DiM

DiM | “Christ in Me” by Jeremy Camp

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disapproveCCM Radio Edition.

April 21, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Christ in Me” by Jeremy Camp which currently sits at #16 on the20theCountdownMagazine.

The song had a promising start, but went a bit sideways into a motivational humble-brag. It’s overly man-focused, even though it’s intended point isn’t necessarily objectionable. Giving this song our best construction, and simplest overview, the point Jeremy is trying to make here is that Christ is all we need, and in Christ we should be satisfied. The song is intended to be an anthem for making Christ the only thing that matters to us so that when people look at us they see Christ. The problem is that’s a pale anthem lacking substance in this song. It’s also like having a dream of one day being recognized as the most humble person in the world. It just doesn’t fit. Besides, we already have the Greatest Commandment of the Law, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”… and we don’t keep it. Let’s give the song a listen and read through the lyrics.

Jeremy Camp VEVO (Lyric Video)

 

Lyrics (via Google Play)

In this obsession with the things this world says make us happy
Can’t see the slaves we are in all the searching all the grasping
Like we deserve much more than all these blessing we’re holding
So now I’m running free into an ocean of mercy unending

So come and empty me
So that it’s you I breathe
I want my life to be
Only Christ in me
So I will fix my eyes
‘Cause you’re my source of life
I need the world to see
That it’s Christ in me
That it’s Christ in me

Done with what holds me down the things I once was chasing after
Throw off these heavy chains that I have let become my master
So now I’m running free into an ocean of mercy unending

So come and empty me
So that it’s you I breathe
I want my life to be
Only Christ in me
So I will fix my eyes
‘Cause you’re my source of life
I need the world to see
That it’s Christ in me
That it’s Christ in me

In this obsession with the things this world says make us happy
Can’t see the slaves we are in all the searching all the grasping

So come and empty me
So that it’s you I breathe
I want my life to be
Only Christ in me
So I will fix my eyes
‘Cause you’re my source of life
I need the world to see
Only Christ in me
Only Christ in me
Only Christ in me
Christ in me

Discussion

Verse 1. A bit artistic in its form, but I had high hopes for where this was heading. I’m all for singing about the grind of our post-modern age of business passing for success. Want to sing about the distractions that come with man-made good works and how they rob the Christian of the Rest they can only find in Christ and His finished work on the cross?… I’ll shout, AMEN! I particularly got excited at the third line… I’m all for destroying our post-modern false-sense of entitlement that despises all of the blessings of God in our lives because we’ve been encouraged to covet our neighbor’s wife, house, and possessions. I was excited for a moment. Then the needle slipped across the grooves a bit… running into an ocean of mercy? I thought we were talking about the blessings God had already given us? Maybe he’s going to be pointing us back to the Gospel and is simply being a bit artistic about it.

Chorus. Okay, so now we need Christ to empty us, so that we can Breathe Christ, and the world will see only Christ in me. Okay, so we’re going with the exhale the worldliness and inhale Christ. Fine, I suppose… but we are teetering on the pietist edge here… for our sinfulness is in our flesh. So, as long as we still walk in this fallen world in our fallen flesh, we will struggle with sins in our hearts and in our actions. No amount of zeal or self torture will rid us of our own sinful nature while we are in this life. We will die because of sin… and because Christ paid our debts in full, we will live again in Him… totally and completely free from sin. Hallelujah!

PreachGospelUseGodsWordHere is where we get the bit of a humble-brag. It’s one thing to acknowledge that we need to seek first the Kingdom of God, and not clamor after the things of this world, but it’s a different thing to seek recognition for it. As I said in the intro, while humility is a desirable trait in a Christian, dreaming of becoming so humble that you are recognized for it is self-defeating and misses the point. So there are 2 theologies at work here that I think need to have some light shined on them. First, we have the false notion of “living out the Gospel rather than preaching it”. Like the mis-attributed Francis of Assisi quote. This is that social Gospel concept that hopes that if Christians were just good enough, people would want desperately to “have what we have” and beg us show them “how to be saved”. Brothers and Sisters in Christ… that’s not how Scripture describes Salvation, preaching the Gospel, how the World views Christ, Christians, or the Gospel, nor does it fit with how Jesus said the end times would look. This modern-day fascination with winning souls by our good works is anti-Biblical. The second thing going on in this reflects back to the pietism in the previous paragraph. There are a lot of well-meaning evangelicals who desperately want to be set free from sin, and will do anything to finally accomplish that goal so that they can have the rest. It’s why they engage in such mystical worship, it’s why they “give sacrificially” in hopes of finally getting the rest for their weary souls. It’s why they answer every.sing.altar.call, with tears streaming down their faces, making promise after promise to God that this time they’ll truly change, this time they’ll truly Love the Lord their God with all their heart, soul, and mind… because this time they mean it. Such was I for a very long time… and I still struggle with it. Because mysticism infects the soul with inward-centeredness… when the Gospel is external to us. The Gospel isn’t found in our emotions, our actions, or somewhere buried in our hearts waiting to be uncovered… it’s found in God’s Word. The Law is written on our hearts, and it convicts us of our sin (our conscience). Our hearts lie to us. Don’t look to your heart to find answers from God. Look to God’s Word. Look to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is only there where you’ll find rest.

1 Corinthians 15:1-5 (ESV) | The Resurrection of Christ

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (ESV) | Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We are saved by faith in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Not by our perfection here on earth, not by how the world sees us… but only through Jesus Christ. Which brings me to the final issue with this chorus… the whole “I need the world to see…” No, you don’t. The World needs Christ, yes. Christ must be preached to them. Paul lays this out well in Romans 10.

