Chris Tomlin – Sovereign

Contemporary Christian juggernaut Chris Tomlin began his career in 1993.  He released seventeen albums, including:

• Inside Your Love (1995)
• Authentic (1998)
• Too Much Free Time (1998)
• The Noise We Make (2001)
• Not to Us (2002)
• Arriving (2004)
• See the Morning (2006)
• Hello Love (2008)
• And If Our God Is for Us… (2010)
• Burning Lights (2013)
• Love Ran Red (2014)
• Adore: Christmas Songs Of Worship (2015)
• Never Lose Sight (2016)
• Holy Roar (2018)
• Chris Tomlin & Friends (2020)
• Miracle of Love: Christmas Songs of Worship (2020)
• Always (2022)

He is a 26-time award recipient, including 23 Dove Awards, 2 Billboard awards, and 1 Grammy.

Also, check out my other Chris Tomlin reviews and Christmas song Noel.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Chris-tomlin-sovereign-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?

God is:

• Supreme Ruler
• Present with Tomlin
• Unwaveringly loving

Tomlin puts his trust in God.

Score: 10/10

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

This song completely aligns with Scripture.

[Verse]

Lines 1-8: God is Sovereign.  Period (Genesis 1:1, Deuteronomy 4:39, Deuteronomy 10:14, Joshua 2:11, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 29:10, Psalm 45:6, Psalm 50:7-15, Psalm 93:1-2, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:6, Isaiah 43:13, Isaiah 45:9-10, Isaiah 46:10, Lamentations 5:19, Daniel 4:35, Romans 9:19-21, Ephesians 1:11, Hebrews 1:8, James 4:15, Revelation 4:11, and Revelation 20:11).  He is also with him (Deuteronomy 31:6-8, Joshua 1:5-9, Psalm 23:4, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 139:7-10, Isaiah 41:10, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Zephaniah 3:17, Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 28:20, John 14:16-17, Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:38-39, and Revelation 3:20).

[Chorus]

Lines 1-4: Tomlin professes faith in God regardless of his circumstances (1 Corinthians 16:13, 2 Corinthians 1:24, Ephesians 6:11, Philippians 1:27, Philippians 4:1, Colossians 1:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Hebrews 3:6, Hebrews 3:14, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 6:11, Hebrews 10:23, and 1 Peter 5:9).

Line 5: God’s love never fails, as proven by the cross (John 3:16, Romans 5:5-8, and 1 John 4:9-10), as well as the fact that God is love (1 John 4:8).

Line 6: As stated in Romans 8:28.

Lines 7-8- Repeats/essentially repeats the concept/words of lines 1-4.

[Bridge]

Lines 1-9: Repeats the same concept as Chorus, lines 1-4.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Unbelievers will think it’s about God because Tomlin explicitly said so in Chorus.  Which one?  It is a God who is both supreme and present, which, for the typical unbeliever, will probably be viewed as Christianity.  Tomlin is plain in his English, making it simple for non-Christians to interpret.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies God as the Exalted Ruler whose love is unfailing and Presence goes before Tomlin, compelling him to believe.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Chris Tomlin’s Sovereign is your garden-variety worship song. It proclaims God’s authority over creation, His consistent lovingkindness, and His willingness to be with His followers draws us to place our faith in Him. These points bring Him glory and are easily understood by those who don’t know Him.

This song is appropriate for corporate worship.

Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: Sovereign (listen to the song)

Artist: Chris Tomlin

Album: Burning Lights

Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)

Release Year: 2013

Duration: 4:36

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