Lyrics
Verse 1
No reputation, no stately bearing
No palace bed for royalty
But a star in the Heavens, a sign full of wonder
Announcing the coming of the King of kings
Chorus
Rejoice, o world, your Savior has come
Through the love of a virgin's womb
Son of God, Son of man, born that we may have life
You were born that we may have life
Verse 2
A throne in a manger, the cross in a cradle
The hidden revealing this glorious plan
Of a Child who would suffer, a Child who would conquer
The sin of every woman, the sin of every man
Chorus (Repeat x3)
Bridge
Rejoice, o world, rejoice
Rejoice, o world, Hallelujah, the Savior has come
Rejoice, o world, join with the angels
Rejoice, o world, rejoice
Rejoice, o world, for the King of kings
And the Lord of lords
Rejoice, o world, a Savior is born
Who brings us life and brings peace
Outro
Born that we may have life
You were born that we may have life
You were born that we may have life
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"Born That We May Have Life" opens by describing an infant without reputation or royal comfort, no stately bearing, no palace bed, before pointing to a star announcing the arrival of a king. That deliberate contrast, humble birth against royal star, frames the entire song around paradox from its very first lines.
Its bridge names that paradox directly, a throne appearing in a manger, a cross already implied within a cradle, describing a child destined both to suffer and to conquer sin. That early pairing of birth and crucifixion gives the song's Christmas subject matter a weight extending well beyond a single infancy narrative.
Rooted in contemporary worship's declarative Christmas style, the song functions as a repeated call to rejoice at a Savior's arrival, its closing verses inviting the world to join the angels in praise, tying an ancient nativity account to a present, urgent declaration that life has come through that virgin-born child.
Related Scripture
- Luke 2:10-11 Announces good news of a Savior's birth to the world, echoed in the song's repeated call to rejoice at his arrival.
- Isaiah 53:5 Describes the suffering that would bring healing, echoed in the song's pairing of a manger throne with a cross already implied in the cradle.