Why the Church Sings
A biblical perspective on worship
Mel Sosa
7/30/20263 min read
"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." Colossians 3:16
"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart..." Ephesians 5:18-19
Paul doesn't start with music. He starts with, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly,” and, “Be filled with the Spirit.” The singing is the result of those two things. That tells me worship isn’t built around music. It’s built around God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. Jesus said the Father is seeking those who worship Him in spirit and in truth. Those two are inseparable.
The Word of God is what searches us, exposes our hearts, divides soul and spirit, corrects us, and points us to Christ (Hebrews 4:12). Then the Holy Spirit empowers us to walk out that Truth in our lives. That’s where genuine worship comes from. It’s not something we can manufacture with the right song, lighting, or atmosphere.
When I read those passages, I also notice that Paul says we’re to teach, admonish, and speak to one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. That means when we gather, we’re not just singing to God. We’re ministering to each other. We’re reminding one another of who God is and what He’s done. Corporate worship isn’t meant to be a room full of spectators mostly watching a platform. It’s the whole body participating together.
I think that’s something we’ve slowly lost in a lot of churches. Sometimes songs are led in keys that are too high or too low for the average person, or they’re filled with so many vocal runs and arrangements that people stop singing and just listen. I love excellence, but if our excellence keeps the church from participating, then we’ve missed something. The goal isn’t to showcase what a few gifted people can do. The goal is to help the whole church lift one voice together.
I also think this changes how we view our own preferences. In corporate worship, my favorite style, my preferred key, my musical ability, should not hinder the purpose to building up the body. Love seeks the good of others. We should be asking, “How can I help my brothers and sisters sing? How can I encourage them? How can I make it easier for the church to participate?” Worship isn’t about expressing myself. It’s about glorifying Christ while edifying His people.
Another thing that’s been on my heart is how important sound doctrine is in the songs we sing. Colossians says the Word of Christ is to dwell richly among us. That means our songs should be filled with biblical truth. Songs teach people. Sometimes people remember lyrics far longer than they remember sermons.
That’s why we have to be careful. Not every popular worship song is automatically a good one. A song can sound beautiful, create an incredible atmosphere, make us emotional, or even bring us to tears, and still communicate ideas that aren’t rooted in Scripture. We should never judge a song by how it makes us feel. We should judge it by whether it’s faithful to God’s Word. Truth has to lead our worship, not our emotions.
I also feel the weight of this for those who lead worship. Whether we’re musicians, vocalists, or worship leaders, our greatest need isn’t more talent. It’s more of Christ. If the Word isn’t dwelling richly in us, and if we’re not walking in the fullness of the Spirit, we’ll eventually rely on skill, creativity, and experience to accomplish something only God can do. We may know how to move people emotionally, but only the Spirit working through the truth can transform hearts.
And then there’s the danger of imitation. It’s easy to look at big churches, famous worship teams, trending songs, packed conferences, and emotional responses, and think, “We should do what they’re doing.” But crowds have never been the measure of God’s approval. Neither have views, streams, or viral songs. Our calling isn’t to imitate another church. It’s to be faithful to Christ.
Just because a song is popular doesn’t mean it’s biblically rich. Just because a worship team has influence doesn’t mean we should copy them. We have to ask, “Does this help the Word of Christ dwell richly among God’s people? Does it help the church sing together? Does it exalt Christ? Is it rooted in sound doctrine?”
At the end of the day, I believe that’s what Paul is getting at. A church filled with God’s Word. A church filled with the Holy Spirit. A church where the whole congregation participates, ministers to one another, and exalts Christ together. That’s worship in spirit and truth. Everything else should serve that, never replace it.