9 Christian Songs That Actually Teach Scripture

The words of this song flow directly from Psalm 145:8-9 and Psalm 103:12. The song repeats the lines of these verses over and over. “The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love” followed by a bridge which promises that “the Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all that he has made. This is followed by the chorus: “as far as the east is from the west, that’s how far he has removed our transgressions from us.”

Of all the songs listed here, this one is most reliant on Scripture for its lyrics. When you repeat this song in church over and over (and the song will cycle over these verses untii the worship leader gets tired), you cannot help but memorize the words if not Chapter and verse. You know, though, that this is a Psalm, it has that ring about it; that grammatical rhythm which is so unlike a set of modern lyrics in an undefinable way. That said, the modern translation being used here makes it easy to set this particular Psalm to a Western tune. That is not always easy, which is one reason lyricists will adapt rather than simply singing Scripture to music as-is.

9. No Longer Slaves

“I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God”. This is the refrain from “No Longer Slaves” by Bethel Music. David Cain writes: “No less than five people were originators of the words that came together in ‘No Longer Slaves’ around 2014”. There were four 20th-century musicians and the Apostle Paul, writing in Galatians. While “The words of ‘No Longer Slaves’ speak about their own certain feelings, as well as recall a history of belief in the Red Sea episode,” they also echo Paul’s confidence that faith in Christ’s salvific work equals freedom from slavery to sin.

Paul insisted: “So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child,” (Galatians 4:7), the writers of “No Longer Slaves  - Jonathan David and Melissa Helser, Brian Johnson, and Joel Case - wrote something very close. “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.” This is the memorable refrain, a triumphant and beloved song sung in worship services, but with the power to enchant any crossover audience that likes intense vocals. You might call it a power ballad with echoes of Bonnie Tyler.

These are only nine of the many tunes out there designed to stimulate Scripture memory and teach the meaning of God’s Word.  For visitors to a church, trying to understand what the Christian faith is about, songs like these often break through where preaching does not. With this simple means of remembering, we more easily recall the words we need in times of struggle

and doubt, and seekers are replaying new and puzzling ideas as they hum these catchy tunes at work or in the shower. As for Christians, memorizing the Word, singing joyfully, and offering our worship to the Lord is both loving and obedient.

Sources: https://songscoops.blogspot.com/2017/01/no-longer-slaves-brian-johnson-joel.html
https://www.lyrics.com/lyric-lf/457374/Keith+Green/Create+in+Me+a+Clean+Heart
https://worshipleader.com/worship-culture/holy-forever-tour-chris-tomlin/
https://www.praisecharts.com/blog/the-story-behind-revelation-song/
https://www.shaneandshane.com/about
http://www.christianmusic.com/mercyme/mercyme.htm
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