Singing the Truth We Cannot Yet Speak

Have you noticed how many of our recent worship and popular Christian songs are reflecting a limitless love and power of God? This flies in the face of evangelicalism’s confession to a limited redemption of mankind. Apparently we are able to sing a theology we are told we aren’t supposed to believe.

The next time you are singing along in a worship service or listening to contemporary Christian music (or even classic hymns) observe the themes of restoration and universal redemption within many of the lyrics! Here are a few examples from songs that seem to be coming from inside our hearts and yet outside our traditional doctrine of limited hope for mankind. We encourage you to read the words to these songs in context and consider why it is our songs are exceedingly more hopeful than our theology.

Singer-songwriter Jason Gray released his album Everything Sad Is Coming Untrue in which the title song offers an unbelievable vision for the future of the world. In this song where the “the curse undone, the veil is parted” he concludes with the lines, “Could it be everything sad is coming untrue? Oh, I believe everything sad is coming untrue, in the hands of the one who is making all things new.”

Within the song “All of Creation” by Mercy Me the gospel is summarized by a hope being born that removed the separation and guilt “once and for all.” Following the proclamation of “an empty grave and the sinner and the sacred resolved” the chorus calls “all of creation” to sing together to fill up the heavens! Every knee is anticipated to bow and every tongue is expected to “praise the Father, praise the Son…and the Spirit in one! ” Mercy Me also released a contemporary version of the classic hymn “The Love of God” rekindling its message of the unfathomable depth of God’s love:

“The Love of God”
The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints’ and angels’ song.
When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God’s love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam’s race—
The saints’ and angels’ song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

The popular group Gungor wrote a number of recent songs proclaiming “all things new.” Their title song from the album Beautiful Things declares hope for “all that is lost” and our lives of “dust.” We are caught up in the vision: “All around, hope is springing up from this old ground. Out of chaos life is being found, in You.” Their newest album Ghosts Upon the Earth includes powerful themes of redemption, restoration, and resurrection. Their song “When Death Dies” invokes our God-given desire for these astounding words to become a reality:

Where death dies all things come alive.
Where it comes water’s clean,
Children fed; all believe.
When death dies all things live.
All things live.

The prolific producers of worship music, Hillsong/Hillsong United, continually offer a vision of both the unfailing love and the sovereign power of our triune God. Their songs use such expansive and inclusive language they often take our breath away. They are songs we sing from hearts naturally wired to hope in God’s unfailing love and power to restore all things. There are far too many to cite, but here are a few lines from some of our favorites:

“Rise”
All the earth come alive
Lift your eyes to the morning…
Our God You will never fail…
See the lost in return…
Love and mercy is on the rise
As the world folds into Your light
All creation will see Your light…

“The Lost Are Found”
In the Savior,
Injustice brought to right.
For Your glory,
That Your name be lifted high.
Lord over everything,
You are near.
All of the universe at Your feet.
The Lost are found…the dead will live…

“God Is Able”
God is able
He will never fail;
He is Almighty God.

Greater than all we seek,
Greater than all we ask,
He has done great things.

Lifted up, He defeated the grave
Raised to life, our God is able…

Far above all we know
Far above all we hope
He has done great things…

In addition, Hillsong’s “Our God Is Love” calls for “every nation and every tongue come find hope in the love of the Father.” Verse two pronounces, “All creation will bow as one, lift their eyes to the risen Son” followed by a chorus proclaiming a universal worship of God: “Age to age we will be singing, in the light of all He’s done; All the earth, everyone singing in the wonder of His love!” In their popular song, “All I Need Is You” many of us find ourselves intensely singing our soul’s cry of, “Where would the world be without Your Son, who gave His life to save the earth…You hold the universe; You hold everyone on earth.” Lastly, we will mention the ever popular, “Forever Reign,” where, after all that has just been declared about God’s sovereign reign, it would be incomplete without concluding, “YOU ARE LORD, YOU ARE LORD, ALL CREATION WILL PROCLAIM”!

Natalie Grant released the passionate song “Your Great Name” beginning with faith in the power of God’s name to save the lost and free “all condemned.” It proclaims a universal application of the “Lamb that was slain for us.” The song’s focus on Christ’s redemption and resurrection for the weak, sick and orphaned climaxes into the natural response to proclaim that “All the world will praise Your great name.”

