Cory Asbury – The Father’s House

Cory Asbury is a worship pastor at Radiant Church in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He is also a contributor to Bethel’s network of worship leaders.  He started as an intern in 2005 with the International House of Prayer and officially became active in 2007.  He released three albums, including:

• Holy (2008)
• Let Me See Your Eyes (2009)
• Reckless Love (2018)

His latest album, currently titled CA3*, is expected to release July 31st this year.

Asbury received three GMA Dove Awards, two K-Love Fan Awards, and one We Love Christian Music Award for his work on Reckless Love.

Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Cory-asbury-the-fathers-house-lyrics.

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?

Asbury admits to wrongful focus during his walk with Christ.  He thinks about his errors rather than focusing on Jesus; However, he sees this process as God’s strength working through him.  He refuses to be known for his mistakes, allowing God to define him.

Asbury invites us to join him, laying our weariness at the foot of Jesus so that we can enter the Father’s house as “having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that [we] would be holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:27).  Asbury is not saying that we can’t come to Christ with our problems.

God is in the journey, desiring Asbury’s heart and to transform Asbury’s failures to good.  When God and His love moves, He restores people, performs miracles, and breaks the yoke of sin’s slavery.

This song also contains several unfortunate errors:

• Towards the end of Verse 1, it is unclear if the Father defines Asbury or does failure.  My initial summary interprets this as the former; However, the latter is a possible interpretation from a linguistic standpoint.
• The beginning of Verse 2 states that God is not in the destination.  As shown in section 2, this is a false statement.
• The middle of Verse 2 make it sound like our journeys aren’t over until God ultimately makes it good.  This seems consistent with universalism, the false teaching that all mankind will ultimately enter into heaven to be with God.

This song follows basic format, with Chorus repeating after each Verse and Bridge, and twice as the end.  Bridge’s minor repetition is relatively tame compared to other songs’ Bridge.  It contains the same phrase that repeats, building on how that statement is more and more true as it progresses, with the final two lines repeating again.  To his credit, Asbury chose to reword the same concepts rather than cut-and-paste the same things word-for-word.

Finally, some might take exception with the song’s beginning, that Asbury chose the word “mistake” instead of “sin” to describe breaking God’s Laws.  However, a more literal definition of “sin” is to miss the mark.  Isn’t that precisely what a mistake is?  We failed to uphold God’s Laws.  We committed errors.  Yes, Asbury doesn’t talk about its implications and the seriousness of sin, but that isn’t the point of this song.  His focus is on God’s transforming power, not a dissertation about lawbreaking.

Score: 7/10

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

Much of it is Biblical; However, other statements do not line up with Scripture:

• Verse 1, line 4, contains a dangling modifier that makes it possible that Asbury states God does failure.
• Verse 2, line 1, states that God is about journey, not destination.  That is incorrect.  He does both.
• Verse 2, line 3, unintentionally teaches universalism.

[Verse 1]

Lines 1 and 2: Sometimes during Asbury’s walk with Christ, he focuses on his problems instead of Jesus (Hebrews 12:2).  Yet, he recognizes that God’s strength is manifest through his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Line 3: That is, Asbury’s journey with Christ.  Given that Asbury will spend eternity with God (Mark 10:29-30, John 3:15-16, John 3:36, John 4:14, John 5:24, John 5:39-40, John 6:27, John 6:40, John 10:28, John 17:3, John 20:31, Romans 5:21, Romans 6:22-23, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, Galatians 6:8, 1 Timothy 1:16, 1 Timothy 6:12, 2 Timothy 2:11, Hebrews 5:9, 1 Peter 5:10, 1 John 2:23-27, 1 John 5:10-13, 1 John 5:20, Jude 1:20-21, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 7:16-17, and Revelation 21:3-4), “just beginning” is an accurate description before death.

Line 4: This is an unfortunate dangling modifier.  Does the Father do failure or define Asbury?  the obvious intention is the latter; However, the former is a possible interpretation based on its language.

Line 5: Repeats line 4.

[Chorus]

Lines 1-5: What is the “Father’s house”?  According to John 14:1-6, it is a place by which Jesus prepares for those who follow Him.  It is not a building built with human hands, but a spiritual dwelling now and for eternity!

In what sense does Asbury invite us to “check [our] shame at the door”?  We cast our worries and anxiety on Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30) so that when we enter the Father’s house, we aren’t carrying those burdens.  We leave our shame with the mediator between us and the Father (John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, and Hebrews 9:15).  Therefore, there is no reason to hang onto it before entering the Father’s house.

Finally, it contains five calls to Casper the friendly ghost.

