The Scandal of Grace by Hillsong United
Another SCANDAL!!! The news broke on November 9, 2012. General David Petraeus admitted cheating on his wife of thirty-eight years with a younger woman triggering his resignation as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Most often when we hear the word “scandal” we associate it with events like this. When scandals break lives change, relationships are ruined, people fall, and the public is shocked.
Hillsong United uses the word “scandal” in a slightly different way in their new release “The Scandal of Grace.” Normally we wouldn’t associate the word “scandal” with “grace.” God’s Word, however does. The crucifixion of Christ, the ultimate example of grace, is referred to by Paul as a “stumbling block” to those who refuse to believe (1 Corinthians 1:23). The Greek word for “stumbling block” is “skandolon” which is the word from which “scandal” is derived.
God’s grace is simply scandalous, isn’t it? If you think about it, it is scandalous for a perfect God to love imperfect people like us. It is shocking that the Lord of the universe want to have any sort of relationship with people like you and me. But here is the real scandal–that Jesus the son of God, as a result of our sin became sin for us and died on the cross and in order to redeem us. Not only did he do this, but he gives us his own righteousness in exchange for our sins as a free gift. See 2 Corinthians 5:21.
This news is scandalous and our lives are forever changed, but not in a way that leads to disgust or mistrust. Our relationship with God isn’t broken by this scandal, instead it is restored through the life and death of our risen Savior. Because of this scandal, sinful men and women do fall at the foot of the cross, where they find grace. “THE SCANDAL OF GRACE–JESUS CRUCIFIED FOR SINNERS”, how would that title look on the cover of The Jerusalem Times c. 33 AD.?
The new song the “The Scandal of Grace” was just released and a good one to reflect upon during Lent. The text is based on several Scripture passages including Ephesians 2:8-9, Isaiah 53:7, 1 Peter 2:22, Revelation 1:5, John 15:13,1 Corinthians 1:23, John 3:16, Romans 9:23, Philippians 3:7-11, Acts 4:12, John 14:6, Psalm 19:6, Ephesians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 15:54-56, 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, and 2 Corinthians 5:15.
Verse 1:
Grace what have you done?
Murdered for me on that cross
Accused in absence of wrong
My sin washed away in your blood
Too much to make sense of it all
I know that your love breaks my fall
A Scandal of grace you died in my place,
for my soul will live
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Oh to be like you
Give all I have just to know you
Jesus there’s no one beside you
Forever the hope in my heart
Verse 2:
Death where is your sting
Your power is as dead as my sin
The cross has taught me to live
And mercy my heart not to sin
The day and its troubles shall come
I know that your strength is enough
A Scandal of grace you died in my place, for my soul will live
Bridge:
And it’s all because of you Jesus
It’s all because of you Jesus
It’s all because of your love that my soul will live
IMAGE HT: mercyinkblog.com
Scott Martz
I am Scott Martz and I am a WELS pastor at Lamb of God Lutheran in Phoenix, AZ. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern College in 1990 and a Master of Divinity from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary in 1994. I served Shepherd Lutheran Church & School from 1994 to 2000 and Lamb of God Lutheran since 2000.
5 Comments
Mark Parsons
What do you make of the refrain? It it the only part of the song I really don’t get? Seems to change the focus of the song from YOU to I in an odd way.
Oh to be like you
Give all I have just to know you
Jesus there’s no one beside you
Forever the hope in my heart
Scott Martz
But Mark, doesn’t the Apostle Paul do a similar thing in Philippians 3:7-11 “7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (NIV). Paul was willing to lose all things to know Christ. Paul also desired to be like Jesus. Paul uses the pronoun “I” and yet is focused on Jesus.
Mark Parsons
Thanks for the reply. Helps me understand what the lyrics are getting at much better. Again thanks for the post.
Steve Brown
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” This includes giving up everything we have to know Jesus better. We are told in Luke 5 that Simon Peter did exactly this, “Luke 5:11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. ”
In Mark 10, Jesus told a follower to give up his money.
“Mark 10:21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
So this refrain is a response to that which Jesus has asked of us. Difficult for us to do no doubt, but it is something that we can strive towards and pray for.
Luke 14:33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Cyril hassanally
Hello Pastor Martz.
I have listened to this song sung several times in church and every time its sung it disturbs my spirit and i find it extremely difficult to sing of the work of GRACE of our Lord and saviour using your adjective scandal which you used to describe the word GRACE.
A biblegateway word search showed zero results for Scandal in the bible.The word GRACE on the other hand appears 128 times and never in a derogatory way similar to the meaning which the word scandal implies.
Scandal of grace turns upside down the other descriptions of grace we as christians are familiar with eg ….marvellous grace of our loving God, amazing Grace, and wonderful grace of Jesus.
I will agree, for the enemies and haters of christ everything about his death on the cross is like a joke, a scandal , a mockery as the mockers and scoffers at the crucifixion and still prevalent today by religions who are haters of christ.Are we therefore singing a song which celebrates their thinking? ie the salvation work of Jesus as a scandal?
There are many benedictions (good word) in the bible pronouncing the
grace of our Lord upon believers ,and we know it is by grace are ye saved through faith.If this is the traditional meaning of Grace and the work of grace conveyed in the bible it becomes hard for me to sing about this as a scandal of grace.
Another very difficult part of the song for me is the personification of “the scandal of grace ,YOU died in my place’ obviously referring to our saviour Jesus as the scandal of Grace which is a description never used in the bible.
I looked up all the scripture references you quoted in your research to support your lyrics but could not see them in your light.
i want to leave you two scripture verses of my own relating to the Grace of God .
These are Hebrews 10;29 and Jude 1:4.Also Hebrews 13 :9 and Revelation 22:21;
The gracious work of our lord on the cross is the most precious gift from God to mankind.