Do you have a favorite worship song or hymn? What about a least favorite?

There are so so many Christian songs to choose from, but unfortunately many modern Christian songs are just bad.

What do I mean by “bad”? Well, a lot of things. Many have poorly written music that is poorly performed, but that’s not the most important part of a worship song. The most important part of a worship song is that the lyrics are worshiping God. A song that is worshiping God should have lyrics that are theologically accurate and actually bring praise to God.

You would think this would be a given of “Christian Worship music”, but unfortunately, that is not always the case.

Before I say anything more, let me clarify: not all modern worship/Christian music is bad. There are many good songs and good artists. (If you want recommendations, I’d be happy to give a few!) I don’t think churches have to only play hymns. The problem with modern worship music is not that it’s modern. The Bible says “sing to the Lord a new song.” (Psalm 96:1)

The main problem with modern worship music is not that it’s modern, but that it’s incredibly self-centered. It matches the culture and modern secular music: sing a song that makes you feel good about yourself and makes other people feel good about themselves. Then we’ll all feel good and be happy.

Feeling good and happy or even “spiritual” is not true Christianity. True praise points to God, not to self. We should not be following the secular world when creating the lyrics to our Christian songs. You shouldn’t be able to change a few words and be left with a song that could be about anyone or anything.

Here are a few examples to show what I mean:

“The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me. In You, I find my worth; in You, I find my identity.” (You Say, Lauren Daigle)

Yes, our worth and identity should be found in Christ instead of in anything else. But the only thing that matters now is what God thinks of you? Really? What about what God says about himself? What about everyone else in the world?

Compare that to “Be Thou my Vision, Oh Lord of my heart…Thou my best thought by day or by night.” (Be Thou My Vision, Dallán Forgaill, c. 700AD). The most important thing is that God is our Vision, that we see Him clearly. Not who we are, but who Christ is.

“You’re an overcomer!” (Overcomer, Mandisa).

To a degree, yes, 1 John 5:5 says: “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” But this song is still focused on self and what we can do.

Compare that to “Nothing in my hand I bring; simply to thy cross I cling.” (Rock of Ages, Augustus Toplady, 1775) Alone, we can do nothing. Alone we are nothing. The glory must go back to Christ.

“All my life you have been faithful, and all my life you have been so so good.” (Goodness of God, Bethel Music).

These lyrics may seem fine at first. God is faithful and He is good. It’s the “all my life” part that gets me. While true, it undermines God’s goodness. He has been good and faithful for all of eternity, not just our short little lives. That’s what matters. That’s why we can hope in Him. Because He is and has been a faithful good God for all of eternity, not just forty-some years. It would be like if I sang my husband a song that said, “All of last week you didn’t cheat on me.” He’d be like, what? What about the rest of our marriage? You get the idea.

Compare that to: “Thy pow’r thru-out the universe displayed! Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee; How great Thou art, how great Thou art!” (How Great Thou Art, Carl Boberg, 1886). Something I love about How Great Thou Art is how it praises God in creation, His sacrifice, and His return. All things that are far beyond us and even our comprehension!

I could go on, but here’s one more:

“You didn’t want heaven without us, So, Jesus, You brought heaven down.” (What a Beautiful Name, Hillsong).

These are quite possibly my least favorite song lyrics ever. He didn’t want heaven without us? God was lonely in his perfect trinitarian love? Jesus had a space in his heart that only you could fill? What? No! You will not find that idea in the Bible.

Here’s what you do find in the Bible: “In love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:5-6, emphasis mine). Jesus’ sacrifice was not about being lonely, but about the praise of His glory and grace.

Lyrics that capture this much better are: “Why should I gain from his reward? I cannot give an answer, but this I know with all my heart, his wounds have paid my ransom.” (How Deep the Father’s Love for Us, Stuart Townend, 1963) We were not chosen because we were so great. We cannot give an answer to why we should be saved instead of someone else. It is only because of God’s love and to His praise.

The biggest problem with many modern worship songs is their self-centeredness instead of God-centeredness. We need to take back modern music and use it to the praise of His glorious grace!