Photo by Hugues de Buyer-Mimeure
I heard this song several times on my local radio station. O Come to the Altar has a traditional feel to it, given that some of its lyrics are “ye olde English”. It certainly sounds Christian to me; however, let us find out what The Berean Test reveals!
NOTE: This post contains bracketed references to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
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?
This song is an invitation for all who are broken, weary, and overwhelmed by sin to leave their regrets and mistakes by turning to the altar. Forgiveness came at the cost of the blood of Jesus.
Jesus rose from the dead. Those who are forgiven may worship Jesus, bear their cross, and tell others about Him.
Score: 10/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
All of it! Lyrics posted with permission.*
[Verse 1]
Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Elevation Worship asks us questions to which Jesus offers a solution, namely, Himself ( Matthew 11:28-30).
Jesus is calling
Jesus is calling for us to Himself (John 10:3 and possibly Revelation 3:20, depending on one’s own hermeneutic).
Have you come to the end of yourself
See lines 1 and 2, above.
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Refers to the woman in Samaria to whom Jesus offered living water (John 4:7-38).
Jesus is calling
Repeat of line 3, above.
[Chorus]
O come to the altar
References Hebrews 13:10-14, which describes Jesus as the altar by which we must bear His reproach, seeking the city, the new Jerusalem, which is to come (Revelation 21:1-2).
The Father’s arms are open wide
The Father wants us all to repent, be saved, and listen to Jesus (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, and 2 Peter 3:9).
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ
The blood of Jesus paid for our sins (Isaiah 53:5, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, and Hebrews 9:22). Without the shedding of His blood, there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22).
[Verse 2]
Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
This is a call to move forward in our lives and to not dwell on past iniquity and sin (Luke 9:62, 2 Corinthians 5:17, and Philippians 3:13-14).
Come today, there’s no reason to wait
Today is the day of salvation, don’t wait! (Isaiah 49:8 and 2 Corinthians 6:2).
Jesus is calling
Repeat of Lines 3 and 6 in verse 1.
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
God and Jesus will change our sorrows into joy (Psalm 30:11, Matthew 11:28-30, and possibly John 16:16-22, though the context is Jesus comforting His disciples prior to His death). Also, see Jeremiah 31:1-23 for an Old Testament reference.
From the ashes, a new life is born
Refers to the concept of becoming born again (John 3:3 and 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Jesus is calling
Repeat of Lines 3 and 6 in verse 1.
[Bridge]
Oh what a Savior
Isn’t He wonderful?
Sing Hallelujah, Christ is risen
Jesus rose from the dead! (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, Acts 1:3, Acts 3:15, Acts 4:33, and 1 Corinthians 15:3-8).
Bow down before Him
Elevation Worship calls us to worship Jesus as His followers did (Matthew 2:11, Matthew 14:33, Matthew 21:9*, Matthew 28:8-9, John 12:13*, and John 20:28).
*The word “hōsanna” [G5614] means “an exclamation of adoration”, which is a form of worship.
For He is Lord of all
Jesus is the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14).
Sing Hallelujah, Christ is risen
Repeat of line 3.
[Outro]
Bear your cross as you wait for the crown
Jesus calls us to bear our crosses (Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23, and Luke 14:27). If we remain firm in our faith, we will receive the crown of life (James 1:12). The elders, who faithfully and biblically shepherd their flock, will receive the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4).
Tell the world of the treasure you found
Refers to the Great Commission, a final call given first to the disciples of Jesus and applies to us today as the body of Christ (Matthew 28:16-20). Though I am not sure if Elevation Worship did this on purpose, I find it fitting for them to end this song with Christ’s final marching orders before He comes again.
Score: 10/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Hopefully, the same way I have. There is nothing in the lyrics that indicate an outsider would get the wrong idea; however, they may ask “how do I come to the altar?” We should be prepared to answer this (see 1 Peter 3:15).
Score: 10/10
4. What does this song glorify?
The benefits of coming to Christ as well as Christ Himself.
