love

Is God’s Love Reckless? A Long Overdue and Mostly Superfluous Review of Cory Asbury’s Smash Hit ‘Reckless Love’

/ Jason Henry / Leave a comment

It had to be done.

I simply could not claim to write a theological worship song review blog without confronting the greatest worship controversy of our age: Is God’s love reckless? I doubt our pal Cory knew what a can of worms he was opening when he and his coauthors penned “Reckless Love,” but now that I’ve seen his TikToks, I’m pretty sure he eats cans of worms for breakfast and would gladly do it all over again.

So: “Reckless Love.” Cory Asbury, Caleb Culver, and Ran Jackson. Biblical or heretical? Should you sing it in church or walk out as soon as you hear that electric guitar lead line? Will it worship?? Here goes.

Focus

The two themes of this song are God’s relentless love and the humble response of the undeserving recipient. I wouldn’t call this song self-centered, but it is very focused on the love relationship between the individual and the Lord.

What are the main themes of the song? Is it God-centered or me-centered? How does it address God?

Lyric Analysis

THE DEEPLY THEOLOGICAL VERSES
Verse 1 draws together ideas from Zephaniah 3:17, Genesis 2:7, Psalm 139:13-16, and Jeremiah 1:5. God knows us before we are born, even before we are conceived. He gives us life, delights in us, sings over us! Even before we exist, our Father is drawing us into his story.

If the first verse is about God loving us before we are even born, verse 2 is about his love for us before we come to know and love Jesus. Romans 5:8-10 and Ephesians 2:1-5 teach us that before we believed, we were dead in our sins, alienated from the life of God, enslaved both by our own passions and oppressive demonic forces, living as God’s enemies. But even while we were in this state, Christ died to reconcile us to God!

When the world or our own fears tell us we are worthless, Jesus says that he gave the very highest price to buy us back from slavery: himself. (Titus 2:14)

THE UNRELENTING BRIDGE
I’m going out of order. Sorry. 🤷 In the bridge, Jesus be climbing up walls, kicking down mountains, and lighting up shadows to come after me. Or something like that.

Jesus’ divine nature as the Light of the World is a recurring theme in Scripture. John 1:5 says, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” This is part of a longer description of Christ’s incarnation, his humble entry into the world of flesh to make God known to us and invite us into his family. So he lights up shadows in pursuit of us. John also ties Jesus’ identity as the Light to his identity as the Truth. As love casts out fear (1 Jn 4:18), so truth casts out lies (Eph 4:25), and Jesus’ light tears down the lies that would prevent us from being drawn into his family.

I can’t think of any specific examples of Jesus climbing a mountain to reach us, but I take this as a metaphor for the many obstacles he overcame in order to extend his love to us, especially the cross and the humiliating death he willingly endured there (Heb 12:2, Ph 2:8). Ephesians 2:13-15 tells us that he tore down the walls between people (hostility) and between humanity and God (the Law) in his own flesh on the cross.

I think the bridge comes off a little bit Calvinist, which could be a good or bad thing depending on your tradition and beliefs. The idea of God kicking down every wall to come after me does feel a bit like the doctrine of irresistible grace, though it stops short of fully taking that position.

THE RECKLESS CHORUS
While the title of this song is indeed “Reckless Love,” “reckless” is just one of many adjectives applied to God’s love here in the chorus. I don’t even think it’s the most important one. The best song titles highlight what is unique about a song, not necessarily the most important point the song makes. There are lots of songs about how God’s love is overwhelming and unending, but this is the first mainstream worship hit to make use of the word “reckless,” and it certainly makes a splash.

Especially when taken together with the verses and bridge, this chorus is about how God’s love will overcome every obstacle to pursue us wherever we are. It characterizes the love God displays throughout Jesus’ parables in Luke 15. The father of the Prodigal Son exposes himself to ridicule by running out to meet his son. The son is overwhelmed. A woman spends costly oil and crawls around her house to find her lost coin. She won’t quit until it’s found. And (as specifically referenced in the song), the shepherd who loses one sheep abandons his 99 others in pursuit of the one missing. Reckless behavior perhaps? These parables show the intense love of God the Father for those who are lost from him.

