Pastor Brad - Exalted One Lyrics
Lyrics
Verse 1
We're lonely creatures with wicked hearts
Our own decisions have torn us apart.
Our righteous works are filthy rags
Our fleshy efforts turn out to be our biggest snags
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch, a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now I'm found
I was blind but now I see
Yeah!
Chorus
When will we ever see that you are the holy one, the exalted one? Yeah
Some day you will come and split the skies and we will see that you are the holy one.
Yes you are oooooo you're the exalted one. Yeah!
And we are the ones who owe you our very lives. Yeah!
Yes you are oooooo you're the exalted one. Yeah!
And we are the ones who owe you our very lives.
Verse 2
I don't deserve an ounce of your love. I guess that's why they call it grace.
The only thing I deserve is a kick in the tail and a smack in the face. Yeah
It was grace that taught my heart to fear and all my fears relieved (relieved)
How precious did that grace appear the awesome hour that I first believed.
Chorus
Instrumental solo & ending.
Video
80s Christian Rock / Metal Music – Exalted One (AUDIO) – Pastor Brad
Meaning & Inspiration
Pastor Brad’s 2005 release, "Exalted One," from the album *The King Has Come*, offers a profound devotional reflection on the nature of God’s grace and humanity's desperate need for it. The song immediately confronts the listener with an unvarnished depiction of human sinfulness, stating plainly that we are "lonely creatures with wicked hearts," whose own choices have led to ruin. This stark assessment of our fallen state, where even our "righteous works are filthy rags" and our "fleshy efforts turn out to be our biggest snags," echoes the biblical declaration in Isaiah 64:6. The song beautifully transitions into the theme of redemption by invoking the timeless hymn, "Amazing Grace," acknowledging that this transformative power saved a "wretch" like the singer. The transformation is described as a journey from being "lost" to being "found," and from blindness to sight, a powerful testament to the spiritual awakening that faith brings, mirroring the experience described in Luke 19:10 where Jesus came to seek and save the lost.
The central message of "Exalted One" pulsates through its chorus, a yearning plea and declaration for humanity to recognize the supreme holiness and exalted status of God. It questions when we will finally comprehend His divine nature, anticipating a future glorious revelation when Christ will "split the skies." This imagery directly aligns with prophetic passages like Revelation 1:7, which speaks of Christ’s return with visible glory. The song emphasizes the immense debt of gratitude believers owe, acknowledging that their very lives are a testament to God’s saving power. This profound realization of indebtedness finds its roots in scriptural teachings that highlight the immeasurable cost of our salvation, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:20, "For you have been bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body."
Verse two further deepens the understanding of grace, with the singer confessing a complete lack of personal merit, acknowledging that any positive reception from God is solely due to grace, not deservingness. The candid admission of only deserving "a kick in the tail and a smack in the face" underscores the depth of human imperfection and the radical nature of God’s unmerited favor. This sentiment resonates with Ephesians 2:8-9, which states that salvation is a gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. The song concludes by reiterating how grace is the source of spiritual fear – a reverent awe and respect for God – and the ultimate reliever of all fears, culminating in the profound moment of initial belief, a sentiment powerfully captured in the hymn "Amazing Grace," which famously describes how "grace will lead me home." The instrumental break and ending serve as a powerful space for contemplative reflection on these profound truths, allowing the listener to internalize the message of God’s incomparable exaltation and the life-altering impact of His redeeming grace.