Romans 10:13-17 (ESV)

For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

They will not all repent. Many will continue to Hate Him. Do we want others to see Christ in us? Absolutely. Is that our focus? No. Our focus is Christ, not on whether or not others see Him in us. How can I say that? Well, I’m speaking in a practical manner. Those who wish to be respected for their knowledge need to focus on actually having knowledge rather than trying to insist on having everyone’s respect for a knowledge they may or may not truly possess. If I want other to look at me and see me as a physically fit, able-bodied man… then I should probably focus more on being physically fit and able-bodied than on putting a good front when in front of other people. On a more academic note, you don’t have any control over how the world sees you. You don’t have any control over how anyone else sees you, much less what they see in you. Your focus shouldn’t be on yourself, and it should be on what you think others see in you. Focus on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, and preach the Word of Christ to others and to yourself.

The Word of Christ is sorely missing from this song. Verse 2 slides sideways into empty promises or a sort of editorializing of what I’m going to do now to make sure the world sees only Christ in me like we had our own personal commentator or life narrator. The bit of a Bridge almost returns to the one good point in the first verse, but by now we are swimming in a pool of zeal for man-centered righteousness. But it still doesn’t really go anywhere with it. It’s just a couple of lines to break up the chorus repeats.

Rounding out the discussion of this song, even if we liked everything in the song as presented (we don’t) there isn’t anything substantive to the song. The notion of exhaling our sinfulness and inhaling Christ is purely metaphorical and a bit nonsensical. Scriptures don’t ask us to do this… not this way. The Apostle Paul wrote about dying to self and being born again in Christ… and he connected it to our baptism.

Romans 5:20-6:14 (ESV)

Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased,grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Now, while we live in this life, we who have been baptized are to consider ourselves dead to sin by faith in Christ Jesus. The Promise is real, and we are sealed by God the Holy Spirit. By Faith we know that when our physical bodies finally die, we will be brought to new life in Christ Jesus… for real… a real, bodily resurrection into perfection. By faith we hold onto that promise and even consider ourselves dead to sin already. But we fail, so we return to the waters of our baptism (by faith) and repent, knowing that Christ has forgiven us and has cleansed us from all unrighteousness. This is where confession and absolution plays into the life of a Christian. We screw up… but we are not without hope, because we know that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us.

1 John 1:8-10 (ESV) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Law and Gospel

A real gem of Lutheran theology is C.W. Walther’s work on Law and Gospel distinctions. When we talk about the need to preach Law and Gospel, we are pointing out that the Word of God has two modes, sometimes separated by scriptures and sometimes the same passage does the work of both… we have the Law of God which convicts us of sin and we have the Gospel which saves us from that sin and the condemnation of it. The Gospel always points to the Person and Work of Jesus Christ. Walther’s work lays out several examples of the types of problems that arise when Law and Gospel get confused or improperly mixed. I encourage you to read through some of the articles and their related lectures or sermons explaining the issues, even if you aren’t Lutheran.

Conclusion

I’d like to see more of a return to scripture in CCM.  Artists seem to think its up to them to invent new ways of being spiritual or new ways of growing in faith… but none of them hold up. We have God’s Word. We don’t need some squishy emotional pep-talk about breathing Christ in when we have the Commandments and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have the answers, and they are found in God’s Word. So point your listeners to the Word. Point them to Christ by actually proclaiming Christ rather than motivating them to love the idea of pointing to Christ. Again, it is important for each of us to daily consider our lives in light of the 10 Commandments, taking account of areas of weakness and failures (the Law)… but not apart from the Gospel of Jesus Christ… for it is only in the Gospel that we can find forgiveness, rest, and peace with God.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (ESV)  Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “At Your Feet (Surrender)” By Dan Bremnes

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disapproveEvangelical Worship Edition.

April 7, 2016. Today we’ll be looking at a song that was pushed by Worship Together YouTube Channel back in December 2015. The song is worthless, but it does give us an opportunity to discuss the mystical movement called SOZO.  Today’s song is called “At Your Feet (Surrender)” by Dan Bremnes.

 

Music Video (via SOZO Playlist)

 

Lyrics (via Genius)

[Verse 1]
My eyes are on the Cross
Where You gave it all
I worship You, I worship You
I see the One who saves
The Light of heaven’s grace
I run to You, I run to You

[Chorus]
And I, I surrender
I lay my life down at Your feet
God of mercy, You are worthy
I give You every part of me

[Verse 2]
The things that I have done
The things that I will do
I give to You, I give to You
Holy God above
How could I resist Your love?
I run to You, I run to You

[Chorus]
And I, I surrender
I lay my life down at Your feet
God of mercy, You are worthy
I give You every part of me

[Bridge]
With every breath
With all I am
Oh Jesus, I surrender
My heart is Yours
I trust You Lord
Oh Jesus I surrender
(2x)
Jesus I
Through You, Jesus

[Chorus]
I, I surrender
I lay my life down at Your feet
God of mercy, You are worthy
I give You every part of me
(2x)

Written By: Scott Cash, Ed Cash, Dan Bremnes, Katherine Langridge, Ben Fielding
Release Date: June 9, 2015
Produced By: Ed Cash, Scott Cash

Discussion

The focus of the song is the singer. What the singer will do, what the singer is doing, what the singer is pledging. If the object of the “You” is truly the God of the Bible, then we can find some small phrases that are indeed true, like “You are worthy…”, “God of Mercy”, and “On the Cross is Where You Gave it all”. But these are not the focus of the song, nor are they even remotely explicated.

