Nathaniel R. Martin

God’s Redemptive Plan for One People in Christ: Ephesians 3:1-13

Sermon Idea: The story of Scripture progressively reveals God’s plan of redemption through his covenants to have one, unified people in Christ Jesus. 

Introduction: I have loved roller coasters from a very young age. Numerous summer vacations were spent at Six Flags and Holiday World, and one memorable summer, we went to Kings Island, followed by two days at Cedar Point in Ohio. A roller coaster in Cedar Point ascends so high that if you could pause at the top, you could see across Lake Erie into Canada. That’s wild. 

My sister and I love the entire experience. There is a sense of anticipation as you enter the car and begin to understand your surroundings. There is an increasing tension as your back hits the seat, you incline slowly, and your insides prepare for the inevitable drop. You reach the top, and then in seconds, the tension disappears as you drop rapidly without a single stop until you reach the resolution, where the car enters the platform and the ride is over. 

What I am describing to you is the literal development of riding a roller coaster, but I could have changed a few phrases here and there so that the image of a roller coaster could be used to describe the development of a story. 

If there are teachers in the room, they are undoubtedly familiar with this. Every good story has a developed plot, beginning with setting and characters. The story is developed over a series of scenes throughout which there is rising tension and the development of some problem, conflict, or dilemma.1 

The story will then climax as the problem reaches its height. What will happen? How will this shake out?

Then there is the resolution in which the problem is worked out in some form or fashion as the story descends and the tension disappears. With the conflict gone and the resolution in play, lessons about how we now think, speak, and act in light of the story can be drawn. 

What kind of book is the Bible? How should it be read? There are many bad ways to read the Bible, more than we have time to discuss here, but what are some well-intended but misguided ways to read the Bible?

We might think of the Bible as an instruction manual. It provides principles and lessons for doing what is right, so we read and draw out those principles. Indeed, the Bible is God’s revealed truth that teaches us how to live in accordance with this righteousness, but the Bible is not an instruction manual and cannot be read like one. 

We might think of the Bible as a collection of wisdom. It consists of 66 books that are not really connected in any way but do contain wisdom for life. To be sure, the Bible contains wisdom. Wisdom literature is one of the major genres in Scripture, but we must not read the Bibe as a mere collection of unconnected and unrelated books. 

The Bible is not an instruction manual or a collection of wisdom; it is a single, unified, coherent story revealing God and his works from creation to consummation. At the center of this story is all God does in the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

How does this story develop? What are its major plot movements? One crucial way Christians have thought about the Bible’s story is by identifying four major movements: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Consummation. 

God creates the world and all that exists, including human beings in his image. All that God created was good, and human beings were created to live in God’s presence and in peaceful communion with him. 

Despite all of God’s goodness and provision, human beings rejected God as Lord and sinned against him. So all of creation falls under a curse and judgment, with human beings being separated from God’s presence and communion. 

God, in his love and grace, does not leave creation under this curse or humanity in separation from his presence. Instead, God graciously and mercifully works a plan of redemption that culminates in sending the Son, Jesus Christ, to live for us and die in our place. 

When Jesus is raised from the dead, this story has its resolution, and what remains is for this resolution to be fully felt in the consummation of God’s redemptive plan in the New Heavens and the New Earth. 

This is the true story of the world, without which we cannot understand why we are here, who we are, what is wrong with the world, and how it can be fixed. 

For the next 12 weeks, we will study this story through those four major movements and how the Bible reveals God’s redemptive plan. I want us to see how the Bible structures and unfolds God’s plan from Genesis to Revelation. In particular, we are going to see how the covenants in the Bible are the backbone, or skeletal structure, on which this entire story hangs. 

I can’t say it better than Dr. Stephen Wellum, “…Scripture is God’s own interpretation of his mighty acts unfolding his eternal plan that moves from creation to new creation along a specific covenantal storyline centered in Christ Jesus our Lord.”2

This morning, we will introduce this series by listening carefully to how Paul talks about God’s plan in Ephesians 3:1-13. We will start with the resolution and then go back to trace the story from beginning to end. 

Here is what Paul teaches us in Ephesians 3:1-13: the story of Scripture progressively reveals God’s plan of redemption through his covenants to have one, unified people in Christ Jesus.