Referring to the worshiper, this song says, “I couldn’t earn it, I don’t deserve it, still You give Yourself away.” Ephesians 2:8-9 teaches us that God’s grace and salvation (inextricably tied to his love) are free gifts, not anything we could earn. “Deserve” is a tricky word, and I think there is a sense in which we deserve God’s love and a sense in which we don’t. Fortunately, this line is explained in verse 2: “When I was your foe, still your love fought for me.” Our natural state apart from God is to be enslaved in our sin, and our only earned or deserved relationship to him is that of an enemy. Still, God extends his love to us. He has made us in his image, called us into his family, and shown our inestimable worth to him through his sacrifice on the cross.

BUT IS IT RECKLESS THOUGH???
As Pilate asks, “What is truth” (Jn 18:38) so we must ask, “What is reckless?” Merriam-Webster gives two definitions, but one of them is a two-parter, so let’s call it three:

  1. Marked by a lack of proper caution
  2. Careless of consequences
  3. Irresponsible

I think when people get hung up on this word in this song, they are primarily thinking of definition #3. God is certainly not irresponsible. Jesus isn’t a reckless driver, a kid who didn’t do his homework, or a gambling addict who lost it all on the ponies and can’t feed his family. I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that no reasonable person, Christian or otherwise, would hear the words of this song and think that’s the kind of recklessness the author intends to ascribe to our Lord.

There’s a case to be made for #1, since a constant criticism the Pharisees had for Jesus was that he didn’t show proper caution in associating with sinners, healing on the Sabbath, and acting like he had authority to forgive sins.

But I think the definition closest to Cory, Caleb, and Ran’s meaning here is #2. God knew exactly what the consequences of pursuing us to the cross with his love would be, and he didn’t care. He did it anyway. If I see my daughter run out in front of a train, and I leap onto the tracks to shove her out of the way, no one would criticize the preacher at my funeral for calling that a reckless act of love. So it seems perfectly appropriate to me to call Christ’s incarnation and ultimate sacrifice acts of reckless love.

“But Jason!” you say, “‘Recklessness’ is still bad! We mustn’t tarnish God’s reputation with words bearing negative connotations!”

My response is that the Bible itself uses negative words and exaggeration for effect, even when describing God! God loves Jacob and hates Esau (Rm 9:13). Jesus tells us that we have to hate our mothers, fathers, spouses, children, and our own lives to be his disciples (Lk 14:26). In 1 Corinthians 1:25, Paul has the audacity to say, “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” God foolish and weak? Blasphemy!

The same understanding of poetic language and figures of speech that allows us to make sense of these passages also enables us to call God’s love reckless without distorting the truth of his wisdom and foresight.

So, yes! God’s love is reckless. And, no! God’s love isn’t exactly reckless. But the word has great poetic value in the unique and poignant way it captures Christ’s willing self-sacrifice.

(For a counterpoint to my view, John Piper raises some concerns about this word, even while rejoicing in how Calvinistic many of the lyrics are. He brings up the theology of open theism in which God chooses not to know what all of our individual choices will be and suggests that the word “reckless” implies this theology. I think that’s a huge leap.)

Accessibility

The only people who misinterpret this song are established Christians who have a theological objection to calling God’s love reckless. The language is quite transparent except for the phrase “leaves the 99,” which means nothing unless you’re familiar with the parable it refers to.

To be honest, this song is a little tricky to sing, mostly due to rhythm and prosody. The range is an octave+5, which is a little wide but also typical for contemporary worship. In practice, I have found that congregations are more than happy to learn the melody and belt this song out. (And at this point, everyone probably knows it already.)