The song is filled with mystical promises bereft of meaning. What does the singer mean by “I run to you”? We don’t know. The only valid, Christian understanding is that we turn to God’s Word and the Lord’s Supper for grace and forgiveness. Mystics have a lot of false meanings for this turn of phrase. What does it mean to “surrender all to God” or to “give every part of me to God”? It’s a purely abstract, emotional, mystical promise of doing something for God, but it has no meaning. It’s like making a vow to keep the Greatest commandment without understanding that to do so according to the Law would necessitate keeping all of the Law, which necessarily includes loving neighbor as ourselves.

Matthew 22:36-40 (ESV) “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus Christ is the Only One who kept the Law. And He laid down His life on the cross, bearing the wrath of God against sin, so that by Faith we might be clothed in the Righteousness from God, forgiven of our sin, and adopted as Sons of the Most High. Salvation had nothing to do with any of our “surrender” or “works”; therefore, our worship should focus on what He did for us, not what we claim to do for Him.

Ephesians 2:8-10 (ESV) For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Your relationship with God is all His doing. Thank Him for that. God doesn’t need your good works, your neighbor does. Preach the Word of God, love and forgive your neighbor as an outflow of your understanding of the immeasurable Grace He extended to you at the cross. This song is off-mission, off-target, and completely out of focus.

Before we close out, let’s look at the artist behind the song and then we’ll examine the Sozo movement.

Dan Bremnes

I wanted to see what the artist’s doctrinal foundation might be, so I checked out his Facebook page.

It was a six-month missions trip in Australia with Youth With a Mission (YWAM) that would help re-shape his perspective: “While I was there, something happened in my life, and God started working on my heart. I started to go a lot deeper in my faith,” Dan shares. “Something sort of clicked in me. I’ve always had these opportunities to lead worship and share about my faith, and I started thinking about making music that was really intentional about reaching people on a spiritual level. I wanted to come right out and speak about God and my relationship with Him.”

Sharing “about our faith” or “about our relationship with God” isn’t the same thing as Preaching the Word of God, or Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sure, it could just be a wording issue where he means the right thing, but he also leads Christian worship. What is he really leading, who is he leading, and where is he leading them? That’s the question that really needs to be asked and answered. Look at how he describes his understanding of Faith.

“In my town we go cliff jumping in the summer. I’m always the guy to round up a group of friends to go jump off cliffs. But when I get there and stand on the edge of the cliff, I realize that I like the idea of cliff jumping more than I actually like cliff jumping,” Dan shares. “Faith is similar for me. I like the idea of being brave and jumping out in to the unknown, but when it actually comes to putting faith into action, I think I like the idea of it more than the actual act. But I know that God is always calling us out into the unknown, and He’s faithful to catch us anytime we take a leap.”

That said, leaps of faith are still intimidating, even scary, but for Dan, stepping out and pursuing music led to a tremendous sense of purpose and joy. Like the majority of artists, his journey began humbly—playing local churches for the cost of his gas. But as he shared his songs with anyone who’d listen and continued to hone his songwriting craft, it wasn’t long before people took notice.

Risk-taking isn’t the same thing as Faith. Scripture doesn’t call us to take “leaps of faith”, like what this artist is describing. This isn’t Christianity. This isn’t sound doctrine. Humanists and mystics talk this way about their own beliefs, too. How does the Bible define Faith? I recommend reading through the book of Hebrews, but here let us pull some portions from the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11.

Hebrews 11:1-16 (ESV) | By Faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faithNoah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

 These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland.If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out,they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city….

Hebrews 11:29-40 (ESV) By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned. By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises,stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (ESV) | Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

What the Bible records isn’t a blind leap of faith like jumping off a cliff or embarking on a music career… Faith is trusting in the Word of the Lord. They trusted in the Word of the Lord despite their circumstance, and what’s even more important is that many cited never received their promises while in this life, for they were trusting in an Eternal God who gave Eternal Promises. Christ is the fulfillment of these promises, and He is now in Heaven at the right hand of the Father, where all of our Promises wait for us who are in Christ Jesus… by Faith.

Is this man a gifted musician and singer? sure. Should he be leading Christian worship? No.

SOZO

Let’s talk about SOZO for a moment. It is one of the fruits of the heresy house, Bethel Church in Redding, CA. Now, the theology taught there by Randy Clark spurred on a mystic in Argentina who then developed Bethel SOZO. From their “history of SOZO” page:

In 1997 Randy Clark, a healing evangelist, held meetings at Bethel Church. At that time, Pastor Clark would send a team to train a congregation how to be prayer servants. A small portion of that training was a model of “deliverance” from Argentina. This model became our first tool “The Four Doors”. Dawna DeSilva, the leader and founder of the Sozo Ministry, attended this training at Bethel. Afterward, Dawna began to use the concept of “The Four Doors” when she prayed for people. Seeing a miraculous difference in people’s level of freedom, the “Sozo Ministry” was birthed. As the Sozo Ministry developed, the Lord introduced other tools that have aided in people being healed and released from the wounds and lies which have hindered those individuals from the Godhead and their destiny.

