The doctrine in this song is so bad and misleading that I cannot bring myself to comment on it at this time. I will dissect it after I have recovered. When you read it, I am sure you will understand....
"If We Are The Body" By Casting Crowns
It's crowded in worship today
As she slips in
Trying to fade into the faces
The girls' teasing laughter is carrying farther than they know
Farther than they know
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the Body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
There is a way
A traveler is far away from home
He sheds his coat
And quietly sinks into the back row
The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances
Are better out on the road
CHORUS
But if we are the Body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the Body?
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
BRIDGE
Jesus paid much too high a price
For us to pick and choose who should come
And we are the Body of Christ
CHORUS (2x)
If we are the body
Why aren't His arms reaching?
Why aren't His hands healing?
Why aren't His words teaching?
And if we are the body
Why aren't His feet going?
Why is His love not showing them there is a way?
Jesus is the way
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
A Contemporary Song that Exposes the Ancient, Gospel-less Horror in the Seeker Movement.
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3 comments:
I'm not sure, but I think we sing this song in the other service at my LCMS church. Thanks for posting the lyrics. It is a presentation of pure, bone-crushing "law" with absolutely no Gospel. And the "law" it is preaching is the post-modern "law" of tolerance and complete openness.
And, Eric, don't forget that it isn't even Law rightly divided. It is Law flowing from the Gospel.
"Jesus died for your sins so get off your butt and do your job. Start loving people you selfish slacker."
or as the song puts it:
"Jesus paid much too high a price for us to pick and choose who should come."
When the Gospel is the source of this bone-crushing Law, where do I turn?!?
The questions are never answered. It just hangs there and leaves you to sit there until the Devil answers the questions for you.
The church is not in the business of creating questions. It is in the business of proclaiming the answer.
I would also like to point out that the "Body of Christ" passage that this song is mangling has nothing to do with evangelism or reaching the lost. The metaphor of the “Body of Christ” is about unity WITHIN the church under the headship of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the passage touches on dealing with weaker brothers in the faith and supporting them. It is not a duty roster that says, “You are a hand, go heal and fix stuff. You are a foot, go walk there. You are an eye, go see these things.”
So a passage that is intended to give great comfort and encouragement to hurting Christians has been perverted into a horrid guilt trip with no hope and no forgiveness.
I haven’t even mentioned perhaps the worst thing about this song: What happens when this unanswered question is pondered further and a poor Christian asks, “Hey… why isn’t Christ’s body doing what it is supposed to do?” It is a short step of logic from that question to one of two dreadful conclusions:
Conclusion 1: Christ has left His church hanging out to dry and that is why they are failing.
Conclusion 2: The church is a failure in what it is called to do and is unworthy of esteem and fellowship.
…and the Devil loves to shove us to either of these two lines of thinking when we are confronted with frustration in the church.
My final analysis: This song is an enemy of the Gospel and damaging to faith. I do not use such claims lightly. This isn’t just fluff. It is twisted, dangerous garbage that is unworthy of Christian worship.
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