Music Matters
Show 7

This is Music Matters, and I'm Robert Barnes. I've been involved in worship ministry for over 15 years in a variety of denominations, and I currently serve as director of worship at Covenant Presbyterian Church, Winter Park.

We've been talking about worship that is Biblical, Relevant, and God-Centered. Each one of these aspects can be over-hyped, over-emphasized, to the detriment of our Sabbath delight. But taken together, they make balanced prescription for worship.

We are still talking about the Biblical nature of our worship, and I promised to dish some dirt out about unbiblical song lyrics in popular worship music.

The first on my hit list is Graham Kendrick's "Amazing Love." This is a classic worship song, and I use it in my worship ministry, except in the chorus where I had to fix his bad doctrine. The original lyric reads, "My debt he pays, and my death he dies." Notice the tense of "pays" and "dies." My friend, Jesus has past tense PAID my debt, and he does not die any longer; he DIED. Jesus is not humiliated and bleeding and dying each week, he is at the right hand of God, in a place of victory and exaltation! Jesus' death is over, though its effects live on, may God be praised.

The second problem is also an error concerning the atonement. Look at Charles Wesley's "And Can It Be?" This exciting hymn says twice "Thou, my God, shouldst die for me." Now think about that. If Christ, in His deity, were to die, not only would that contradict about 2 dozen Scriptures that say God can't die, but if God died, then who would bring him back to life? And what would happen to the universe He created? It may make for interesting poetry, but it is irrational and unbiblical to sing songs about "the immortal dying." When we sing this song at my church, it gets major surgery.

Don't get me started talking about "Trust and Obey" or "The Savior is Waiting to Enter Your Heart". Those songs are from the pit of hell. There's so much wrong with the lyrics of those, you shouldn't even hum them in the shower, let alone sing them in worship.

The lyrics of the songs we use to privately and publicly worship God should be sung with care. Do not sing to yourself or to your children things about God that you would fire your pastor for preaching from the pulpit. Guard your lips from lies about God, and you'll enjoy more blessings as you learn how much Music Matters.