From their “overview” page:

There are six tools that the SOZO team uses:

  • Father Ladder
  • Four Doors
  • Presenting Jesus
  • The Wall
  • Trigger Mechanisms (Advanced Tool)
  • Divine Editing (Advanced Tool)

As you can see, this isn’t even remotely Biblical Doctrine. I think the folks at GotQuestions.org summarized this “ministry” well here:

Sozo prayer, or Sozo ministry (from the Greek for “save” or “deliver”), is defined as “a unique inner healing and deliverance ministry in which the main aim is to get to the root of those things hindering your personal connection with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Sozo was created by a group of people from Bethel Church in Redding, California, and modeled after spiritual practices observed at revivals in Argentina. Sozo is strongly mystical in its approach and relies heavily on ideas about God and the Holy Spirit that are not based on biblical fact.

Sozo prayer requires the presence of a mediator or guide who is trained to walk participants through a time of prayer and reflection that is supposed to facilitate intimacy with God. Intimacy with God is definitely something to be sought; however, the method of attaining intimacy via a journey through the subconscious is questionable at best. Intimacy with God is achieved by Bible study, prayer, regular church attendance, and obedience, not by a mystical “journey” through our past. The Bible warns us to be discerning and wise, and not to be fooled (Hosea 14:9; Hebrews 5:14). The Bible and the Holy Spirit—not our subconscious thoughts or a fallible human being—are our connection to the counsel and the voice of God (John 17:17). Many types of ungodly mystical practices include the presence of a “spirit guide,” but the Bible tells us that our connection to the Father is a direct connection, mediated by Christ (1 Timothy 2:5) and guided by the Holy Spirit (John 16:13). No other spirit guide is necessary.

The methods and practices of Sozo are of human invention and require human instruction, without reference to Scripture. In fact, Sozo is much closer to new age mysticism than to Christianity. Participants are encouraged into a mild trance state, while being “led” into a series of mental/emotional rooms or stages where, by connecting to their own deeper feelings and thoughts, they believe themselves to have a new experience with God. Whatever participants feel has happened to them, the Bible tells us it is dangerous to open ourselves up to something that has not been sanctioned by God (Ephesians 4:11–14). Preaching and teaching, evangelism, and the practice of anointing a person with oil or laying hands on him, for instance, are all shown in Scripture to be spiritually safe and useful. But Sozo prayer does not have that kind of backing. (Read More)

This SOZO ministry is garbage mysticism posing as “christian”. Avoid it. Today’s song is presented as music conducive to such mysticism, avoid it also. This is not sound doctrine, it is false teaching… doctrines of demons.

1 Timothy 4:1-5 (ESV) | Some Will Depart from the Faith

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

1 Timothy 6:3-11 (ESV)

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

Conclusion

This song is worthless. It would be better to pray the 10 Commandments and then immediately asking forgiveness for failing them than to make the vaulted oaths to God about all that you are doing for Him in this song. Dear Christian, read the written Word of God (in context) or listen to it being read or rightly preached as your act of worship. Find music that is truly Christ-centered, be it hymns or Psalms set to music, but don’t chase every mystical wind of music being put out there under the label of “christian ministry”.

Jude 24-25 (ESV) | Doxology

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “Move (Keep Walkin’)” by TobyMac

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disapproveCCM Radio Edition.

April 4, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Move (Keep Walkin’)” by TobyMac which currently sits at #16 on the 20theCountdownMagazine.

TobyMac puts out another motivational song devoid of scriptural foundation or prescription. In today’s song, I’m not even sure he’s clear on what the problem is. We’ll work through the lyric together, but this song ends up being the musical equivalent to “if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, again.” There’s no Gospel here, no Law, just empty cheer-leading and an allusion to a false promise. We’ll do our best to clean up the narrative, but frankly this is a rather indulgent and empty motivation song.

Move (Keep Walkin’) Lyric Video

 

Lyrics (via SongLyrics.com)

Verse 1
Another heartbreak day
Feels like you’re miles away
Don’t even need no shade
When your sun don’t shine, shine
Too many passin’ dreams
Roll by like limousines
It’s hard to keep believin’
When they pass you by and by

Pre-Chorus
I know your heart been broke again
I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet
I know you’re feeling like you got nothing left
Well, lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so

Chorus
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet

Verse 2
Echoin’ inside your head
Are the words that your sweet momma said,
“shoot for the moon, my dear”
So you took aim out of this atmosphere
Between high stakes and pump fakes
You’re feelin’ like you can’t buy a break
I can hold your hand, but I can’t turn your eyes to freedom

Pre-Chorus
I know your heart been broke again
I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet
I know you’re feeling like you got nothing left
Well, lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so

Chorus
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet

Bridge
Hold on, hold on
Lord ain’t finished yet
Hold on, hold on
He’ll get you through this
Hold on, hold on
These are the promises
I never will forget
I never will forget [x2]

I know your heart been broke again
I know your prayers ain’t been answered yet
it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet so

Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
Move, keep walkin’ until the mornin’ comes
Move, keep walkin’ soldier keep movin’ on
And lift your head, it ain’t over yet, ain’t over yet

Discussion

So the over arching theme of this song is simple: Don’t let your current circumstances bring you down, just keep doing the Christian thing and eventually you’ll have victory.

So what’s wrong with that? Well, the song doesn’t get any more helpful than that, and there are lines that suggest that victory will be born out in our circumstances and that we’ll have our prayers answered because God’s not yet finished with us so we need to move, keep walkin’.

Verse 1. Here, TobyMac presents the dilemma for the first time. What’s the dilemma? Well, we have a heartbreak day when someone feels isolated and alone… but not like in a scorching desert; rather, it’s like being in the dead of winter under a prolonged night… no sunshine. Not clear on the pronouns if it’s a scenario where the person feels that way because their own light isn’t shining (depressed) or if its because of a trial the God has brought (or allowed to be brought) upon the individual. Vague pronoun use is part of TobyMac’s colloquial style. So the unclear sun that doesn’t shine could be an internal mood thing or an external circumstance thing. It’s the next portion of the first verse that has me rather frustrated.

