9 Christian Songs That Actually Teach Scripture

The word “Revelation” refers to the act of revealing, which the Book of Revelation does, revealing who Jesus is - “the Lamb who was slain” (Revelation 5:12), on his throne, full of majesty and mystery. This song by Jennie Lee Riddle takes many of its lines directly from the last Book of the Bible and builds from quiet anticipation to thunderous victory.

“A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. [...] From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder.” (Revelation 4:.3,5) The lyrics say “clothed in rainbows of living colour, flashes of lightening, rolls of thunder.” Said Riddle, “The melody stuck. It had the sound of heaven in it. The song wouldn’t leave me, and I sang it for weeks.” Riddle’s song was made popular by Kari Jobe, but has also been recorded by Jesus Culture, Craig and Dean, and others. “Revelation Song” is often chosen for Easter Sunday worship.

3. I Will Wait For You

Shane and Shane have recorded numerous Scripture-heavy songs, including this one, found on the album Hymns Live: “I Will Wait For You”. Psalm 130 starts “out of the depths I cry to you”, and the song echoes this cry. “Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord, in darkest places I will call. Incline your ear to me anew, and hear my cry for mercy, Lord.” The Psalmist declares “If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you. I wait for the Lord”. (vv.3-5) Shane and Shane follow the words quite closely, creating a sung prayer which beckons the worshiper to lament, confess, repent, and know the gracious forgiveness of the Lord in Christ.

Shane and Shane’s “desire has always been to glorify the Lord instead of themselves, and they do so by writing music that is biblically based, lyrically rich, and sonically engaging”, says the Shane and Shane website. The duo provides online resources for worship leaders, along with a number of songs designed to make Scripture memorable. These include two albums dedicated to the Psalms.

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Mercy Me was made famous by their first hit single, “I Can Only Imagine”, and given secular notoriety after the release of the movie of the same name, based on the life of lead singer Bart Millard. Catchy songs like “Shake” and “Happy Dance” will get everyone’s toes tapping, regardless of the audience: after all, Mercy Me’s lyrics are not always Biblical, although one can hear the lyricist’s joyful outlook. In an interview from a few years ago, Millard explained, "We've been a rock band for 10 years, [...] Before we ever signed, it's what we wanted to be.”

They like producing upbeat, encouraging tunes that draw from a solid faith foundation to glorify God, and Millard recognizes what “an incredible responsibility and privilege” they have been given. With certain songs, their lyrics are drawn directly from the Bible, as is the case with “Greater.” 1 John 4:4 says, “he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” Bart Millard’s rich voice proclaims, “Greater is the one living inside of me than he who is living in the world.” The song does not stop there, but also throws in notes of Matthew 11:28: “Bring your tired and bring your shame. Bring your guilt and bring your pain, don't you know that's not your name. You will always be much more to me”.

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Here are some of the joyful lyrics from this song by Charity Gayle: “Shout joyfully to the lord, all the earth. Come worshiping before the throne of God. For the Lord, he is good and his love endures forever.” And here are the words of Psalm 100:1-3, to which Gayle’s lyrics adhere very closely: “Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”

From both the Psalm and the song, the joy of being one of God’s own people rings out clearly, loudly, and with beautiful harmonies that will raise the hairs on your arms. So often, the Psalms have a reputation for featuring a great deal of lamenting and beseeching, but Gayle here draws attention to the peace, love, joy, and freedom found in those who know they are saved. This ballad will have you memorizing and rejoicing at the same time.

6. Everlasting God

Christ Tomlin is one of the Christian music industry’s most popular and enduring artists, with hits such as “Holy Forever”, “At the Cross”, and “Good, Good Father”. His song “Everlasting God” takes its cue from the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the whole earth. He never becomes faint or weary. [...] He gives strength to the faint and strengthens the powerless.” (Isaiah 40:28, CSB) Tomlin does not replicate those words exactly, but the inspiration is undeniable. “You are the everlasting God, You do not faint, you don’t grow weary. You’re the defender of the weak, you comfort those in need.”

The beauty of a song that builds lyrics around portions of Scripture rather than using only the Biblical text is that the song helps to explain the meaning, both in lyrics and using the tune itself.
“Everlasting God” was written in a major key and is played at an upbeat pace, reinforcing the truth that our Savior is all-powerful. His power should inspire our joy. Tomlin understands the privilege of being a music writer and performer for the Lord, one who loves to hear “stories of transformation [which] remind us that worship music transcends cultural and geographical boundaries, uniting believers worldwide in a shared expression of faith.” He has made a career out of allowing the Lord to connect people to Scriptural truth through music.

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Stuart Townend is a prolific songwriter from the UK, with songs such as “In Christ Alone” and “How Deep The Father’s Love”, well known worship songs. His music conveys ideas and imagery from the Bible with truthful and reliable lyrics, but “Psalm 23” draws on the very Words of the Psalmist. This is one of the most famous portions of Scripture, known even to unbelievers who could find themselves humming the tune and singing the lyrics without knowing how powerful these words really are.

Psalm 23 promises “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want”. Townend takes many of the song’s lyrics directly from this Psalm. The tune is a gentle lullaby, suitable for teaching the truth that one can trust God in the stillness of night with the darkest and most confusing thoughts; one can rely on him to be there through hardship. “His goodness will lead me home,” wrote Townend in his song; “I will trust in him”. Townend’s music is known worldwide, and as with his fellow songwriters, this opens the door to sharing the gospel anywhere people love music.

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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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