What Does the Bible Say About Listening to Secular Music?
1) Direct Answer
The Bible does not use the label “secular music,” but it clearly commands believers to separate from the spirit of the world and to fill their mouths and hearts with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. So a Christian should refuse any music that carries lust, pride, rebellion, profanity, or unbelief, and choose music that glorifies God, edifies the soul, and keeps the heart clean. The safest and clearest walk is to keep your music holy unto the Lord.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Ephesians 5:18-20 — “Be not drunk with wine… but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs…” Music for the believer is Godward and Spirit-filled.
- Colossians 3:16-17 — “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly… singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Music should carry the Word, grace, and thanksgiving.
- Philippians 4:8 — Think on what is true, pure, lovely, of good report. Music that promotes impurity or rebellion violates this.
- 1 John 2:15-16 — “Love not the world…” If a song celebrates the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the pride of life, it is not of the Father.
- Ephesians 5:11 — “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” We don’t partner with darkness in our entertainment.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 — “Evil communications corrupt good manners.” What you continually listen to will shape you.
- Romans 12:2 — “Be not conformed to this world… be transformed…” Music either presses you into the world’s mold or helps your renewal.
- 1 Corinthians 10:31 — “Whatsoever ye do… do all to the glory of God.” Can you honestly glorify God with that song?
- 1 Samuel 16:23 — David’s harp drove the evil spirit away. This shows music carries a spirit and changes atmospheres—so choose which spirit you invite.
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Music carries a spirit. If David’s harp calmed a tormented king, then sound isn’t neutral. Some music stirs prayer and purity; some stirs lust and rebellion.
- Test every song:
- Can I thank God for it and sing it in His presence?
- Does it increase my love for the Word, prayer, holiness, and humility?
- What are the lyrics, the atmosphere, and the fruit in my thoughts afterward?
- Would I be at ease playing it with Jesus physically in the room?
- If a song glorifies sin, mocks righteousness, or awakens carnal desire, it doesn’t belong in a believer’s life.
- If the words are “clean” but the spirit, performance, and effect push the world’s fashion, pride, and sensuality, it still pulls you the wrong way.
- The cleanest testimony is to feed on what edifies. Fill your home, your car, and your heart with music that magnifies the Lord and keeps you sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
4) Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, the Bible points you to sing to the Lord and to separate from the world. Choose what lifts Christ. Refuse what feeds the flesh. Tune your ear to the Shepherd’s voice, and let your music match your confession.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
God hiding Himself in simplicity
63-0412E §128
...raying if you really mean it, if you really mean it. Amen. If you really mean it, stay right there. He's standing by you. Stay right with it. "I'm here, Lord. I ain't going to move. I'm going to believe You. You promised it. I'm not going to take an imagination. I want the real Holy Spirit on me. I want You to fill me right now. I'm here waiting." Don't stop. Just keep praying. Don't pay any attention to the music. Just keep praying. That's the trouble with us today. We listen to music, we listen to one thing and a...
God keeps His Word
57-0115 §28
Put television out way it is now, and uncensored programs of all this vulgarity and everything. Let a little boy go. The gate is the eye to the soul ... the eye is the gate to the soul, rather. Let him go in and... Let these little girls go into one of these movies, or something, or other and see one of these here women out of Hollywood with eight or ten husbands, making love to some man. That little girl will practice the same thing the next day. Let some fantastic, nonsense come out out there with some kind of a...
Shalom
64-0112 §73
Now to you adults, the Scripture is God's symphony. Yes. Hallelujah. Only the Composer knows what it really means and He reveals it to those who are listening, who are interested in knowing what the drama is. But you'd have to know about a symphony first, see. It's not just something you see, it's the changing, the junctions of the word, of the music. It throws; sometime it's going this way for a while, a certain beat, after a while it changes all around. What is it? To you who wouldn't understand it or don't know...
God's Word calls for a total separation from unbelief
64-0121 §37
Look at the Word and see where we're living, then you can see pennies, what they do. But you can see those who are glistening, watching, and knows the Word, and watching for these signs to happen. There it is. [Brother Branham snaps his fingers.] Like the little woman at the well, when He said, "Go get your husband," she said, "I have none." Said, "That's right. You got five." She said, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. We haven't had them for hundreds of years. But we know the Messiah is coming, and He is g...
Shalom
64-0112 §74
...ord, that the whole drama changes. You who are interested, listen for that change. You know it's getting close. You hear the way the drums are beating, amen, want something to happen. You know this is a change, see, it's going to break out into a burst in a few minutes, see. You're watching for it, you can tell the way the drums are timing. O God! If you can hear the drums of the finish now, if you can hear the echo of the music of the heavenly Word singing itself out, "And it shall come to pass in the last days!"...