I’ve been listening to MercyMe’s most recent album, Welcome to the New. First of all, what a great album. Tracks like “Shake,” “Greater,” and the title track hit and hit hard. The album is fun, introspective, and challenging. All good. The track that has stuck out the most, however, is called, “Flawless.” As a musician, I love the feel of the melody and the depth of the lyrics, but I also was drawn to the song because there is another really popular song with the exact same name. Beyoncé released a track in 2013, also called “Flawless,” that, while using the same word, is a completely different message.
Here are a few lines from each song:
Excerpt from “Flawless,” by Beyoncé:
I woke up like this/I woke up like this/We flawless, ladies tell ’em/Say I look so good tonight
Excerpt from “Flawless,” by MercyMe:
No matter the bumps/No matter the bruises/No matter the scars/Still the truth is/
The cross has made/The cross has made you flawless
Beyoncé says you are flawless because you look so good. All you have to do was wake up and the world should give you the respect you deserve. MercyMe, on the other hand, says you are flawless because the cross of Jesus Christ has made it so. You look perfect to Jesus because he created you uniquely and intentionally, and all you have to do is accept His Lordship. All you have to do is wake up and give Jesus your day, listen to the Holy Spirit on your heart, and say yes to his Word. I’m a pretty average looking guy, and my wife could tell you a host of my faults. So based on that, I’ll take option two.
Psalm 49:7-8 says, “No one can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for them – the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough…” And that is Truth. No person – no human – can redeem the life of another. Only perfection can go head to head with corruption. Being flawless cannot be bought with looks, clothes, friends, influence, fame, or simply being good enough. To be flawless means to be without flaw. The Bible is clear that we are all flawed.
Romans 3:23-24 puts these two songs side by side and justly lifts one up as Truth and one up as false – “23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
So today, rest in God’s Truth that the cross alone has made you flawless. Where the world says you have to measure up to a socially agreed upon standard, know that the work has been done, and you are flawless!
In Service,
Mike Allen
Lead Administrator
5th-8th Grade Principal
Evansville Christian School
www.EvansvilleChristian.org
@ECSwired
@mikeallen333