27/04/2025
The New Testament does talk about singing hymns and psalms, but it doesn’t strictly command it as a rigid "necessary" part every time Christians meet for worship. It’s more shown as a natural, important expression of worship, joy, teaching, and encouragement.
Here are some key references:
Ephesians 5:18–19 — "Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart."
Colossians 3:16 — "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."
1 Corinthians 14:26 — "When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up."
From these, we can say:
Singing is definitely encouraged.
It serves purposes like teaching, mutual encouragement, worship, and thanksgiving.
It’s not laid down as a strict ritual (like "you must have three songs before the sermon" kind of thing).
Worship in the New Testament is described as something from the heart, not just outward action.
So — yes, singing is a normal and important part of worship according to the New Testament, but no, it’s not presented as an absolute requirement for every meeting in a legalistic way.