The most basic element of music is rhythm. This is true of faithfulness as well. A life of faithfulness is not accomplished in one burst or sporadic starts and stops, but a rhythm of steady diligence over time. Singing reminds us of this. We cannot sing an entire song in one second; rather, music exists note by note, beat by beat, in time. Likewise, a life of faithfulness is comprised of a long string of smaller decisions and habits.

Why Music?

Christians know that musical worship is important as an opportunity to remember, adore, thank, and exalt our God. But when we sing together, it is not simply about what we are doing for God but what he is doing in and through us by the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18–21 presents singing to and with one another as central to developing sobriety, thankfulness, and submission. In other words, singing helps cultivate spiritual fruits such as self-control, joy, and gentleness. Singing also plays a central role to Christian spiritual formation in Colossians 3:1–17. In this passage, a call to sing together appears at the end of a call to put on love, peace, patience, kindness, and faithfulness. When we join in musical worship, we have the beautiful opportunity to be refreshed in the Spirit and thus to bear the fruit of the Spirit.

But why music? While we are called to bear the fruit of the Spirit in all areas of our lives, these passages suggest that there is something unique about the relationship between singing together and spiritual fruitfulness. So, let’s briefly explore how musical worship can help us grow in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

1. Love

Anthropologists have long recognized music-making as a marker of human community, and secular scholars suggest that humans evolved musicality because it facilitates social bonding.1 This is not far from the truth! It is clear from Genesis that God created us as relational and artistic beings and that our artistic expression reinforces our relationships. When God first presents Adam to Eve, Adam bursts forth in a love poem (Gen. 2:22–23). Throughout all of history, humans have expressed and strengthened their love through poetry and music. Accordingly, when we gather for musical worship, we not only express and strengthen our love for God but are further “knit together in love” with one another (Col. 2:2).

2. Joy

Ask any church-goer how they evaluate musical worship, and you will most likely receive answers such as “it makes me feel joyful” or “it leaves me uplifted.” We intuitively recognize the relationship between singing and rejoicing. Martin Luther, who described music as “queen of the emotions,” advises Christians to wage war against discouragement by making music: “When sadness comes to you and threatens to gain the upper hand, then say, ‘Come, I must play our Lord Christ a song . . . for Scripture teaches me that He loves to hear joyful song.’”2 Singing draws us out of ourselves; it forces us to stop stewing and worrying internally. Instead, it enables us to both express what is on our hearts and remember our ultimate joy in Christ Jesus.

3. Peace

As a fruit of the Spirit, peace is primarily about harmony between believers. While musical worship often is one of the most divisive aspects of church life, it also presents a beautiful opportunity for practicing wholeness as the body of Christ. Consider the typical composition of hymns. They often include four distinct lines written to suit different vocal ranges. Each part sings the same text in the same key and at the same tempo, but they remain distinct even in their unity. Singing together thus presents an aural image of unity in the body of Christ as many members operate together in health and wholeness.

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