Photo by Anton Darius
David Crowder Band (known currently as Crowder) began in 1996. Crowder released 10 albums as David Crowder Band, and 7 albums and one EP as Crowder, including:
David Crowder Band
- Pour Over Me (1996)
- All I Can Say (1998)
- Can You Hear Us? (2002)
- Illuminate (2003)
- A Collision (2005)
- Remedy (2007)
- Remedy Club Tour – Live (2008)
- Church Music (2009)
- Give Us Rest (2012)
- All This for a King: The Essential Collection (2013)
Crowder
- iTunes Session (2012)
- Neon Steeple (2014)
- Neon Porch Extravaganza (EP, 2015)
- American Prodigal (2016)
- I Know a Ghost (2018)
- Milk & Honey (2021)
- Milk & Cookies: A Merry Crowder Christmas (2022)
- The Exile (2024)
David Crowder won eight Dove’s as David Crowder Band and another four as Crowder.
Also, check out my reviews of Come as You Are, God Really Loves Us, Good God Almighty, and All My Hope.
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?
This song was supposed to be about how Jesus took Crowder’s dead and lifeless soul and made Him alive. There are bits and pieces of that throughout the song. However, the core issue lies within Pre-Chorus. It says:
Like a thief in the night
He snuck in, took my life
This is saying that God did all of the work for Crowder to become alive from his deadness in sin. There is some truth to that. Crowder cannot enter eternal life on mere effort. However, there is nothing in these lyrics about Crowder repenting. Nothing about Crowder receiving salvation. He was just a rebel and it automatically happened. No action on Crowder’s part.
Maybe we can just assume that Crowder received salvation? Great! We can assume anything, but there is nothing in the lyrics that even hints at him receiving it.
I’m giving this half credit because Crowder is correct about his rebellion, that he cannot be saved on his own, that God changed him, we should get saved today, and that God plays a primary part in revitalizing his spiritual deadness.
Score: 5/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
The chief, foundational issue with this song is Pre-chorus’ claim that “He snuck in and took my life”, as though Crowder has no say. This is inconsistent with the nature and character of God. There are some peripheral points that are Biblical, but that’s about it.
Lyrics posted with permission.*
[Verse 1]
I used to live like a rebel, didn’t wanna behave
Thought a wretch like me couldn’t ever be saved
But everything changed, I remember the day
When I heard Him calling my name
Describes Crowder’s trajectory from deadness in sin to alive in Christ (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 7:4-6, Galatians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:11, and 1 Peter 2:24).
[Pre-Chorus]
Like a thief in the night
He snuck in, took my life
I was dead, now I’m alive and singing
This is incorrect. God didn’t merely steal Crowder away. Crowder used his freedom to choose to break God’s laws. He also used his freedom to choose to repent and trust in Jesus (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15, Luke 24:47, Acts 2:36-38, Acts 3:19-21, Acts 20:21, and 2 Timothy 2:25-26). His trajectory from death to life was a result of choice.
Yes, Jesus played a part by paying the penalty for lawbreaking (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15-26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9). There is no hope for salvation without that. However, salvation is also received. There is agency involved. God will not force anyone into heaven those who don’t want to be there.
[Chorus]
I got stolen by the grave robber
Picked me up from that rock bottom
Washed my soul in that holy water
Brought me back to life (Brought me back to lifе)
One more stone rollеd away
One more sinner been saved by grace
This dead man, he ain’t dead no longer
All because of that grave robber
Nevermind the Biblical accuracy (or lack thereof) about God robbing the grave, though there is a spirited discussion on that particular bit on my review of Resurrecting. This just compounds the issue raised in Pre-Chorus because all of it is predicated on God being a grave robber, which is also predicated on Jesus stealing Crowder away with or without Crowder’s consent. Which I stated in Pre-Chorus that this concept is not Biblical.
[Verse 2]
Maybe you’re the one thinking that you’ll never be right
Even though your mama praying for you every night
Praying Jesus gonna find you and open your eyes
Well, maybe right now’s that time
Today is the day for salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).
[Bridge]
Taking my sin, taking my shame
Breaking my soul out of these chains
I’m a dead man living
And God did it
Yes He did! But not by force. See commentary on Pre-Chorus.
Taking my sin, taking my shame
Breaking my soul out of these chains
I’ve been forgiven
And God did it
Repeats lines 1-4.
