The next entry for my Blog is Red Letters, which was written by David Crowder and Ed Cash. It was first released in September 19, 2018. A link to Crowder singing the song is at the bottom of the Blog.
Red Letters
There I was on death row
Guilty in the first degree
Son of God hanging on a hill
Hell was my destiny
The crowd was shouting crucify
Could’ve come from these lips of mine
The dirty shame was killing me
It would take a miracle to wash me clean
Then I read the red letters
And the ground began to shake
The prison walls started falling
And I became a free man that day
Felt like lightning hit my veins
My dead heart began to beat
Breath of God filled my lungs
And the Holy Ghost awakened me
Yeah, the Holy Ghost awakened me
When I read the red letters
And the ground began to shake
The prison walls started falling
And I became a free man that day
For God so loved the whole wide world
Sent His only Son to die for me
Arms spread wide for the whole wide world
His arms spread wide where mine should be
Jesus changed my destiny
Thank You, God, for red letters
When the ground began to shake
The grace of God started falling
And I became a free man that day
The prison walls started falling
And I am a free man today
The title of this song is kind of interesting, especially without context. Probably most of the Christian bibles bought today have the standard black print, but there are bibles you can buy that show all of the words of Jesus in red.
Have you ever thought about the fact that without Jesus coming and dying on the cross, it would be extremely difficult to get into heaven? Before the coming of Christ and his death, people could still have the promise of heaven, but it required a lot more work and dedication. The people had to make sacrifices on a regular basis; since there was no bible the people had to go to the temples just to hear God’s word and his promises that were made over the thousands of years since the time of creation. So many people had no hope because they felt as if they had failed God and they did not know where to turn. It is true there were great leaders and that God’s word and promises had been passed down for thousands of years; but that isn’t the same as hearing from those who saw and touched the hand of God’s only son.
All of the above is basically a lead into the song. Imagine that you were sitting home reading your bible, even though you were not a Christian and dreamed you were teleported back in time; to the time of Jesus walking around the streets of Jerusalem. As you look up on that mount called Calvary, you start to realize the things you had done wrong all your life. You see the stories you had heard at church suddenly come true. The savior, who you have maybe heard about in church or read about in your bible, is hanging on the cross. You had heard about him and his teachings and you had heard people talking about how he was just another false prophet, but you suddenly realize you were one of them. In the process, you have become yet another conspirator contributing to the death of God’s only son. For this, you are guilty of murder and should be behind bars. You were so caught up in the actions of the crowd that you may have been one of the ones yelling to crucify him. Shame takes its toll on you and you begin to believe there is no hope for you; how could there be since your own rejection of Christ contributed to him dying on the cross.
As you take the time to reflect on the above, it starts to hurt deep inside when you begin to understand that you have rejected the love of Christ all of your life and perhaps led others to do the same. Suddenly you come out of your nightmarish dream and your bible is still in your lap, but it suddenly has new meaning as you see the words of Christ written in red letters. It is almost as if the words are jumping off the page at you. You are suddenly aware that you have been in a walled prison your entire life, constrained by your own words and actions. As the reality of the life Christ is offering in those red letters sinks in, your world crumbles and you finally understand that Christ died for you so you could spend eternity with him. There is no wall of sin separating you from him any longer and you are no longer burdened by your past. You are finally a free man, your shackles of sin, guilt, and despair have been taken away. As you begin to let the fact that Jesus erased all of your sins sink in, it is as if you have been given a brand new start in life. It is true that the memories and pain of your past may never go away, but Jesus forgives all of our past and gives us a future. Jesus never focuses on who we were, he only looks at who we will become. All you had to do was accept him as your personal savior. You have now taken your first breath of true freedom and clean slate in the eyes of Jesus.
John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Can you imagine giving up your own son for a world full of sinners and unbelievers? I agree that it should have been us stretching our arms and dying on that cross, we are the sinners; not Jesus. But God loved us so much that he gave the only perfect being we will ever know to die in agony on the cross. It took the perfect to die to enable the imperfect to gain eternal life. With his death, our future can be changed forever; all we have to do is accept his sacrifice. Thanks to God’s grace and his willingness to forgive every wrong we have committed or are yet to commit; we will spend eternity with Jesus.
Have you ever closely looked for the red letters, the words of Jesus in your bible?
Click to Hear Crowder Perform Red Letters