Photo by Sangia
The Newboys are a popular band. Their 2016 album Love Riot appeared on several Billboard charts, peaking at #1 in Top Alternative Albums and Top Rock Albums, #2 in Christian Albums, and #14 in Billboard 200. They recently released United this year.
Their third “God’s Not Dead” film released in 2018, a trend that I hope is discontinued. Atheists are not the enemy. It is the flesh, the world, and the devil.
I have done two other Newsboys’ reviews, both with highly favorable scores: God’s Not Dead and We Believe.
My review of Newsboys’ Hallelujah For The Cross is not to be confused with Chris McClarney’s more recent version of Hallelujah For The Cross.
Lyrics can be found at https://genius.com/Newsboys-hallelujah-for-the-cross-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.
1. What message does the song communicate?
To put it succinctly, we praise God because Christ defeated death and restored us to Himself. We enter the final resurrection after we die.
In term of repetitive style, it reminds me somewhat of Psalm 136, which, according to this article, is a responsorial psalm. My Catholic bretheren know precisely what I am talking about as this style is part of the mass.
This song uses the same style, with the response “Hallelujah for the Cross” repeating after each stanza. It is a beautiful style choice and an appropriate usage of repetition.
Score: 10/10
2. How much of the lyrics line up with Scripture?
All lines are Scriptural.
[Verse 1]
Lines 1-3: Refers to Christ’s sacrifice for our sins (Isaiah 53:1-12, Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45, John 1:29, John 3:16, John 19:30, Acts 4:12, Acts 20:28, Romans 5:6-10, Romans 6:23, 1 Corinthians 1:30, 1 Corinthians 6:20, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 1:3-4, Galatians 3:13, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 2:14, 1 Timothy 2:6, Titus 2:14, Hebrews 9:12, Hebrews 9:15, Hebrews 9:22, Hebrews 9:26, 1 Peter 1:17-21, 1 Peter 2:24, 1 Peter 1:18-19, 1 John 1:7, 1 John 2:1-2, and Revelation 5:9).
Line 4: The word ‘Hallelujah” is a compound Hebrew phrase, with “hallelu” meaning “a joyous praise in song” and “jah” or “yah”, which refers to the Tetragrammaton YHWH. Put together, we are singing “we joyfully praise God in song”. In this case, we praise God for Jesus’ sacrifice.
[Verse 2]
Lines 1-4: Contains the same themes and ideas laid out in Verse 1, worded differently. The specific references of Jesus as the sacrifical lamb include Isaiah 53:7, John 1:29, John 1:36, 1 Peter 1:19, Revelation 5:12, and Revelation 13:8.
[Chorus A]
Lines 1 and 2: That is, the war against death, our final enemy, defeated (Acts 2:24 and 1 Corinthians 15:26).
Line 3: As prophecied in Isaiah 61:1, Jesus sets the captives free (Luke 4:18).
Line 4: Repeats Verse 1, line 4.
[Verse 3]
Lines 1 and 2: The sum of man’s works are bloody, dirty, menstral rags full of holes (Isaiah 64:6). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).
Line 3: See commentary in Verse 1, lines 1-3.
Line 4: Repeats Verse 1, line 4.
[Verse 4]
Line 1: As referenced in John 8:34, Romans 6:6, Romans 6:20-22, and 1 Corinthians 6:12.
Line 2: Christ breaks the yoke of slavery (Psalm 116:16, Mark 5:8, Romans 6:20, and Galatians 5:1).
Line 3: That is, the precious blood that washes away sin (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22, 1 Peter 1:2, and 1 Peter 1:18-19).
Line 4: Repeats Verse 1, line 4.
[Chorus B]
Lines 1-4: I am not sure why this is distinguished as “Chorus B” as it contains an exact duplicate of “Chorus A”. Not that I will deduct points for it. It just seems odd to me.
[Breakdown]
Lines 1 and 2: No comment required.
[Verse 5]
Lines 1-3: That is, we will enter into the final resurrection (Luke 20:34-38, Acts 24:15-16, Romans 6:1-5, Romans 8:11-13, 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 1 Corinthians 15:50-56, 2 Corinthians 4:13-14, and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
Line 4: Repeats Verse 1, line 4.
[Outro]
Lines 1 and 2: Repeats Verse 1, line 4.
Score: 10/10
3. How would an outsider interpret the song?
Those who do not yet follow Jesus should easily comprehend its meaning and purpose, despite some of its churchy linguistic style: Christians worship God because He died for our sins.
Score: 10/10
4. What does this song glorify?
The title says it all.
Score: 10/10
Closing Comments
Newsboys’ Hallelujah For The Cross is a great worship song. It has all the hallmarks that proclaim Christ crucified and our response to it, easily understood by unbelievers and brings glory to God.
Though not particularly unique, it might be worth considering if your congregation requires something slightly new.
Final Score: 10/10
Artist Info
Track: Hallelujah For The Cross (listen to the song)
Artist: Newsboys
Album: Hallelujah For The Cross
Genre: Alternative Rock
Release Year: 2014
Duration: 3:44
Agree? Disagree? Don’t be shy or have a cow! Calmly and politely state your case in a comment, below.
Comments
Neal Cruco
“Their third “God’s Not Dead” film released in 2018, a trend that I hope is discontinued. Atheists are not the enemy. It is the flesh, the world, and the devil.”
Have you seen the third GND movie? This is its exact message. The previous two also fit with your message, since they’re about combating the world’s intolerance of Christianity. (Though the first one was admittedly a little forced.)
tastywallet
Neal,
Admittedly, I have not seen the third one, so perhaps I should update this once I finally get a chance to see it.
-TastyWallet
racefangurl
I think this one’s good for Easter time due to the cross. Any song that makes reference to cross or death and resurrection in the Good Friday/Easter type context feels that way to me, though.