The term “spiritual songs” is found in Scripture, and it give us direction about what types of songs Christians are to sing. Not only does the term refer to the lyrics, when we honestly look at the original Greek and compare it to other areas of holy living outlined in Scripture, we can safely conclude that the term must also refer to the style of music we should use to support those lyrics.

We see this term twice in Scripture:

“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” (Eph. 5:19);

“…admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” (Col. 3:16)

Historically, early Christians patterned their worship services after the Jewish synagogue services, and the hymns and psalms were sung to a musical style called plainsong. This means a melody sung without accompaniment.

Additionally, early Christians were careful to reject music connected with festivals, competitions, and dramas of their day because they wanted to help the new converts wean themselves from their pagan past. (Oh, Be Careful Little Ears includes a brief history of Christian music.)

While I am not advocating we return to plainsong in our churches, the point to take away is that the early Christians were careful to help converts separate themselves from the culture, not blend in or adapt the cultural music styles into the worship music.

In the Greek, the word for “spiritual” is pneumatikos, and it means non-carnal. This refers to our new, regenerate nature as Christians. In other words, we are to sing “non-carnal songs.”

If there are “non-carnal” songs, it stands to reason that there are also “carnal” songs; that is, music that appeals to our flesh (our old sin-nature), and this does not apply only to the lyrics.

So what does this mean? Simply put, there are some types of music that make us physically respond with reverence and dignity, and there are other types of music that cause us to move in a sensually suggestive (carnal) manner.

For example, non-carnal reactions are movements where the torso remains relatively still, such as in marching, traditional folk dancing, square dancing, or ballet.

Carnal reactions to music are movements that include hip-swaying, twerking, a shimmy of the shoulders, etc.

While allowing that anything can be perverted, it’s interesting to observe that both of these movement categories basically require specific, identifiable musical techniques in order to evoke either type of response.

A quote from a “barrelhouse” piano player may help with understanding the role that the underlying musical message has in carnal music:

“When you listen to what I’m playing, you got to see in your mind all them gals out there swinging their…[b…s] and getting the mens [sic] excited. Otherwise you ain’t got this music rightly understood. I could sit there and throw my hands down and make them gals do anything. I told them when to shake it and when to hold it back. That’s what this music is for.” (Michael Ventura, Shadow Dancing in the USA, 1985, pp. 148-149).

Would simply adding Christian lyrics to such a musical style make it a “spiritual song?”

And yet, much of today’s Contemporary Christian Music (CCM /CWM) has similar music techniques to varying degrees–most of which can be identified by the repetitive rock beat, whether subtle or obvious, or by swing-type rhythms in the melody.

We may not think we are affected by these carnal rhythms, but the truth is we have become desensitized to them. That doesn’t mean the rhythms are not there; it only means we have accepted a particular level of carnal rhythms.

Our “line” for accepting those rhythms will move as we become further and further desensitized, much like someone who becomes desensitized to various levels of pornography.

However, in order for worship music to truly comply to Scripture as “spiritual songs,” it must be non-carnal in both lyrics and in musical style. This follows the biblical principle of separate and holy living that we see all throughout Scripture.

(NOTE: These biblical principles for “spiritual songs” apply to every culture; God doesn’t change His Word for each culture.)