The Bible gives us the best instruction on singing hymns.  When we sing hymns, we should sing the right songs and we should sing them the right way.

We should sing to the Lord – Eph 5:19 – “to the Lord”.  Col 3:16 “to the Lord”.  Ex 15:1, 21 – the Lord is the audience.  And he ought to receive our praises with enthusiasm.

We should sing from our hearts – Eph 5:19 “singing and making melody in your heart”.  Col 3:16 “singing with grace in your hearts”.

We should sing hymns that speak to us – Eph 5:19 – “Speaking to yourselves”.  Col 3:16 “teaching and admonishing one another”.  One of the ladies at the nursing home said that her husband used to comment that often he got more of a message out of the songs than he did out of the preaching.  I’ve had preachers like that.  The songs should speak to your spirit and your understanding, 1 Cor 14:15.  These hymns are not carnal because they speak to  your spirit.  And you can understand them because they are sung so that you can understand the words.  Invitation hymns are a perfect example: 49 Our Great Savior, 246 Softly And Tenderly, 251 Almost Persuaded, 409 Hold the Fort

We should sing hymns that impart the words of God to us – Col 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in your richly”.  The hymns ought to be doctrinally sound.  Here are some hymns that are not doctrinally sound: 16 The Lord Is King! [not right now, Rev 11:15], 22 Ancient Of Days [not right now], 530 Battle Hymn Of The Republic [not till Rev 14], 531 America the Beautiful [not these days]

And here are some that are so doctrinally sound, they preach: 36, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, 44 And Can It Be That I Should Gain? 113 The  Old Rugged Cross.