[Outro]
Jesus is the rock and He rolls my grave away (All because of that grave robber)
Jesus is the rock and He
All because of that grave robber
He is the rock (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), but not the grave robber that Crowder espouses. See commentary on Pre-Chorus.
Score: 5/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Unbelievers are going to get this one wrong. Ok I take some of that back. They will conclude that it’s a Christian song. Jesus is explicitly used in the lyrics. They will think it’s about Jesus saving the Christians. But a grave robber? I don’t expect them to have thought about the lack of agency involved and how that shows these lyrics as unbiblical.
Score: 3/10
4. What does this song glorify?
While it glorifies Jesus that He is the primary cause behind dead souls becoming alive, it does not glorify Him that these lyrics state He does so potentially without consent.
Score: 5/10
Closing Comments
Crowder’s Grave Robber is unbiblical. It claims that Christ steals people away possibly without their say so, which contradicts the Biblical view of Jesus. At least, there is no mention of consent anywhere in the lyrics. God just does it and that’s it. No repentance or faith required. Though it’s true that God is the only person who saves us, it’s not through force. I cannot expect unbelievers to do better interpreting this song.
I cannot recommend this song for corporate worship.
Final Score: 4.5/10
Artist Info
Track: Grave Robber (listen to the song)
Artist: Crowder
Album: The Exile
Genre: Rock
Release Year: 2024
Duration: 2:50
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
*Copyright © 2023 Inot Music (NS) 9t One Songs (ASCAP) Sojka Songs (BMI) sixsteps Music (ASCAP) Capitol CMG Genesis (ASCAP) Capitol CMG Paragon (BMI) Ariose Music (ASCAP) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Comments
CB
You’re dead wrong here.
Ephesians 2:1-5
“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.”
You were DEAD. Dead people don’t make decisions.
Romans 6:17-18
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.”
You were a SLAVE to sin. You’re either a slave to sin or to righteousness. You don’t do it yourself, Christ does. Even the regeneration your dead soul needs to make a choice besides sin comes from the Holy Spirit.
It’s okay to not like Calvin, but to pretend that this isn’t Biblical language because you have a theological bent towards Pelagius is just wrong. I can play “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus” and not lost my mind even though I know scripture makes it clear that Christ chooses and we come because God does use means. That said, not every song has to highlight the means. It can highlight God’s role and that is what Crowder does here, and he is no Calvinist.
Michael Ramsey
The song just gives calvanism to me lol.
Joe
I feel like this is one of those songs where Christian freedom comes into play. I would never recommend this song for corporate worship because of the lack of clarity and incompleteness of the gospel exposition. However, I feel like I know Crowder’s beliefs well enough to give him the benefit of the doubt for my own PERSONAL listening. I quite enjoy the song and think it’s a celebration of grace and deliverance IF the person listening or worshipping privately with it has an otherwise solid theological framework.
It’s not unlike Paul’s commentary on meat sacrificed to idols in that regard. If singing/playing “Grave Robber” will cause confusion for somebody who hears it then avoid it. But for my own personal use, as a believer who understands the essential role of faith and repentance, I’ll keep it in my “Christian workout music” playlist!
Mike
Amen!
That’s a good word, both the analysis and Joe’s comment
Janine
I’m so glad that others have picked up on this and it’s not just me! This is the third song I’ve heard over recent months which speak of God or Jesus “stealing” things. I have major issues with that idea, because 1) Stealing is a sin, and God does not sin, 2) If God has to steal something, it suggests that he is not capable of obtaining it lawfully, and 3) If God can gain us by stealing us, then there was no need for Jesus to go to the cross.
Jodi
I agree completely! I have had an issue (those you cited) since the very first time I heard the song, so I said to myself “just give it more of a chance, listen again and again” …that didn’t reveal anything new. I am sad that it is getting so much playing time on the radio, it’s very catchy tune is appealing to young people, but many of the lyrics aren’t Biblical. Thank you for your review, I thought it was just me.
Tyeisha
I’m in the same boat as you. I immediately thought when I saw the title when he released it oh no, but decided to give the song a chance but no matter how many times I tried I couldn’t get behind the lyrics. To your point, it is such a missed opportunity because of how catchy it is. What a way to get the full gospel Cross if he had just gone a different direction. He can and does write songs that are biblical but this just unfortunately, is it one of them and it’s so sad because of how much exposure this song has gotten and continues to get.