Should Christians Only Sing The Psalms?

[@robertgomezjr2640]

Thanks Joel, The difference is that we are commanded to preach and teach the Word of God , we are not commanded to rewrite the song book God has already provided. 2 Timothy 3:16

[@joshbarrow6246]

Yeah, I absolutely agree with that. This argument instantly un-does almost the whole counter argument of this video. I wish people remember or cared to research and truly understand the regulative principle of worship. I recommend everyone go listen to the history of song in worship by Rev Steven Dilday on sermon audio.

[@ETHANGELIST]

Instead of comparing singing in public worship to praying or preaching, it should be compared to the public reading of Scripture. God ordained the content of His Word AS WELL AS the content of what we should sing.

[@ETHANGELIST]

I used to argue the same. But God didn't give us a book of sermons or a book of prayers. But He gave us a book of praises. God ordained in His Word how we ought to preach and pray which includes expounding and speaking from the heart and soul. These are different means of grace. God also ordained the content of what we sing (e.g. 2 Chronicles 29:30, James 5:13).

[@ayeladdie]

it’s not some novel position - it was the majority position for the reformed until less than a century ago. God has nowhere regulated man made hymnody in His worship anywhere in His Word. We have divine prescription to pray our own prayers and preach our own sermons. Just because it is a minority position today, does not mean it is incorrect. In fact, the non-EPers are the new kids on the block in light of Reformed history. Normative principle of worship is a papal error

[@innovationhq8230]

The arguments against exclusive psalmody are not very good.

[@joshcollingwood-ld7ov]

Nadab and Abihu didn’t see see anything wrong with changing things up a bit. I mean surely it’s just a genuine heart of spiritual worship God wants right? I mean sure he gave us a song book but that doesnt mean we can’t add to it with our own songs right? right?

[@tebelshaw9486]

Issac Watts opened the window to hymnology and CCM kicked in the door. There is no danger in exclusive Psalmody. The danger is in singing hymns devised by men, who as Wesley, often despised the doctrine of Sovereign grace. The lyrics are sometimes theologically incorrect, and use certain phrases from the KJV that are inaccurately translated. If we had all grown up under Psalmody, by the time we were adults we would have the majority of the Psalms committed to memory.

[@ayeladdie]

there are no persuasive, exegetical arguments for abandoning the RPW - the inevitable result of contemporary evangelicalism’s trampling of it has resulted in the irreverent Hillsong garbage that is so prevalent today. Read the westminster assemblies’ Directory of the Publick Worship of God

[@8solideogloria]

Joel, I appreciate your content, thank you. I would just like to see reformed(ish) church's just sing some Psalms at least.

[@joshbarrow6246]

If you believe that hymns and spiritual songs are not psalms, then we are commanded to sing these other songs. And if we are commanded to sing these, which hymns? Which spiritual songs? Was Paul refering to hymns and songs as we understand them today? If we are commanded by God in ephesians and colossains to sing hymns and spiritual songs, than for anyone to say we can only sing psalms would be a grave sin, and not be a respectable or even permissable view. You'd then believe that these psalms only people which are restricting the singing of hymns and spiritual songs in their churches are restricting people in church from obeying God's explicit commands to sing hymns and spiritual songs. Deut 12:32 What thing soever I command you, observe to do it: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. If hymns and spiritual songs as understood in the modern sense, something akin to, hymns are written anwhere between 15th to 19th century set to organ music, and spiritual songs are hillsong-type songs set to modern bands, as it is often interpreted, loosely speaking. Where in the bible is this distintion found? Is it found? And what is the real difference be a hymn and a spiritual song anyway? I try and try to hear the arguments from other people on what a hymn is and what a spiritual song is, and I cannot get a single legitmate answer from pro-hymn believers. I had one guy tell me that hymns are about Him, and spiritual songs are about spiritual things. I cannot help but shake my head at explanations like this. It grieves me because so many people are claiming the know the answer and that they understand, but their answers are terrible and subjective and I can't in good conscience adopt them. I want to follow what is right. I want to serve God in every way he wants to be served, and no other, wether its psalms only or not. But I cannot settle for false explainations and false interpetations. One thing I do know, we absolutely are commanded to sing psalms, and almost no one ever does. I bet you less than .01 percent of churches in the world sing them now, yet they are commanded. The bible says to repent and be baptized, and it also says to sing psalms. So if your church does not sing psalms, it is like a church that does not baptize. Would you go to a church that didn't baptize because no one wanted to do it? I sure can't do that. People tell me I must attend a biblical church, but would they say a biblical church is a church that forsakes baptism? No? How about the psalms then? I'd argue that is not a good biblical church either. I believe in exclusive psalmody, because the bible actually does give us a definition of hymns and spiritual songs as Paul and the first christians understood them historically. I recommend 2 sources, one being Nathan Eshelman on Psalms & Hymns & Spiritual songs on sermonaudio.com And I also recommend Rev Steven Dilday's sermons called The History of Song in worship on sermonaudio.com They are extensive, so fair warning, but I have yet to find anyone else that even comes close to diving into the historical use of song in the church to this degree. I cannot recommend it enough. Also, go to SWRB.com and look up resources on exclusive psalmody. This is not a new position and it has been discussed extensively by many ministers throughout history. For those who care to dig, I wish you the best and pray God helps you discern this qeustion.

