Christianity And Music

Music

Music is vocal or instrumental sound (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Music is an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color.

Music is part of everyday life; everyone listens to it. Music is powerful. It can raise a person’s mood, make one happy, calm, or relaxed. Music can shape a person’s attitude, character, personality, morality (spirituality), and every other thing about a person.

Christianity and Music

As Christian’s, there are two main categories of music: Christian music (commonly referred to as gospel music) and secular music. Christian music is music that expresses personal or communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Secular music is any non-religious music (opposite of Christian music).

There’s a lot of controversy about listening to secular music. Some believe it’s sinful, some say secular musicians make pacts with the devil. Others go to the extent of saying that secular musicians are demons and when you listen to their songs you will be possessed by evil spirits.

God’s Expectations

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Philippians 4:8

God expects us to think about excellent, pure, right, and praiseworthy things. Most secular songs or music don’t fall into God’s category. Someone might say, “I only listen to/watch (or both) secular music, I don’t think about it”. The eyes and ears are gateways to the mind. Everything you watch or listen to goes into the mind, if exposed to continuously, it goes into the heart; everything you do flows from the heart.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Proverbs 4:23

The best way to guard your heart is to guard your mind. Proverbs 4:23 indirectly tells us to beware of what we hear and see because it influences our actions (whether good or bad). Good music reaps good actions; bad music reaps bad actions.

So, is secular music sinful?

Listening to/watching (or both) secular music is vanity (futile); obeying secular music is sinful. It’s similar to the Bible, just reading the Bible is pointless, but obeying it is a blessing.

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. Luke 11:28.

But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. Luke 6:49

Don’t be Deceived

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” Galatians 6:7

Just listening to/watching (or both) secular music might be vanity, but don’t be deceived and say,” I just listen to secular music nothing more, nothing less. It won’t have any influence on me. So, I’m going to keep on listening and watching, nothing bad is going to happen.” Whatever you sow, you’ll reap. You might not see the effects of secular music immediately, but as you are continuously exposed to it, it goes into your mind, you ponder over it, then, it goes into your heart. Gradually, you start practicing what you see and hear without noticing until it becomes part of you and you have no control over it. Thus, it is better to avoid secular music before it becomes a problem (prevention is better than a cure).

Writer:

Maame Yaa Yeboaah Anto

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