David Browder recently wrote a great post about the human way of doing things (all about rewards for virtue, punishments for vice; AKA the Law), and compared it to the inscrutable and offensive grace of God which seems, in human terms, perversely attracted to unbelievably messed up sinners. A lot of times we agree intellectually with the idea of God’s grace for sinners–until we hear about a particularly bad sinner. Then we begin to choke on grace because it’s not fair. This is especially true when we are on the hurtful receiving end of someone else’s sin.
Anyways, this all put me in mind of “God Will,” a great Lyle Lovett song from his first album way back in 1986. It gets at the radical difference between God’s forgiveness and the human tendency towards law-enforcing and grudge-bearing. It also points to the fact that for humans to forgive, it really takes a work of the Holy Spirit. That is, God needs to change you on the inside.
Here are the lyrics:
Who keeps on trusting you
When you’ve been cheating
And spending your nights on the town?
And who keeps on saying that he still wants you
When you’re through running around?
And who keeps on loving you
When you’ve been lying
Saying things ain’t what they seem?
God does
But I don’t
God will
But I won’t
And that’s the difference
Between God and meSo who says he’ll forgive you
And says that he’ll miss you
And dream of your sweet memory?
God does
But I don’t
God will
But I won’t
And that’s the difference
Between God and me
COMMENTS
8 responses to “Lyle Lovett’s "God Will": Why We Don’t Like Grace”
Leave a Reply
Great tune, Aaron. Powerful message. Do you know who Lyle Lovett's roommate was at Texas A&M? None other than Robert Earl Keen!
David,
I was about to post the same thing. Lovett recalls how the house they lived in was across the street from a Presbyterian church and how, on Sunday mornings, he and Keen would sit on the couch on the front porch (still slightly intoxicated from Saturday night) and play their guitars and sing "sketchy" songs while to the shagrin of the faithful leaving the church service.
Wasn't Lyle raised as an LCMS Lutheran?
I'm pretty sure that he and Julia Roberts were married in a Lutheran church near Indianapolis while he was on tour.
I definitely know he was raised Lutheran. Don't know if LCMS or not.
His song "church" is a wonderful work on why preachers shouldn't preach too long!
Thanks Aaron.
Finally someone talks about Lyle Lovett on this blog!
Beautiful post.
If I Were The Man You Wanted I Would Not Be The Man That I Am.
Surely one of the great country choruses of all time…
Wikipedia says he was raised LCMS and I have a memory that he had his home pastor brought up to the church in Indiana to perform the ceremony …. but I could be mistaken. The article says that it’s a common misconception that he was the roommate of Robert Earl Keen but they lived near each other and became good friends.