Wednesday, June 23
Sing it!
Scripture: Ecclesiastes 5-6, 1 Timothy 3
1 Timothy 3:16 Beyond all question, the mystery from which true godliness springs is great:
He appeared in the flesh,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels,
was preached among the nations,
was believed on in the world,
was taken up in glory.
Observation
Paul seems to be quoting a popular hymn or creed or confession—perhaps one he or someone else wrote before or maybe he wrote it here for the first time. This hymn highlights six things about Jesus: his incarnation, resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, proclamation, believed on, and ascension. The ISV (International Standard Version) translation reflects the poetic or hymnic nature of the verse (read it out loud).
1 Timothy 3:16 (ISV) By common confession, the secret of our godly worship is great:
In flesh was he revealed to sight,
Kept righteous by the Spirit’s might,
Adored by angels singing.
To nations was he manifest,
Believing souls found peace and rest,
Our Lord in heaven reigning!
This verse follows Paul describing the church as “the pillar and foundation of the truth.” One of the ways the truth was spread and made memorable was by turning it into song and poetry, like this.
Application
Our worship songs and our creeds and confessions are important. They capture the great truths of our faith and make them memorable. We sing them or say them, and the truth works its way into our conscious and subconscious. This is why it is so important that our songs are Biblical and theologically sound. Orthodoxy (truth) is communicated not just in sermons, but often more memorably in the songs we sing, the music we listen to, and the creeds or confessions we repeat.
This is one of the reasons I love the songs being written at Life Center, such as “The Risen King” which beautifully describes the death and resurrection of Jesus. Our team is very conscientious about turning gospel truth into poetry, making it memorable.
This is why I love many of the great hymns, such as “Great is thy Faithfulness” (and many others). The lyrics are powerful truths I need to remember, and I do when I sing it.
This is why I love many of the songs that came out of the Jesus movement in the 70’s—we put Scripture to music and sang it. When I read my Bible, I still find myself, years later, singing some of the verses that I read!
This is why I love listening to good worship music—current and past. I enjoy the musical artistry, and the good lyrics plant those truths deep into my soul.
Want to remember the truth? Sing it!
Prayer: Lord, I’m grateful for music, for poetry, for songs and creeds and confessions like this one that make the truth memorable, and work it deeply into my soul.