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.<\/p>\n
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\u00a0outside<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n Within the song “All of Creation”<\/strong> 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:<\/p>\n “The Love of God”<\/strong> O love of God, how rich and pure! Could we with ink the ocean fill, 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”<\/strong> invokes our God-given desire for these astounding words to become a reality:<\/p>\n Where death dies all things come alive. 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:<\/p>\n “Rise”<\/strong> “The Lost Are Found”<\/strong> “God Is Able”<\/strong> Greater than all we seek, Lifted up, He defeated the grave Far above all we know In addition, Hillsong’s “Our God Is Love”<\/strong> 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”<\/strong> 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,”<\/strong> 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”!<\/p>\n Natalie Grant released the passionate song “Your Great Name”<\/strong> 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.”<\/p>\n A song that is sure to remain a cherished classic is “The Revelation Song”<\/strong> 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:<\/p>\n Holy, Holy, Holy Jeremy Riddle sings some of the most passionate worship songs we have ever heard. Listen to his “God of All Glory”<\/strong> 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”<\/strong> 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!<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n I am the man who has seen affliction He has made my skin and my flesh grow old He has walled me in so I cannot escape; Like a bear lying in wait, He drew his bow I became the laughingstock of all my people; He has broken my teeth with gravel; So I say, \u201cMy splendor is gone Yet this I call to mind<\/strong> Because of the Lord\u2019s great love we are not consumed,<\/strong> Lamentations 3<\/p>\n 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).<\/p>\n Great is His faithfulness…His mercies NEVER come to an end!<\/p>\n 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!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nThe love of God is greater far
\nThan tongue or pen can ever tell;
\nIt goes beyond the highest star,
\nAnd reaches to the lowest hell;
\nThe guilty pair, bowed down with care,
\nGod gave His Son to win;
\nHis erring child He reconciled,
\nAnd pardoned from his sin.<\/p>\n
\nHow measureless and strong!
\nIt shall forevermore endure
\nThe saints\u2019 and angels\u2019 song.
\nWhen years of time shall pass away,
\nAnd earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
\nWhen men, who here refuse to pray,
\nOn rocks and hills and mountains call,
\nGod\u2019s love so sure, shall still endure,
\nAll measureless and strong;
\nRedeeming grace to Adam\u2019s race\u2014
\nThe saints\u2019 and angels\u2019 song.<\/p>\n
\nAnd were the skies of parchment made,
\nWere every stalk on earth a quill,
\nAnd every man a scribe by trade,
\nTo write the love of God above,
\nWould drain the ocean dry.
\nNor could the scroll contain the whole,
\nThough stretched from sky to sky.<\/p>\n
\nWhere it comes water’s clean,
\nChildren fed; all believe.
\nWhen death dies all things live.
\nAll things live.<\/p>\n
\nAll the earth come alive
\nLift your eyes to the morning…
\nOur God You will never fail…
\nSee the lost in return…
\nLove and mercy is on the rise
\nAs the world folds into Your light
\nAll creation will see Your light…<\/p>\n
\nIn the Savior,
\nInjustice brought to right.
\nFor Your glory,
\nThat Your name be lifted high.
\nLord over everything,
\nYou are near.
\nAll of the universe at Your feet.
\nThe Lost are found…the dead will live…<\/p>\n
\nGod is able
\nHe will never fail;
\nHe is Almighty God.<\/p>\n
\nGreater than all we ask,
\nHe has done great things.<\/p>\n
\nRaised to life, our God is able…<\/p>\n
\nFar above all we hope
\nHe has done great things…<\/p>\n
\nIs the Lord God Almighty
\nWho was, and is, and is to come, yeah
\nWith all creation I sing:
\nPraise to the King of Kings!
\nYou are my everything,
\nAnd I will adore You!<\/p>\n
\nby the rod of his wrath.
\nHe has driven me away and made me walk
\nin darkness rather than light;
\nindeed, he has turned his hand against me
\nagain and again, all day long.<\/p>\n
\nand has broken my bones.
\nHe has besieged me and surrounded me
\nwith bitterness and hardship.
\nHe has made me dwell in darkness
\nlike those long dead.<\/p>\n
\nhe has weighed me down with chains.
\nEven when I call out or cry for help,
\nhe shuts out my prayer.
\nHe has barred my way with blocks of stone;
\nhe has made my paths crooked.<\/p>\n
\nlike a lion in hiding,
\nhe dragged me from the path and mangled me
\nand left me without help.<\/p>\n
\nand made me the target for his arrows.
\nHe pierced my heart
\nwith arrows from his quiver.<\/p>\n
\nthey mock me in song all day long.
\nHe has filled me with bitter herbs
\nand sated me with gall.<\/p>\n
\nhe has trampled me in the dust.
\nI have been deprived of peace;
\nI have forgotten what prosperity is.<\/p>\n
\nand all that I had hoped from the Lord.\u201d
\nI remember my affliction and my wandering,
\nthe bitterness and the gall.
\nI well remember them,
\nand my soul is downcast within me.<\/p>\n
\n and therefore I have hope:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n for his mercies never come to an end.<\/strong>
\n They are new every morning;<\/strong>
\n great is your faithfulness.<\/strong>
\n I say to myself, \u201cThe Lord is my portion;<\/strong>
\n therefore I will wait for him.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n