Obiezioni al canto dei Salmi - Insufficienza
From Diwygiad
One of the most common arguments used against exclusive Psalmody is "that the psalter is doctrinally and spiritually insufficient to meet the worship needs of the New Testament church."44 It is argued that the church needs worship songs written after the redemptive work of Christ on earth was completed to look back upon what Christ has accomplished, and reflect upon it. This argument would have merit if the Psalms did not discuss and reflect upon the work of Christ. When the Psalter is examined, however, we find more information and doctrine regarding the person and work of Christ than any humanly devised hymnbook. The idea that the book of Psalms is not adequate as a manual of praise for the new covenant church is an assumption that completely ignores the rich content of the Psalter (this fact will be considered further in a moment). Once we understand that the Psalter is sufficient and adequate as a manual of praise for the new covenant church, any idea that we need a new uninspired book of praise, or additions to the Psalter to make it adequate, is at once overthrown. When approaching a thrice-holy God, infinite in perfections, should we not use only the very best worship songs available? Since the Psalms are written by the Spirit of God and are infallible, theologically perfect and totally sufficient, why would anyone want to supplement them, or replace them with uninspired fallible compositions? Bushell writes, "That man who prefers a humanly composed song to one written by the Spirit of God, when the latter fully suits his purposes, is, to say the least, lacking in spiritual discernment. And that man who would mix together in one book the inspired songs of God with the uninspired songs of sinful men (as if the latter were in any way comparable with the former in majesty, holiness, and authority) is, whether he knows it or not, guilty of sacrilege, of bringing the things of God down to the level of sinful men. The only way to avoid this charge is to claim that the Psalms are in a very real sense outdated, so much so that even frail and sinful men may presume to improve upon them."45
The Psalter reveals such a clear portrait of Christ and His work that any suggestion that they are inadequate in their exposition of Christ’s work shows a lack of understanding regarding their content. The Psalms teach Christ’s divinity (Ps. 45:6; 110:1), His eternal sonship (Ps. 2:7), His incarnation (Ps. 8:5; 40:7-9), His mediatorial offices as Prophet (Ps. 40:9-10), Priest (Ps. 110:4), and King (Ps. 2:7-12; 22:28; 45:6; 72; 110:1). The Psalms give us Spirit-inspired details regarding Christ’s betrayal (Ps. 41:9), His agony in the garden (Ps. 22:2); His trial (Ps. 35:11), His rejection (Ps. 22:6; 118:22), His crucifixion (Ps. 22; 69), His burial and resurrection (Ps. 16:9-11), His ascension (Ps. 24:7-10; 47:5; 68:18), and His second coming and judgement (Ps. 50:3-4; 98:6-9). They also tell us of the victory of Christ’s kingdom (Ps. 2:6-12; 45:6 ff.). Some Psalms reveal so much vital information regarding Christ’s person and work that they are called messianic Psalms (Ps. 2, 8, 16, 22, 40, 45, 69, 72, 110).46
The Psalms are a treasure house of biblical doctrine. One can learn more about God from the Psalter than a hundred hymnals. The Psalms tell us about: God’s self-existence (Ps. 94:8; cf. 33:11; 115:3), His absolute perfection (Ps. 145:3), His immutability (Ps. 102:26-28), His eternality (Ps. 90:3; 102:12), His omnipresence (Ps. 139:7-10), His omniscience (Ps. 94:9; cf. 1:6; 37:18; 119:168; 81:14, 15; 139:1-4), His omnipotence (Ps. 115:3), His veracity (Ps. 25:10; 31:6), His sovereignty (Ps. 22:28; 47:2, 3, 7, 8; 50:10-12; 95:3-5; 115:3; 135:5-6; 145:11-73), His wisdom (Ps. 19:1-7; 33:10, 11; 104:1-34), His goodness (Ps. 36:6, 9; 104:21; 145:9, 15, 16), His mercy (Ps. 136; 86:5; 145:9), His longsuffering nature (Ps. 86:15), His holiness (Ps. 22:3; 33:21; 51:11; 71:22; 78:41; 89:18-19; 98:1; 99:3, 5, 9; 103:1; 105:3; 106:47; 111:9, etc.), His righteousness (Ps. 119:137, etc.), His remunerative justice (Ps. 58:12). The Psalms teach that God is the creator (Ps. 89:47; 90:2; 96:5; 102:25; 104), and the Saviour (Ps. 19:14; 28:35; 106:21). They teach His providence (Ps. 22:28; 104:14; 104), His hatred of sin (Ps. 5:4; 11:5), His punishment of the wicked (Ps. 7:12, 13; 11:6), and His chastening of His people (Ps. 6:1; 94:12; 118:18, etc.).
The Psalms contain a theological balance and fullness that is astounding. From the Psalter we learn of general and special revelation (Ps. 19:1-2; 103:7), original sin (Ps. 51:5), total depravity and the universality of sin (Ps. 14:1-3; 53:1-3), justification by faith and the free remission of sins (Ps. 32:1 ff.; 51:1-5; 103:1-13; 106; 130:4; 143:2), repentance (Ps. 51:1-4; 39), kingdom victory (Ps. 2, 45, 46:7-11, 47, 72), and the judgement of the wicked and the blessing of the righteous (Ps. 9:16; 37:28; 59:13; 73:26-27). The Psalter informs us that the gospel will go to all nations (Ps. 67:1-7; 72:6-17; 87:4-6; 98:1-9; 106:5; 148:11). Bushell writes, "The Psalter recognizes the reality of sanctification, on the one hand, but never loses sight, on the other, of man’s inherent depravity. Side by side with emphatic assertions of personal integrity (e.g., 7:3 ff, 17:1 ff, 18:20 ff; 26:1 ff; cf. Acts 20:26 ff; 23:1; etc.) one finds 'the fullest recognition of personal sinfulness (51:5; 69:5), of man’s inability to justify himself before God (130:3ff; 143:2), of his need of pardon and cleansing and renewal (32:1; 65:3), of his dependence on God for preservation from sin (19:12 ff.), of the barrier which sin erects between him and God (66:18; 50:16); as well as the strongest expressions of absolute self-surrender and dependence on God and entire trust in Him.'"47
