Made in the Image of God Part Two - The God of Music

On July 18th, 2013, I published Made in the Image of God; based on my favorite syllogism. That biblical syllogism is this: God is love (1 John 4:8). God made humanity in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27). Humanity is made by, and in the image of God who is love. And that is the reason that we as human beings even have a concept of love. 

The capacity and need for love is hardwired into us by our Creator. It is an essential part of the design of who we are. Love is who God is. And we are created in His image for the purpose of love. These days I try to repeat this syllogistic teaching, or at least allude to it as often as I can. 

After all, Jesus said "'Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40). He was quoting from the books of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:5 & Leviticus 19:18). 

And I want to point out that this is also the reason for music. God is the God of music and song. He is the God of all the universe. He existed from eternity past; before the universe existed. He created it. He owns it. It belongs to Him. It is His. Everything, and every being that exists belongs to God who is love. God who is love owns the universe. 

And so He is the God of music. In God's word, the Holy Bible, we are often instructed to use music and singing in our worship of God. The psalmist wrote:

I will be glad and rejoice in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High

(Psalm 9:2).

Praise the LORD with the harp;

Make melody to Him on an instrument of ten strings.

Sing to Him a new song:

Play skillfully with a shout of joy

(Psalm 33:2-3).

Also with the flute I will praise You -

And Your faithfulness, O my God.

To You I will sing with the harp

O Holy One of Israel

(Psalm 71:22).

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
And to sing praises to Your name; O Most High
To declare Your lovingkindness in the morning,
And Your faithfulness every night,
On an instrument of ten strings,
On the flute,
And on the harp,
With harmonious sound.
For You, LORD, have made me glad through Your works;
I will triumph in the works of Your hands
(Psalm 92:1-4)

King Solomon wrote a book of the Bible that is known interchangeable as the Song of Songs and the Song of Solomon. It is an extended, poetic dialogue between a bride and groom, with choruses provided by the friends of the couple. Some theologians like to think that the Song of Solomon is an allegory, or parable of the love between Jesus Christ and the Church as a collective body. 

The New Testament does refer to the collective body of believers metaphorically as the Bride of Christ. And husbands are commanded: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her" (Ephesians 5:25). So the poem can be read that way. But personally, I prefer to simply appreciate the Song of Songs as a glad celebration of the love between a man and a woman in holy matrimony.

In the New Testament, Christians are taught to "speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Ephesians 5:19-20). 

And "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Colossians 3:16). 

Rather than an attempt to fabricate some illusory feeling of peace or purpose or meaning; music is meant to be an expression of the peace, purpose, and meaning that one already has from our Creator and Savior, Jesus Christ. Music was intended to be an expression of our love for God, and our love for each other in God. And it was meant to be an expression of our gladness, and gratitude and thanksgiving to God. And since the Fall of humanity into sin, music can also rightly be an expression of the lamentations of the human spirit in our trials and our longing for restoration in Christ.

Our holy God who is love created us with the capacity and need for love. And stemming from that, we are created with the ability to appreciate music and find in it an expression of our inward spirits; our love toward God and each other, our brokenness and sorrows, our repentance, our longing for all good things which come from God, and our praise and gratitude to God who is love. 

And in music, we can perhaps even hear some whisper of the beauty and glory and love of God who is love. As the Scriptures tell: "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17).

Sadly though, in this broken world many people choose to reject God. If they use music,they use it to glorify their own fallen selves, or fallen, corrupted humanity as a collective body. They do not use it to glorify, or express love for God. And the love they do express is not a true, Christ-like love, because they reject God who is love. Jesus, the Son of God, lived a life of devotion to the heavenly Father. But their hearts are far from Him. They love the gift, but they despise the Giver.

Two thousand years ago, the Creator of all things who is love revealed Himself as a human being. Jesus of Nazareth was born of the virgin  Mary, in the city of David - Bethlehem, Israel. He took on human form and lived within the time and space of human history. But He was without sin. He lived a perfect life. And as the Christmas carol tells us, "Truly He taught us to love one another". And He taught us to love God (Matthew 22:37-40). 

And He taught us this love, not only by words, but by deeds. He lived a life of humility and sacrifice; of devotion to the heavenly Father, and the salvation of His creation. And then He willingly laid down His life, dying on a Roman cross for my sins and yours. 

He paid the penalty. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). And "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24).

Those who hear of His salvation, and go to the grave rejecting Him, demonstrate their lovelessness toward their Creator; the hardness of their fallen, corrupted heart against God who is love, and their worthiness of the condemnation that awaits the unrepentant.