Great thread! On the subject of whether or not Jesus thought of me individually on the cross, let me quote a few more scriptures. John 12:27 "Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. 28 Father, glorify your name." Then a voice came from heaven: "I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." ... 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself." 33 He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. John 17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you. Now it seems clear from these verses that, although Jesus' death would be the means by which he draws people to himself, at the heart of the cross, the Son's sacrifice was magnifying God's glory (and he would be glorified in his obedience to the Father). In what way does the cross glorify God? Romans 3 says: 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. According to these verses, the cross was designed to vindicate the righteousness of God in forgiving sins. Through the cross, the wisdom of God allowed the justice of God and the mercy of God to be reconciled, so that God could be just and the justifier of those who trust Christ. It seems to me, then, that at the heart of the cross stands this 'divine transaction' between the Father and the Son, glorifying the justice and mercy of God, but a transaction that spills out in unimaginable benefits in the salvation of those who have faith in Jesus. I do receive immense blessings, but I am not at the centre of the cross - God and his glory is. Yes, the cross is the ulitmate demonstration of God's love to us (Rom 5:8), but I'm just not happy singing that Jesus thought of me 'above all' when he died. Now, some may glance at this thread and say we're being pedantic. Lyrics are poetry, they may argue, and people aren't thinking about the lyrics this deeply when they're singing them. That may be true, but the thing is that songs do teach, whether we intend them to or not. And songs like this create an impression of the nature of our relationship with God. My concern is that they can feed the 'me-centred' individualism of Western culture too readily. So you're absolutely right to be asking these kinds of questions, Keirs. We need to concern ourselves with how our songs are teaching the people we're leading. http://music.glenabbey.org.uk

Yes, it is early - the result of my young children bouncing into my bedroom full of life at 6.30am!!! Not much chance of sleeping on after that! http://music.glenabbey.org.uk

Fascinating discussion. It never occurred to me that either of the two songs mentioned were suggesting that God thought of each believer individually as he hung on the cross. I just assumed the songs meant that, generally speaking, God was thinking of the human condition and mankind generally as he suffered, and us by reference. So, the lyrics that say, "you thought of me," to me simply mean that when Christ considered the human condition, he though of all of us (and by reference me too), but only because I'm part of a group of people that he considered (but did not necessarily think of me individually). So, the same reasoning would apply to the Hillsong song. (I actually have a B.A. in English Literature, for what it's worth). I don't have a problem singing those lyrics if it turns out God did not think of me specifically. I will say, I can see why the lyrics, "above all," might be confusing if you take them to mean he thought of me above everyone else. This would, of course, not make any sense. But, I assume the author simply meant that Christ's sacrifice put the needs and condition of man above all other considerations (such as Justice, Fairness, etc. preferring mercy and graciousness). All the same, I can see why people might hesitate at those lyrics. But, as to the whole "me focus" thing...lets be clear. The centerpeice of God's creation (mankind and it's special characteristic of free will) is extremely important to God. It is critical that we use our spiritual gifts and abilities to acknowledge Him (and I'm not suggesting salvation by works). Failure to do this puts us in the same position as the builders of the Tower of Babel. But I don't think this realization or sense of importance makes me "me focused."