I Can Only Imagine

A few days ago, I turned on the radio, and paused to hear what the Christian station was playing before I pushed my cassette into the player. I had turned it on just in time to hear the announcer say that next up would be MercyMe with “I Can Only Imagine.” Now, I didn’t like the song, mainly because it is generally overplayed and seems pretty much geared to just stirring up a “worshipful” experience in the listener’s emotions; but I decided that I should listen to it and give it a fair chance – maybe it’s not as bad as I thought. So I held off on Rez Band and let MercyMe play. The more of “I Can Only Imagine” that I heard, the more I could say that the tune was catchy, and I could even say that the music was tasteful (though not my preference), but the more I heard, the more I was disgusted. The song makes me sick! The lyrics simply do not accord with what the scripture says.

The hook line “I can only imagine” sets the tone for the whole song, puts it immediately in the realm of non-experience. If you can imagine something, perhaps it is something you’ve experienced before and can relate to; however, if you can only imagine something, then it is clear that you have never experienced it, otherwise you would say that you know what it is like, not that you can only imagine it. At best, you can hope to experience it in the future, which is (I think) most likely the point of the song – but even that consideration does not stand in the song’s defense.

I can only imagine
What it will be like
When I walk
By your side

The first thing that he “can only imagine” is what it will be like to walk by the Lord’s side. If we can only imagine this, we do not know the Lord. Psalm 23 says “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me” – the Lord walks with us; It is written in Micah: “what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” – walking with the Lord is not some future hope, but something God requires of us right now. “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Yes, in heaven we will indeed walk by His side – but that walk will not start in heaven – that walk starts right here, right now (if you’re not already).

I can only imagine
What my eyes will see
When your face
Is before me
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

Perhaps he can only imagine what it is like to see the Lord’s face – but scripture is pretty clear about what it means for me to face the Lord and what it means for the Lord to face me. Moses “talked with the Lord face to face” – as with a friend, the Bible says; we know what it’s like to talk with a friend face to face. “The LORD your God is gracious and merciful, and will not turn away his face from you, if ye return unto him.” (II Chron. 30:9) The face of the Lord is gracious and merciful; David was pretty well terrified when he could not see the Lord’s face (Ps. 13:1; 30:7; 88:14; 143:7) – should we not live our lives knowing that “the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers”? Of all the verses of the song, this is the most believable – do I know exactly what my eyes will see when I enter heaven’s gates? No. However, by the same token, I don’t know what my brother will look like when he visits tomorrow…but I do know what he is like, and I will hardly be surprised when I see him.

[Chorus:]
Surrounded by Your glory, what will my heart feel
Will I dance for you Jesus or in awe of you be still
Will I stand in your presence or to my knees will I fall
Will I sing hallelujah, will I be able to speak at all
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

What will his heart feel? What does his heart feel? Perhaps he doesn’t know that the Spirit of glory rests on believers (I Peter 4:14), and that we are in fact partakers of the glory that shall be revealed. Peter says about Jesus that “though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” We are to be full of God’s glory now, not merely later. Will we be surrounded by His glory in heaven? Absolutely. But are we bereft of His glory in our walk on earth? No! We are to “walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.” We are to live in His kingdom today and we are to live in His glory today, and if we are doing so, we will know what our hearts feel like when His glory is around us.

Will he dance or be still? Will he stand or fall to his knees? Will he sing hallelujah or be silent? I can only imagine? All of those things – dancing, being still, standing, kneeling, singing hallelujah, and silence – are all things that followers of Christ should be doing. This part of the song almost makes sense – until he decides to say that he “can only imagine” – why can he “only imagine” doing something that he ought to be doing right now?

I can only imagine
When that day comes
And I find myself
Standing in the Son

What is this? He can only imagine the day that he finds himself standing in the Son? If this is indeed the case, he is no better off than an atheist or a pagan, because “we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (I John 5:20) If he is not dwelling in the Son, he will not inherit eternal life. “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”

I can only imagine
When all I will do
Is forever
Forever worship You
I can only imagine
I can only imagine

If he can only imagine doing nothing but worshipping God, what is he doing? He’s not worshipping God, because he can only imagine doing so? Perhaps the “forever” should play in…but then that means that he only worships God sometimes – not all the time. That’s even worse! Christianity is not a part-time occupation. Worshipping God all the time with all our whole life is the very essence of what following Christ is about; and if he can only imagine doing so, I can only think that he is deceived to think himself Christian.

[Chorus]
I can only imagine [x2]
Etc. etc.

Why, Bart, why? I can understand that you wanted to write a song about heaven and how wonderful it will be….but is it too much to ask that you actually say what you mean? Is it too difficult to write lyrics that actually say what I think you’re trying to say? To write lyrics that are scriptural?

Thousands, if not millions, of churchgoers sing these same words regularly. Why? I don’t know. I don’t know. Maybe because it makes them feel good. Maybe they don’t think about what they’re actually saying. Maybe they don’t care. Maybe they don’t like it either, but just go along with the crowd. Maybe it’s really not a popular song at all, and it’s just one of satan’s conspiracies to undermine the church by playing it on the radio. Maybe not. What I do know is that I cannot sing “I Can Only Imagine”; I would have to be out of my mind to so belittle God’s work and His promises.