Is God’s love reckless? There is a very popular song, called “Reckless Love,” that says it is. If you are unfamiliar with it, part of the chorus is, “… I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away / Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God”
In last week’s sermon, I discussed how God’s love establishes genuine love and how to practically live it out. Genuine love takes an active humility and an intentional orientation of the will. In light of this knowledge, we must ask ourselves, “do the lyrics of “Reckless Love” accurately portray the love of God?”
Yes and no. We must pay attention to the overall message of the song—that God, through love, gives and secures our salvation. The song accurately depicts the truth of the Gospel that, “I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it…” (Rom. 3:10-11). There is truth intermixed throughout this song.
However, I take issue with this song’s usage of the word “reckless.” Reckless means careless, inattentive, desperate, and negligent. These words inaccurately describe our omniscient and omnipotent God who worked His plan of salvation from the very creation of the world (Eph. 1:3-9). The love of God that we see throughout the Bible is attentive, caring, and intentional—the opposite of reckless. The basic premise of this song is theologically incorrect.
So then, where does this leave us? This song combines truth with error. We should not sing it. God is serious about worship. Throughout the Bible, God gives detailed directions to His people on how to properly engage in worship of Him and pronounces judgment when they disobey (Isa 1:12-15). As believers, we should understand the great responsibility placed upon us to worship God in truth (John 4:24). We must be very accurate and precise in our praise of Him who is Truth.
God is not reckless in His love. We should not be reckless in our worship.
Pastor Jesse