A song that is sure to remain a cherished classic is “The Revelation Song” written by Jennie Lee Riddle and performed by Kari Jobe as well as Phillips, Craig and Dean. It shows again our intuitive response to call “all creation” into the vision and worship of our God who is “holy, holy, holy.” That is the nature of true worship when in the presence of God’s sovereign power and beauty to proclaim:

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come, yeah
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You!

Jeremy Riddle sings some of the most passionate worship songs we have ever heard. Listen to his “God of All Glory” and hear how it is almost as if his heart will burst if God’s praise fails to “fill the earth”! Likewise his rendition of John Mark McMillan’s “How He Loves Us” is just astounding (listen below). We do not know the songwriter’s intent but it is difficult to imagine this song originating from a heart possessing a limited vision of God’s love and power. As Jeremy sings and worships through this song he exudes a passion to match the lyrics. He sings of God’s world of sinners who are “His portion…drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes. If grace is an ocean we’re all sinking.” After you hear Jeremy belt out how deeply and passionately God loves the world it is beyond comprehension how anyone could attempt to interpret a narrow application of this amazing song of God’s love, grace and redemption for all!

Why are we increasingly writing and singing songs that transcend far beyond the boundaries of our theology? Is it because music is the language of the heart and reflects our souls’ deepest desire? Is it because really good news is the only subject worthy of worship music?

Contrarily, we do not sing about “eternal conscious torment” because it does not resonate in our hearts as something good, true or lovely. But God’s judgments are good as well and should be sung about in connection with His steadfast love and mercy. David reflected a theology of God’s judgment all throughout his Psalms. Why do we rarely sing about the Lord’s justice? Is it because we have turned God’s good and remedial justice into an unthinkable reality too disturbing to talk about let alone sing? Is it because God’s judgments have been equated with terror and hopelessness instead of a reverent fear that remains hopeful even in light of judgment? Take a look at Jeremiah’s understanding of the judgment and wrath of God and what it led him to proclaim in the end—words which we now sing:

I am the man who has seen affliction
by the rod of his wrath.
He has driven me away and made me walk
in darkness rather than light;
indeed, he has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.

He has made my skin and my flesh grow old
and has broken my bones.
He has besieged me and surrounded me
with bitterness and hardship.
He has made me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

He has walled me in so I cannot escape;
he has weighed me down with chains.
Even when I call out or cry for help,
he shuts out my prayer.
He has barred my way with blocks of stone;
he has made my paths crooked.

Like a bear lying in wait,
like a lion in hiding,
he dragged me from the path and mangled me
and left me without help.

He drew his bow
and made me the target for his arrows.
He pierced my heart
with arrows from his quiver.

I became the laughingstock of all my people;
they mock me in song all day long.
He has filled me with bitter herbs
and sated me with gall.

He has broken my teeth with gravel;
he has trampled me in the dust.
I have been deprived of peace;
I have forgotten what prosperity is.

So I say, “My splendor is gone
and all that I had hoped from the Lord.”
I remember my affliction and my wandering,
the bitterness and the gall.
I well remember them,
and my soul is downcast within me.

Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his mercies never come to an end.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”

Lamentations 3

This passage has been composed into one of the most popular hymns of all time: “Great is Thy Faithfulness” (Thomas Chisholm, 1923). It is also a timeless worship song: “The Steadfast Love of the Lord Never Ceases” (Mike Fay and Tom Coomes, 1981).

Great is His faithfulness…His mercies NEVER come to an end!

I believe this wave of wider hope themes in our songs is on account of our God-given desire and confidence that we will see all the earth worship before the Lord and give Him ALL the glory we know He deserves. You cannot stop the truth of God’s unfailing love and His ability to save from coming forth from the hearts and lips of God’s people. If they aren’t allowed to say it they will sing it!

Also, take a look at this brand new song by Hillsong United (Feb 2013).

I say, why do we need books to convince us that God will reconcile all things to Himself? The Church together is proclaiming a hope “that shines beyond tomorrow,”  “endless grace,” and a love that is “fighting for the furthest heart”!

“Relentless”