Music

One thing I love about this song is its musical versatility. You can sing it with a worship band, an orchestra, or just a piano. For example, the iconic opening lead line works great on almost any instrument. The dynamics and chord progression follow the typical worship song patterns, but they’re classic for a reason. There’s a good build through the bridge, and the chorus works great loud and soft.

The thing that sets this song apart musically is the way dotted eighth note melody of the chorus and lead line sits on top of the 6/8 beat. The melody feels like it’s in 4/4 even though it’s not, and this offers some really cool musical tension that pulls you forward through the song. It also offers a challenge for drummers! The only solution I have is to encourage your musicians to listen to this song on repeat for a while until they really internalize the underlying beat and the main melody and how they fit together.

Function

Gathering | Word | Table | Sending

This one works best in the middle of a worship service. It is intimate and communicates both the truth of God’s love to us and our humble and needy (in a good way!) response to him.

It would be super cool to use this song immediately following a reading or dramatic presentation of any of the Luke 15 parables.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Of course it will! This is a powerful worship anthem that has expressed the love of God in a fresh way to a whole generation. It’s accessible, deep, mostly singable, and teaches biblical truth. I am thoroughly convinced that no one has ever learned any bad theology from this song, and I remain in awe at the reckless love of our Savior.

Image by Vital Sinkevich on Unsplash

Scripture quotations are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

STAND IN YOUR LOVE – Bethel Music, Josh Baldwin, Rita Springer

/ Jason Henry / Leave a comment

Image by Joshua Earle from Unsplash

“Stand in Your Love,” would be at home anywhere. You could play it in an arena, in a church big or small, or gathered around a campfire at night. It’s simple, easy to learn, uplifting, and catchy. It was released in mid-2018 and subsequently featured on Bethel Music’s Victory album in 2019. Since then, it has become a staple in Christian worship, and as I write this, it’s smack in the middle of CCLI’s top 100 list. What does “Stand in Your Love” mean, is it Biblical, and should you be singing it in church? Let’s investigate.

Focus

The focus of this song is the singer’s steadfastness and ability to overcome fear because of the love and power of Jesus.

This song never specifically mentions God or Jesus, and could be sung about a romantic partner except for the reference to an empty grave in the bridge. This isn’t necessarily a problem in a church service where it’s obvious that we’re singing to God, but it’s worth noting.

Lyric Analysis

VERSE 1
This verse personifies the forces of evil, sadness, and pain, and the singer refuses to be shaken even when in the midst of them.

In the New Testament, Jesus is the light (Jn. 1:5, 8:12). His enemies are symbolized by darkness (Ac. 26:18, Col. 1:13). Darkness trying to “roll over my bones” is a poetic description of the spiritual forces of evil that try to oppress believers.

Sorrow here represents sorrowful circumstances that attempt to rob us of the joy that we have in Jesus through his Spirit (Gal. 5:22, John 15:11). Saying that brokenness and pain are “all I know” is a common hyperbole to evoke an emotional state, not a literal statement that the singer doesn’t know anything else. That would be silly.

We echo the Psalmist in saying that we won’t be shaken. This is only a true statement if we are keeping our eyes on God, following him, and counting on his strength rather than our own. This is not a statement of personal empowerment, but of God’s power. (Ps. 16:8, 62:6, Isa. 41:10)

CHORUS
“My fear doesn’t stand a chance when I stand in Your love”

We sing directly to God in the chorus, repeating the same line over and over as a declaration of God’s power over our fears and of our trust and confidence in him because of his love.

God tells us not to fear too many times to count in the Bible. The clearest and easiest passage of Scripture to link to this chorus is 1 John 4:18, which says “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” God’s love is stronger than all the things we fear, and the more we love him, the less room there is for fear of man, devil, or circumstance in our hearts.

Standing in God’s love sounds a lot like abiding in God’s love, so let’s look at Jesus’ words in John 15:9-12.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.”

So what does it mean to stand or abide in God’s love? A big part of it is obedience to his commands. And a big part of that is loving one another. So standing in God’s love doesn’t just mean remembering that God loves you, it also means remembering that he loves the people around you and being a conduit of that love, lavishing it on them like God lavishes it on you.