I.) God’s eternal plan of redemption is to have one, unified people in Christ.

I want us to see that God has one plan, which is eternal and centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. 

In Ephesians 3, Paul begins to pray and identifies himself as a prisoner on behalf of the Gentiles, For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you (Eph 3:1–2)

Gentile means non-Jewish. If you’re here this morning and you’re not an ethnic Jew, then you are a Gentile. So here is Paul beginning to pray, identifying himself as the apostle—God’s appointed messenger to the Gentiles—and he pauses, stops praying, and digresses into an explanation of how the Gentiles—the nations—fit into God’s redemptive plan.

We take this for granted, but there is much to adjust to when Paul writes this. Throughout the Old Testament, God covenants with one nation, Israel, and sets them apart as his people. Everyone else belonged to the nations, were unclean, and apart from God’s presence and blessing. 

In the gospel, God reveals that his eternal plan was not to rule over one nation but over a redeemed people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.  

When God started saving the Gentiles in large numbers, early Christians faced the question of how to be the church! How can Jews and Gentiles be one body in Christ, and how is that lived out? Paul addresses these very questions in Ephesians. 

One way he does that is by appealing to the theme of mystery. In the Bible, mystery is not like a whodunit book or a mystery novel;  in Scripture, mystery refers to something that was hidden but has now been revealed. 

In verse 3, Paul says this mystery, “…was made known to him by revelation.” 

In verse 4, Paul refers to it as the mystery of Christ. The mystery has now been revealedbecause of who Christ is and what Christ has done. 

In verse 6, Paul defines the nature of the mystery. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Eph. 3:6) 

The mystery of Christ, according to Paul, is that God’s plan was always to have one people in Christ Jesus, and that the Gentiles are not only members, but they are equal members of God’s people. Through faith, the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promises in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 

Paul says the same things with more dramatic flair in Galatians 3:28 

28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise (Ga 3:28–29)

God has only had one redemptive plan for one people in Christ. God does not have one plan for Israel and another for people he calls the church. God’s one redemptive plan is from eternity and is worked out according to the counsel of his will. Listen to how Paul roots God’s plan in his eternal purpose. 

God made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (Eph 1:9–10)

Speaking of the mystery of Christ, Paul says. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph 3:11)

Along with God’s eternal purpose, Christ’s centrality is crucial for us to grasp if we are to understand God’s plan from eternity. God redeeming a people in Christ is not plan B but the eternal purpose of God. 

I’ve always loved football. If you have watched the game at any serious level, you know that the best Quarterbacks know how to audible at the line of scrimmage. They read the defense and change the play based on what they see. 

God ruling over a people he redeemed through Jesus Christ was not an audible because of human sinfulness. God’s salvation of the Gentiles was not an audible because Israel rejected the Messiah. 

Scripture unfolds God’s eternal plan of redemption, and Jesus Christ is the center of the plan. 

God…who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus (2 Ti 1:8–10)

I cannot stress enough how everything in the Bible prepares, points to, and preaches Jesus Christ. All of God’s promises find their amen in Jesus Christ, and God’s blessings can only be found through faith in Jesus Christ. Since Jesus Christ is the center of God’s plan, which is revealed in Scripture, understanding how Scripture unfolds this plan should be important for anyone who claims to love and trust Jesus Christ. 

That brings us to our second point.

II.) God’s eternal plan of redemption is progressively revealed in Scripture through his covenants. 

God’s eternal plan of redemption is not revealed instantaneously, but progressively over time. Paul states two different times in these verses that God has revealed the mystery of Christ with a clarity not known in previous times. 

4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit (Eph 3:4–5)

9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, (Eph 3:9)

Scripture unfolds God’s redemptive plan through a series of covenants, which find their fulfilment and end in the New Covenant mediated by Jesus Christ. 

Before we survey the major covenants in the Bible, it will be helpful to define the meaning of covenant. 

In the book we are giving away this morning, Tom Schreiner offers this definition: ” A Covenant can be defined as follows: a covenant is a chosen relationship in which two parties make binding promises (and obligations) to each other.”3 

The best example of a covenant in our time is marriage. In marriage, two people willingly make binding vows to one another. 

