False Gospel Songs?

I recently had a conversation with someone who had a question about a Christian song she really liked. However, she still had a question about that song. She felt like something was off, but a gospel song that isn’t right—how could that be? She got a negative feeling from the song and struggled with it. So, she asked for help.

Let’s take a look at the chorus of that song, and then we’ll address her question. First, the lyrics:

And then she asked her question: “Is God reckless? I don’t get it; can you explain that?” Well… no. I can’t explain that—quite the opposite, actually. Pay attention, here’s where it goes wrong:

~Reckless: marked by lack of proper caution : careless of consequences

So, would God do something dangerous without thinking about the consequences? Does God have thoughtless or impulsive love?? No, I can’t explain that either. Because that’s not what God does, and that’s not who God is. The Bible actually says that God acts wisely and very deliberately:

In Him, we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will. (Ephesians 1:11 NASB)

God is not impulsive; He thinks carefully about everything He does:

The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding He established the heavens. By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and the skies drip with dew. (Proverbs 3:19-20 NASB)

God has no limits in His love? Well… yes and no. God is not only love, but also righteous. And when you sin and do wrong, God’s righteousness will come into play. So “infinite” is true… but it’s only half the truth:

The Lord, the Lord, a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. (Exodus 34:6-7 NASB)

Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; lovingkindness and truth go before You. (Psalm 89:14 NASB)

If God’s love has no limits and He loves everyone, why does He send people to hell to begin with? Do you see what goes wrong when we just label it as “infinite”? In other words, God’s love does indeed have boundaries, and you need to do something to receive His eternal love. If you refuse to do that, there are consequences, and God’s love is indeed finite… forever. Oops.

God’s love is sacrificial, not reckless:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16 NASB)

Are we there yet? Well, no. The lyrics of that song also say, “(God’s reckless love) chases me, fights until I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine behind.” What? The next verse is taken completely out of context:

What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? (Luke 15:4-7 NASB)

That verse isn’t about God acting recklessly, without thinking of the consequences. It’s about care and dedication. The shepherd doesn’t act thoughtlessly but out of deep love and responsibility for each sheep. Context, people, context!

In other words, I couldn’t and still can’t explain that “recklessness” in the song. Quite the opposite.

And you? When you read those Bible verses… would you still dare to say that God is reckless, that His love has no boundaries, and that He acts without considering the consequences? And if you wouldn’t say that after this explanation… why would you still want to sing it? In church?

For that reason, the person who asked the question stopped listening to and singing that song. Because even they understood very well that the song isn’t right, quite the opposite. It’s full of half-truths and falsehoods. Accusing God of reckless behavior? They can’t do that (anymore), and I certainly can’t.

(And this is just one example of such a song… there are many, many more. They sound nice, they even sound biblical, but they’re not. And yet… we hear them in church??)

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance with their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NASB)

Know what you say about God, know what you sing about God. And if you’re in doubt? Investigate it first before any sound comes out of your mouth. Because God is a Holy and Righteous God. Sometimes, it’s truly better not to automatically sing along with a song in church, but to keep your mouth shut… or to talk about how such songs have slipped into the church after the service… songs that are theologically false and have huge consequences…

And after this explanation, we continued talking about why she had doubts about the song, even though she still didn’t fully understand why or where these doubts were coming from.