October 19, 2018

Has Grace Got You?

In the transgression of an evil man there is a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice. –Proverbs 29:6, KJV

When we get in trouble for doing something we should not have been doing, we sure do feel bad.

When we get away with something wrong, we are relieved, but the snare of guilt refuses to let us relax completely.

When we are forgiven, golly gee, are we happy!

It is just like MercyMe’s song, Grace Got You.

It combines these last two points and explains them very poetically, and it is how Christians should feel!

Sing,
So the back row hears you.
Glide,
‘Cause walking just won’t do.
Dance,
You don’t have to know how to,
Ever since, ever since grace got you.

Laugh,
‘Till your whole side’s hurting.
Smile,
Like you just got away with something,
Why?
‘Cause you just got away with something,
Ever since, ever since grace got you.

We essentially get away with all of the times we rubbed our sin in God’s face, all because He sent His Son to die on a cross in our place of punishment.

The question then becomes, how do we respond when others wrong us?

Just as God forgave us, we ought to forgive others. This is one of the greatest works we can do in Christ’s name. The hope is that they will see this (and other good works) and turn to Christ.

Then, we can all sing together the praise of the One who created and forgives us, rejoicing in His grace and love.

May we sing God’s praises continually. (Colossians 3:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18)

About Daniel M. Klem

I am a product of the '80's (meaning I was born in that decade) and married to the most beautiful woman I know since 2009 (beautiful in appearance and as a woman of God). I graduated in the spring of 2013 from Grand Canyon University with a Christian Leadership major, and now I am a student at Phoenix Seminary. Also, most importantly, Jesus saved me ... and you. View all posts by Daniel M. Klem

This entry was posted on Friday, October 19th, 2018 at 3:00 pm and tagged with Book of Proverbs, grace, Grace Got You, MercyMe, praise, Rejoicing, Reward, Singing, Works, worship and posted in Reward, Work. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

3 responses to “Has Grace Got You?”

Dave
October 25th, 2019 at 8:43 pm

I couldn’t disagree more. First, our sin is so great and so offensive to our Holy God. So much so that the only thing He could do to make us right with Him was to sacrifice His Only Son to die a horrendous and wretched death. There are no words in any human language to describe what Jesus went through that Day. So, to laugh and sing ha ha ha to the tune of getting away with something is a slap in God’s face. Instead, our response should be gratefulness in humility with tears of thankfulness-not ha ha ha I just got away with something I did and I’ll smile and laugh until my sides hurt. Oh Father God, may we never, ever have anything but humble, gratitude and reverence and a deep joy for what Your Son endured on the cross to make us right with You.

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- Daniel M. Klem
  October 25th, 2019 at 9:04 pm
  
  Dave, I think you miss the point of the song (especially in connection with so many other of Mercy Me’s songs). They used poetic language to say that through Christ we have been released from the guilt of our sin (“got away with something” – we are no longer under condemnation, Romans 8). The reaction we have is to sing and worship, but we also are given joy that can lead to laughter and dancing (such as the lame man from Acts 3.) Joy can manifest in many ways. The point of the song is about celebrating all that our Lord has done for us. May we not respond as Michal did seeing David dancing in joy with contempt (2 Samuel 6, 1 Chronicles 15), rather, as Jesus said in Luke 6, our mourning (over sin) is turned to laughter (from the joy that we have been forgiven so much.)
  
  Reply
Anthony Baker
October 25th, 2019 at 9:37 pm

Dave, thanks for bringing your thoughts to the table as a heartfelt comment. We really, really do appreciate the feedback. Seriously, we/I do!

Thanks for the great reply, too, Daniel.

Dave, I understand completely where you are coming from. I also know that song writers have a difficult time trying to encapsulate deep theological truths within quick, snappy tunes (that, of course, is a whole other argument). So, I do understand why being “happy” and “dancing” over something we “got away with” might set wrong.

Yet, if we were to take the natural path and mourn as we duly should, we might never experience the joy, the smile on our faces, that Jesus literally purchased with his blood – the right to them, that is. There is a certain tension, for sure, between celebrating our freedom from guilt and condemnation and that of the right we have now to frolic as a child of the King.

Maybe we should laugh so hard we cry.

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