Have you ever wondered how you, as a Christian, came to know what you know about the faith? How has the truth of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ been preserved over these 2,000 years and found its way to your ears?
When Jesus, the Son of God, ascended into heaven, he didn’t leave behind a stack of scrolls filled with all the right formulas for us to follow. Nor did the disciples didn’t immediately run home, grab pen and paper, and begin recording Jesus’s teachings after watching Him disappear into the clouds. Luke tells us in Acts chapter 1 that they worshipped, then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, continually blessing God. Jesus promised that the Spirit would continue to teach them and help them remember all that he had taught (John 14:26). But the Spirit didn’t just help them get their facts straight; he also set their hearts aflame with joy. This joy spilled over into songs and hymns and spiritual songs. The great truths of the faith inspired worship.
As the Spirit guided the hands which wrote the books of the New Testament, the writers recorded what scholars say were some of the hymns composed and sung by the early church. These hymns were not only expressions of joy; they encapsulated the truths of our faith.
Take for example 2 Timothy 2:11-13.
“The saying is trustworthy, for:
If we have died with him, we will also live with him
if we endure, we will also reign with him;
if we deny him, he also will deny us;
if we are faithless, he remains faithful….”
Scholars generally agree that Paul quotes a hymn already in circulation. In this little chorus, we have the truth that Jesus died and rose again. We have the promise that believers have died with him in baptism and will live and reign with him. Theologians over these 2,000 years have written innumerable volumes on these truths and their implications for us. But here, tucked into Paul’s letter to Timothy, we have four lines summarizing some of the key points of our faith. What the church knew to be true (doctrine) became part of their worship (doxology).
The early church’s doctrine was preserved in her doxology.
Just as the hymns of the early church helped believers to hold fast to truth, the songs we sing today can serve the same purpose. Sometimes it can seem that doctrine (truth) stands in tension with doxology (worship). A congregation may emphasize good teaching over popular music, or a good melody over deep truth. Thankfully, there are some good song writers out there that manage to beautifully combine both.
A friend of mine once told me, “When I first attended your church, I loved the songs. I told my husband, ‘They sing words here!’” In her delightful way of putting things, she pointed out that the songs we sang have depth. My friend knows the words we sing are important because doxology and doctrine go hand in hand. For this reason, it is important to keep in mind that what the church sings today may very well shape her theology tomorrow.
Of course we all “sing words,” but what do those words reveal about what we believe, and how are those words shaping us?
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