When Hymns Contain Heresy
There are multiple reasons a hymn may be poor. Some hymns are poor because they are theologically vague or lack a concrete foundation in scripture. But some hymns are just downright bad, not only lacking biblical
One of the earliest examples of heresy in hymns is The Odes of Solomon. A set of hymns written sometime in the first three centuries AD. The anonymous songs (they were written over 1000 years after the biblical King Solomon) were most likely used by the gnostics, an unorthodox group devoted to pursuing the “secret knowledge” of God.
Their views on Jesus Christ varied but most considered him a sinful man in one form or another. Ode 8:21 describes Jesus as a savior in need of saving. “And you who were loved in the Beloved, and you who are kept in Him who lives, and you who are saved in Him who was saved.”.
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Recognizing Error
Most committed Christians today can easily recognize the error of belief in a fallen and sinful Christ. But wrap up error in the trappings of a well-known hymn, and it’s not so easy to condemn. One of the most popular offenders is Fanny Crosby’s “Rescue the Perishing”. Its third verse reads:
Down in the human heart, Crushed by the tempter
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore;
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness,
Chords that are broken will vibrate once more
One immediately wonders about the feelings to which Crosby refers. Which feelings is she talking about? On which biblical passage does she base these feelings? Which verse in scripture speaks to God’s grace restoring our feelings? The poetry sounds more like an overt attempt at emotionalism than hymnic verse intended to build faith in Christ and his finished work.
Dead In Sin, Or Merely Sleeping?
While emotionalism is one concern with the text, the primary theological issue is whether the fallen human heart can be awakened at all. Scripture, describes salvation as moving from death to life, not from asleep to awake. In the Gospel of John, Jesus himself states, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” Likewise, Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
“In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God… But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven.”
Why hymns are still vitally important to the church
Singing False Gospel
At the heart of the issue is the nature of mankind. Before singing this hymn we should ask what exactly resulted from the fall. The view put forth by Crosby is that human goodness has been crushed by Satan and buried deep in the human heart awaiting Christ to bring it back to the surface, thus giving one the power to piously live the Christian life. This view, though popular in Crosby’s day and even now in some circles, has no basis in scripture.
The Bible, on the other hand, affirms that mankind is totally sinful, that no goodness remains; not even buried deep within. No tiny spark waits to be restored. Due to the fall, mankind’s spirit is utterly and completely dead. Scripture is consistent in this diagnosis.
- Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
- Romans 7:14 – For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
- Titus 1:15-16 – to the defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; but both their minds and their consciences are defiled.
- Romans 7:18 – For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh.
- Romans 8:7 – For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
So we see that the fall left no spark of goodness for Jesus to dig up. God saw that man needed a total heart transplant, which he prophesied in Ezekiel 36:26 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” This message of death to life is the one and only true Gospel. Any song that professes another, is false.