Through Glass

“For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (1 Cor. 13:12).

Now we see dimly. Now we know imperfectly. But then? In Paradise–in Heaven? We will know as we are known. God knows us fully, more deeply and precisely than we can imagine, so at that time we can expect to finally achieve a complete picture of our God. In the meantime… well, I’ll get to that shortly.

What you are reading is a work in progress, as all things truly are. I’ll be writing about music and worship ministry, as well as church and Christian spirituality in general, and ultimately what these things look like when translated into “real” life. The thing to continually keep in mind though is that this entire writing pursuit you’re reading here is predicated on the idea that we are all works in progress. We are always on a journey to becoming all that we as people were originally made to be, before our human arrogance caused our collective Fall into sin and so forcefully ripped us from the presence of God. Because of this, I’m not going to claim to have any answers of my own to offer; rather, I only strive to illuminate the truths I see revealed in Scripture and creation. I know only in part, and so I’m continually pursuing a deeper spiritual growth that I have not yet achieved, and my writing will reflect this imperfection of my own spiritual journey.

With those things being said, I’ll give some thoughts below about this idea of “knowing in part” that I feel will lay the foundation for the future of this blog. These are the things that I feel are essential to a proper understanding of worship music, and indeed, a right understanding of what it means to live a true life of worship. Hope you enjoy.

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Why do we play music in church?

Obviously there’s Biblical precedence for it. The Ephesians were instructed by Paul to “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord” (Eph. 5:19). Psalm 150 is all about praising God with musical instruments. But what is the reason that has caused music to have a prominent place in the worship of God throughout the millennia?

It’s worth pointing out that though we refer to the music we play in church often times simply as “worship,” in reality that particular music is not in and of itself “worship.” Worship can take many different forms; the definition that scripture gives to us of worship is offering ourselves to God as living sacrifices (Rom. 12:1). Another way to think of it is that worship is a lifestyle born out of a heart devoted to serving and living for God in all areas of life. Church music does not have the market cornered on true worship–it is simply worship expressed through music.

There’s a reason that we use music in our worship services so prominently, however. It is because music communicates with our souls in a way that words alone cannot. As John Piper writes,

“… music and singing are necessary to Christian faith and worship for the simple reason that the realities of God and Christ, creation and salvation,heaven and hell are so great that when they are known truly and felt duly,they demand more than discussion and analysis and description; they demand poetry and song and music. Singing is the Christian’s way of saying: God is so great that thinking will not suffice, there must be deep feeling;and talking will not suffice, there must be singing.”
("Singing and Making Melody to the Lord")

Right now we see and know in part. We have only glimpsed the glory of God fleetingly; we have only a limited and fractured knowledge of God’s character and his deeds. At those times when we are able to experience a deeper understanding of God, the only way that we can properly express our response is through music. The spoken word can only go so far. Music helps bridge the void in between our human emotions and reasoning and our spirit which yearns to connect with our Father in heaven. It is a great wonder that we are able to reach God with our songs–that we can communicate with a supernatural being with our natural means.

We are spiritual beings. We have the need to get out of the natural and into the supernatural, for God exists in the spiritual realm. Certain things get lost in translation from the spiritual to the temporal, and we end up with a limited view of who God is. His Word (his special revelation to us, along with the general revelation of creation) and our fellowship with him through prayer are intended to open our eyes to see more clearly and to experience God’s presence in our lives more fully. Our fallen minds are still limited by imperfection, and we are unable to completely comprehend God’s truth. It is for this reason that we say that we now know God only in part. The closer we grow to God and the more we are filled with his spirit that brings understanding, the more complete our picture of him becomes–but it will not be until heaven that we are able to fully comprehend God and his glory.

Ultimately this is where our hope comes from. “But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away” (1 Cor. 13:10). The thing that we look forward to is the promise of paradise, when the scales will fall away and we can finally see God in all his glorious splendor. Until then we strive to grow closer to God as best we can, and do all that we can to glorify him and experience his presence more fully in all that we do.