Theology Thursday: Why do we sing? A theology of musical worship

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him. I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Today's question:
Why do we sing? A theology of musical worship

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
Every Sunday, a couple billion Christians around the world gather together and, in addition to a sermon, the Lord’s Supper, shared prayer, fellowship, and other miscellaneous items (announcements! donuts!), we sing. Across time and place and across faith traditions and denominations, voices accompanied sometimes by a piano or organ, sometimes by a full band, and sometimes by nothing at all are raised to God in praise, adoration, love, and even lament. 

Why? 

Sometimes it’s awkward. Not everyone likes singing or is very good at it. Sometimes the music is clunky or there are mistakes. Often it’s in a style we don’t prefer - it’s too old, it’s too new, it’s too fast, it’s too slow. 

Why do we do this every week? What is it about music that makes worship in song such a vital part of the gathering of the church? 

There are probably lots of ways to go about answering that question, but today let’s look at four reasons we sing: 

1. Because God Commands It

We sing because God tells us to. The Bible is full of commands to sing: “Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth” (Psalm 96:1). Singing isn’t an optional emotional flourish—it’s obedience. God’s people have always been a singing people. After crossing the Red Sea, Moses and the Israelites sang a song of deliverance (Exodus 15). When Paul writes to the early churches, he instructs them to “be filled with the Spirit” and sing together, to God, as a result. 

When we sing together, we’re not merely expressing ourselves; we’re submitting to God’s design for how his people should worship. Singing is an act of obedience that delights the heart of our Father.

2. Because Singing Shapes Our Hearts

God doesn’t command singing because he needs our melodies - he commands it’s good for our spiritual formation. Singing is one of the ways truth sinks from our heads into our hearts. In Colossians 3:16, Paul connects singing directly to teaching: “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.”

When we sing biblical truth, we are letting the Word “dwell richly” within us. Songs become theology set to melody—portable truth that we carry throughout our week. Singing helps form our affections, shape our beliefs, and rehearse the gospel story over and over again.

That’s why worship songs are more than emotional warm-ups before the sermon. They are formative moments when the church teaches itself what is true about God.

3. Because Singing Unites the Church

In our divided world, corporate singing is a countercultural act. When the church sings together, diverse people—young and old, rich and poor, joyful and weary—join in one voice before the throne of grace.

Paul tells the Romans to “glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ with one mind and one voice” (Romans 15:6). Singing does just that. It unites us under a shared confession: that Jesus Christ is Lord. The harmonies of the church echo the unity of the body.

Even when we don’t feel like singing, we borrow the faith of those around us. Their voices carry us. And when others are weak, our song helps lift them up. In this way, corporate singing is both ministry and mutual encouragement.

4. Because Singing Anticipates Heaven

Finally, we sing because heaven sings. Revelation gives us glimpses of eternal worship - saints and angels crying out, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12). Every time we sing together, we rehearse for that great day when every tribe and tongue will join in perfect praise in the presence of God.

Singing, then, is both remembrance and anticipation: we remember what Christ has done, and we anticipate what he will do.

Conclusion

We sing because God commands it, because it forms us, because it unites us, and because it points us toward eternity. Musical worship isn’t filler between the “real” parts of the service—it is worship. It’s the sound of a redeemed people declaring together that our God is worthy of praise.

So the next time you raise your voice on Sunday morning, remember: you’re joining an ancient, global, and eternal choir. Sing loudly. Sing truthfully. Sing because he is worthy.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. - Psalm 100:1-3
 
TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to office@minierchristian.org and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.