Jimmy Needham, in his song, “Grace Amazing” (from his album, Nightlights) truly does present grace as it ought to be presented, amazing. And how does he do this? The same way any good Soteriology (doctrine of salvation) does–by starting with a good Hamartiology (doctrine of sin), namely, our total inability or total depravity. As Needham says, “That’s how it is with us all. We weren’t just damaged we fell dead at the fall.” And in doing so he recognizes that salvation is dependent on God’s sovereign grace. “Unless You breathe life into me I won’t ever feel my dead heart beating. But you open these blind eyes to see.” And the fact that God has made believers alive, who once were dead and could not give life to themselves, is what makes grace amazing. The Blind don’t give themselves sight; God does. In short, grace is amazing because the recipients of grace had no part in it. “That’s what makes Your grace amazing.”

These truths bring to my mind some of Paul’s words in Ephesians chapter 2:

v.1 – And you were dead in the trespasses and sins . . . .

vv.4-6 – But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ–by grace you have been saved– 6 and raised us up with Him . . .

vv.8-10 – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus . . . .

And then Needham continues in the second verse with some great Johannine theology (namely, John chapter 6): “No one can come to the Son. Unless the Father compels him to come.”

v.37 – All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.

v.39 – And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me . . . .

v.44 – No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. . . .

v.65 – And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.

(If you struggle with this teaching of Jesus, read John 6:60-61).

You know what makes grace amazing? The fact that I have nothing to do with it. The fact that I was dead spiritually, a spiritual stillborn, and that dead people don’t respond and revive themselves. The fact that I didn’t put myself in a position to receive grace, and therefore, have some sort of merit in my salvation. The fact that my salvation, including both grace and faith, is truly is a gift of God. The fact that salvation is in no part my own doing so that I can’t boast even slightly. My sinful state, which directs all glory to God in my salvation, is what makes grace truly amazing.

I don’t feel as if I need to keep expounding on Needham’s words. Simply read the remainder of the lyrics and Trip Lee’s feature section. They do a fantastic job explaining how man’s sinful state and grace relate in such a way that leads to the conclusion that God is sovereign in the salvation of believers.

Verse 1

You found my heart in a tomb
Wrapped up all lifeless and bruised
I was the living dead
Couldn’t even lift up my head
To see You enter the room

Verse 2

That’s how it is with us all
We weren’t just damaged we fell dead at the fall
Only the innocent can breathe the air again
Underground, over my head
I’m almost sure I’m dead

Chorus

Unless You breathe life into me
I won’t ever feel my dead heart beating
But you open these blind eyes to see
That’s what makes Your grace amazing

Verse 3

No one can come to the Son
Unless the Father compels him to come
Our hearts are bottomless
If we’re autonomous
Why do we choose corruption
Underground, over my head
I’m almost sure I’m dead

Bridge

Who’s a cripple encased in his heart of stone
Christ’s the name that I’m calling on, calling on
He’s the hope for the hopeless, ya’ll
We were saved when He chose and called
Where is life if it’s not in the King
You’re the God, giving life to all things
There’s One, His Son

Trip Lee

Look, you might have heard I was dead in the grave
With some shackles on my wrist
I was very enslaved to the lusts and the passions
In various ways
In the band, on the horse, I was dead and depraved
Sight wasn’t just blurry and vague
I was blind as a bat, couldn’t thoroughly gaze
At the glory of Christ or the story of life
The Father said come to Him, but I hurried away

I was stuck, couldn’t choose to be found
Tell me when the last time
You seen a dead man moving around
Couldn’t buy my freedom I was truthfully bound
Couldn’t get myself saved
I was shooting Him down
Only by Gods will does grace heal with great might
Cause only the words of God can create life
Give joy, remove shackles and replace shame
I was raised by grace and I praise Christ

____________________
Originally posted on former blog, I’m Calling Us Out.