The Lord Jesus Christ in The Psalms
Some Christians argue against singing the whole Book of Psalms by saying that the Lord Jesus Christ’s name is not mentioned in them. But they forget that Christ is found throughout the Psalms. “They are they that testify of me,” Christ himself said, when he affirmed that all the Old Testament Scriptures testified of him (John 5:39). And that includes the Psalms.
The Old Testament Scriptures and The Christian
With the work of God’s grace in the hearts of his people, both Jew and Gentile, by the Holy Spirit opening the Old Testament Scriptures to us (Luke 24:44; John 17:17; Acts 16:14), and with what we learn about the Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament, Christians should more clearly see Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures than the Old Testament saints did before his coming. As Paul says, we have the vail over the Old Testament Scriptures “done away in Christ” so that we with “open face” behold the glory of the Lord there (2 Corinthians 3:14-18).
We must not set aside any part of the Law, the Prophets, or the Writings as not for the Christian.
Fellowcitizens with the Saints in Israel
Many Christians today put little effort into learning the Old Testament Scriptures. They think that that they are not for Christians but for a different time and a different people. They may use them for historical background research to learn about where Christianity has came from, and as a contrast against which to teach “what Christianity is not”—e.g. how we are not under the law but under grace; how we are not justified by works but justified by faith. But they think that Christians should not get their personal religion from the the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, except for those parts that are repeated in the New Testament Scriptures.
This neglect of the Old Testament Scriptures is large part of the reason why many Christians have set aside the Psalms.
Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Some Christians attempt to infer from Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 that Paul permits Christians to compose their own worship material. They say we have apostolic warrant (authorisation) to write our own hymns and songs of praise to God. They argue that in these two passages, Paul did not mean only the Book of Psalms, because firstly, by them we are to let the “word of Christ” dwell in us richly, and this word of Christ must include the New Testament Scriptures as well as the Old; and secondly, he writes of “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”.
The context of both Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16 is the apostle Paul’s instruction on personal and congregational godly living. Growth in holiness happens in all Christians while we remain in this world. Our all-embracing “chief end” is to glorify God on earth before we enjoy him forever in heaven. Where do we learn what the Christian life involves? As the apostle says, we learn this in the word of Christ, that is, in the Holy Scriptures. And How well do we need to learn the word of Christ?
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