If one were to attempt to condense the very essence of Scripture into one word, I believe he would be left with the word "worship." Every act that God has done, and everything He has created is to bring worship to Himself. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, the word translated "worship" in our English Bible literally means "to prostrate oneself before God." The picture seems to be that of a slave bowing before his master in complete submission, or that of a loyal subject prostrating himself before his king. The worshipper by his attitude, his actions, and his speech communicates the fact that his will is no longer his own. He defers the power of life and death to the one being worshipped. In contrast, our modern "religious" culture attempts to portray "worship" as some kind of ethereal good feeling about God. However, the one who falls prostrate before the Lord in true worship surrenders his life, his possessions, and his service to the Lord. We are nothing, but God is everything, and He is the only One worthy of our praise.

Music is possibly the most expressive means of directing our worship to the Lord. Music can give voice to the deepest emotions and attitudes of the heart. Because of the deep feelings we attach to our music, a person's musical tastes go beyond mere aesthetic preferences. For this reason, most people respond negatively when someone attacks their music. Musical choices are a reflection of who a person is, and what he believes. Therefore, the music of a Christian will only be right when his heart is truly right. The only music that can be considered true worship is that which exhibits the attitude of surrender to the will of God and praise to Him for His greatness. A perfect example of a worship song is the "song of the Lamb" in Revelation 15:3.

Music is a major theme of the Bible. From the song of the morning stars at the creation of the world (Job 38:7), to the Psalms of David, to "the song of Moses and of the Lamb" in Revelation 15, God's music permeates the pages of Scripture. God created music, and all three Persons of the Godhead are involved in making music. God has created within man the ability to sing and play musical instruments. One day, we as born-again believers will sing in heaven. After careful consideration of these facts, it becomes quite obvious that God does care about the music we involve ourselves in. Therefore, we must be absolutely certain that the message of our music measures up to God’s standard, regardless of our personal tastes and opinions.

The trend of the culture we live in is to promote "self-esteem" and "self-confidence." The result of this humanistic philosophy is the elevation of personal opinion to the level of divinely inspired truth. For the average person, the phrase "I like it" has become the defining argument in defense of any activity they participate in. This all-encompassing attitude includes the type of music they listen to, no matter how unholy is the music or the performer. Unfortunately, unwary Christians often unthinkingly adopt this same reasoning. We seem to be returning philosophically to the days of the Judges when "every man did that which was right in his own eyes"  (Judges 17:6). The Christian must be thoroughly grounded in Scripture to avoid reflecting this carnal, humanistic philosophy in his own character.

Much of the confusion concerning music principles and standards for the Christian stems from our ignorance of the music principles found in the Bible. Sometimes, even those who know what the Bible teaches display an outright disregard for its standards. The purpose of this book is to clarify and carefully explain what the Bible teaches concerning music and music standards. No attempt will be made to go into great detail concerning what "bad" music is. I believe that true Godly, Biblical discernment comes as a byproduct of being saturated with the knowledge of what is right. The Christian has no business knowing the intimate details of that which is wicked. We are commanded to flee from evil, not to study it. Paul said in Romans 16:19, "I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil." Ephesians 5:11, 12 tells us, " And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret." Certainly, no one would be foolish enough to warn against the evils of pornography by showing dirty pictures on an overhead, while pointing out the evils of each one. We teach people the Bible, and encourage them to follow its precepts.

I believe the Bible is the Word of God; It is inerrant, infallible, and verbally inspired; It is our guide for living, and our Rulebook for faith and practice. God's Word is an Island of truth and moral absolutes in the midst of our society's sea of relativism. This book is dedicated to the believer who truly wants to learn what the Bible has to say about music. Anyone who will approach these pages with an open mind, open heart, and most of all, an open Bible, can learn to have true, Biblical discernment concerning God-honoring music.