[@CMIKAEL1172]

I agree that you can sing psalms and hymns. I feel safer singing the Psalms as no worries about doctrines.

[@isaacfernandez637]

It boils down to the regulative and normative principles. Regulative only practices whats explicitly allowed in scripture. Normative allows everything that is not explicitly forbidden by scripture. Which one is safer...

[@leafargo9993]

At around 4:30 in the video, you give an argument of we can preach and pray not using the words of Scripture only. Yet you left out that reading the word of God, which is one of the other elements of worship is just reading the word of God. Can you explain why you left out reading the word of God?

[@mayacrespo6222]

Each means of grace is its own thing , preaching a sermon is definetly not a prayer , and singing praises should not be compared with these other two either . The regulative principle is what reformed pastors need to go back to deep deep study

[@biblebeliever3195]

The proper way to come to any doctrinal conclusion about the worship of God, is to thoroughly and systemically study what the Scripture teaches on such a subject and to do so in harmony. Then it be profitable to look at Christians at the time and through history to see if there is agreement. This is especially the case in modern times, wherein there is endless history that has passed before us to testify. Justin's answers come from his heart and a basic I feel premise, with very weak standing on theology, as if the matter were trivial or of no importance, or where much liberty is given. However the exact opposite is the case. The greatest of all commandments in the Scripture are to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, soul, strength and mind and Jesus says this is the GREATEST of all commandments, therefore to disobey this is the GREATEST of all sins. Thus even a brief overview of what constitutes loving God and proper worship; it is well observed that the failure of doing so often resulted in immediately being killed by God. Thus I compare offering man-made hymns as (unauthorized)strange fire and continue: Look at the case of Leviticus 10, Nadab and Abihu, offering up unauthorized strange fire before the Lord. King Uzziah being stricken with leprosy, for offering incense, King David's friend Uzzah who was immediately killed for touching the ark. God is holy, holy, holy the Lord God Almighty, man's hands cannot touch or defile any of His worship whatsoever, it can only be done strictly as He has commanded, yet is known that this is done with the fruits of thanksgiving; especially summarized: those who are forgiven much, love much. As man cannot put his tools on the altar of God with building an altar, lest it be defiled with the hands of man, and the same with offering up fire, it could only be God's fire, so it is the same with praise. You will find a quick study will prove that as a congregation the only songs sung in corporate worship were ever psalms and nothing else in the entirety of Scripture. As the Revelation of Scripture continued, and the Psalms were added unto so did the selection increase. In the New Testament they only sang the psalms. Only those who spake as moved by the Holy Ghost were authorized for this as the Scriptures teach. Historically the Churches only sang the psalms, any variance to this is the direct result of apostasy. Not due to studying of Scripture or reformation, thus straying from Scripture and should not be emulated. The same is applied to the usage of instruments. In that they were only used corporately in the temple, never in the synagogues, and even then during the animal sacrifice, wherein Jesus Christ has fulfilled this; hence why no musical instruments are used in the New Testament and were not used through Church history; probably until the 800s? Then even directly as a result of great apostasy. John Calvin and many others saw this as judaizing, i.e another gospel. Strange fire; false worship. The modifications from the following of the strict observance of these views drastically changed in the last centuries. Certain hymn promoters as charles wesley, fanny crosby and isaac watts changed this drastically. In the case of isaac watts, who hated the psalms and thought they were unChristian, chiefly the imprecatory psalms. Thus the modern change drastic change in worship is a result of apostasy. One is commanded to study to show themselves approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. No one would answer so flippantly about the Holy Trinity or any other doctrine that has not been well-studied. Look at the exhaustive studying and unity it took in Church History to form creeds on such, they didn't just flippantly look at a couple verses and say well ya know I think this and that and I guess that's good enough to justify a view. That is being spiritual lazy. One will find God if they seek Him with all their heart as it promised in the Scripture, one searches like one does for silver and gold. Thus I propose if these men exhaustively studied the matter and saw how important the proper worship of God is and were shown all the Scripture and history they would come to different conclusions. Since this doctrine is very unpopular currently and mostly lost, people have a tendency to accept it. However it can be easily seen that the majority of all public worship is greatly apostate where anything goes from light shows to a night club setting, to rock bands, dance teams, drama groups, etc. Where it is obvious nothing of this sort was ever seen in the New Testament Church, nor in Church history. Apparently everyone today somehow knows better than all those unlearned Christians through history. Perhaps the apostle Paul could have taken a lesson from some of these hymn writers today. It is clear the meaning of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs is referencing 3 types of psalms, and the Scriptures limit what we are permitted to sing. Man is not given the liberty to write his own authorized music for worship. In preaching and prayer the topic is different and is not of the same application when it comes to singing.

