Matt Redman – For The Cross

Matt Redman is a household name, humbly beginning with his band Soul Survivor at the ripe old age of 15.  He left his band to pursue his solo career, releasing 14 studio albums and 4 live albums.  This doesn’t include compilation albums.

He won numerous awards, including two Grammy’s, ten Dove’s, and one Cranmer Award for his work.

Also, check out my reviews of Lovingkindness, You Never Let Go, The Heart of Worship, Wonderful Maker, Mercy, Better is One Day, Blessed Be Your Name, and 10,000 Reasons.

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?

Matt Redman shows His loving gratitude towards Jesus for His sacrifice on the cross, that through His scourging, Redman experiences healing, inner-peace, and forgiveness for sins.  Redman, alongside the rest of us, finds it difficult to believe that a Holy God would suffer for undeserving lawbreakers.  Yet, we are thankful for it.

Score: 10/10

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

The whole song exuberates with Scriptural goodness.

Lyrics posted with permission.*

This song does not contain a Verse/Chorus/Bridge structure.  Therefore, I assigned stanzas for each paragraph.

[Stanza 1]

I will love You for the cross
And I will love You for the cost
Man of sufferings
Bringer of my peace

Redman loves Jesus because of the price Jesus paid for his redemption.  Namely, He who is innocent of wrongdoing paid for Redman’s lawbreaking by crucifixion on the cross (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).  It is through Him that Redman possesses inner-peace (Matthew 11:28-30, John 14:27, John 16:33, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Philippians 4:6-7, Colossians 3:15, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, and James 3:17).

[Stanza 2]

You came into a world of shame
And paid the price we could not pay

According to Romans 5:6-8, Jesus died for us amid our sinful state.  Apart from Him, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).

Death that brought me life
Blood that brought me home

Describes the Great Exchange, where the Son of God trades our error for His righteousness (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 7:4-6, Galatians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:11, and 1 Peter 2:24).

Death that brought me life
Blood that brought me home

Repeats lines 3 and 4.

[Stanza 3]

And I love You for the cross

Essentially repeats Stanza 1, line 1.

I’m overwhelmed by the mystery
I love You for the cost
That Jesus You would do this for me

Essentially repeats Stanza 1, line 2, declaring Christ’s sacrifice as the mystery that it is.

[Stanza 4]

When You were broken, You were beaten
You were punished, I go free
When You were wounded and rejected
In Your mercy – I am healed

See commentary on Stanza 2, lines 3 and 4.

[Stanza 5]

Jesus Christ the sinners friend

According to Proverbs 17:17, a friend loves at all times.  Indeed, Jesus always loves us, as demonstrated on the cross (John 3:16, Romans 5:6-8, and 1 John 4:9-10).

Does this kindness know no bounds

A rhetorical question with an obvious answer: a resounding “no”.

While some will balk at the idea that God’s love is without condition, there is a difference between boundless love and bounded relationship. When Redman says that God’s love is “boundness”, he is saying that God’s love for us is not conditioned upon us. Our behavior, whether good or evil, does not change God’s love for us. He died for us while we were sinners (Romans 5:6-8). Nothing will separate us from His love (Romans 8:38-39). He is faithful even when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). Of course, He also allows us to experience eternal separation from Him if that’s what we want (Matthew 18:8, Matthew 25:41, Matthew 25:46, Mark 9:43, Jude 1:7, Revelation 14:11, and Revelation 20:10), but that is a separate issue.

God’s relationship with us is not boundless. When we decide to follow Jesus, He expects us to become holy (Leviticus 11:44-45, Leviticus 19:2, Leviticus 20:7, Romans 6:1-14, Ephesians 4:1, Colossians 1:10-14, 1 Peter 1:13-16, and 1 Peter 2:16) and to love everything else less than Him (Luke 14:25-33).

With your precious blood You have purchased me

See commentary on Stanza 1.

[Stanza 6]

Oh the mystery of the cross

Essentially repeats Stanza 3, line 2.

You were punished You were crushed
But that punishment has become my peace
Yes that punishment has become my peace

Essentially repeats Stanza 1, lines 3 and 4.

[Stanza 7]

And I love You for the cross
I’m overwhelmed by the mystery
I love You for the cost
That Jesus You would do this for me

Repeats Stanza 3.

[Stanza 8]

When You were broken, You were beaten
You were punished, I go free
When You were wounded and rejected
In Your mercy – I am healed

Repeats Stanza 4.

[Stanza 9]

By Your wounds I am healed

Quotes from the last part of Isaiah 53:5 and the last part of 1 Peter 2:24.

[Stanza 10]

For the cross, for the cross, for the cross I thank You
Oh Lord, for the cross, for the cross

Redman shows gratitude towards Christ for His sacrifice.

[Stanza 11]

And I love You for the cross
I’m overwhelmed by the mystery
I love You for the cost
That Jesus You would do this for me

Repeats Stanza 3.

[Stanza 12]

When You were broken, You were beaten
You were punished, I go free
When You were wounded and rejected
In Your mercy – I am healed

Repeats Stanza 4.

Score: 10/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Unbelievers will find this song easy to interpret, despite containing a smattering of Christianese language.  Christians are grateful because Jesus died for their shame.  The manner of Jesus’ death was gruesome and cruel, yet, Christ was willing to go through with it.  Redman admits that this is a mystery.

Score: 10/10

4. What does this song glorify?

It glorifies Jesus as the Savior of the world, whose death redeems us from the consequences of our shame.

Score: 10/10

Closing Comments

Matt Redman’s For The Cross is excellent.  It touches on our sin-state of shame, where Jesus pays the penalty for our error so that we could be free.  Through Him, we have inner-peace, eternal life, and healing.  We owed a debt we could not pay, yet, He paid a debt He did not owe.  These points glorify God.  Unbelievers should have little to no trouble interpreting similarly.

I highly recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 10/10

Artist Info

Track: For The Cross (listen to the song)

Artist: Matt Redman

Album: Intimacy

Genre: Rock

Release Year: 1998

Duration: 4:25

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*Copyright © 1999 Thankyou Music Ltd (PRS) (adm. worldwide at CapitolCMGPublishing.com excluding the UK & Europe which is adm. at IntegratedRights.com) All rights reserved. Used by permission.