Song Meanings: Time Untold

You can listen to and purchase this song at http://undertheroseband.com/track/time-untold.

Every Moment, Every Decision

I wrote the chorus for “Time Untold” years before the rest of the song materialized. These lyrics reflect my frustration with the temporal desires faced by all humanity and my growing boldness to defy them.  

Every moment is a chance to choose that which glorifies God. No matter the sinful decision I made in the previous moment (and I certainly make sinful decisions daily), the Spirit of God within me purifies me from all unrighteousness and allows me to carry on. God would be completely justified to destroy me at any moment in my life, but instead, He not only withholds judgment but also empowers me to transcend depravity and perform righteous acts.

God allows me to trade a single moment’s pleasure for the glorious and eternal. Ironically, in order to transcend a single moment and take hold of the eternal, I must view life as a series of moments. If I tried to view my life in light of all the choices I have made in all the moments of my life, that is, as the balance of “good deeds” versus “bad deeds,” I would focus completely on my own ability to be righteous. And of course, I have no ability to be righteous in and of myself. Instead, I must fix my eyes on the author and perfecter of my faith and run straight ahead, focusing only on His presence within me. This small view of life somehow affords an eternal perspective.

Two Perspectives

At a loss to complete the lyrics to the song, I asked Jason to weigh in on the topic. In writing the verses, he provided some insight into this spiritual balancing act, highlighting the struggle against complacency in the Christian life. For many American Christians, in any given moment, it is easier to pursue a higher paying job, a bigger house, and a more luxurious lifestyle than to seek God’s heart. It is easy to choose our life’s path based on our own comfort and not on God’s plan. For me, the questions are these: Do I seek God in every moment, or do I rest in my own decisions? As the moment of crisis arrives, do I watch and pray, or do I fall asleep? Do I choose the fleeting moment or a time untold?

Knowing Thyself

My ability to navigate this labyrinth requires great trust in God’s revelation of my own identity. I must believe that, before the creation of the world, God already knew He would save me, and He already knew every one of my days before one came to pass. For me, the only conclusion is that I am completely and perfectly qualified to make the correct spiritual decision in every situation I will ever face, not because I am an amazing person, but because God dwells in me and has promised to never take His presence from me. This is summed up in Ephesians 2 (ESV), one my favorite biblical passages:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love ⁵he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. ⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, ⁸which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight ⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ ¹⁰as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

 ¹¹In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, ¹²so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. ¹³In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, ¹⁴who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

Biblical References: Ephesians 2

--Aaron