Too many passin’ dreams
Roll by like limousines
It’s hard to keep believin’
When they pass you by and by

So, not only do we have the individual heartbroken over dreams, they’re dreams that roll by like limousines?  So they are big dreams? Is this where our Christian focus should be properly fixed? On the wealthy? on the Celebrity? on the spectacle? Hard to keep believing in what, exactly? Your dream-destiny thingy, or on the Person and Work of Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again on the third day so that by His blood we may be forgiven of our sin and gain eternal life? We’re going to camp out on these lines now, because once we get this cleared up the rest of the song is tripe…. and not the tasty kind in Phở Bò.

Firstly, I think we need to visit the 10 Commandments, specifically the last couple of commands:

Exodus 20:1-17 (ESV) | The Ten Commandments
20 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

7 “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

8 “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Now, often times when we think about the sin of coveting our neighbor’s things, in our minds we connect it to stealing as in, “by allowing ourselves to covet we invite the temptation to steal”. While that is true, that isn’t the only way in which coveting is wrong. Coveting is a sin unto itself, it is the sin of discontentment with the provision of God in our lives. Our coveting of our neighbors things creates enmity between us and our neighbor… and in extreme cases between us and God for not having given us what he gave them. This is a sinful condition that needs repentance and forgiveness that can only be found in Christ Jesus. We weren’t all promised limousines. Contrary to what you’ll find in the local “Christian” bookstore or shared on various evangelical memes, we weren’t even promised dream-destinies or to have our dreams fulfilled. We weren’t even all promised to dream dreams of our purpose or directions for our lifelong pursuits. The song is describing someone who is feeling lonely, heartbroken, in the dark… and possibly coveting those who get to ride in limousines. Whether we take that as a metaphor or literal doesn’t make any difference in this problem… it’s covetous. The individual in question is heartbroken because his/her life isn’t going like his/her neighbor’s.

Pre-Chorus. Once again, not clear about the pronouns here. I have no clue who the “I” is supposed to be, the singer or God? No clue. Are these declarative statements or are they slightly patronizing dismissals of the hurting individual’s “woe is me” rhetoric? Still unclear. So this “I” knows the person’s heartbroken again, and knows their prayers aren’t answered yet? That’s odd. Unless the prayer is to be in heaven, or for Christ to return, or that the heartbroken feeling be taken away, we don’t know anything about these prayers and whether or not they are answered in the affirmative “yet”, or if the answer has already come in the form of “no”. Empty motivation. I’m sure some who seek to defend TobyMac and this song are probably thinking up of some scriptures that “promise” that God always answers His children with a “yes”, but before we go there, let’s see what James wrote about unanswered prayers in light of this song’s setup of potential coveting going on.

James 4:1-10 (ESV) | Warning Against Worldliness

What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

Well, that doesn’t play into the narrative of this song, does it? What does it mean to humble yourself before God? Repent and be forgiven in Jesus’ Name. It’s not something you can “do”, it is something only He can do and has done For you.

Chorus. Modern evangelicalism is absolutely flooded in works-righteousness. Sure, they give lip service to the Grace of God, but everything they teach, preach, and insist upon is works. They push sanctifying works onto professing Christians to rid themselves of sin or to somehow untie God’s hands so that He can finally grant you that blessing He’s been wanting so badly to give you, His best friend, if only you would let Him. False narrative for a false gospel, from a false god. The Triune God of the Bible doesn’t need you, lowly mortal man, to do anything for Him to then bless or keep you. That’s a lie of the devil. The Truth is far more beautiful.

Ephesians 1:3-14 (ESV) | Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

What did we do for this? Nothing. He did all of it for us.

Ephesians 2:1-10 (ESV) | By Grace Through Faith

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So, you think this “only applies to salvation”, but once saved we need to do our part working in harmony with the Holy Spirit to sanctify ourselves? The Apostle Paul had a different answer to in his letter to the Galatians

Galatians 3:1-9 (ESV) | By Faith, or by Works of the Law?

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Yeah, Paul is clearly talking about continuing in the faith and living the Christian life after having been saved by the Gospel of Jesus Christ (having begun in the Spirit). Splitting justification and sanctification into two categories where Christ’s finished work on the cross justifies us by Grace in one hand, but we need to do our part in working toward sanctification in a separate category is bad theology (are you now being perfected by the flesh?). They are indeed separate terms that communicate different things, but both are works of the Holy Spirit, neither is a work of the flesh.

Verse 2. Wow, didn’t even attempt to bring this to any sort of Biblical narrative. He’s exegeting the proverbial dear old mamma pep-talk of “shoot for the moon”? Really? That isn’t Christianity speaking, that is secular humanism!

Bridge. These are the promises… huh? What promises? From whom? What is TobyMac talking about here? He hasn’t shared any of God’s promises in this song. No Law, No Gospel, No Christ. Just empty encouragements hold on, keep walkin’, soldiering on, and shooting for the moon and hopefully you heart won’t be broken anymore and then you might be the one in the limousine (figuratively or literally, who knows?).

Conclusion

The song is worthless. Maybe TobyMac is struggling with his own career, maybe he is having a crisis of faith and setting it to music hoping to give himself some sort of spark of revival… who knows, but the theology in this song is thin, pale, and vacuous. Please pray for TobyMac and those who clamor to see him. They need the rest that can only be found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV) | Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “Diamonds” by Hawk Nelson

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Presentation1CCM Radio Edition.