VERSE 2

Shame, lies, and the past are our enemies in the second verse.

I think our normal understanding of shame is more private and personal than the kind of shame normally described in the Bible. The Bible speaks often of being put to shame, which feels more like public disgrace than the internal experience I associate with the word shame, and seems to be tied to being defeated or disproven. Trusting God means that we will not ultimately be put to shame or disgraced, but vindicated (Rom. 10:11, Ps. 25:1-2). With regard to the internal kind of shame, God is the one who purifies our consciences (Heb. 9:14), takes away our regret through repentance (2 Cor. 7:10), and lifts up our heads (Ps. 3:3).

Jesus is the truth, so he is the antidote to the lies the enemy breathes in our ears (John 14:6).

We can leave our past sins and regrets behind because anyone in Christ is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and he has removed those sins from us as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12)

BRIDGE

Breaking chains is a metaphor for the freedom from sin that we have in Jesus (John 8:34-36), and God also breaks literal chains several times in Scripture (Ps. 107:10-16, Acts 16:26, Lev. 26:13).

Jesus’ power empties out several graves by resurrecting their occupants from death (John 11:43-44, Matt. 27:52), most notably his own (Matt. 28:6). We eagerly await his second coming when he will raise all of those who belong to him from our graves (1 Thess. 4:16). There’s a second meaning here as well, a sense in which we have already been resurrected from our spiritually dead state and raised to new life in Christ (Eph. 2:1-7). That is the powerful grace that saves us (Ephesians 2:8).

Jesus’ name contains the power that will cause every knee to bow (Phil. 2:10). It is the name into which we are baptized, symbolizing our death and resurrection with him (Rom. 6:3). It is the name through which God hears and answers our prayers (John 14:13).

Accessibility

This song uses everyday language and common figures of speech rather than specific Bible allusions that you have to understand in order to grasp the meaning. The only Bible reference you really need to understand is the line “power that can empty out a grave.” I think this song actually makes an easy stepping-on point for an unchurched person to begin to learn how to sing to God, since much of the language of the verses is similar to what you might hear in a counseling session or self-empowerment talk, but the chorus and bridge redirect those feelings of encouragement by telling us that the power we need comes from God, not ourselves.

If someone hears this song outside of church and they’re not paying attention to the bridge, it could be mistaken for a secular song about a romantic partner who has helped the singer overcome self-doubt and regret. In a worship service, I don’t think that’s really an issue.

Music

I’ll be describing the standard Bethel/Josh Baldwin version of the song here, but if you’re looking for a female-led version that’s less country/more pop, check out the less well-known recording by co-author Rita Springer.

A simple guitar accompaniment with a light swing rhythm guides us into this song, followed by a classic “b-boom clap” drum part on the first chorus, and then the rest of the band comes in with the full groove of the song on the following instrumental. Nothing super challenging for the band here, and the chords are pretty much the same pattern for the whole song except the bridge.

The bridge provides much-needed contrast, and the following chorus sees the band drop out and just play single hits on the chord changes while the congregation’s voice comes to the fore. We end with another big chorus and a little ad-libbable outro.

The melody and rhythm are super easy for congregants to learn, especially the chorus, which is just the same line over and over. My only musical concern is that the same simplicity that makes “Stand in Your Love” so congregational might also cause the band to tire of playing it.

Conclusions

Will it worship? Yep.

What “Stand in Your Love” lacks in specificity, it more than makes up for in accessibility. It might not explicitly reference a lot of Scripture, but the ideas presented are eminently biblical. It’s an anthem of trust in God and a commitment to the kind of boldness that Paul demonstrated in his Kingdom work. May it propel us to serve God and our neighbor with confidence by standing in and pouring out the great love that he has toward us.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), Copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. May not copy or download more than 500 consecutive verses of the ESV Bible or more than one half of any book of the ESV Bible.