#CHURCHTALK 17: How 'Christian' are Christian Songs?

Today, there are so many songs that are sang in the church and in the name of Jesus, but how true do these songs represent Christianity?

Jesus had told us that not all those who call Him 'Lord' are His. There are so many who preach on the altar of Christ but have no revelation of Him. There are so many who also sing on the altar that do not know the Lord. The only way given to us to know Jesus is in the revelation of the Word.

There are so many songs that are sang, danced to and used in worship during Christian gatherings that are far from being Christian songs for very obvious reasons.

To do justice to this topic, it will be wise to see who a Christian is and what makes one a Christian, so that we can therefore be able to actually look at how 'Christian', Christian Songs should be.

Who is a Believer?

A Christian is one who has turned away from sin by believing in the death and resurrection of Jesus for him. S/he is one who has faith in the finished work of Jesus, and appropriates same to him/herself! And he does this by his faith in the Gospel which is the power of God unto salvation.

You can therefore not be called a Believer until you have believed the message of Jesus' death and resurrection!

What makes Christian doctrine?

Christian doctrine is teaching on the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, the life He has brought through those events,  as well as the promise of His return.

So, that something was said or done in the old testament is not enough to make it a Christian doctrine. It must also be found and witnessed in the teachings of Jesus Christ and be attested to in the writings of His Apostles in their Epistles. It must also be witnessed by two or more scriptural witnesses.

lf a doctrine does not meet up with this accepted standard, then it can never qualify as Christian doctrine.

What are Christian Songs? 

A Christian song therefore is a song that attests to the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, especially in the context of its relevance to man. ln simple terms, a Christian song is one in which the Gospel is expressed in melody or rhythm. It is the preaching of Christ, the message of Christianity in melody or rhythm.

Any song that does not express the true statement of the Gospel as taught and upheld in scripture by Jesus and His Apostles is not a Christian song, even if it has the name 'Jesus' or 'God' in its lyrics.

The lyrics of a song, therefore, especially in comparison to scriptural revelation of the gospel, categorizes it as either being a Christian song or not, irrespective of who sings it or where it is sang.

Songs with lyrics like: "l just want to be where you are; draw me near to where you are..." are not Christian songs to be sang among Believers, because they contradict the message of the Gospel. God lives in the believer and the believer lives in God. So, there is no wanting to be where God is or wanting to be nearer to where He is.

Colossians 3:3 [ESV] 
For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

We are in Him: that is the closest we can be; and He is in us: that is the nearest we can be with Him. The Believer must learn to stay with the Gospel and add melody to it without changing the narration in their lyrics because changing it could corrupt the mind from the authentic gospel and life procured by Christ for the Believer!

1 Corinthians 3:16 [KJV] 
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

This verse does not say that the Believer should pray or sing to be drawn near to God but that the Believer ought to know that God is in Him. The Believer houses God ready.

Colossians 1:27 [KJV] 
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is CHRIST IN YOU, the hope of glory:

This verse also does not say that the believer should pray to be where God is, but that he should know he is where God is.

Veteran Christian musician and songwriter, Don Moen, ministers at The Experience 2014 in Lagos, Nigeria. Source: Twitter @TheExperienceLG

To be near to God who dwells in the light no man can approach is by being born again. The day a man believes and confesses the Gospel, he receives Christ and is born again, and approaches God in Him. He lives in God and God lives in Him forever. (John 14:16).

Songs with lyrics like: "Come, come, come, Holy Ghost come..." and "Come, Holy Ghost Creator Come" are unchristian to be sang in a Believer's meeting because Christ is in the Believer and he is not coming! Rather, He is to be recognized as present in the believer, and His presence recognized in melody!

Matthew 18:20 [KJV] 
For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

Songs with lyrics like, "Jesus na the only Son of God o, e wo..." are unchristian. Jesus was the only Son of God before He died and resurrected. But now, after He has resurrected, we all are Sons of God! The believer's mindset ought not to be corrupted from the gospel that saved him/her.

I John 3:2a
Beloved, now are we the sons of God...

Songs with lyrics like, "You are the pillar that holds my life..." are unchristian.

If Jesus is the pillar, then that means that He is not our life. That will be contradictory to the teaching of the Apostles, on whose foundation Christian faith is built.

Colossians 3:4 [KJV] 
When CHRIST, WHO IS OUR LIFE, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Songs with lyrics like, "God of Elijah send down fire..." are unchristian, because Jesus rebuked the calling of fire like Elijah did in Luke 9:52-56.

