See my blog post: On Being Berean, Part 2 for context on this series.See video Petra.
"We Need Jesus" is a worship song from 1997 performed by Petra. Worship albums were just beginning to appear at that time. They had not taken over the Christian market...yet. I'm not sure if there are any worship bands--church bands--still performing "We Need Jesus." And that might be a good thing. Let's take a closer look at the lyrics and see if they are indeed biblical?
Lyrics:
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
If we open our eyes
We will all realize
That He loves us
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When our hearts are as one
And believe that He's the Son of our God
The Lord is our God
And we shall never want
The Lord is our God
And we shall live forever
When we share the love of Jesus
See each other as He sees us
Then His love will see us through
His love will see us through
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
When sister and brother
Love one another as one
When will the world
See that we need Jesus?
Will we ever understand
Jesus is the Son of man?
We must live in the shadow of His love
If the question was simply, "Do we need Jesus?" it would be a lot simpler to answer. It would be a YES. But that is not the question the song poses.
When will the world see that we need Jesus? This is a valid theological question, but I'd change it up a bit. Can "the world" see that they need Jesus? OR if you prefer Can "the world" see the need for Jesus? see the need for a Savior?
The Bible points out time and time and time and time and time again that the world CANNOT see Jesus. That in fact the natural man if left on his own will never--can never--see the need for Jesus. Old Testament, New Testament same story. Genesis to Revelation, His Word is consistent the natural man--the fallen man is blind, deaf, lost, rebellious, wicked, unwilling, unable; it is not being overly dramatic to say he is DEAD.
So. The answer to the first question is NEVER. Never will the world see that they need Jesus. That's not how the songwriters answer the question.
Their answer is, "IF WE OPEN OUR EYES WE WILL ALL REALIZE." This is unbiblical--out and out unbiblical. Can a blind person open his/her own eyes? NO. NEVER. We cannot open our own eyes. Never once does the Bible say we can. Never once does the Bible say that we can do anything of the sort. The Bible always, always, always stresses that regeneration, rebirth, new life, eternal life, faith, salvation, etc. is THE EXCLUSIVE WORK OF THE Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit alone can open eyes. Without the Holy Spirit, the natural man could never--would never--respond to the gospel whether proclaimed from the pulpit, shared one on one, or read. It is arrogant to think that you had anything whatsoever to do with the opening of your eyes, the opening of your ears, the opening of your heart, the opening of your mind. All spiritual truth--all spiritual light--is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Why is one man saved and another man not? Why does one man see and the other not see? The Holy Spirit.
The songwriters would have you believe it is YOU. You are so smart! Pat yourself on the back!!! You opened your own eyes. You saw your need for Christ!!! You repented of your sins!!! You accepted Jesus into your heart!!! Way to go! You're so swell. If your neighbor would stop being so foolish he'd open his own eyes too!!!
Spiritual truths cannot be discerned apart from the Holy Spirit. It doesn't matter how clear, how fundamentally obvious the Bible is--it takes the Spirit to understand and interpret it for each believer.
Not content with that one answer--I'm not content with it either--it goes on to list another. THE WORLD WILL SEE ITS NEED FOR CHRIST JESUS *when* Christians start living out their faith, their doctrine. If those who profess Christ were to actually-actually be obedient to the Word of God and LOVE ONE ANOTHER, and FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER, and stand united with one another in the truth and for the truth--proclaiming the truth of the gospel--then the world would have to see the need for Jesus?! Right?!
Well. It's certainly Biblical to be obedient!!!!! To take Jesus' teachings serious. To realize that God meant it when he said that we should love one another--that we MUST love one another. Love and forgiveness are KEY TRUTHS. Just read 1 John. All five chapters. Also Ephesians 4:1-32. You could easily study--meditate--on these passages for weeks, months, years.
I like the second answer better than the first. But I don't think--as good as it is to be sanctified--that that alone will be enough to convert the natural man without the aid of the Holy Spirit.
From my standpoint, the song seems to be doing two things: congratulating yourself on being clever enough to see your need for Jesus, admonishing the world for not seeing their need for Jesus, and encouraging you to love others. But the encouragement to love others doesn't seem to be coming from a place of obedience, of duty, of genuineness. Emphasis on seem. It seems to be just as much about calling attention to one's awesomeness. LOOK AT ME, I'M BEING OBEDIENT. LOOK AT ME, I'M LOVING OTHERS. DON'T YOU WANT TO BE AS AWESOME AS ME AND JOIN IN THIS ANTHEM.
This song does have some truths hidden within it. We shall never want; we shall live forever. But overall, it doesn't seem to be giving God the glory. If we want people to be saved, we need to do better!