March 22, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Diamonds” by Hawk Nelson which currently sits at #15 on the 20theCountdownMagazine.

This is one of those songs or messages that can be true and even helpful for certain situations and circumstances, but it is not particularly helpful in the broad sense. There are a couple of issues at work here, the first is the skipping of Law entirely and the second is in presenting a theology of Glory rather than a theology of the cross. Not every trial and tribulation is designed to make us shine like diamonds in this life… sometimes they come as the result of sin so that we might repent (the ongoing work of the Law in our lives). A theology of Glory is the false hope that being a Christian will make us successful and nearing perfection in this temporal life. God’s Word doesn’t promise that. That’s not the point of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are promised Eternal Life, reigning and ruling with Christ in the Kingdom of God in the resurrection, yes… and that is an established Hope secured by God the Holy Spirit. All that takes place here in this temporal life is to Glorify God and to testify of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There are times when we must endure trials of many kinds so that Christ’s Grace, Love, and Mercy can be displayed through us… there are other times when we join in His suffering and we simply won’t know or see how it works to His Glory… like with Job. Let’s give the song a listen and then look through the lyrics.

Hawk Nelson VEVO

 

Lyrics (via Air1)

Here and now I’m in the fire, in above my head
Being held under the pressure, don’t know what will be left
But it’s here in the ashes
I’m finding treasure

He’s making diamonds
Making diamonds
He’s making diamonds out of dust
He is refining
And in his timing
He’s making diamonds out of us

I’ll surrender to the power of being crushed by love
‘Til the beauty that was hidden isn’t covered up
It’s not what I hoped for
It’s something much better

Oh The Joy of the Lord
It will be my strength
When the pressure is on
He’s making Diamonds

I won’t be afraid to shine
I won’t be afraid to shine
I won’t be afraid to shine

‘Cuz He’s making diamonds out of dust
Making diamonds out of us

Publishing: Atlantis Underwater Music (SESAC)/FairTrade Tunes (SESAC) (both admin. by Fair Trade Music Publishing c/o Music Services, Inc.)/Sony/ATV Timber Publishing (SESAC)/ Open Hands Music (SESAC)/ Forest For The Trees Music (SESAC)
Writer(s): Jason Ingram, Matthew Bronleewe, Jon Steingard

Discussion

Okay, so for us to put the best construction on this song, we need to acknowledge a couple of base assumptions. Firstly, we have to assume the listener is a regenerate believer, a Christian. That assumption HAS to be made because this song doesn’t even entertain the notion of the Law of God nor of sin. It seeks to jump straight into the proclamations of the Promises of God. Secondly, we  have to assume that no matter what the listener feels he/she is going through, it is God’s work of sanctification (making holy) on the individual. While there are differences in confessions regarding sanctification, we cannot really get into those because of what is lacking in the song… the Law of God. What we can infer from the language of the song in being changed from dust (carbon, yes, but appeal to poetic license) to diamonds is that the theology under the hood is one of progressive sanctification through external trials and tribulations. There is a sense where this is accurate, Biblically, so let’s look at some of those references (again, given our assumptions on the audience):

James 1:1-4 (ESV)

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James is writing to the Twelve Tribes in the Dispersion (notice he’s using the reference to the 12 Tribes of Israel in a way that includes the Gentile believers, for we are all included in Israel by faith) and he encourages them to count it all joy when they meet trials of various kinds, that they may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. This language certainly fits the song’s narrative of becoming diamonds, particularly since we measure diamonds by their perfection and clarity, etc. However, to keep this notion of “diamonds” properly grounded in scripture we need to keep reading in James to see what is included in this perfection and completeness, lacking in nothing.

James 1:5-18 (ESV)

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Notice the first point of lack James addresses is wisdom. When we study the book of Proverbs, we see Solomon urging his son to seek Wisdom and it points to Christ. Christ IS Wisdom, the Word of God made flesh. Also notice the instruction to the lowly brother and the rich, that they are to both boast in the perfection and completion being brought by the LORD. Are both being made rich? Not temporally. The rich is being humiliated… and that is to be a point of boasting. I must say this is not easy to accept or even to understand, but it is so. James clarifies by reminding his reader of the temporary state of this life… fleeting and perishing. The rich man will fade away. Don’t place your hope in the riches of this life, where moth and rust destroy and thieves steal. The crown of life is our inheritance in Christ Jesus, by Grace through faith.

Again, I’m not refuting the first part of James 1, and we’ll look at what Peter had to say on the matter, also. I just want to make sure our approach to scripture is kept in context here. We’ve seen 1 Peter 1:3-9 before, it’s one of my go-to encouragement passages:

1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV) | Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Notice here that Peter’s endgame focus isn’t of being made a diamond here in this life, he’s looking beyond the resurrection to the salvation of our souls through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the theology of the Cross. Though our testing for a little while may lead to physical death, it pales in comparison to an Eternity in Christ Jesus. We rejoice in this hope of salvation, sealed by God the Holy Spirit. I recommend taking time to read through all of 1 Peter, since most of it addresses the role of suffering in this life for the Christian, but let’s close this notion out with the following:

1 Peter 4:12-19 (ESV) | Suffering as a Christian

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name. For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And

“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Lot’s of great things in here. Notice how the encouragement to rejoice in present suffering is anchored fully in the Name of Jesus Christ. This is something sorely lacking in the Hawk Nelson song. It doesn’t reflect back to the object of our faith, the source of our justification and sanctification, the Person and Work of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. That’s a HUGE oversight in the song, and precisely why it doesn’t earn an “Approved” rating. One might argue that the Joy of the LORD is Jesus, but that requires a great deal of Scriptural knowledge to interpret an allusion to Christ in the song lyric (by taking God’s proclamation of Jesus at His baptism (Matt 3:17) and transfiguration (Matt 17:5), “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased“).

