Some Comments On Biblical vs Unbiblical Music

June 12, 2025•6 min read

"It's important for us, as church musicians, to understand that false teachers and wolves in sheep's clothing do not just occupy the pulpit - they can also be found behind microphones in a worship team or as professing Christian songwriters."

How do you discern between biblical and unbiblical worship music?

In this week's posts, we're examining some characteristics that are typical of unbiblical worship music and how to biblically evaluate these songs.

As you would have realized by now, I believe that church piano players, leaders of churches, and all Christians should be very careful to make sure that the only music we use in our church services is music that is biblically sound and therefore pleasing to God.

When I use the term biblically sound, I am referring to the need for every song we sing to have words that are aligned with, drawn from, and certainly not in contradiction to, the Word of God.

Now I am also well aware, as we should all be, that you can have a song that is technically biblically sound but is also a really badly written song. This might be because it's very difficult to sing as a congregation, or maybe the words themselves, whilst truthful, are just not well constructed.

So I say that to highlight the fact that it’s not just about having words that are biblically sound but also a song that is well written. However, it would be far better to have a biblically sound song that was poorly written than an unbiblical song that was wonderfully written; sadly that’s exactly the problem we have today in so much of the mainstream church.

Unfortunately, the realm of worship music has been corrupted by many worldly ideas and values, and this has filtered out through the mainstream church in the form of songs that sound good, have amazing production value and are fun to sing, and yet are scripturally-light at best and pure heresy at worst. Just to clarify, for those who don’t know what heresy means, it's a teaching or idea (and these are certainly communicated through songs) - that denies biblical doctrines, and as a result divides the body.

It's important for us, as church musicians, to understand that false teachers and wolves in sheep's clothing do not just occupy the pulpit - they can also be found behind microphones in a worship team or as professing Christian songwriters. Sadly, some Christians hear the word “Christian” and think that automatically means what that person produces will be biblically sound, and so they don't prioritize biblically evaluating it.

So we really need to apply the same understanding we would to false teachers, and Peter gives us some wise and sobering words in regard to this in 2 Peter 2:1-3. Listen to what he says…

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

So, we do need to take these words seriously. Notice some of the characteristics of these false teachers that were mentioned there, such as them being “among the people”, which means “within the church”, and also that they bring “heresies” that are destructive. There’s also an element of “sensuality” too which blasphemes the truth.

One clear example of this is when you get what are sometimes referred to as “Jesus is my boyfriend songs” - and what is meant by that is if you could sing all the words to your boyfriend or girlfriend, and you wouldn’t know it was a Christian worship song, then it’s probably greatly lacking in biblical truth!

So here's a few characteristics to look out for that should be red flags for us when seeking to choose biblically sound music…

Sensual words that sound more like a human romantic relationship
A well-known one in recent years was the use of the word “big sloppy kiss” in a worship song.
Self-focused words that are more about us than about the Lord
This would be songs that talk all about the amazing things we are doing for the Lord, rather than the amazing things He has done for us.
Irreverent words that reduce God to just a casual acquaintance
Phrases like “buddy”, “man upstairs”, or any other phrase that removes the appropriate awe and reverence we should have as we sing to God.
Incorrect words that contradict biblical truth
This is basically anything that is unbiblical, contrary to sound doctrine, and especially songs that might deny the Trinity or Deity of Christ.

So there's just a few characteristics of unbiblical worship music. Again, the main point here is recognizing that there are a lot of bad songs out there, and even though there’s many more good songs available than there were a decade or so ago, we still have to exercise great discernment as we are responsible (if we choose the songs) for what is communicated and taught to the congregation through the medium of singing.

Maybe you're only just realizing you are in a church where the music that is used does feature unbiblical songs, and you’re wondering what you can do about that. Well, I encourage you to first start by praying and having a conversation with your leaders, as it may have escaped their attention.

If you realize you have been using unbiblical music yourself, then be encouraged that by watching out for these red flags when you're sourcing worship music and by discerning it according to Scripture, you can make the changes you need to, and increase the quality of music that you sing in your church.

Remember, the point of worship music is to bring glory to God, and to encourage, exhort, and preach to each other as we sing these truths together, and that is why it is so important to be singing songs that accurately represent His character and glory.

[Return to The Church Piano Player Website]

This blog post was written by pastor and pianist Kris Baines, from The Church Piano Player. Kris lives in the UK with his family, having recently moved back from New Zealand where he worked as a pastor for the past 26 years (also leading worship/worship teams). Kris has also spent over 35 years writing, recording, and performing music and is now bringing all that combined experience together to help equip church piano/keyboard players.

Check out the church piano player website for more information on online courses by Kris Baines.