When Men Sing in Church Part 1

Part 1  –  A Biblical Precedent

One of the most important roles that a Christian man can play in his church is to sing. Yes, that’s right. I’m not talking about being on the worship team. That takes a great amount of skill. I’m talking about a man who sings amid the families he gathers with every Sunday morning to worship the living God. When men of God sing, whether young, old, married, or single, they are doing what they were created to do.

There are many deterrents to this. The most obvious reason why a man may not sing in church is that he does not have a regenerated heart. I’m not saying that singing always proves salvation completely. Even an unregenerate man can be the loudest singer in the room if he chose to. Only God can see the true form of the heart. This much is true. A man whose sins have been forgiven forever by Christ has more reason to sing bold and true than that man or woman giving lip service and acting the part. So, when a man claims to walk in a relationship with Jesus, yet His mouth remains closed when the church is rejoicing in the God of Her salvation, one might question his sincerity. And that’s no good for anyone.

Did men of God sing in the Bible?

“Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said: I will sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted; He has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea.” (Exodus 15:1)

“Then King Hezekiah and the officials told the Levites to sing praise to the Lord in the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with rejoicing and bowed down and worshiped.” (2 Chronicles 29:30)

We know David sang. He wrote the majority of what we know as the book of Psalms. Solomon, the wisest to ever live, contributed to holy Scripture with a book we call the “Song of Solomon.” There are plenty of New Testament examples as well. Remember Paul and Silas? “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25) Finally, consider Jesus. After he led His disciples in the Passover meal, we find these words recorded in Matthew. “And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” (Matthew 26:30)

If you’ve been waiting for some biblical precedent for singing in church, now you have it. Like everything else, we need the Lord’s help and guidance. Look to Christ’s example and lay your shame and embarrassment (or whatever other reasons you have) at His feet in worship.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!