11
Nov
2008

Arguments for New Covenant Hymnody

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11 Nov 2008
While it is easy to overreact to those who say they hold to what is commonly known as “the Regulative Principle of Worship,” (largely because of all the contention that many who hold to the RPW have caused in the church in regard to exclusive psalmody), it is much more difficult to carefully and reverently work your way through the Scriptures in order to outline how God tells us He is to be worshiped.

Worship is the greatest act we are called to in this world. If we truly believe that the Bible governs every aspect of our lives (if not directly, certainly indirectly) then we must admit that it speaks to the issue of how God is to be worshiped. The greatest point of contention seems to be whether we are only to worship with Psalms (e.g. most of the Reformers, Puritans, and Scottish Presbyterians) or if we are supposed to write New Covenant compositions with which to worship the Lord. Jonathan Goundry, over at Bring the Books, has a helpful outline of some theological and exegetical reasons for New Covenant hymnody. You can read that here.

About Post Author

Nick Batzig is the senior pastor of Church Creek PCA in Charleston, SC and an associate editor for Ligonier Ministries. Prior to serving at Church Creek, Nick was a pastor at Wayside PCA on Signal Mountain, TN. Formerly, Nick served as the founding pastor of New Covenant Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Richmond Hill, GA and as the editor of Reformation21 and the Christward Collective--sites of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals. He frequently writes for Tabletalk Magazine, Reformation 21, He Reads Truth, and the Christward Collective. Nick was also the host of East of Eden, a podcast devoted to the Biblical and Systematic Theology of Jonathan Edwards. You can friend him on Facebook here and follow him on Twitter @nick_batzig

3 Responses

  1. Kevin
    Reply

    I would like to see him flesh his outline out a bit. I have read it argued that the “new song” was merely a way of expressing praise given to God for his redemptive works, rather than new in the sense of freshly composed.

    I think a tougher nut to crack for EP types is where we have examples of songs being sung in worship in the Bible that are not Psalms. A good example would be Moses’ song in Deuteronomy 31. I have also trotted out the hymn we have in the NT (Php 2, etc.), though the response is always that it is conjecture that those are in fact, hymns.

    My biggest beef with EP, however, is that it treats singing different from other elements of worship, i.e. by insisting WHAT I must sing, rather than that I must SING. Not even the preaching of the Word is restricted like that.

    Finally, it makes no sense to me at all that (as EP types would maintain) it is unlawful for me to sing the name of my Savior, to whom the Psalms point. Hello? Revelation 5? Anyone?

  2. Nicholas T. Batzig
    Reply

    Kevin,

    I agree! If you read the last verse of Habakkuk it is hard to say it was not sung in Israel’s worship services. There is also proof that many of the Reformers sang the “SONG of Solomon.” There are so many more songs in Scripture than the Psalms.

    The redemptive historical nature of Colossians 3 is sufficient grounds for writing new compositions based on the fuller revelation of Christ. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching one another in Psalms, and Hymns and spiritual songs.” While all the Scripture is the “word of Christ” in the context of Col. 3 it is the fuller revelation as written by the NT Apostles and prophets that is in view.

    I do think that the American Protestant church has largely neglected the use of Psalm’s in worship however.

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