In Scripture, God works out his redemptive plan through a plurality of covenants. There are six major biblical covenants, and an understanding of how these covenants relate to one another is crucial for understanding God’s revelation in Scripture. 

1. Covenant of Creation (Gen. 1-2)

2. The Noahic Covenant (Gen. 6-9)

3. The Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12, 15-17)

4. The Mosaic Covenant (Exodus 19-24)

5. The Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7)  

6. The New Covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34, Heb. 8) 

We will unpack each of these over the next several weeks, but we should summarize the story briefly and then make a few points. 

At creation, God covenants with humanity. Adam and Eve are to be fruitful and multiply to fill the earth. They are supposed to exercise dominion over all of creation as God’s image bearers. This covenant included obligations. They were to eat of every tree except for one. Had Adam obeyed in all of these things, he would have inherited eternal life, but if he disobeyed, he would die. This is sometimes called a covenant of works because the covenant is based on Adam’s obedience or disobedience. 

Adam disobeyed, and all of creation was cursed. However, even as God cursed all of creation, he promised a future covenant, not of works but grace. In Genesis 3:15, God promises that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent. 

All the covenants that follow are God’s way of fulfilling that promise, which is not fulfilled or realized until the New Covenant ratified by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the seed of the woman. 

When God makes the covenant with Noah, he promises to preserve creation until he can fulfill that promise. 

When God covenants with Abraham, God’s redemptive plan is in full swing. God sets aside a people for himself to bring about the future seed of the woman, a Messiah. 

When God covenants with Moses and Israel, God’s people learn of his holiness, righteousness, and law as they become a nation. This law not only sets them apart from other nations but also reveals that their sinful condition is just like the nations’—guilty and in need of a savior. They need more than the law; they need new hearts. 

When God covenants with David, the nation is now a kingdom, and God promises a true king, who will rule over his people justly and sit on David’s throne forever. 

Paul calls these covenants with Abraham, Moses, and David “covenants of promise” in Ephesians 2:12. 

12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (Eph 2:12)

These covenants define the relationship boundaries between God and his people, but they also reveal God’s plan over time and point forward to all God will do in Christ and in the new covenant. Once Christ comes, all the covenants of promises find their fulfillment in the new covenant and are no longer binding on God’s people as covenants. 

 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace (Eph 2:13–15)

6 But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. 7 For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. (Heb 8:6–7)

Samuel Renihan uses the beneficial illustration of scaffolding and tarps to describe how the covenants of promise progressively bring about God’s kingdom through Christ. 

“The Kingdom of Israel and its covenants were scaffolding around the kingdom of Christ and His covenant. Scaffolding and tarps give a general idea of something being built, but not necessarily a specific idea. They are not the final product, but they do contribute to the final product.”4

By carefully following God’s redemptive plan through the progression of the covenants, we can rightly see the unity of God’s plan, but also note the differences in each covenant. This will prevent us from submitting to commands and laws that are no longer binding, and help us understand how to live as God’s new covenant people. Some things never change because they’re founded in God’s righteousness. 

Other things change because God only commands them for a particular people for a specific time.

III.) God’s eternal plan of redemption displays the wisdom of God through the unity of the church. 

Let’s now return to Ephesians 3. God’s eternal plan of redemption displays wisdom through the unity of the church. 

10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph 3:10–11)

As God united Jews and Gentiles into one body in the church, God’s wisdom was known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places! 

The church’s diversity and unity proclaim God’s manifold wisdom to the Angelic powers. It isn’t simply that their culture and ethnicity were different (though they were), it is that before the gospel, these two groups were alienated and hostile toward one another. This is why Paul emphasizes that Christ has removed the “dividing wall of hostility” in Ephesians 2:14.

This new relationship is only possible because of God’s work in the gospel. It is what Jamie Dunlop calls a supernatural community and a compelling community.5 The diversity and unity of the local church only come from God’s amazing grace in the gospel, which can take two hostile, opposing groups and make them one in Christ. 