Peter also makes a distinction between reasons for suffering. If we suffer for Christ’s sake we are blessed… go ahead with the diamonds thing as long as it is anchored in Christ and the hope lay in the resurrection, not in this present life. However, if we are suffering for wrongdoing… that is the work of the Law killing this flesh of sin in us. That requires repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ Name.

Conclusion

So we do see and have acknowledged some good that can come from discussing the song. The lack of any reference to the Person and Work of Jesus is a major problem, also the blanket application of James 1:2-4 without specifying the audience is also a problem. In order to give this song its best construction, we had to assume a target audience that isn’t clearly identified. God isn’t turning unbelievers into diamonds. Those who die in unbelief will perish eternally.

Even if your theology is solid, I think the song’s emphasis on the result of trials being YOU become a precious gem can get our eyes off of Christ and the exaltation of His Name. I won’t flatly disapprove of it because I do recognize a narrow application where this song can be of benefit in encouraging a brother or sister in Christ who is struggling with hardship, facing a fiery trial. Do so with Heaven and the Resurrection as our Hope, not in this present, fading life.

Jude 24-25 (ESV)

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

In Christ Jesus,
Jorge

DiM | “Everything Comes Alive” by We Are Messengers

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disapproveCCM Radio Edition.

March 02, 2016. Today we’ll be taking a look at “Everything Comes Alive” by We Are Messengers which currently sits at #12 on the 20theCountdownMagazine.

This is a relatively new band to me, so I thought I’d check out their website after listening to the song once through. Here are some excerpts:

…“We see ourselves as messengers carrying the good news,” says Mulligan. “We’re just carrying His message from our hearts up into our mouths and out into our hands. God’s given us something to say through words and songs and through our lives. We ask the same question every day, ‘What is God saying? What opportunity is God bringing?’”…

”Essentially, this is the action We Are Messengers hopes to mimic through the ministry of their band. “Christ came to serve and showed us how to serve, and we want to do that,” Mulligan says. “We want to tell people about the goodness of God. Music allows us to have that conversation. We want to love people the way He loves us. We want to wash people’s feet.

”We Are Messengers may have left their homeland for the sake of a greater call, but it’s a sacrifice they consider well worth the hefty price. “We’ve been rescued so that we could give ourselves away,”Mulligan maintains. “The Bible says, ‘Lose your life and you’ll find it’; and we’re determined to keep giving ourselves away until we die, so that when it comes to the end of the race, we’re spent, we’re done.”

Sad, really. What we see presented in their biography and distilled in the quotes above is a theology of glory, a man-centered, works-righteousness that offers no rest, no assurance, and no peace. Indeed there may be some infused-grace working under the doctrinal hood, so to speak. Very emotionally driven “testimony” about the artist, very vague on the Gospel… and that is what we see in the biography where there are no limitations on space, rhyme and meter. Doesn’t bode well for the song. Now, let us give the song a listen.

Official Music Video

 

Now there are some lines at the beginning of the video and at the end that are not captured in the song lyric.

Intro: People said I’d never be anything, they said I was too broken, they said I had too many scars

Close: People said I was too broken, but God said something different, He said He’d take me with my bruises and my scars. He never said life would be easy. It can still be tough. But I know this, I’ve got hope.

Lyrics (via KSBJ)

Verse 1
In the morning when my heart is cold
You’re the heat for my weary soul
You’re the good in all I know

In the mirror all that I see
Is Your grace looking back at me
I’m not the man that I used to be

Pre-Chorus
You’re the song, You’re the song
Rising from my heart

Chorus
Everything Comes alive
Everything comes alive
Everything comes alive
In You

Verse 2
In the evening when my bones are tired
You’re my strength and my heart’s desire
You’re the light when the sun expires

I remember how far I’ve come
I’m not lost with You I’m home
I didn’t find You on my own

Pre-Chorus
Chorus

Bridge
I’m made alive
Now I’m by Your side
I’ve come alive
I’ve come alive

Verse 3
And when my days are done
I’ve got a Hope that I’m sure of
I’ll be with You in heavenly places
I’ll be with You in heavenly places

Outro
My heart is beating to the rhythm of Your love
My feet are running ever faster to Your grace

Discussion

A common complaint I’ve received in private is that I haven’t been granting enough freedom of artistry in the poetry of these songs. Indeed, I haven’t. You see, such freedom is intended for “art appreciation” for finding the beauty within a given lyric. These DiM aren’t about trying to out-art each other in waxing eloquent on the subjective beauty of the lyric… we are here to discern if these songs convey or teach sound doctrine. The reason we are doing so isn’t random, but because they are written, produced, and promoted as “Christian” songs. This band even makes the claim that their goal is to share the Gospel. So that is what we are checking.

This song above engages in highly mystical / sensual poetic style. How far do we take the metaphors of each line to force a Biblical message? Well, it cannot be done objectively. If the rule is to apply metaphor to each line in the song, then this song could very easily be a secular love song, exaggerating (poetically) the real impact one person can have on another. So we won’t be playing fast-and-loose with the imagery just to conjure up a best construction for the song. Objectively speaking, there’s no clear reference to Jesus Christ. No mention of repentance and the forgiveness of sin. The subject of the song is the singer. It is at-best an individualistic anthem of self-motivation and self-esteem.

