Read Colossians 3:16–17
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and
admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms,
hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
Colossians 3:16
Psalms were the songs taken from the Old Testament. For centuries,
the churches in the English-speaking world sang only metrical versions of the Psalms. I am glad to see today a return to the singing
of Scripture, especially the Psalms. Hymns were songs of praise to
God written by believers but not taken from the book of Psalms. The
church today has a rich heritage of hymnody which, I fear, is being
neglected. Spiritual songs were expressions of biblical truth other than
in psalms and hymns. When we sing a hymn, we address the Lord;
when we sing a spiritual song, we address each other.
Someone has said that a successful Christian life involves attention to three books: God’s Book, the Bible; the pocketbook; and the
hymnbook. I agree. I often use a hymnal in my devotional time to
help express my praise to God. As we grow in our knowledge of the
Word, we will want to grow in our expression of praise. We will learn
to appreciate the great hymns of the church that teach spiritual truths.
To sing only the elementary songs of the faith is to rob ourselves of
spiritual enrichment.
Something to Ponder
How important are hymns and spiritual songs in your personal worship? Why?