How does the gospel shape our singing? This is the second installment of a 3-part blog addressing this topic (read part one here).
The reason we should and MUST sing is not just because we were designed for it but without it, our souls run the risk of being bland. It won’t be satisfied in the way Jesus wants it to be in order that we may be propelled forward in our sanctification and mission. There are no beliefs or religion out there historically, that consistently and exclusively sing about their God and about Christ’s love, death, resurrection, forgiveness, etc. It is truly remarkable and that in itself is a witness to the unbelieving world.
Let me flesh out what that “witness” means. Before the world existed, the Trinitarian God existed in perfect harmony, lacking nothing, but being fully satisfied with all the joy and peace ever known. For mysterious reasons, He decided to create us. All of creation was perfect until Adam and Eve exchanged truth as they decided to believe a lie. They traded our friendship with God for enmity with Him. At that moment, all of creation was darkened and cursed. Every good and perfect thing that existed was polluted with sin and blemish. The perfection of our will, mind, body, soul and general elements such as work, relationships, nature, climate, creatures, life, and singing were all crippled by the effects of sin. Most of all, we were separated from God and His presence. He had left us to our own devices. He had given us up to our choices and desires. We were at this point unable in being good, faithful, truthful, and reconciled to God, the Father.
In His mercy, He wanted to redeem a people for His own as He set up systems, laws, and ceremonies, so that we could temporarily still have some sort of relationship with Him. These laws were set up so that we may obey Him and sing to Him. However, these systems and laws set up by God ultimately exhausted His people because their sin-corrupted mind and will would constantly find ways to rebel against Him. There is no song in rebellion. There is no hope in a narrative of life marked by sin. Throughout those times, God displayed His righteous wrath on His people because of their sin but simultaneously, used prophets and teachers to give them chances upon chances to return to God. In His mercy, He kept sending messengers to remind them that the day of salvation will come through a Messiah.
One day, on a starry night, God made good on that promise and covenant to His people, in which He had pre-ordained before time began. God had sent His Only Son, Jesus Christ to be born into humanity but also being fully God. Jesus lived a perfect life but was put to death on a cross unjustly. On that cross, Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice for us because of His love for us and His Father. In that moment, He imputed His righteousness onto past, present, and future believers in exchange for all the past, present, and future sins of this world. He took upon Himself all the curse existing in this world. God, the Father turned His face away from His Son and moments after, He died. However, He didn’t stay dead. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, appeared to as many as 120 witnesses, of which many had gathered after Christ’s ascension in an upper room singing songs and praying for the arrival of the Holy Ghost. And now we are a part of that movement of witnesses.
We, who confess the state of our sinful condition and our inability to save ourselves but believe the ability of the Messiah to save us via His death, resurrection, and ascension, can now be friends with God. We are now reconciled to the Father. This is the Gospel. This is why we sing. Think of the days and even the exact moment where you were before Christ saved you. If it wasn’t for His mercy and grace. If it wasn’t for His faithfulness. If it wasn’t for His goodness. If it wasn’t for His patience. If it wasn’t for His compassion, and as David sings in Psalm 124, “if it had not been the LORD who was on our side”, where would we be?
When we come together as saints, and we recall where we were and where we are now, how could we NOT sing? All we can do is bring melodies upon melodies in our hearts as a fragrant offering to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! No other faiths can bring about this singing and expression! Piper says, “But the sheer existence of Christians who are always looking for ways to make melody about their faith-finding inspiring tunes growing out of their convictions about God and Christ and forgiveness and eternal life–I think that is an amazing and unique thing. I don’t think there are any other faiths in the world that come close.”
John Piper quotes from web interview: http://www.desiringgod.org/
