Chris Tomlin – Home

Last time, when I reviewed Good, Good Father, I incorrectly attributed it to CCM superstar Chris Tomlin as the original artist.  He covers a ton of other artists, making it difficult to discern between that as his original work.  This time, I checked to ensure that Home is his, despite what Google might tell me.  Certainly, Tomlin could have chosen a song title that’s, you know, not shared by hundred’s of others?  No?  Ok then.

Is there a point in writing an introduction?  Most of you know who he is already and what kind of music he writes.  Rather than boring you with details such as his 14 album releases, 23 Dove Awards, 1 Grammy, and over 7 million records sold, I’ll move onto the review.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Chris-tomlin-home-lyrics.

Note to new users: This is a different kind of review site!  Read About the Berean Test and Evaluation Criteria prior to reading this review.

1. What message does the song communicate?

Tomlin is homesick, but not his earthly home.  He refers to heaven, a place where there is no more tears, suffering, or death, and the streets are made of gold.  He pays lip service to the Gospel, helping us to contextualize home to him, including a single instance of name-dropping Jesus.

He spends the latter half touching on curing spiritual blindness, the final resurrection, angelic trumpets, and their singing “hallelujah”. However, Tomlin spotlights the benefits of heaven rather than describing what makes heaven wonderful: that God is there and we can have a relationship with Him.

Score: 7/10

2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?

The entire lyrics agree with the Bible, with a few lines of probable speculation.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1 and 2: References the fall of mankind in Genesis 3:1-24.  Sin entered into the world, damaging everything within it.

Lines 3 and 4: Juxtaposed with lines 1 and 2, eternal life with God is the destination for Tomlin.  Details to follow in preceding verses.

[Verse 2]

Lines 1 and 2: Quoted from Revelation 21:4-5, the new heaven and new city, Jerusalem, is full of saints whose sins have been forgiven.

Line 3: Figurative language describing his celebration of God’s forgiveness, with an obvious reference to John Newton’s Amazing Grace.

Lines 4 and 5: See commentary in Verse 1, lines 3 and 4.

[Chorus]

Line 1: This is the place to which Christ prepared in John 14:1-6.

Line 2: As described in Revelation 21:21.

Line 3: Though not explained, it is commonly understood that breaking every chain refers to bondage to sin (John 8:34, Romans 6:6, Romans 6:20-22, and 1 Corinthians 6:12) that has been broken (Matthew 11:28-30, Romans 6:6-7, and Romans 6:15:18).  Since Tomlin is speaking about himself, it seems reasonable to think that he refers to Jesus as the One responsible for this, especially given the content in Verse 3.

Lines 4-6: Tomlin’s internal longing for heaven.

Line 7: Though not described in the Bible, it seems reasonable to think that Tomlin will not experience fear in heaven.

Line 8: Perhaps the best example of God’s loving embrace can be found in the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  Luke 15:20 is the most relevant passage pointing us to God’s wide open arms, ready to hug those who are ready to repent and turn to Him.

Lines 9 and 10: Alludes to adoption as God’s child (John 1:12-13, John 14:18, Romans 8:14-17, Romans 8:23, Romans 9:1-8, Galatians 3:26, Galatians 4:5-7, Ephesians 1:3-14, Ephesians 2:11-22, Hebrews 9:15, and 1 John 3:1-3).

[Verse 3]

Lines 1 and 2: Alludes to the words of Jesus in Matthew 11:28-30.

Line 3: An appropriate response to freedom from sin.

Lines 4 and 5: Repeats Verse 2, lines 4 and 5.

[Bridge]

Lines 1 and 2: That is, a cured spiritual blindness, as described in 2 Kings 6:17, Luke 24:31, John 3:3, John 9:39, Acts 26:12-18, 2 Corinthians 3:12-18, 2 Corinthians 4:6, and Ephesians 1:18

Lines 3 and 4: That is, the final resurrection (Luke 20:34-38, Acts 24:15-16, Romans 6:1-5, Romans 8:11-13, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, 2 Corinthians 4:13-14, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Line 5: Starting with the end of the seventh seal in Revelation 8:1-2 and ending in Revelation 11:15-19, the seven trumpets usher curses upon the world as part of God’s judgment.

Lines 6 and 7: References Revelation 19:1-3.

Line 8: That is, to heaven.

[Outro]

Lines 1-4: Tomlin ends the song further emphasizing where he will go after he dies.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Heaven is something most people want, including those who may not believe in God or do not have a relationship with Him.  This song will easily pull on the heartstrings of unbelievers, drawing them in. Perhaps it will lead to inquiry into attaining the freedom Tomlin describes in Verse 3; However, Tomlin’s focus on heaven’s gains makes it seem less likely.

Score: 5/10

4. What does this song glorify?

Tomlin’s expression of gratitude in Verse 3 sets the stage for his gratefulness, bringing glory to God; However, his failure to describe heaven’s rationale for existence puts a cloud over it.

Score: 6/10

Closing Comments

Chris Tomlin’s Home is highly biblical in its lyrics, where Tomlin sings about the good things in heaven; However, his focal point centers around perks rather than a relationship with God, blunting His glory.  I can’t recommend singing this one at church.

Final Score: 7.5/10

Artist Info

Track: Home (listen to the song)

Artist: Chris Tomlin

Album: Never Lose Sight

Genre: Pop, Rock

Release Year: 2016

Duration: 3:39

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

12/01/2020 – I incorrectly stated that Tomlin released 13 albums at the time of this review.  “Adore: Christmas Songs Of Worship (2015)” was not included on the list that I researched.  I changed it to 14 albums.