Luke 9:54-56 [KJV] 
54. And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?
55. But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. 
56. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. 

Victor David leads in a session of Praise at ARUKAH, a music concert themed Healing and Restoration, hosted by Watchman Catholic Charismatic Renewal Movement in Lagos, Nigeria, on October 1st of every year. 

Any song with lyrics that seeks the death of one's enemy is unchristian and contradicts the gospel.

Matthew 5:44-45 [KJV] 
44. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 
45. That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Songs with lyrics such as, "I'm going higher, Yes, I am...." are unchristian, because the believer is seated in high places already in Christ.

Ephesians 2:6 [KJV] 
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

Songs with lyrics such as, "We are marching to Zion..." are unchristian. The Gospel says we live in Zion now.

Hebrews 12:22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

Songs with lyrics such as, "Create in me, a new heart, purify me, purify me. Create in me a new heart, that l may worship you" are unchristian.

When the Holy Spirit came into the Believer, he was cleansed, given a new heart and granted access to fellowship with the Father.
See also: 1 Cor. 6:11, Heb.10:14, Jude 1:1

Songs with lyrics such as, "Holy Spirit, be my comforter. Holy Spirit take control..."  are unchristian. The Holy Spirit in the Believer is a comforter. He's not to be asked to be one.

Any Christian song with lyrics asking for more of the Holy Spirit is unchristian. When the Believer received the Holy Spirit, he received all of God. There is no more outside what he has received.

Why Christian songwriters get it wrong

Since most churches scarcely teach  authentic Christian doctrine, it makes it challenging for them to censor the kind of songs to be allowed in their meeting. This is why many so-called Christian songwriters get it wrong when writing. Some other reasons include the following:

1.   Most Christian songwriters have poor understanding of the scriptures which should have guided them in the writing of their song lyrics.

2.   Some Christian songwriters write their personal experience, not knowing that personal experiences, visions and prophecies that are not in consonance with the Gospel do not make Christian songs.

3.   Some Christian songwriters write their emotional feelings about God as Christian songs. They write on their personal concepts on Christian subjects, and fail to know that no scripture has a private interpretation.

4.   Some songwriters think that they can say what they want, since it is their song. They forget that they are called to write the Gospel in lyrics.

5.   Many others came to make fame and money. They write what they think will sell most. They do not see it as a ministry through which the Gospel is preached.

6.   Most others say the Holy Spirit inspires them to write songs. They forget that the same Holy Spirit that wrote the Gospel is the same Holy Spirit that lives in them. He will not contradict Himself by giving you lyrics that do not conform with the Gospel.

Some important notes to keep in mind as a Song Minister

1.   You are a preacher of the Gospel in melody or rhythm. So, maintain the message of the Gospel in your lyrics.

2.   Gospel songs are known by their content. They are not primarily meant for entertainment. Ensure you have the right content.

3.   A melodious and sweet voice do not make a Christian song. lt must speak of Christ's suffering, glory, authority and power.

Christian musician and songwriter, Nathaniel Bassey, ministers at The Experience Lagos. 

4.   Singing of the Gospel is preaching, confessing, prophesying and exalting Jesus.

5.   A song could mention the name of Jesus but for the wrong reason. It must depict what Jesus did for us in His resurrection, or what He will do at His promised second coming.

6.   Keep in mind that you are corrupting many from the truth if your lyrics are wrong, because we all shall meet at the judgement seat of Christ to account for our works.

7.   As a song minister, do well to get a source of living like Apostle Paul, so that you will not compromise the authenticity and simplicity of the Gospel for money, fame and material possession.

It is worthy of note that songs spread faster than a sermon, and reverberate longer. lf a song carries a wrong message, it tampers with the message of the Gospel and distorts people's beliefs for almost an entire generation.

Christian songs are confessions of the words of God in melody. If you as a Believer keeps singing songs with wrong lyrics, you will give room to the devil to corrupt your mind from the simplicity that is in the gospel.

2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 

Let Christian songwriters be watchful of what they write, and the Believer be choosy of the songs he sings. This way, we will help one another to stay faithful to the Gospel.


Pastor Mark Desmond is the Senior Pastor of The Believer's Embassy Church, Nigeria (formerly The Embassy of Zion Ministries, Nigeria). He is also the proprietor of Bismac Model Schools, Ifo, Ogun State, from where he writes. Pastor Mark can be reached via his Facebook page @Mark Desmond