Today, in our ministry context, we should pray for a supernatural and compelling community at Waldo Baptist Church. We should pray that the Lord develops a culture at WBC that is multi-generational, multi-ethnic, and united in Christ and his gospel. We should foster more gatherings that are not age-segregated so that this type of community can develop and flourish. When our community at WBC only makes sense because God is real and the gospel is true, we will become a compelling community that is attractive to a fractured and broken world. 

Conclusion

Understanding God’s eternal plan of redemption through his covenants reminds us that the Biblical story is not a theory or a fantasy. God has kept his promise, and in the church, we have the incredible privilege of declaring through our unity that God has won in Christ. It reminds us of God’s faithfulness, the goodness of his will, and our true hope in Christ—all to the praise of his glorious grace. 

25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen (Ro 16:25–27)

  1. Jonathan Pennington, Reading the Gospels Wisely (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012) 174. ↩︎
  2. Stephen Wellum, Systematic Theology: From Canon to Concept (Brentwood, TN: B&H, 2024) 3934. ↩︎
  3. Thomas R. Schreiner, Covenant and God’s Purpose for the World (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017) 13. Parentheses added by me because Schreiner adds the word obligations on page. 14 ↩︎
  4. Samuel Renihan, The Mystery of Christ: His Covenant and His Kingdom (Cape Coral, FL: Founder Press, 2020) 187. ↩︎
  5. Jamie Dunlop, Compelling Community: Where God’s Power Makes a Church Attractive(Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015) ↩︎
Nathaniel R. Martin

Congregational Singing as a Means of Grace: Colossians 3:16-17

Sermon Idea: Congregational Singing is a means of grace by which the peace and Word of Christ dwell in the church as members teach and admonish one another through song.

Introduction: It was a war of words, with pamphlets written with conviction and in a tone we would describe today as harsh. Those aware of the controversy began forming opinions and taking sides. The divide became so public and problematic that in 1692, the Particular Baptist General Assembly addressed the controversy. 

One historian summarized the assembly’s work this way, “On the final day of the Assembly, a committee of seven pastors, appointed to examine the literature, returned a verdict indicating that several tracts had descended into name-calling, insinuation…In addition, they called for printed retractions on the part of several men involved, and named four books which they requested ‘that none of the Members of the Churches do buy, give, or disperse any of these books.”

What could cause such a division? What topic would attract so much attention, writing, and public debate? 

The debate was whether congregations could sing hymns in corporate worship. We take this for granted today, but early Baptists wrestled with this question as they sought to worship the Lord as regulated by the Word of God. 

Benjamin Keach was not the first Baptist pastor to encourage his congregation to sing in corporate worship, but he is remembered for his role in the hymn controversy. Keach argued that congregational singing was the church’s duty to worship God according to God’s Word. 

Isaac Marlow, a wealthy jeweler and layman, argued that the Bible contains no such commands and that singing was to offer worship unacceptable to God that was not in accordance with God’s Word. 

The problem for Marlow is that Scripture includes numerous examples of singing and commands to sing. This is why the church gathered to sing from its earliest days. 

In a second-century letter to the Emperor, a servant named Pliny reported his investigation into Christians and noted,  “…that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god.

From the beginning, the church has been a people who sing to God and one another. 

This brief trip down Baptist memory lane shows us that the worship wars are old. Thankfully, Marlow’s efforts proved unsuccessful, and many churches followed Keach’s example, believing that God not only provides us with models of congregational singing but also commands the church to sing to the praise and glory of His name. 

Given that we probably take singing for granted, it is worth asking ourselves a few questions. 

Why does the church sing? What should the church sing? Does it matter how we sing? Can we do whatever we want, however we want? If you instinctively and rightly believe that “no” must be the answer to that last question, then who regulates the what and how of the church’s singing? 

For Benjamin Keach and many before and after him, God regulates how the church worships, including singing, and God regulates the church’s worship by his revealed will in Holy Scripture. 

I want to form people and exemplify the idea that Scripture and doctrine drive practice. This is important because when we take Scripture and doctrine out of the driver’s seat, experience and preference step into it. When experience and preference drive practice, the church loses its ability to discern the difference between what is right and what is right in our own eyes. 

