The key to unity is letting God be God. True worship is about God’s choice, not ours. It is about pleasing God, not people. Follow God’s revealed way. When we do, our simple, heart-felt singing expresses our unity magnificently. When we share the same music, when all our mouths and our hearts combine, we bring to God the glory He deserves and desires.
May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 15:5-6 cf. 2 Chronicles 5:12-13)
Here is one of Christianity’s most practical and beautiful demonstrations of family oneness. We all “together”—Jews and Gentiles—blend our individual voices into “one voice” that glorifies God. By implication, this includes every good voice and every poor voice. Praise is not just for the skilled and gifted. As an expression of total unity, all share in praise regardless of their backgrounds, their abilities, or their stations in life.
“Harmony” flourishes “in accord with Christ” (Romans 15:5 cf. Ephesians 4:4-6; Philippians 2:2-5). Previously, God spoke by prophets like Moses and David and national unity depended on accord with them. Now God speaks to us in the far better way.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2)
All authority belongs to Him (Matthew 28:18), yes, even in matters of music. We must listen to all He reveals (Luke9:35; Acts 3:22-23), and yes, He plainly reveals the New Covenant’s priesthood and offerings. Through the early church, He demonstrates the meaning of worship that is “in spirit and truth.” The Lord does not choose a negative approach. That is, He does not itemize everything that has gone the way of the Moses’ tabernacle and Solomon’s temple. He does not explicitly forbid things like animal sacrifices, Aaronic priests and temple arrangements. Instead, He reveals the great change from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant, which necessarily renders the former “obsolete” (Hebrews 8:13). He shows the weakness of the law and its shadows as compared with the enduring glories of His “grace and truth” (John 1:17 cf. 2 Corinthians 3:5-18; Hebrews 7:18-19). Through Paul, He explicitly says, “We serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6).
So, the final questions come back to Jesus—our trust in Him and our respect for Him. Will we treat Him as the Lord of His own Covenant, as the King in His own Kingdom? Will we accept His choice over ours? Will we worship in spirit and truth?
Jesus Himself is “the mystery of God.” In Him we find truth, understanding and wisdom (Isaiah 11:2; Ephesians 4:21; 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30; 2:6, 12-13). In Him all mysteries become clear, and this is true also of the mystery of music.
[My purpose in this writing is] that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:2-3)