Score: 10/10
Final Comments
I am pleased to discover the depth of Scripture in Elevation Worships’ O Come to the Altar! It invites those who wish to leave behind their sinful lifestyle and approach the altar of Jesus. I would have liked to see an explanation of how one does that in the song itself, but I can’t always get what I want. Not that I am complaining.
In terms of worship, our church uses this during communion, a phenomenal usage of this amazing tune. Outside of that, it doesn’t draw us to proclaim God’s worth. It’s essentially an altar call.
Final Score: 10/10
Artist Info
Track: O Come to the Altar (listen to the song)
Artist: Elevation Worship
Album: Here as in Heaven
Genre: Gospel, Traditional Gospel
Release Year: 2016
Duration: 5:55
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
*Copyright © 2015 Music by Elevation Worship Publishing (admin. Essential Music Publishing LLC). All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Updates:
03/30/2022 – Updated recommendation to reflect a “perhaps” designation, not “yes”.
09/14/2021 – Per Artist Theology announcement, I expanded the red text to encourage others to study Elevation Worship’s theology.
Comments
Ras
I love how you connected everything to Bible verses!
The song reminded me of this verse as well:
Then I will go to the altar of God, to God, my joy and my delight. I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God. – Psalm 43:3.
Blessings!
tastywallet
Thanks for reading! That is a fascinating passage, never thought of that one!
Susan Manha
Today I began studying the line “bring your sorrows and trade them for joy”. Matt 11 is a great point! I also came across Jer 31. I think the whole chapter gives a great list of what God is doing (I have loved, continued…faithfulness, I will bring, I will build, will keep, has redeemed…SO MANY!). It also lists what we are to do (adorn yourself, arise, go up to Zion, sing aloud, etc). The culmination, of course, is verse 13, “Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” Such a great picture of this line of the song!
Vince Wright
Susan,
Agreed! Even the sub-title in the NASB says “Israel’s Mourning Turned to Joy”.
I’ve added the Scriptual reference.
-Vince Wright
racefangurl
Maybe an altar call song, like I see another song you review was said to be good for. My church has had people come up when the song’s been sung. Maybe it’s been sung on Communion Sunday in my church, but it’s possible it’s been used outside that day, usually the first Sunday of the month (Communion Sunday, that is).
Charles J Busada
I would be a little careful here not to confuse the congregation. I’m sure that this song is sung quite often during ‘altar calls.’ But our people need to know that what they are coming to in the flesh is not an altar at all. As correctly stated above, the only altar of any relevance is the one in Heaven where the Great High Priest resides. So, invite people to the bench in front of the podium, or chancel or whatever you want to call it. Just don’t call it a “stage” because worship is real, and it is not staged. Just my opinion above. So, we can come to the altar while sitting in our seat, we need not move the body to any special place. We get there by faith.
Jordan Brown
I have one question about the idea of forgiveness being “bought” … isn’t forgiveness freely given? I understand what they are trying to say… And I agree with purchase language, but when I read this it seems to imply that our forgiveness was purchased? Purchased from whom? God? Satan? Curious about your thoughts!
Vince Wright
Jordan,
Great question!
Insofar as I am aware, the Bible doesn’t explain who “owns” the certificate of debt. We might infer from the Parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35) that God owns it; However, we cannot expect Elevation Worship to explain in lyrics something that the Bible doesn’t address.
Also, forgiveness always has a cost. If I forgive my neighbor, it will cost me my claim to take vengeance on them. In finances, forgiveness costs the person who owns the debt. In Christianity, it cost Jesus His life. Yes, it’s freely given in the sense that God doesn’t ask us to pay for it. But, that doesn’t mean it’s cost-free. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
-Vince Wright
J
“Lord of all” is from Acts 10:36, though the Revelation reference is a decent match as well.
eggs
hey! i still am a little unsure what the altar in the song refers to even with the Scripture provided 😅 really sorry just abit confused