Verse 1. The first bit about warmth of the heart and all the good the singer knows is just fluff. There’s no external Word, no external object of Faith… it’s an appeal to internal acknowledgement of spirituality. The second with the mirror takes an interesting idea and buries it in narcissism. The interesting idea is that when we look in the mirror we see God’s Grace in action… because we are alive and have not been judged and punished for sin. It’s a thin thread, but it is a cool one… except the singer has inflated it to being “all that he sees in the mirror”. No. Stop looking for the Gospel inside yourself. The Gospel is found in the external Word of God, not in your reflection in a mirror, or in your heart, or in what you know internally. Mysticism is rot of the soul that will shipwreck your faith.

Pre Chorus. NO! Stop it! God is NOT the song rising up from our hearts. He is the One who forgives us of the sin that comes from our hearts, He is the one that brings our hearts to life, He is the One whose Word grants faith and life and forgiveness in Jesus’ Name. Our hearts are wicked, turned in on themselves in sin. Even after we’ve been made new creations in Christ Jesus by Faith, our fleshly hearts (seat of our emotions, desires, passions) are still corrupted by sin. That’s why our physical bodies will still die even though we’ve been saved… because our flesh is wicked and must be put off.

1 Corinthians 15:50-56 (ESV) | Mystery and Victory

I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Chorus. Well that doesn’t really say much, does it? And what it says seems to ignore that God is a Personal God. Three Persons, in fact. “everything comes to life in you” makes it sound automatic and impersonal… like it’s just something that happens, rather than a Work of God’s Grace on us, in us, and through us by His Word. From the very creation of all things, God spoke it into existence. It didn’t just “come to life” in God, He spoke it into existence. Do you see the distinction I’m trying to make here? Mysticism doesn’t want a Triune God who saves by His Grace and Love; rather, mysticism wants an impersonal force that can be manipulated according to spiritual principles and disciplines.

Verse 2. Still seeing a heavy hand of synergism here. The rest of God is only found at the end of “me”, at the end of my toil and labor. If I do absolutely everything I can do… then I’ll find God and He will give me rest. Even in that last line, when one who is hoping to find sound doctrine might think, hey he acknowledged that he’s not the one who found God. Only, he is saying he found God… he’s just acknowledging he had help. Still dealing with the Methodist / Armenian depiction that God makes a way for us to seek Him and find Him, but we still have to do it. So, the Holy Spirit doesn’t grant you faith, just helps you find it? No. That’s not what Scripture teaches.

Romans 10:17 (ESV) So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

Verse 3. So here the artist turns his attention to the afterlife… in vague assumptive terms. I say assumptive because there is no confession of faith in this song. No repentance or forgiveness of sin… just “I’ll be with you in heavenly places”. This isn’t even particularly Christian… this is just an appeal to an afterlife in general. Dear Christian, the promise of eternal if is true, the Hope our Salvation is assured in the Name of Jesus Christ, and we know this because He gave us His external Word.

1 Peter 1:3-9 (ESV) | Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Bridge. Nothing to see here.

Otro. We don’t run to God’s Grace. Ugh. We aren’t infused by grace in order to earn more grace. That’s not how it works. In the glorious exchange, our sins are placed upon Christ on the Cross, and His Righteousness is imputed to us by Grace.

Praise Song Cruncher 2.0

I believe Lutherans are still the minority of my readership, but I’d still like to recommend Table Talk Radio Podcast with Rev. Bryan Wolfmueller and Rev. Evan Goeglein, both Lutheran Pastors. I thoroughly enjoy everything about their show… it’s great, but particularly why I’m bringing it up now is because they have what they call a Praise Song Cruncher 2.0 that they use to evaluate worship songs, hymns, CCM, whatever people have sent in that they decide might be helpful to “crunch”.

Each song is measured by 5 questions:

  1. Is Jesus mentioned?
  2. Is there mystical form?
    • Truth. Does the song use sentences (with subject, verb, object) or sentence fragments? Is the song full of impressions or assertions? (Without sentences it is impossible to express truth.)
    • Repetition. Is the song repetitive, using the same phrases over and over?
  3. Is there mystical content?
    • Immediate. Does the song talk about an immediate experience of God (seeing, touching, feeling God directly)?
    • Romance. Does the song use romantic imagery (boyfriend/girlfriend romance)?
    • Loss of self. Does the song talk about losing our identity, being lost in God, absorbed, consumed, engulfed ? Are we surrendering, abandoning ourselves, etc.?
    • Internal. Is the action of the song, or the action of God as described in the son, happening on the inside of me?
    • Subjective. Is the song about the things that God has done (objective), or about me (subjective)?
  4. Is Law and Gospel present and rightly divided?
  5. Is there any explicit false doctrine not already addressed?

Reference: PraiseSongCruncher PDF

Today’s song wouldn’t survive the praise song cruncher.

Conclusion

I worry about this artist and the man-centered “gospel” they’ve committed to sharing in their music. I worry because it is wildly popular (#12 on the chart today) and it’s law-heavy with no actual Gospel being preached. I pray the Word of God be preached to them faithfully, and that the Holy Spirit open their eyes and ears to the Truth of God’s Word, and find Rest in the external Word of God.

Hebrews 13:20-21 (ESV)

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will,working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Amen, indeed.
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge