Awesome song, Jon Foreman is a genius. This song is about trying to live the perfect life Christ intended in the midst of imperfections.
The song is written from Christ's point of view, most likely speaking to a new believer (welcome to existence, resistance, fallout, etc.).
And trying to live the Christ life (AKA the "zoe" described by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity) is tension ("the tension is here") between the sinful nature and the perfect person Christ desires. As C.S. Lewis put it, Christ does not wish to subdue, to mitigate, or to torment our old, sinful nature. Christ wishes to kill it completely. Christ demands perfection.
However we have been far from perfect in the past, and continue to be dreadfully lacking in the present.
The challenge (Dare you to move) is to have faith that Christ will rectify our shame as we boldly strive to live perfect lives, to become "who you could be." There is nothing we can do to earn forgiveness and nowhere we can "run to escape from ourselves." But earning salvation is not our job. Christ has already done it for us on the cross, "salvation is here". Our shame is paid for, "today never happened." Our job is to move, to "lift ourselves up off the floor" and strive to live the life Christ desires. It is Christ who gives us the ability to get up ("forgiveness is right where you fell"). We no longer have to live under the old law of sin and death, Christ has set us free and empowered us to walk. And now Christ dares us to move.
And to take from C.S. Lewis once again, we live the Christ life by allowing Christ to kill our old, sinful nature and fill the void with his own perfection. This is not a one-time happening. This is a war that begins anew everyday. "Welcome to resistance" is a call to put to death the things of the sinful nature and allow God to fill you instead. And it is from God's dwelling inside of you that you begin to become "who you could be," a process that continues to the end of our earthly lives and beyond.
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Philippians 1:6
Awesome song, Jon Foreman is a genius. This song is about trying to live the perfect life Christ intended in the midst of imperfections.
The song is written from Christ's point of view, most likely speaking to a new believer (welcome to existence, resistance, fallout, etc.).
And trying to live the Christ life (AKA the "zoe" described by C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity) is tension ("the tension is here") between the sinful nature and the perfect person Christ desires. As C.S. Lewis put it, Christ does not wish to subdue, to mitigate, or to torment our old, sinful nature. Christ wishes to kill it completely. Christ demands perfection.
However we have been far from perfect in the past, and continue to be dreadfully lacking in the present.
The challenge (Dare you to move) is to have faith that Christ will rectify our shame as we boldly strive to live perfect lives, to become "who you could be." There is nothing we can do to earn forgiveness and nowhere we can "run to escape from ourselves." But earning salvation is not our job. Christ has already done it for us on the cross, "salvation is here". Our shame is paid for, "today never happened." Our job is to move, to "lift ourselves up off the floor" and strive to live the life Christ desires. It is Christ who gives us the ability to get up ("forgiveness is right where you fell"). We no longer have to live under the old law of sin and death, Christ has set us free and empowered us to walk. And now Christ dares us to move.
And to take from C.S. Lewis once again, we live the Christ life by allowing Christ to kill our old, sinful nature and fill the void with his own perfection. This is not a one-time happening. This is a war that begins anew everyday. "Welcome to resistance" is a call to put to death the things of the sinful nature and allow God to fill you instead. And it is from God's dwelling inside of you that you begin to become "who you could be," a process that continues to the end of our earthly lives and beyond.
"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6
Well done.
Well done.