In this series, I have written about music, but this post covers one of the main points I wanted to get across. I believe many Christians are unnecessarily missing out on pieces of God’s creation. If your convictions allow it, you can not only enjoy secular music but also be lifted up by it.

Gifts from the Creator

Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens] James 1:17a

Music is a great thing. In the vast library of music, there are many different styles in which we can see the beauty of God’s creation. In James 1, we see that all good things come from God. Every good gift should be celebrated as a gift from God. As long as they are not being used to go against God and His laws, we should celebrate the talents He has given. We should not limit our enjoyment of God’s creation to music labeled Christian. You can hear a beautiful symphony, a great guitar solo, or an incredible vocal performance and thank God for that.

The Beauty of Creation

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made] Romans 1:20

Creativity is one of the ways we reflect the image of God. God gives us the gift of creativity—the ability to imagine something new and bring it to life. This mirrors the creation story. C. S. Lewis builds on this in his creation story for Narnia. He uses song in creation to draw a comparison between the beauty of music and the beauty of God’s creation. Creation is the overflow of God’s beauty and life. When done right, music is the same way, with the artist pouring themselves into art. We should look at that creative process and see how it ultimately points to God and His creation.

Beyond the Label

All things are lawful [that is, morally legitimate, permissible], but not all things are beneficial or advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things are constructive [to character] and edifying [to spiritual life]. 1 Corinthians 10:23

Often, when people think of musical worship, they have a very narrow view. They will often think of songs that all sound the same and say roughly the same words. When we look at the definition of worship as showing love and reverence, worship does not have to be songs that are explicitly labeled worship songs. There are many secular songs that lift up godly themes. Take love songs for example, obviously there are examples of distorted views of love in music, but there are countless songs that promote God’s will for love. We can listen to those songs, let them remind us of God’s design for love, and seek to live by His standard for loving others. The standard for what we listen to should not be the label over it, but the message in it. We should discern the message of every song and consider whether it is beneficial and edifying.