Romans 3:10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:8-11;
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 2:13,14;
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; ti is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:4-10
John 1:11,12; John 3:3-21; John 3:35,36; John 6:36, 37, 38, 39, 40; John 6:44, 45; John 6:65; John 8:43, 47, 52; John 9:39,40,41;
"Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44
1 Corinthians 2:14: "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
2 Corinthians 4:3, 4, 5, 6;
1 Corinthians 1:18
Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
Ezekiel 37:1-14; Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Psalm 14:3; Ps. 53:3, Jeremiah 9:5,
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
When will the world see that we need Jesus? This is a valid theological question, but I'd change it up a bit. Can "the world" see that they need Jesus? OR if you prefer Can "the world" see the need for Jesus? see the need for a Savior?
The Bible points out time and time and time and time and time again that the world CANNOT see Jesus. That in fact the natural man if left on his own will never--can never--see the need for Jesus. Old Testament, New Testament same story. Genesis to Revelation, His Word is consistent the natural man--the fallen man is blind, deaf, lost, rebellious, wicked, unwilling, unable; it is not being overly dramatic to say he is DEAD.
So. The answer to the first question is NEVER. Never will the world see that they need Jesus. That's not how the songwriters answer the question.
Their answer is, "IF WE OPEN OUR EYES WE WILL ALL REALIZE." This is unbiblical--out and out unbiblical. Can a blind person open his/her own eyes? NO. NEVER. We cannot open our own eyes. Never once does the Bible say we can. Never once does the Bible say that we can do anything of the sort. The Bible always, always, always stresses that regeneration, rebirth, new life, eternal life, faith, salvation, etc. is THE EXCLUSIVE WORK OF THE Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit alone can open eyes. Without the Holy Spirit, the natural man could never--would never--respond to the gospel whether proclaimed from the pulpit, shared one on one, or read. It is arrogant to think that you had anything whatsoever to do with the opening of your eyes, the opening of your ears, the opening of your heart, the opening of your mind. All spiritual truth--all spiritual light--is the work of the Holy Spirit.
Why is one man saved and another man not? Why does one man see and the other not see? The Holy Spirit.
The songwriters would have you believe it is YOU. You are so smart! Pat yourself on the back!!! You opened your own eyes. You saw your need for Christ!!! You repented of your sins!!! You accepted Jesus into your heart!!! Way to go! You're so swell. If your neighbor would stop being so foolish he'd open his own eyes too!!!
Spiritual truths cannot be discerned apart from the Holy Spirit. It doesn't matter how clear, how fundamentally obvious the Bible is--it takes the Spirit to understand and interpret it for each believer.
Not content with that one answer--I'm not content with it either--it goes on to list another. THE WORLD WILL SEE ITS NEED FOR CHRIST JESUS *when* Christians start living out their faith, their doctrine. If those who profess Christ were to actually-actually be obedient to the Word of God and LOVE ONE ANOTHER, and FORGIVE ONE ANOTHER, and stand united with one another in the truth and for the truth--proclaiming the truth of the gospel--then the world would have to see the need for Jesus?! Right?!
Well. It's certainly Biblical to be obedient!!!!! To take Jesus' teachings serious. To realize that God meant it when he said that we should love one another--that we MUST love one another. Love and forgiveness are KEY TRUTHS. Just read 1 John. All five chapters. Also Ephesians 4:1-32. You could easily study--meditate--on these passages for weeks, months, years.
I like the second answer better than the first. But I don't think--as good as it is to be sanctified--that that alone will be enough to convert the natural man without the aid of the Holy Spirit.
From my standpoint, the song seems to be doing two things: congratulating yourself on being clever enough to see your need for Jesus, admonishing the world for not seeing their need for Jesus, and encouraging you to love others. But the encouragement to love others doesn't seem to be coming from a place of obedience, of duty, of genuineness. Emphasis on seem. It seems to be just as much about calling attention to one's awesomeness. LOOK AT ME, I'M BEING OBEDIENT. LOOK AT ME, I'M LOVING OTHERS. DON'T YOU WANT TO BE AS AWESOME AS ME AND JOIN IN THIS ANTHEM.
This song does have some truths hidden within it. We shall never want; we shall live forever. But overall, it doesn't seem to be giving God the glory. If we want people to be saved, we need to do better!
Romans 3:10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31; Romans 6:23; Romans 8:8-11;
"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
Ephesians 2:1-10; Colossians 2:13,14;
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved--and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; ti is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:4-10
John 1:11,12; John 3:3-21; John 3:35,36; John 6:36, 37, 38, 39, 40; John 6:44, 45; John 6:65; John 8:43, 47, 52; John 9:39,40,41;
"Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." John 3:3
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. John 6:44
1 Corinthians 2:14: "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."
2 Corinthians 4:3, 4, 5, 6;
1 Corinthians 1:18
Jeremiah 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?"
Ezekiel 37:1-14; Jeremiah 31:31-34;
Psalm 14:3; Ps. 53:3, Jeremiah 9:5,
© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible
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