[@illegalgovernment]

What is this language 'where is the mandate ...'? It implies that those who only sing the psalms must produce a warrant for their practice. But that is back to front. The Regulative Principle of Worship says that the Lord has the rule of his house and we must find a directive for what we do in his Worship from his Word. We are sure that we are warranted from the Word of God to sing the inspired psalms, but where is the warrant that we may sing uninspired compositions other than the psalms? Where is the warrant for uninspired hymns? The onus is upon those who wish to sing such hymns to produce a 'warrant', not upon those who only sing the psalms. They only sing the psalms because they can produce no warrant for doing anything further.

[@davidgullick3933]

This position is centered around the RPW and you didn’t even talk about it? Your argument doesn’t touch one bit on why people hold the position, nor do any of your arguments directly address it. Shortly put, is our worship regulated and consistent with what God has ordered for our worship of him, or so we do whatever we like unless it’s prohibited? All these reformed guys doing the normative stuff.

[@AnnieranAmbience]

I totally believe that Christian artist have a place for bring the Word of God to the world. But when it comes to how the church comes together and worships God on the Lord's day we should be careful to only to things as God commands. no where in the new testament are we commanded to right songs for worship. If like said in the video that songs are to be written with the same carful preparing as a sermon, then it would be logical to say that the song wrighter ought to be ordained. But the only instructions we are given for what leaders to have in the church are elders and deacons. So this at least does not seem like a completely logical argument.

[@BB26323]

I would encourage the listener and both men to review Alexander Blaikie’s catechism on praise. All of the various questions and more are addressed there in making a distinction between preaching and praise. Furthermore, a more detailed sermon about exclusive Psalmody and without musical instruments I would encourage listening to Robert McCurley and Gavin Beers from the Free Church of Scotland Continuing.

[@AlphaStudios-lh1rz]

There are occasions certainly.

[@johnbruce2868]

Hymns celebrate our own, personal, experience and insights into the Love of Christ. Sing them! Why not rejoice and sing them? Sing them to the stars, fields and his Creation, but never in the Temple of the Lord wherein belongs only Worship of God as manifest through the Word, psalms and scripture. Never as an alternative to the Word, psalms and scripture. John 1:1; In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, [17] that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. Proverbs 3:5; Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. Why this desire to replace the Word of the Bible in the Lord's Temple, with your own? Hymns, although sometimes inspired by it, deflect from original scripture, are subjective, and not genuine in their egoless humility before the Lord our God. Such rejoicing you keep in your heart between yourself and God. That is his measure, alone. p.s. I enjoy the occasional hymn, but never sung in church. Ephesians 2:8-9; For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God- not because of works, lest any man should boast. Proverbs 21:2; Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.

[@SerenityNow22]

Love your insights Pastor Joel but you gotta try & let your guests speak more 😉😄

[@bryanplanalp228]

Is the cannon of scripture open? Has God not given us clarity to worship Him with His scripture. Human inspiration is not needed in worship.

[@gingernutpreacher]

But is it allowed

[@AlphaStudios-lh1rz]

Are you a cessationist?

[@richardrogers156]

I used to write christian metal-Rock music.I wrote about My testimony so people wouldn't do the same things.I used to listen to Rock music until I started reading the lyrics.👎 check out Disciple band with lyrics God of Elijah.One of the few I listen to.💪😇🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@princessbabibear4794]

I checked out the band disciple. My gosh the focus is so much more on them And their voice and their backflips and their flaming smoke pillars and everything else screaming like banshees... than God it's ridiculous. It's a train wreck. Epic fail ..

[@berglen100]

ITS A PLAY THAT REPEATS UNDER THE SUN.

[@berglen100]

So when I speak of the last days, I am not speaking of the end of this world, for it is a play, which goes on and on and on. Having entered the play, you are always the same actor. You will play the rich man, the poor man, the beggar, and the thief, retaining the same identity. And when you reach the last days, a series of events that are mirrored in the story of Jesus Christ, will unfold in you in a first person, present tense experience. You will not observe it happening to another; you will experience it happening to you. The last days begin with your awakening to the realization that you have been entombed in your own skull; that you have been dreaming this world into being.

[@gavinofioretti2126]

In my congregation we only sing Psalms. Many reasons for that. The main one is that they are the only inspired hymns ever written. We offer to God his Word and not our.