verse that states, “the church for you doth wait. Her strength unequal to her task, rise up and make her great”. Excuse me! Am I missing something, or is that just wrong?

The point is not to make us all officers of the song police. But, maybe, there is a need to pay closer attention to the words we sing, the messages that we teach, and the entrenchment of song lyrics into the foundational basis of our faith.

We must sing with the spirit, or in our spirit, and we must sing with the understanding, or in our mind. No instruments, and no mindless, spiritless singing!