For the remainder of this morning, I want to prove two general points: congregational singing is modeled in Scripture, and congregational singing is commanded in Scripture. Once we’ve done that, I want to turn all our attention to Colossians 3:16-17 to understand how singing is a means of grace. We’ll close with three basic practical applications. 

I hope we’ll see that congregational singing is a means of grace, by which the peace and Word of Christ dwell in the church as members teach and admonish one another through song.

I.) Congregational singing is modeled in Scripture

Before we examine any examples of the people of God singing, it is worth considering how the Bible speaks of angels singing in the presence of God. 

The Book of Job, which scholars tell us is the oldest book of the Bible, describes angels responding to their creation with shouts of joy as the stars sang. 

7 When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7)

In Revelation, with Christ ascended and seated in heaven, the angels sing with one voice together. 

11 Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice, 

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, 

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might 

and honor and glory and blessing!” 

13 And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, 

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb 

be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” 

14 And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped. (Re 5:11–14)

The angels sing from the beginning of creation to the scene of heaven with Christ on the throne. 

When the people of God gather and sing praises to God, we join in with a heavenly choir already in session. A new song is already being sung. It is most appropriate for worship on earth to reflect the worship in heaven, and it does when the congregation sings. 

As for historical examples, we need to look no further than Israel’s corporate song of praise in Exodus 15 after God delivered them from slavery in Egypt and brought them safely across the Red Sea. 

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying, “I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously (Ex 15:1)

With a unified and corporate voice, the redeemed people of God sing praises to God and one another. What do they sing? They sing about who God is, his character and attributes, and what God has done, the great salvation he worked for them. 

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? (Ex 15:11)

13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have 

redeemed; you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode. (Ex 15:13)

Israel lifted their voices in song together because God had delivered them from Egypt through the shed blood of the passover lamb. 

How much more should the church gather and sing because we have been delivered from sin and death through the shed blood of God’s only Son? 

We don’t have the time to discuss the Psalms in detail, but it’s worth noting that there are several examples of corporate singing. Sure, there are individual Psalms of David and others, but even then, they would have been later sung by a corporate body. The Psalms are essentially the Bible’s hymnal. 

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! 2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! (Ps 95:1–2)

We could give numerous other examples, but we can say at least now that the Bible models congregational singing in heaven and on earth, by angels and the people of God. 

We need to see more than models, though. Is singing, and the singing of the congregation, commanded by God? 

II.) Congregational singing is commanded in Scripture 

Numerous commands are given for the people of God to sing in response to who God is and what God has done. Isaiah and the Psalms especially contain commands to sing. I’ll let Psalm 96:1-2 serve as an example, but know there are similar verses throughout Isaiah and the Psalms. 

Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Sing to the Lord, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day. (Ps 96:1–2)

Most pertinent for us, though, are the two New Testament texts that explicitly state that God commands his people to sing as a regular act of corporate worship.

As I read the following passages, I want you to note just how corporate the commands are.

be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Eph 5:18–21)

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)

These are not suggestions. They are not mere elements of worship that could be disposed of or replaced by something else. These verses do not allow us to think of congregational singing as a neutral category in which we may or may not participate. 

There are several things that we could never do, but still worship God faithfully as commanded in Scripture. Congregational singing is not one of those things. For the church to no longer practice participatory, congregational singing would neglect an essential way God desires and commands to be worshipped. 

In Psalm 69:30-31, the Psalmist says that God is more pleased by singing than ceremonial acts of sacrifice. 

30 I will praise the name of God with a song; 

I will magnify him with thanksgiving. 

31  This will please the Lord more than an ox 

or a bull with horns and hoofs (Ps 69:30–31)

Congregational singing is modeled in Scripture. It is commanded in Scripture. Lastly, by zeroing in on Colossians 3:16-17, we’ll see that congregational singing is a means of grace.

III.) Congregational singing is a means of grace in Scripture 

In Colossians 3:16-17, Paul encourages the church to let the Word of Christ dwell in them richly. The Word of Christ is the gospel of Christ. The life, ministry, and worship of the church is to be gospel-centered, gospel-driven. 

