This song was made popular by Michael W. Smith but was written by Paul Baloche and Lenny LeBlanc. I remember hearing Michael W. Smith sing it for the first time at the Billy Graham Crusade in Louisville many years ago. Anyway, this is a very popular song with a nice message. However, like many songs sung by Evangelicals today this is not a completely biblically accurate song. The line is [God] “thought of me above all.” Did the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ take place because he thought of us above all? Or did he do this for his own glory and because he was he thought of his Father above all? Here is what Bob Kauflin of Sovereign Grace says about this song:
There are a number of things about this song I really like. The melody is enjoyable to sing and easy to remember. It does a great job emphasizing God’s sovereign rule over all, and focusing on the sacrifice of Christ. The poetic images are engaging and the harmonic progression is creative. But two parts bother me, both near the end of the song. The first is the line “you took the fall.” It seems like an understated way of describing what Jesus did. Not wrong, but not the best. The other problem is the line, “and thought of me above all.” I have no question that Jesus loved me and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20). But he didn’t think of me “above all.” Jesus went to the cross to satisfy God’s righteous judgment against a sinful humanity. He thought of his Father’s holiness, justice, and glory above all. It may seem like a theological nuance, but it’s the difference between our faith being man-centered and God-centered. I don’t think that’s what the writers intended, but I think it could cause some confusion in people’s minds. Besides, I think we have other songs that better articulate Jesus died for because he loved us and for his Father’s glory. But, thanks for suggesting it, and please let me know if you have any other thoughts!
I know this is a popular song so I am not expecting a favorable response from visitors who read this post. Here are the lyrics to this song.
Above All
Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began
Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure what You’re worth
Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all
Above all powers above all kings
Above all nature and all created things
Above all wisdom and all the ways of man
You were here before the world began
Above all kingdoms above all thrones
Above all wonders the world has ever known
Above all wealth and treasures of the earth
There’s no way to measure what You’re worth
Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all
Crucified laid behind the stone
You lived to die rejected and alone
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all
Like a Rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall and thought of me
Above all
One thing is true. Christ does definitely love us and God did send his Son to purchase our redemption. This is true. I affirm it and thank God for it. However, this songs looks at this fact as if we are the primary characters in history and the redemption story. We are most definitely the beneficiaries. However, we are not the center of the story. Just as we are not what the Bible is about. It is all about God. Yes, we are characters in it and God loves us. Yes! to all of that. However, the story of the Bible and the story of redemption is about God. So, while Christ loves us, he did not think about us above all when he went to the cross. I point you to the high priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17. He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.” We are in that prayer but we are not primary. Notice that the primary concern is God’s glory — that the Son would get glory and that the Father would get glory. We are part of the story. We are the recipients of eternal life, but that is secondary to God’s glory in this prayer of Jesus. So, if we are seondary in the prayer, it would be incorrect to say that God was thinking of us ABOVE ALL. Yes, He loves us and thought of us….but not ABOVE ALL. The primary concern in Christ’s prayer was the glory given to the Father and the Son. Soli Deo Gloria. And I’m thinkful to be a beneficiary of God getting glory.