[Verse 2]

Line 1: Asbury states that God is about the journey, not the destination.  This is incorrect.  He is about both the journey (Proverbs 3:5–6, Proverbs 16:3, Jeremiah 17:7, Romans 5:3-5, Romans 8:29, Ephesians 6:11, Philippians 1:6, Philippians 3:14, Colossians 2:6-7, 1 Timothy 6:12, Hebrews 12:4-11, James 1:2-4, and 2 Peter 3:18) and the destination (John 3:17-20, John 9:39, Acts 10:42, Acts 17:30-31, Romans 2:5-6, Romans 2:16, Romans 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:10, Hebrews 9:27, and Revelation 20:11-15).

Line 2: He wants Asbury’s heart to surrender to His ways (Isaiah 64:8, Matthew 10:38, Matthew 11:28-30, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34-38, Mark 10:28, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27, John 15:1-11, Romans 6:13, Romans 12:1-2, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 2:5-8, Hebrews 11:6, James 4:7-10, and 1 Peter 5:6).  Though He expects Asbury to be perfect like He is (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), He was willing to save Asbury, despite Asbury’s imperfections because He loves Asbury (John 3:16 and Romans 5:6-8).  If He wanted perfect people, then why would He create Asbury knowing that he would screw up?

Line 3: This statement is convoluted and makes more sense when it’s flipped around.  It then reads “if the story isn’t good, [then] the story isn’t over”.  Unfortunately, this is universalism, the teaching that eventually, everyone will inherit eternal life.  This is incorrect.  The Bible teaches that some will experience eternal damnation (Matthew 18:8, Matthew 25:41, Matthew 25:46, Mark 9:43, Jude 1:7, Revelation 14:11, and Revelation 20:10).

Line 4: If we flip this also, it reads “when the Father is in the room, [then] a failure’s never final”.  This is a general statement that the Father transforms our mistakes for His ultimate good (Genesis 50:20).  It is not making an absolutist claim as was the case in Sinach’s Way Maker.  We know that Satan entered into the Father’s Presence (Job 1:6-12). The Devil’s mistakes will never be redeemed (Rev 20:7-10).

Line 5: Repeats line 4.

[Bridge]

Line 1: Yes, some wayward spendthrifts come to the Father (Luke 15:11-32).

Line 2: Romans 5:6-8 is a good summary verse for this statement.

Line 3: That is because God is love (1 John 4:8).

Line 4: Asbury credits the Father as the One who does these great things.

Line 5: Both literally (Acts 5:19 and Acts 16:26) and figuratively, representing the bondage of sin (Romans 6:1-11, Romans 7:4-6, Galatians 2:19-20, 2 Timothy 2:11, and 1 Peter 2:24).

Line 6: That is, spiritually dead.  It uses the same Scripture as Asbury’s possible figurative usage of prison doors in line 5.

Lines 7 and 8: Repeats lines 3 and 4.

Line 9: Yes, God does miracles.

Line 10: One such example is Nathaniel/Bartholomew, who exclaimed, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46).  He was converted a few Verses later (John 1:47-49).

Line 11: That is, God’s love for us redeems sinners (John 3:16 and Romans 5:6-8).

Line 12: Repeats line 4.

Lines 13 and 14: Asbury uses the account of Jericho in Joshua 6:1-21 as imagery for the strongholds broken in line 11.

Line 15: Repeats line 11.

Line 16. Repeats line 4.

Line 17: Repeats line 11.

Line 18: Repeats line 4.

Score: 6/10

3. How would an outsider interpret the song?

Those outside the camp of Christ will likely see that, despite the dangling modifier possibility, Asbury’s Father (understood as God) defines him, not his errors.  God’s interested in broken people, not perfect people.  Asbury asks them to lay their burdens down at the foot of God’s house.  When God is here, great things happen!

I’m hoping that those outside the camp of Christ will not interpret the Chorus as a requirement to become a Christian!  However, I cannot discount this as a possible interpretation.  This would be a major stumbling block if they come to this conclusion!

Score: 6/10

4. What does this song glorify?

Though it glorifies God as it magnifies the Father’s goodness through transformation, Asbury’s errors veil it.

Score: 6/10

Closing Comments

Cory Asbury’s The Father’s House is a decent song with some rough edges.  It highlights the greatness of the Father, who changes human failure into His ultimate good; however, it also makes a few errors, that God might possibly fail, is not about the destination, and will ultimately save everyone.  These hinder God’s glory.  Unbelievers will likely comprehend Asbury’s overall message and may gloss over the errors I discovered; However, his statement about leaving shame as the door could be a major turn-off for those considering Christianity.

Despite its high points, I cannot recommend this song for corporate worship.

Final Score: 6/10

Artist Info

Track: The Father’s House (listen to the song)

Artist: Cory Asbury

Album: CA3

Genre: Rock

Release Year: 2020

Duration: 4:13

Agree?  Disagree?  Don’t be shy or have a cow!  Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.

Updates:

07/16/2021 – Per Artist Theology announcement, I expanded the red text to encourage others to study Bethel Music’s theology, which Asbury is a leader.