“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16).
The word grace, found in this text, comes from the greek word (charis), defined by Thayer, “that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech.”
We know that singing has the potential to lighten our hearts. It is one way that we express our joy and thankfulness to God. However, it should be noted that this verse is in the form of an admonition or instruction. We are commanded to sing with grace in our hearts. This requires a number of things:
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A proper type of song. Not all songs bring “grace” to mind. The intent of the song is to sing with grace, and the style or melody can impact the success of that intent.
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A proper sentiment in the song. Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs teach God’s will. They should be scriptural in their sentiment to bring edification. We can’t sing with grace in our hearts if the words we sing do not accord with God’s will.
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A proper heart when singing. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 5, “making melody in your heart to the Lord” (19). We must not be going through the motions when we sing. It is only when we worship God “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24) that our worship is acceptable to God.
By singing with the intent to bring something pure and lovely to our brethren, we admonish and teach each other, and are mutually edified by our efforts. It brings such joy to sing to God!
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