Scriptural
I must admit, I struggled with how to best explain this criteria. Explaining that a song agrees with what the Bible says should be simple, right? However, the Bible itself warns that there will be those that cause divisions among the church.
I could say that I’m a member of a confessional Lutheran church, and that would clear things up a bit, right? Again, as unfortunate as it is, there are divisions among Lutherans as well, and several different denominations have formed.
So in trying to think of how I could clearly and succinctly explain what I mean when I say a song agrees with the Bible, I settled on the 3 solas of the Reformation:
Sola gratia (by grace alone) - We are all sinners in need of God’s forgiveness. That forgiveness comes from the undeserved gift of his only son, Jesus, living the perfect life we could not, dying a perfect death on the cross, and rising from the grave to declare victory over sin, death, and the devil. How do we receive this gift?
Sola fide (by faith alone) - The Holy Spirit, through the Word and Sacraments, works faith in our hearts. We are not saved through our own works, or choosing to have a relationship with Jesus; we are chosen by God and brought to faith through the work of the Holy Spirit.
Sola scriptura (in scripture alone) - God could have chosen any number of ways to bring us this message of grace, but he settled on one: the Bible. The Bible is the inspired and inerrant word of God and is the foundation on which we build all our teachings and beliefs.