Praise Be To God

By

Shelby G. Floyd

March 24, 2008

Many of the citizens of America are unaware that 555 feet on top of the Washington Monument, there is a Latin inscription on the aluminum cap that simply says, “Laus Deo.” When this is translated into English, it reads: “Praise Be To God.” Construction on the Washington Monument was started in 1848 and completed in 1888. We are thankful to the founding fathers and to the citizens of that era for keeping devotion to God as the centerpiece of the United States of America—Praise Be To God! Dear reader, you are encouraged to go the following URL for the full article on this interesting story: http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/monument.asp

There are many ways to give God praise, but in the worship of the church, in the area of music, God has commanded us to praise him by singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. This singing is a cappella—in the style of the New Testament church. The New Testament church did not use instrumental music to accompany the singing. In our study now we shall emphasize giving praise to God in the congregation worship. Paul’s teaching in the book of Romans shall be our focus:

In these five verses it is stated twice that Christ and the Gentiles would praise God by singing hymns and praises to the Lord. This is an obvious reference to the worship of the New Testament church which was made up of Jews and Gentiles. Notice that singing is specified without the accompaniment of instrumental music. We shall list these phrases in the following table:

Romans 15:7-11
Verse 7	…in order to bring praise to God…	doxan--doxan
Verse 8, 9	…so that the Gentiles may glorify God…	doxasai—doxasai
Verse 9	…I will praise you among the Gentiles…	exomologhsomai---exomologesomai
Verse 9	…I will sing hymns to your name…	Yalw—psalo
Verse 10	…Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people…	eufranqhte--euphranthete
Verse 11	…Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles…	aineite—aineite
Verse 11	…and sing praises to him, all you peoples...	epainesate—epainesate

Let us notice specifically some of Paul’s statements about our worship of praise to God.

Bring Praise to God

1. First, the Jews and the Gentiles were to accept one another in order to bring praise to God: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7). When one believes that Jesus is the Christ, repents of sin, confesses Christ with the mouth and is baptized in water for the remission on sins, God accepts us by his grace and mercy because of the atonement made by Christ on the cross. The gospel plan of salvation is the same for the Jew and Gentile. (Romans 1:16-17). Since both are baptized into the one body (1 Corinthians 12:13), both should accept one another “in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:7). Since both Jew and Gentile have been received by God on the same basis, they are both to receive one another. This is “(eiV doxan qeou) in order to the glory or praise of God.” Therefore, since both Jew and Gentile have been saved and have a good opinion of God, they should praise and honor God by singing in the congregation and promoting his glory among men.

Glorify and Praise God by Singing to His Name

2. In Romans 15:8-9 Paul says, “For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, to confirm the promises made to the patriarchs so that the Gentiles may glorify God for his mercy, as it is written: "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name."

Notice that Paul affirms that Christ ministered to the Jews (circumcision) in order to confirm the promises that were made to his ancestors (fathers). One of the promises was that the Gentiles would “praise God—doxasai ton qeon” for his mercy toward them in Christ. Paul then proved his statement by quoting the Old Testament to the effect that Christ would (1) “praise God” among the Gentiles and confess to God among the Gentiles and (2) “sing--onomati sou yalw” to His name:

Psalms 18:49

Therefore I will praise you among the nations, O LORD; I will sing praises to your name.

NIV

2 Samuel 22:50

Therefore I will praise you, O LORD, among the nations; I will sing praises to your

name.

NIV

“Praise” translates doxasai and means “to praise, extol, magnify and celebrate” the Lord.—Thayer, page 157. “Sing” translates yalw and in the N.T. it always means to sing.—Thayer, page 675. Therefore, singing is the kind of music God wants us to use in our praise to Him.

Rejoice and Be Glad in Praising the Lord

3. An added dimension in worship to God is stated in Romans 15:10: “Again, it says, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.” In our singing in worship to God, he wants us to praise him by being joyful, glad and merry. “Rejoice” is from eufranqhte, and from Homer down in Greek writing means “to gladden, make joyful,” and in the passive voice “to be merry, to rejoice.”—Thayer, page 263. Both today and in the Old Testament, God is pleased when we praise him in joy and gladness of heart. Romans 15:10 is actually a quotation from two passages of scripture:

Deuteronomy 32:43

Rejoice, O nations, with his people

NIV

Isaiah 66:10

Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad for her, all you who love her; rejoice greatly with her, all you who mourn over her.

NIV

Praise the Lord

4. Romans 15:11 is a word for word quotation from Psalms 117:1 as we shall notice by comparing them:

Romans 15:11

And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples.”

NIV

Psalms 117:1

Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples.

NIV

In Romans 15:11 “praise” translates from aineite, and means to praise and extol the Lord.—Thayer, page 16. “Sing praises” is from epainesate, and means to approve and praise the Lord.—Thayer, page 227. From this whole context we learn that in our singing in worship to God, one of the main elements is to praise, glorify, magnify, laud and extol the Lord with a joyful and glad heart.

While we are singing and teaching and admonishing one another (Ephesians 5:18-19; Col. 3:16-17) in our worship to God, let us not leave out “the songs of praise” that laud and extol the Lord for his love, grace and mercy that we have “in Christ.” Copyright © 2008 Shelby Floyd All Rights Reserved