I don’t want to assume knowledge of the gospel, so let me share it briefly. God is holy and righteous, and we were created to be in communion with him. In our disobedience and sin, we’ve separated ourselves from God with no way back by our works, efforts, or obedience. The Word of Christ, the gospel, is the good news of Jesus Christ, who is both God and man, who lived in perfect obedience to God and then died in our place, paying the penalty for our sins on the cross. He was raised from the dead and is now the ascended Lord of all. God offers forgiveness, reconciliation, and eternal life to all who repent and trust in Jesus Christ through faith. 

When the church gathers, the predominant focus should be the glory of God revealed in the person and work of Jesus Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit. We are to fix our attention, eyes, ears, and hearts on God and all of God’s gracious works.

How do we do that? It may be tempting to read verse 16 and think that Paul provides two ways of letting the Word dwell in us: teaching, admonishing, and singing. A better reading, though, understands congregational singing to be how the congregation teaches and admonishes one another. 

6 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)

Friends, the church gathering is not for us to have private religious experiences amidst a bunch of other people. 

To gather as the church is to gather for corporate worship, first for God’s glory and second for the church’s edification. 

God has commanded us to sing as a congregation, so that as we sing to him, we also sing to one another, driving and anchoring the truth of God’s Word into one another’s hearts. 

The direction of congregational singing is both vertical and horizontal. We sing praises to God and one another for God’s glory and the upbuilding of the church. 

There are numerous practical applications we can draw from this one verse, and I will share those in a moment, but first, I want to ask you a question. 

If God has commanded the church to sing corporately as a grace to one another, and it’s a way the church teaches and admonishes one another to keep following Jesus, is not the failure to sing a failure to love those we have promised to love as members of this church? 

Our church covenant makes it very clear what commitments members make to one another. It reads, “…so we do now solemnly covenant with each other, as God shall enable us, that we will walk together in brotherly love; that we will exercise a Christian care and watchfulness over each other, and faithfully warn, rebuke, and admonish one another, as the case shall require.”

Friends, we need to sing God’s truth to one another with a love and zeal that aims to help one another keep following Jesus, to remind one another of the sweet assurances of the gospel, and call our attention to the living hope that is ours in Christ. 

Sing! Sing to God and one another. Sing for the glory of God and the edification of the church.  

Applying Colossians 3:16-17

1.) Why we sing matters. 

We sing because God has commanded us to sing and because he is worthy of our praise. God is worthy of our songs simply because he is, but we also have many reasons to sing because of all God has done for us in salvation. This is why Paul says in verse 16 to sin, “…with thanksgiving in your hearts to God.” Why do we sing? Because God is worthy of our singing, has commanded our singing, and has done so much for us, proper thanksgiving includes singing. 

It is worth asking whether our hesitancy or apathy to sing is a symptom of a deeper issue. One theologian from the 17th Century wrote, “If the heart were more spiritual and joyous, we would more readily praise the Lord with joyful song and thereby stir up ourselves and others.”

2.) What we sing matters. 

If congregational singing is a means that the church teaches and admonishes one another (3:16), then the content of our songs matters much more than the melody and style of the songs we sing. That doesn’t mean those other things don’t matter; they do. It’s just that a beautiful melody with shallow lyrics will not edify the church. 

We should sing songs about God’s character and nature as revealed in Scripture, Christ and his finished work, and our great salvation as applied by the Spirit. We want robust, beautiful, singable songs the entire congregation can sing. 

We should also sing songs with lyrics and a tone representative of the range of the Christian life. We need songs of joy and lament, upbeat and slow, reflective songs. The Psalms minister to every possible human experience, and our songs should reflect the same. 

You can imagine a struggling Christian gathering and hearing their fellow members sing to them. 

When I fear my faith will fail

Christ will hold me fast

When the tempter would prevail

He will hold me fast

I could never keep my hold

Through life’s fearful path

For my love is often cold

He must hold me fast

3.) How we sing matters. 

If congregational singing is a means of grace intended to teach and admonish the church, then how the church sings matters. The primary instrument of the corporate worship gathering should be the congregation’s voice. 

Instruments are encouraged, but the accompaniment must be used wisely so as not to drown out the congregation’s voice. The instruments should accompany the congregation’s voice, not vice versa. 

Sing! Sing to God and one another. Sing for the glory of God and the edification of the church.