Today is "Discernment in Music" (DiM) day here at Faithful Stewardship (2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (ESV)).
September 10, 2015. Today we'll be taking a look at "There is Power" by Lincoln Brewster which currently sits at #18 on the 20theCountdownMagazine.
TobyMac is the Tony Hawk of Christian Pop Music. He doesn't seem to age, and everything he touches seems to turn into Pop gold. We've had our run-ins with Team Toby in social media, so seeing this song pop up on the chart didn't give me a great deal of hope for this DiM. As is my usual approach, the first thing I did was look up a lyric video to see how the song goes...
TobyMacVEVO Lyric Video
This was me... watching the music video before reading the lyrics...
About the Video
Truthfully, there isn't much to discuss. This video has N.O.T.H.I.N.G. to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ... or Christianity... or the Bible. This is a puppy-love video. So, the title of the song is "Feel It"... and the video is about puppy love... clearly, this song is going to be one of those "Jesus is my girlfriend/boyfriend" songs... /sigh.
Lyrics (via KLove)
Feel It (feat. Mr. TalkBox)
When I sit back and imagine
Life without You, I can't fathom
How I ever thought I'd make it on my own
And there's at least a million reasons
I'm still standing here believin'
You're my comfort, You're my healin'
This I know (this I know)
Well, you can't see the wind, but it moves the leaves
From the bottom to the top of the tallest trees
You are everything I will ever need
And they can't take that from me
Oh, I feel it in my heart
I feel it in my soul
That's how I know
You take our brokenness and make us beautiful
Yeah, that's how I know
Everybody talkin' like they need some proof
But what more do I need than to feel You
When I sit back and imagine
Life without You, I can't fathom
How I ever thought I'd make it on my own
And there's at least a million reasons
I'm still standing here believin'
You're my comfort, You're my healin'
This I know (this I know)
Well, you can't see the wind, but it moves the leaves
From the bottom to the top of the tallest trees
You are everything I will ever need
And they can't take that from me
Oh, I feel it in my heart
I feel it in my soul
That's how I know
You take our brokenness and make us beautiful
Yeah, that's how I know
(Can't take that from me)
Love came crashin' in
Never gonna be the same again
Yeah, You came crashing in
You wrecked me, You wrecked me
Love came crashin' in
Never gonna be the same again
Yeah, You came crashing in
You wrecked me
That's how I know
Oh, I feel it in my heart
I feel it in my soul
That's how I know
You take our brokenness and make us beautiful
Yeah, that's how I know
Oh, I feel it in my heart
I feel it in my soul
That's how I know
You take our brokenness and make us beautiful
Yeah, that's how I know
That's how I know
Everybody talkin' like they need some proof
But what more do I need than to feel You
Everybody talkin' like they need some proof
But what more do I need than to feel You
Publishing: © 2015 Achtober Songs (BMI) / Universal Music - Brentwood Benson Publishing / D Soul Music (ASCAP) (Admin. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) / Castle Bound Music, Inc. / We Be Pawtying (SESAC)
Writer(s): Toby McKeehan, David Arthur Garcia and Cary Barlowe
Discussion
The point of the song is clearly made in the outro of the song: Everybody talkin' like they need some proof, but what more do I need than to feel You
So, feelings is "how we know" what, Jesus? Is that the message of the Gospel? You shall feel Jesus and that feeling will set you free? Feelings is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen? Is our assurance of salvation based on feelings? Hold that thought.
So, if a teenager (like the ones in the Music Video) told you he/she was getting married, and you asked them "why?"... would you accept the answer, "because I feel it in my heart, I feel it in my soul, and he/she makes me feel beautiful!" If such feelings offer poor assurance in the selection of a spouse, a much less reliable should they be considered in matters of eternal significance? That was rhetorical.
The closest this song comes to anything even remotely pointing to the Gospel... is heavily coded in "youth-pastor-speak". The phrase "you wrecked me" is supposedly a cool way of saying that God humbled the individual unto repentance... but it can also mean God broke down all of my defenses and just loved me despite my resistance. Youth-speak jargon holds to a rather fluid lexicon. But that's the best we can find in this song... and it is woefully deficient. This song has nothing to offer the world or the Church that is in keeping with sound doctrine.
Let's turn to the Word of God before closing out this DiM post.
Hebrews 11 (ESV) | By Faith
11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 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.
4 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. 5 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. 6 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. 7 By faith Noah, 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...[Read the Whole Chapter]
Okay, but are we born with faith? No. How do we get faith? I'm glad you asked.
Romans 10:11-17 (ESV)
11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 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? 15 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!" 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
There is no mention of feelings here. Sure, the heart is mentioned, but the heart of a believer believes, while the heart of an unbeliever doubts the Savior and remains condemned. But more than that, we are not to trust our hearts; rather, we are to treasure the Word of God in our hearts, by faith, so that His Word will renew our hearts by the Grace of the Holy Spirit. We don't really understand our own sinful hearts... let's look at how Peter rebuked Simon in Acts 8.
Acts 8:9-24 (ESV) | Simon the Magician Believes
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great. 10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, "This man is the power of God that is called Great." 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." 20 But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! 21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." 24 And Simon answered, "Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me."
Please don't play around with the false-convert flip... the text says Simon believed and was baptized... and then it says that his heart was not right before God in this matter. He was in sin... and it was dangerous for him. Simon was rebuked for the intention of his heart. The point I'm making here is simply this: even after believing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repenting of sin and transgression and receiving by faith the forgiveness of sin and the righteousness of Christ... we still cannot defer to our hearts, our feelings, our impressions, or our ideas as the assurance of our salvation. Assurance of God's Grace must be by Faith Alone, in Christ Alone, as found in Scripture Alone, to the Glory of God Alone.
Conclusion
It's a very catching song, with a lot of style. This song does not edify the saints. This song doesn't preach the Gospel to the lost. It is a feel-good, tickle the ears, pop-song marketed under a "Christian" label. I can't say this is a harmless song, because the lyrics and the video encourage our youth to rely on their feelings for the assurance of their faith... such horrible, horrible advice for today's youth. This song is only slightly better than a Bruno Mars song, because Bruno Mars can be overtly sexual in his videos and lyric... but that's where this song rates... Bruno Mars.
Jude 24-25 (ESV) | Doxology
24 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, 25 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.
Amen.
In Christ Jesus,
Jorge
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