Works-salvation or effective exhortation?

[Phil D.]

Let’s say a musical Christian family (not the one in the video) wanted to perform this classic bluegrass/gospel song at a local music festival.

Some of their friends say it conveys too much of a works-salvation message, especially in the 3rd verse.

Others say its message is entirely biblical, insofar as it goes, and it could actually be an impactful exhortation for professing Christians.

Anyone here care to lend their perspective on any of this? Only thing I don’t want to hear is that it’s bad music, ‘cause it ain’t.


There are many people, who will say they're Christians,
And they live like Christians on the Sabbath day.
But come Monday morning, till the coming Sunday,
They will fight their neighbor all along the way.

Oh you don't love God,
If you don't love your neighbor;
If you gossip about him, if you never have mercy;
If he gets into trouble, and you don't try to help him,
Then you don't love your neighbor,
And you don't love God.

In the holy Bible, in the book of Matthew,
Read the 18th chapter in the 21st verse;
Jesus plainly tells us that we must have mercy,
There's a special warning in the 35th verse.

There's a God Almighty, and you've got to love him,
If you want salvation and a home on high;
If you say you love him, while you hate your neighbor,
Then you don't have religion, you just told a lie.

 

[alexanderjames]

The problem lies (as far as I can tell at least) in the song starting and ending with the same message, and stops there, without the Gospel. I'm not a preacher but I know that law and no gospel is bad preaching.

 

[arapahoepark]

There isn't anything that conveys Christ apart from that message...
The message is not necessarily wrong (though certainly not nuanced enough) but the last verse gets me "you just told a lie." Since we don't love our neigbor perfectly are we all telling lies?
Plus isn't worship music supposed to address Him rather than address others?

 

[Phil D.]

Since we don't love our neigbor perfectly are we all telling lies?

We can never love God or neighbor perfectly, yet 1 John 4:20

 

[pgwolv]

We can never love God or neighbor perfectly, yet 1 John 4:20

Yes, the wording was specifically "hate your neighbor"

 

[pgwolv]

There's a God Almighty, and you've got to love him,
If you want salvation and a home on high;

Perhaps change to:

There's a God Almighty, and you'll surely love him,
If you have salvation and a home on high;

 

[Elizabeth]

Let’s say a musical Christian family (not the one in the video) wanted to perform this classic bluegrass/gospel song at a local music festival.

Some of their friends say it conveys too much of a works-salvation message, especially in the 3rd verse.

Others say its message is entirely biblical, insofar as it goes, and it could actually be an impactful exhortation for professing Christians.

Anyone here care to lend their perspective on any of this? Only thing I don’t want to hear is that it’s bad music, ‘cause it ain’t.

Well, within a purely Christian paradigm, I guess I've heard worse (although it smacks of pietism to me).
As an 'inside baseball' kinda ditty, it might appeal to some and be a positive reminder.

OTOH, I can see this song used as a cudgel by society-at-large against those hypocritical, hateful Christians who don't see that 'Love Wins' or that 'Love is Love'. Or that to love is to accept all things unquestionably, even against reality (a boy can become a girl).