God's Love May Be Overwhelming, But Is It Reckless?

This week's number one hit song on Billboard's Hot Christian Songs chart is Cory Asbury of Bethel Music's "Reckless Love."

The song is an emotional ballad, weaving themes of Scripture like creation and redemption amidst a powerful chorus about God's powerful, overwhelming, all-pursuing, "reckless" love. Take a look for yourself at the lyrics of the chorus:

"Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God

Oh, it chases me down, fights 'til I'm found, leaves the ninety-nine

I couldn't earn it, and I don't deserve it, still, You give Yourself away

Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God, yeah."

I love the music - it has an absolutely beautiful sound. And the overarching message is nothing short of heart-gripping. To consider the height and depth and breadth of God's love is a powerful thought. 

The line "leaves the ninety-nine" is a nod to the parable of the lost sheep when Jesus gives an example of leaving 99 sheep to rescue just one. He said there is more joy in Heaven over one sinner who repents than 99 righteous who need no repentance.

While appreciating that message, many Christians take issue with God's love being defined as "reckless." When you consider the definition of the word, it makes you stop to scratch your head a bit. 

reckless: marked by lack of proper caution; careless of consequences; irresponsible

That being said, can we really say God - who is perfect, sovereign, and intentional - is reckless?

After singing the song with the Baptist Campus Ministries' praise band, Lauren NeSmith, a senior biomedical sciences major from Birmingham, shared her thoughts on the matter.

"I think the song is really powerful and I love looking at it in a sense of my own experience with God and knowing that He did pursue me when I was running away," NeSmith said. "It's cool to just be reminded that He did die for me and He did tear down the lies in my life and climb mountains to get to me, because I was far away - or I felt far away. 

"But I do also understand that 'reckless' implies that maybe He doesn't quite know what He's doing and He's just like going after random people and doing random things," she continued. "I think His plan is perfect. When I was far away, He knew when He created me that at some point I would get there and He knew that He was going to love me through it and I was going to come back. I don't think there's anything unplanned about it. He knows."

Other members of the BCM weighed in with their thoughts on the matter. 

"The 'reckless' there isn't implying that there is some sort of inherent risk. It's simply there is no aversion to risk; there is nothing held back," said Andy Russell, a junior history major from Montgomery. "He is holding nothing in reserve with His love."

Wesley Ralph, a sophomore English major from Alabaster said, "It's not a thoughtless, uncaring, unfiltered whatever. It's a very calculated choice essentially."

Asbury - the artist himself - said this on his Facebook page, "When I use the phrase, 'the reckless love of God,' I’m not saying that God Himself is reckless. I am, however, saying that the way He loves, is in many regards, quite so. What I mean is this: He is utterly unconcerned with the consequences of His actions with regards to His own safety, comfort, and well-being. His love isn’t crafty or slick. It’s not cunning or shrewd. In fact, all things considered, it’s quite childlike, and might I even suggest, sometimes downright ridiculous. His love bankrupted heaven for you. His love doesn’t consider Himself first. His love isn’t selfish or self-serving. He doesn’t wonder what He’ll gain or lose by putting Himself out there. He simply gives Himself away on the off-chance that one of us might look back at Him and offer ourselves in return."

Personally, after reading this quote from Asbury, my opinion that the word choice "reckless" is a poor one, is only further solidified. I disagree with the artist on several points, but the bottom line is that his view of God is too strongly influenced by his view of man. I mean that the terms he uses to describe God are limited by human characteristics. Of course God doesn't take "His own safety, comfort and well-being" into account - He is God, after all. He takes His glory into account. 

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