Martin Luther and the Gift of Music, Part 2

A couple of days ago, I posted a quote from Martin Luther on The Gift of Music. What I like most about this quote, aside from the humor of the ill wishes that he places upon the unappreciative listeners ears, is Luther's passion for the multi-faceted gift of music. God, The Giver, in His grace and compassion has given us a precious gift because...

Music is not only created by God but also, in the making of music, allows His creation to reflect His creativity.

Music when joined together with His Word, can awaken our souls to the truth of the Gospel and encourage us in our faith. There have been countless times where I find myself singing songs like The Lord Is and Before the Throne to remind myself of God’s faithfulness and Christ’s sufficiency when I am struggling with unbelief and sin.

Music can give expression to an incredible range of human experience and emotion while helping us remember how God, in Christ, the Man of Sorrows, stepped into that experience with us meeting all of our needs in His death and resurrection. Luther himself says…

For God has cheered our hearts and minds through His dear Son, whom He gave for us to redeem us from sin, death and the devil. He who believes this earnestly cannot be quiet about it. But he must gladly and willingly sing.

Another thing I like about Luther's quote is that his delight lies first in God (as well as a right understanding of all He is for us in Christ) and then in music. God has given music to us for His glory. I think it is very important to understand the distinction of music being a gift lest we fall into an idolatry of music itself. If we find ourselves unable to engage our hearts with God unless there is music (or even a preferred music style) then we are replacing the gift with the giver. Harold Best tells us, "it is only when being moved by music is coupled to a preceding passion for God that we are truly moved."