Photo by Joshua Lee
Jesus Culture is part of the massive Bethel Church with an intense focus on youth. Starting in 2006, they released a jaw-dropping 37 albums and EP’s.
Also, check out my reviews of In The River, Move, Your Love Never Fails, You Won’t Relent, and Rooftops.
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. I strongly encourage you to consider the potential blessings and dangers of this artist‘s theology by visiting Resources.
1. What message does the song communicate?
Without speaking, Jesus Culture finds that “You” responds to them. They conclude that “You” is passionate about loving them, relentless in pursuit, and cannot fail them.
Who is “You”? Jesus Culture doesn’t say. Yes, we could probably ascertain that it references God based on the artist’s name and sure. it could be used that way in church service; However, the lyrics are unclear on this point.
Score: 4/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
I deducted two points to assume “You” means “God”. Under this assumption, the entire song aligns with the Bible.
Lyrics posted with permission.*
[Verse 1]
Before I call, before I ever cry
You answer me from where the thunder hides
Combines Isaiah 65:24 with Psalm 81:7, that God answers before Jesus Culture calls, responding in the hiding place of thunder.
I can’t outrun, this heart I’m tethered to
With every step, I collide with You
King David concludes in Psalm 139:7-12 that he too cannot escape God. The same is true with Jesus Culture.
[Chorus]
Like a tidal wave crashing over me
Rushing in to meet me here
Your love is fierce!
Like a hurricane that I can’t escape
Tearing through the atmosphere
Summarized by Romans 5:6-8, God’s love for us is zealous shown through sacrifice. The “tidal wave” portion is poetic license.
Your love is fierce!
Repeats line 3.
[Verse 2]
You cannot fail, the only thing I’ve found
Is through it all, You never let me down
What does it mean for God to “fail”? For God to fail is for Him to lose one of His children. Scripture tells us that this is impossible (John 6:39 and John 10:28-30). Also, He always keeps His promises based on His timing and not ours (2 Peter 3:9).
You don’t hold back, relentless in pursuit
At every turn, I come face to face with You
See Verse 1, lines 3 and 4.
[Bridge]
You chase me down, You seek me out
See Verse 1, lines 3 and 4.
How could I be lost when You have called me found?
A great rhetorical question! Possibly references Jesus’ parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son in Luke 15:1-32.
You chase me down, You seek me out
How could I be lost when You have called me found?
You chase me down, You seek me out
How could I be lost when You have called me found?
Repeats lines 1 and 2.
[Outro]
Your love is fierce
You never let go
Your love is fierce!
Even now You surround me
Your love is fierce
Always, always
His love is fierce!
Contains several repeats to Chorus, line 3, that God never loses His children (John 6:39 and John 10:28-30), and God’s omnipresence (1 Kings 8:27, Psalm 139:7-12, Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:23-24, Colossians 1:17, and Hebrews 4:13).
Come on, lift
Most likely, a call to the audience to lift their hands in worship.
Great is Your love
Great is Your love
Great is Your love
That never fails
It never fails
A full sentence using repeats, combining Chorus, line 3 with John 15:13.
Score: 8/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
There’s a lot that unbelievers might wrongfully conclude:
- This song is about a human pursuing their lover that returns their affections.
- If this song is about God, He failed to answer their prayers, thus, this song is incorrect.
Unbelievers will likely welcome the positive love language spoken throughout this song. I doubt that they will think the pursuant a stalker.
Score: 3/10
4. What does this song glorify?
Though Jesus Culture glorifies God in their message when we assume “You” as “God”, that His love is great, relentless, and unfailing, His identity is not clearly shown throughout her song.
Score: 5/10
Closing Comments
Jesus Culture’s Fierce is yet another ambiguous song. Yes, if we assume “You” is “God”, there’s a great message about God’s loving pursuit, that He won’t let us go. This glorifies God. However, there are no attributes or explicit language that inherently justifies such an interpretation. Aside from hearing this song at church or on Christian radio, unbelievers are more likely to interpret this as a human lover than God. Even if it’s about God, they will likely balk at God “never failing”, remembering their unanswered prayers.
I cannot recommend this song for corporate worship.
Final Score: 5.5/10
Artist Info
Track: Fierce (Live) (listen to the song)
Artist: Jesus Culture (Feat. Chris Quilala)
Album: Let It Echo (Live)
Genre: Rock
Release Year: 2016
Duration: 4:07
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
*Copyright © 2016 Jesus Culture Music (ASCAP) Red Red Pop (SESAC) Capitol CMG Genesis (ASCAP) Capitol CMG Amplifier (SESAC) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com), Be Essential Songs (BMI) Tempo Music Investments (BMI) (admin at EssentialMusicPublishing.com). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Updates:
03/31/2022 – Per Artist Theology announcement, I expanded the red text to encourage others to study Jesus Culture’s theology.
10/26/2021 – After reading Cait’s feedback, I changed “boyfriend” to “human lover” to make it more gender-neutral.
06/29/2021 – After consulting several sources, I changed my mind on the context and meaning of Psalm 42:7, which is about the depth of God’s severe dealings and not love. Therefore, I removed it from this review.
Comments
Cait
Hey there. Appreciate your reviews, I read many of them! As you suggest, I always take them in with the consideration that your thoughts do not have to be the “end-all-be-all” of the conversation, and I appreciate that. I would say I agree with much of this review, though we did used to sing it for corporate worship 3-4 years ago… in the church setting and in context (not being a stand-alone song during musical worship) it seemed to work well with our congregation. Anyways, my comment on this post speaks to your closing statements – re: the particular sentence “… unbelievers are more likely to interpret boyfriend than God.”
I think if anything, Chris Quilala (man) singing the song might have an unbeliever interpret “girlfriend” – your personal comment here appears to generalize that the incorrect interpretations about the “You” in the song would more often have women thinking “boyfriend.” I share this thought because I want to be honest about how a small personal comment like this could cause one to more carefully consider some of the opinions shared in your posts. I am not one to nitpick, but I hope to express the importance of being careful with generalizing or presumptive comments, as words that are seemingly flippant may suggest that there are other thoughts written throughout your posts that could use a bit more processing.
I am not generally one to nitpick and I see that I’m doing it here, but I hope to do it with reason and affirmation! My church worship team & worship leading friends look to your site when selecting new worship songs and we appreciate all that you do. We appreciate your dedication to the Word and to theological accuracy in worship – you help us very much! I hope to sharpen and not to tear down.
No need to post this comment public for response if you think it is irrelevant to the review – just want to share the thoughts for you! Thanks again for all you do.
Vince Wright
Cait,
Thanks for your feedback! I appreciate your compliments and that you use my content to look for new Worship songs.
I changed it to “human lover” to make it more gender-neutral.
-Vince Wright