What's The Big Deal About music? Part 1
Have you ministered to yourself today with either a psalm, hymn, or spiritual song? According to the Bible, not only are there great benefits in listening to godly music, but we are commanded to do so, too!
The Bible says in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” If you’ve ever gotten a song stuck in your head, you know music is a powerful tool for sticking spiritual truth (or fleshly error) into our minds. As Colossians reminds us, it’s important that we use the tool of music to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16).
Not only does music help put God’s Word within our own hearts, it's also a masterful tool for teaching God's truth to others, too. In fact, the Bible commands us to be “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 3:16) If you've been given a talent to write, sing, or play an instrument, consider using it to minister to other believers.
Music and the Spirit
Ephesians 5:18–19 says, “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
When one listens to godly music, it aids them in being filled with the Holy Spirit, which produces fruits such as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, and more (Galatians 5). If you're struggling with being filled with the Spirit, consider your music choices - are they pleasing to God or the flesh?
So, what type of music should Christians be listening to?
Consider the three types of music recorded in Ephesians 5:19: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
1. Psalms were songs specially written by God— many of which are recorded in the book of Psalms. God used human authors such as David, Solomon, Asaph, and others to write these psalms. Perhaps you’ve heard the Sunday School song, “The Lord is my shepherd, He walks with me always, always, always, He walks with me always”—an example of a psalm we sing today.
2. Hymns are defined as a “song or ode in honor of God.”¹ Hymns are based on the Bible and are songs written about God. Though specific hymn lyrics are not in Scripture, we know they sang hymns, as evidenced by Jesus singing a hymn with His disciples in Matthew 26:30: “And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.” Hence, hymns can be as old as the time of Jesus, or as new as In Christ Alone (2001) by the Gettys.
3. Spiritual songs are songs with biblical themes. For example, spiritual songs may focus on the love of God, the death of Christ, the church, or the life of a Christian. Consider some popular spiritual songs today, such as "Who Am I?" by Casting Crowns, "I Can Only Imagine" by MercyMe, "I Speak Jesus" by Charity Gayle, and "Blessings" by Laura Story.
In summary, we are to use actual songs found in Scripture (Psalms), songs of praise and honor toward God (Hymns), and songs with biblical themes (Spiritual Songs) to help us walk in the Spirit. How are you doing with that today?
Endnotes
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“Hymn.” Webster’s Dictionary 1828. https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/hymn. Accessed 30 July 2025.
If you'd like to read more, Part 2 examines whether rhythms are a “big deal” to God—and whether a Christian should be listening to the world’s music, such as heavy metal, rock and roll, or rap. You can read that by clicking here:
