Photo by Jon Petter Wiig
Contemporary Christian artist Worship leader Cody Carnes started his career in 2009. He released two albums and two EP’s, including:
- The Lighter Side (EP, 2009)
- All He Says I Am (EP, 2014)
- The Darker the Night The Brighter the Morning (2017)
- Run To The Father (2020)
He is credited with two awards by Elevation Worship on their song The Blessing, including Worship Recorded Song of the Year (2020) and Song of the Year (2021).
Also, check out my reviews of Too Good To Not Believe, Nothing Else, Christ Be Magnified, Run to the Father, and The Cross Has the Final Word.
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?
Carnes’ song is heavily based on Jesus’ Parable of Two Foundations. Christ is the foundation that justifies his faith. He builds works of righteousness on this solid rock, trusting Jesus amid troubles. Christ is Carnes’ source of joy, power, and tranquility.
As for the meaning of “never let me down”, which takes up the bulk of this song, there are two views to consider. First, Carnes understands that his prayers will be answered based on God’s will. It’s not that 100% of his requests will be answered affirmatively, but that His promises will always be fulfilled.
The second is that Carnes states that his prayer success rate is 100%, aligning with the Word of Faith movement’s similar rate. This assumes that you and I have enough faith to garner God’s positive response, ignoring Scripture on trials and tribulations that build faith (see section 2). An easy fix would be adding something like “If God wills” or “even if you don’t heal me, I’ll still serve you” because not everyone who asks in faith receives. Ask the Apostle Paul about his “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)!
Score: 8/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
Almost all of it is Biblical, except potentially the concept that God doesn’t let us down. This could be true or false, depending on what one means by it.
Lyrics posted with permission.*
[Chorus]
Christ is my firm foundation
The Rock on which I stand
Jesus is the solid ground to which Carnes’ faith stands (Deuteronomy 32:4, 1 Samuel 2:2, 2 Samuel 22:47, Psalm 18:31, Psalm 28:1, Psalm 62:2, Psalm 94:22, Psalm 118:22, Isaiah 28:16, Matthew 7:24-27, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11, Ephesians 2:20, 2 Timothy 2:19, and 1 Peter 2:6)
When everything around me is shaking
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith in Jesus
This draws inspiration from the Parable of Two Foundations in Matthew 7:24-27, which is more explicitly stated later in the song. Trials and tribulations won’t wreck his faith.
‘Cause He’s never let me down
As stated in section 1, this has two interpretations. The first is that Carnes prays according to God’s will (John 14:12).
The second is that Carned prays and God responds affirmatively 100% of the time. This doesn’t represent reality, where often God chooses not to answer our prayer. Sometimes, He disciplines us to become better people (Romans 5:3-5, Hebrews 12:4-11, and James 1:2-4). On other occasions, we are denied because we ask with the wrong motives (James 4:3). If Carnes has a 100% prayer success rate, I’m happy for him! However, I deeply suspect that it’s not the case.
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?
He won’t
God will not fail to be faithful according to His promises (Numbers 23:19, Joshua 21:45, Joshua 23:14, 1 Kings 8:56, Romans 4:21, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Hebrews 10:23, and 2 Peter 3:9). Also, see commentary on line 6.
He won’t
Repeats line 9.
[Verse]
I’ve still got joy in chaos
I’ve got peace that makes no sense
Carnes has peace beyond understanding amid tribulation (John 16:33 and Philippians 4:7).
So I won’t be going under
See commentary on Chorus, lines 3-5.
I’m not held by my own strength
Rather, Carnes depends on God’s strength (Nehemiah 8:10, Psalm 22:19, Psalm 28:7-8, Psalm 46:1, Psalm 118:14, Isaiah 12:2, Isaiah 33:2, Isaiah 40:29-31, Habakkuk 3:19, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Ephesians 3:16, Ephesians 6:10, and Philippians 4:13).
‘Cause I build my life on Jesus
Carnes builds his works based on the solid foundation that is Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11-13).
He’s never let me down
He’s faithful in every season
So why would He fail now?
Repeats Chorus, lines 6-8.
[Refrain]
He won’t
He won’t
He won’t fail
He won’t fail
He won’t
No, no, no, no
He won’t
He won’t fail
He won’t fail
That is, He won’t let Carnes down. See Chorus, line 6.
[Bridge]
Ooh, ooh-ooh, ooh-ooh
Calls to Casper the friendly ghost.
Rain came and wind blew
But my house was built on You
I’m safe with You
I’m gonna make it through
See Chorus, lines 3-5.
Rain came and wind blew
But my house was built on You
I’m safe with You
I’m gonna make it through
Oh, rain came and wind blew
But my house was built on You
And I’m safe with You
I’m gonna make it through
Yeah, I’m gonna make it through
‘Cause I’m standing strong on You
Yeah, I’m gonna make it through
‘Cause my house is built on You
Essentially repeats lines 2-5.
[Outro]
He won’t
He won’t
He won’t fail
He won’t fail
No, He won’t
Essentially repeats Refrain.
Score: 8/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Carnes explicitly states that he puts his trust in Jesus, that He offers joy, peace, and strength. Carnes’ language is everyday, making it easy for unbelievers to follow along. However, he spends a significant amount of song lyrics discussing how Jesus won’t let Carnes down. Unbelievers will likely think that God answers all prayers in the affirmative, which doesn’t align with their experiences. It would be helpful to explain more what this phrase means.
Score: 5/10
4. What does this song glorify?
While it glorifies Jesus that Carnes proclaims Him as the solid foundation for his faith, there is potential for misunderstanding his statement that God won’t let him down, somewhat veiling Christ’s glory.
Score: 8/10
Closing Comments
Cody Carnes’ Firm Foundation (He Won’t) is a mixed bag. I applaud Carnes for expounding upon the Parable of Two Foundations, that Jesus is the source of joy, peace, and strength. These ideas glorify God. However, there is great potential that Christ will “never let me down” references Jesus who answers all prayers with a “yes”. This is not Biblical and will draw unbelievers away from Christianity.
I can only recommend this for corporate worship if there’s an explanation of “never let me down”.
Final Score: 7.5/10
Artist Info
Track: Firm Foundation (He Won’t) (listen to the song)
Artist: Cody Carnes
Album: N/A
Genre: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM)
Release Year: 2021
Duration: 6:23
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
*Copyright © 2021 Writers Roof Publishing (BMI) A L K D Music (BMI) Capitol CMG Paragon (BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com), For Humans Publishing (BMI) Maverick City Publishing (BMI) (admin at EssentialMusicPublishing.com). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Comments
Gavin Sheridan
Interpretation and worship history is very interesting to me. As I listen to Firm Foundation by Cody Carnes, I hear “He won’t fail” the same way I hear “He won’t fail me now” in Yes, I Will by Vertical Worship. To me it is saying God will never forsake you, He will never leave you. I think of Isaiah 43:2:: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you”. As for the rest of the song, when “I” and “me” are used, I don’t find that a negative. “The rock on which I stand”, “I’ve still got joy in chaos, I’ve got peace that makes no sense”, “I built my life on Jesus” simply convey the author’s testimony and reminds others what Jesus can do in their lives.
I guess there are those that hear very different things though sometimes I wonder if some search for the negative more than the positive. It really doesn’t matter how others will interpret it. If God is calling them, the words of this song will hit their hearts and open their minds to Him.
As for worship history, I am very open about the fact that, growing up in the Methodist church, I did not enjoy 90% of hymns. I did not feel connected to God, had a hard time singing them, and never saw or felt much joy from the church singing them (outside of Christmas and Easter). Again, God connects to us in different ways. I really enjoy this song, as it connects me to God and I have it playing in my head, sometimes all day long, which brings me added joy!
Peter U
Yeah, in my opinion, this song is not the best at communicating Biblical truth. As was stated, some commentary should be given if this song is used in corporate worship. Songs like these could be what caused this person to conclude that “God let her down”: someone who rejects God because he didn’t save her from her childhood trauma when she prayed for help?
#STRask: God Didn’t Save Me from My Childhood Trauma
https://www.str.org/w/-strask-god-didn-t-save-me-from-my-childhood-trauma
Tim O
I just heard this song for the first time today and was looking at lyrics. The line that God won’t fail me now seems much simpler to me. I don’t think it is supposed to mean he’ll do what I want. It means God will keep his promises to me no matter what – which doesn’t get me out of trouble. As for always answering prayer, God does. He told Paul – no – but my grace is sufficient. Yes, No, and Wait are all legitimate answers to prayer. I don’t think this is reading into it or missing it’s meaning. That seems like the simplest reading of those lines to me. I don’t think anyone in the church I go to would assume that Jesus answers all prayers with a “yes” from this song. It would be like thinking the lines from “Praise to the Lord the Almighty” assume that God gives us whatever we desire – “Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have been granted in what He ordaineth?” That’s my two cents. What am I missing?
And I appreciate your site!
bill
What I do not like about this song is that it leaves out the crucial act of obedience. Jesus says that the wise ones with a foundation of rock are those who hear his words and do them. Those who do not do them will be on sand. The obedience, whether or not we do what he says, is the deciding factor between the two. I am shocked that a whole song was written about this without ever stating what it is that gives us that foundation, which is to come out of rebellion and obey. Rebellion is the natural state of man. This song is targeted primarily at young adults, who are at a rebellious age. And yet there is nothing about how we need to obey in order to have that firm foundation? Jesus is just a replacement for Prozac? Really?
This song appears to be offering an alternative to the openly rebellious music of the world, but isn’t this sending a covert message all the same? Peace comes from living a holy life. Faith is how we live a holy life. But there is nothing in this song about being holy. Faith is not some magic ticket that gets us everything we want without having to be holy. The parable of the two foundations starts with the word “Therefor” which means it is referencing the previous passage, where we find yet another exhortation towards obedience. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
To my discernment, it appears that this fundamental (pun intended) error of omitting obedience is what led to the sketchy theology in the rest of the song. The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and leaving out obedience shows that they were lacking in the fear of God, therefor they lacked wisdom in how to present “never let me down”.
Thomas Halley
Thank you Bill for your comment. I agree that the idea of obedience is missing from this song.
The majority of this song is excellent as the words draw on the theme of Christ as our rock or foundation. This can be supported by 1 Corinthians 3:11, 1 Corinthians 10:4 or Ephesians 2:20, where the word ‘cornerstone’ is used to describe Christ.
The problem comes in the bridge of the song which refers to Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders. I have seen this parable misunderstood on numerous occasions and this song is another example.
Jesus is not using the wise builder as a picture of a person who trusts in him for salvation. The wise builder is a picture of someone who hears the words of the Sermon on the Mount and puts them into practice (Matthew 7:24).
Taking the words of Jesus out of context is never a good idea. His words at the end of the Sermon on the Mount are about obedience. Yes, our Lord Jesus is faithful and let’s sing about his faithfulness. But is it really helpful to misinterpret the words of Jesus in the process of singing this song?
DJ
I’m a traditionalist when it comes to worship. I have listened to sermon series about what is worship from pastors like Chuck Swindoll and John McCarther(sp?).
The focus of worship is on God and Jesus Christ and also not endless repetitions. This song has too much I/me in it. I’d like you or anyone to compare the lyrics to this song with the lyrics to “How Firm a Foundation”: https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/339
Jason Yim
Hi Vince,
I want to express that I deeply appreciate your work. Berean Test has really challenged me to be more intentional with examining the biblical accuracy of the lyrics of the songs that we use in corporate worship.
With that, I did want to comment on your point with “never let me down.” On one end, I agree that this phrase should be explained prior to usage in corporate worship. If a congregation goes into this song thinking “God will never let me down by eventually giving me all my desires,” we have a problem.
However, I personally don’t think the focus of the line “never let me down” is solely about prayers being answered. On examining the line in context of the other lyrics, I think Cody Carnes is trying to communicate how the character of the Lord and the promise we have in Jesus Christ will never let us down; the Lord’s character will never let us down for He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore. Specifically, Carnes is praising the Lord for His faithfulness and how in all situations he can stand firm in faith of who Jesus is. The firm foundation that is Christ, the founder and the perfecter of our faith, will not fail and not let us down even if winds blow and rain comes.
Additionally, Carnes wrote “He’s never let me down” (past tense) and “why would He fail now? He won’t” (his conclusion to the previous statement) rather than “He’s never going to let me down.” The former, in my opinion, sounds like Carnes saying I’ve seen God’s faithfulness and goodness in my own past and in past people of faith, surely, I’ll see it again. However, this could be a slight stretch.
Again, I see the potential for misinterpretation. If anything, I still agree that the line should be addressed before corporate worship. But these are my two cents!
Vince Wright
Jason,
Thank you for your comments! Food for thought.
-Vince Wright
Dominic Panati
If he said “he’ll never steer me wrong” it would sound better than “never let me down”. In this culture we all know what that implies and so does Cody. But still. This is a typical “Self centered worship song”. Which isn’t worship, it’s a great car song, but not for Sunday. The whole song is about me and how God is going to help me and affect me. It’s supposed to be the opposite. I think about myself all day, last place I need to be singing about myself is during Sunday praise. It’s about how great he is
Peter U
Totally agree! I’ve been studying the theology of worship from https://www.biblicaltraining.org/ and Allen Parr https://www.youtube.com/@thebeatagp/search?query=worship. I have also been applying what i am learning from my writing class to lyric analysis: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7g_CQSlG4S-uUaq7bLvXNJmxKdMRDnaf
Jake
This is a good take