Exegeting the Hymns 10 - This is Amazing Grace

This is Amazing Grace
w/m Phil Wickham, Jeremy Riddle, Josh Farro

Who breaks the power of sin and darkness?
Whose love is mighty and so much stronger?
The King of Glory the King above all kings

Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder?
Who leaves us breathless in awe and wonder?
The King of Glory the King above all kings

This is amazing grace
This is unfailing love
That You would take my place
That You would bear my cross
You laid down Your life
That I would be set free
Oh Jesus I sing for all that You've done for me

Who brings our chaos back into order?
Who makes the orphan a son and daughter?
The King of Glory the King of Glory

Who rules the nations with truth and justice?
Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance?
The King of Glory the King above all kings

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Worthy is the King who conquered the grave

This was a very popular song a few years ago and topped the list of most downloaded praise choruses for a long time. That’s enough to get me to give the song a look, and I really love the lyrics on this radio song because they speak with a high view of God, His power, His works, and His greatness. So many songs on Christian radio these days are so man-centered, and yet this one breaks that mold and never takes its eyes off of God (Well, only once)… a great characteristic in a worship song.
The verses speak in question form, much like another of my favorite songs, “Behold Our God”, but that’s for another day. Who breaks the power of sin and darkness? Sin’s chains are strong. No mortal man is able to break them or even desire to do so without the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus conquered the grave, He defeated sin and death. Whose love is mighty and so much stronger? God’s love is not a fleeting emotional love, but a decision by the Creator to pour out His grace and mercy and blessing on a people that were His enemies… that’s a mighty and strong love that will never fail. Then the verse answers the question: The King of Glory the King above all kings!  
Who shakes the whole earth with holy thunder? The Creator God sustains and controls absolutely everything in His providence. Nothing in nature is outside of God’s control. Who leaves us breathless in awe and wonder? This one line is a bit more subjective than the others, and leaves the formula of focusing on God’s wonders, and looks at our feelings and reactions. Actually, the world could answer this question with any number of magicians, musicians, stuntmen, actors, etc. so I’m not a huge fan of judging the amazing worth of God by how I feel about Him or how He makes me feel. However, we are in awe and wonder of the works of Yahweh, much more than anything man could ever do, so I can still sing this line without overthinking it every time.
This is amazing grace, This is unfailing love. The song gets back on track by looking at the work of God in sending His son, Jesus to die in our place… the ultimate act of grace and love. That You would take my place, That You would bear my cross, You laid down Your life, That I would be set free. Many complain that God wouldn't send some people to hell because it isn’t fair to save some and not everybody. What isn’t fair is that God would save any of us. I heard someone say, “we deserved to be on that cross”. I say, no way. If we hung on that cross, we wouldn’t have even started to pay for our sins and get what we deserve. We deserve so much more than the cross… we deserve hell, being punished for an eternity. Jesus could pay for the sins on the cross because He was God. He could take the place of every sin of every one who would ever come to repentance in just a few hours, while it would take us an eternity. Thank God, He took our place, laying down His life, so that we would be set free. Oh Jesus I sing for all that You've done for me.
Who brings our chaos back into order? When we are born, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. That is called total depravity and speaks to the fact that our minds, bodies, emotions, and will are all bent away from God. We are cursed by that sin nature and only God can restore us, bending our will back to a place where we will choose God. Who makes the orphan a son and daughter? We are not only bond-slaves of Christ, but He actually adopts us into His family and we become His children!  
Who rules the nations with truth and justice? This speaks in the present tense and God certainly rules over all the affairs of men. Nothing happens politically that He does not determine or allow to happen, however, this also speaks to a time when Christ will physically rule all the nations in a future earthly kingdom, and one day, in the new heavens and new earth, there will be no need for the sun because Jesus will be there… Shines like the sun in all of its brilliance?
The final lyrics are the bridge that repeat the phrase, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, Worthy is the King who conquered the grave. The Lamb is also the King. The first time He came, it was to die in our place, but the next time He comes, it will be to reign in power forever, and as His children, we will rule and reign with Him!

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