Proclaimer Blog
The Big Sing
Next week I'm leading a seminar at the FIEC Leaders' Conference on the sometimes vexed question of music and singing. It has meant that I've spent some time with my head in Colossians 3.16-17 and I've been very encouraged with what I've found.
"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 heart to God" (ESV)
My question was, how does singing tie in with letting the word of Christ dwell in us richly. It is tempting (and often done) to separate the two parts of the verse as two different issues. We (a) let the word of Christ dwell in us richly, which we do as we teach and admonish one another – i.e. speak the word to one another. We also (b) sing to one another – and isn't that nice! It all seems a bit disconnected to me.
And indeed it is. A bit of study is rewarding. Far from being a conservative evangelical doctrine of word encouragement and a few words of about singing – this verse has a oneness to is. Moo explains it best in his Pillar commentary on Colossians and Philemon. In fact, he argues quite cogently that the TNIV is the best translation here (all of which is interesting for the NIV revision coming out in 2011 which Moo is chairing). So,
"Let the word of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your heart" (TNIV)
No doubt we should (and must) encourage one another with the word. I don't doubt that. But specifically, in this verse, we do that by singing to one another! Suddenly singing takes on a primary importance in the life of the church – it is a ministry of the word, no less! There are all sorts of implications, of course, which I shall try to work out with the FIEC leaders – and take on board myself, for this is a ministry that every churchgoer exercises with amazing regularity.