"Singing with Devotion" (2)

As I wrote earlier, Dr Kleinig discussed how Gerhardt's hymns are scriptural. The apostle wrote, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord." Gerhardt knew that hymns steeped in Scripture would not only edify the one who hears the hymn, but even more would teach the one who sings to meditate and pray God's Word.

Some of Gerhardt's hymn are paraphrases of Scripture. Some are metrical psalms. Others are paraphrases of scriptural passages, such as Romans 8 being written into the poetry of "If God Himself Be For Me." Kleinig mentioned that we need to memorize more of the Bible, and it's easier for us to do when it's set to music.

Some of Gerhardt's hymns are prayers.

Almost all his hymns use phrases and terminology that are drenched in Biblical imagery and steeped in Biblical vocabulary. So it's not just the message or concept that is scriptural, but even the wording is drawn from the scripture.

Piety is not something produced by man's religious efforts. It is the Holy Spirit Himself who creates piety in Christians. And the way He does it is not solely by the Word which He gives and the faith which He imparts, but also because He is the one who produces the meditation and prayers on that Word.

The way Gerhardt uses God's Word in his hymns is something that has become almost alien to us as we have become more and more protestant. Gerhardt's hymns are full of God's Word. He encourages us to listen to Him and receive His gifts. This is not just something we think about, but something we hear with our ears, something we sing with our lips, something we feel, and something we taste. Gerhardt's hymns teach us to receive God's gifts and not what we are to "do" to be good little Christians.