Treasure for all
While doing a bit of itinerant preaching these last few months, I had the opportunity to take in quite an array of church music. I listened to and sang many older hymns which I have not heard in some time, and it was a joy to think about and be encouraged from such substantial lyrics. Unfortunately, against this backdrop, many of the modern songs we sang came across even worse than I had remembered them.
At many of the churches, we sang ‘Come, Now is the Time to Worship’. Given my dislike for the song, I haven't thought about the lyrics in some time. There are certainly many lyrics that make this song quite unpalatable. But, as I heard it over and over, I was struck by one part of the song that I had never taken note of before:
One day every tongue will confess you are God;
One day every knee will bow.
Still, the greatest treasure remains for those
Who gladly choose you now.
Each time that stanza came around, I couldn't help but wonder if the songwriters have misinterpreted a Biblical text. “One day every tongue will confess you are God; / One day every knee will bow” is presumably an allusion to Philippians 2:10-11. Then the interpretation of that Scriptural allusion comes in the next line. This is where I get confused. By stating that the treasure is “greatest” for those who choose God now, there seems to be a strong and obvious implication that there will still be “treasure” for everyone at some time.
It could mean that some (those who gladly choose God) will receive a form of treasure right now and the rebels who refuse to confess God—well, they will just have to wait. Another way of understanding this line is that there will be a hierarchy of treasures in heaven, and those who choose God now in the present will receive the greatest treasure when rewards are divvied up in the future. Either way, the point seems to be that even those who don't choose God now will receive some type of “treasure” on the day they confess Jesus as Lord. It just may not be the “greatest”.
There's no doubt that the lyrics to the allusion are correct: one day everyone will confess Jesus as Lord. However, the sad and devastating reality is that only some of those people will actually consider it a treasure. The rest will continue to hate God and hate all others for eternity.
So maybe next time this song is played, it act as a reminder to ensure that the gospel is taught clearly to our friends at church, just in case some misunderstand. Perhaps we need to make a point to talk about the gospel (instead of the most recent sporting event or TV show) after the formal gathering concludes. That way the true gospel of judgement and salvation from that judgement (to borrow from DB Knox) is heard by some. And if further singing is needed, perhaps the songs in Revelation 19 are a better place to start.