Song - Sinner Like Me
- Bible Brian
- 16 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
My deeds were laid bare, and I could not run3.
Didn't know what it was to covet, You made it plain4.
Scripture showed me the depths and the roots of my shame.
I thought I was righteous, but I was deceived5!
Sin promised glory, yet it left me bereaved6.
The more I tried to be holy, the less I achieved!7
Your great and holy standard was too high for me.8
[Chorus]
For the jealous, for the liar, for the selfish and proud,
for the thief, for the greedy, for the drunkard in town,
You gave up everything for sinners like these,
but Lord how could You die for a sinner like me?
[Verse 2]
You said not to murder, it's a grievous sin9,
yet hatred for a brother is the same thing10.
and my passions have burned brightly, in every way13.
I wish to do good, but fail endlessly18,
because no holy thing dwells in me19.
[Chorus]
For the greedy, for the glutton, for the adulterer,
for the gossip, for the lazy, for the idol worshiper,
You gave up your Son for sinners like these,
but could you show your mercy to a sinner like me?
[Bridge]
Oh what a wretch I am, please will you set me free20?
It's no longer I who do it, but sin that lives in me21!
I confess the Lord Jesus, who rose for me...24
(who rose for me)
Yeah He rose for me!
Oh whoah oh!
[Chorus]
For the wicked who trusts you, and repents of his ways,
I hear this faithful saying, just as Paul says25,
If you can deliver the insolent Pharisee,
(how could I not believe)
yeah you died for a sinner like me26!
Oh Lord you died for a sinner like me!
Background
"Sinner Like Me" is a very Paul-centred song. It is primarily based on his testimony in the latter half of 1 Timothy 1, where he explains how he was the greatest of all sinners, yet saved from his former ways, which even included killing his forerunners in the faith. He states that his salvation is an example to those who would be saved after him, and that is exactly how I intend to use it in this song.
As well as his testimony, "Sinner Like Me" is also based heavily on his epistle to the Romans, particularly chapter 7. Here, Paul describes the ongoing struggle with our sin nature, the weakness of the flesh, and how the Law exposes it all. This is actually one of my least favorite Scriptures, simply because of the temptation to twist it. After all, "...it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me" sounds like a pretty solid absolution of responsibility. It's like how we shrug off certain vices by saying "nobody's perfect", only it's right there, in Scripture: "It's not me, it's this invisible force making me do it".
But of course, that's not how it's intended, and that's not how I use it in this song. Rather, I plug in the other side of the coin. Yes, I have a sin nature, but I also have a sin bearer. This sin bearer not only absorbs the eternal consequence of my sin, but empowers me to walk in God's ways.
Each chorus is infused with this conviction. Almost completely at random, I selected various sins one might commit (a process resulting in the accidental inclusion of greed twice), and pointed out that Christ died for "sinners like these". Yet, the singer is so convicted by the Law (as implied by the details in each verse) that rather than excuse future sins, he struggles to believe God can forgive his past. This is the difference between what the Bible would refer to as Godly and worldly sorrow. Worldly sorrow laments only the punishment for sin. As the saying goes, "you're not sorry, you're just sorry you got caught". Godly sorrow, by contrast, understands that there is actually something wrong with our conduct, that we are without excuse, and that God alone can save us.
And so this is the point of the bridge and final chorus. The bridge completes the hopelessness of the main chorus: "Oh what a wretch I am!" This mirrors Paul's own words in Romans 7, but whereas he follows it with "Who will deliver me from this body of death?", and "I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!", "Sinner Like Me" condenses it to "please will you set me free". This is where the true meaning of "sin that lives in me" comes into play. It does acknowledge that, through the weakness of the flesh, we are all but guaranteed to sin in this life. However, Paul commits to a totally different mindset: "So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin."
As Christians, we hold the same view. We do not intend to obey sin, but God. When we are tempted, we resist it. When we sin, we confess it. Thus, the hopelessness turns to hope, because there is actually no distinction between "sinners like these", and "a sinner like me". As stated, the whole point of Paul's testimony is to be an example to the rest of us. You could be an insolent, blaspheming persecutor of the Church, Christ literally died for a sinner like you, because He died for a sinner like Paul. Everyone should be able to read themselves into not only the song, but into Paul's testimony. Have you never blasphemed? Have you never been insolent? Have you never persecuted? If we go by the extremities of the law, in which to lust is to commit adultery, and to hate is to murder, we must acknowledge that we have all been in his position. No one is beyond Christ's salvific reach.
"Sinner Like Me" was possibly one of the most difficult song I've produced, as I struggled to find a genre that would make it sound close to what I had in my head. Along the way, I produced versions I liked, but they did not match my intentions. I have saved 3 of these extra versions, and have attached them to this article. I thought it worth mentioning that while I usually generate my own cover art separately, Mozart AI does have a feature to generate its own. In this case, I only added the Bible Brain logo.
The "stage version" was produced in the Broadway genre, and is actually, in effect, a "twin" to the main version. As a premium subscriber of Mozart AI, I am able to generate up to 6 songs at once, and the two versions were among the same set.
The "Coptic version" was produced in the "Coptic Grunge" genre, hence "Coptic version". I especially like this version, not only because it's more along the lines of what I would usually listen to, but also because the cover art Mozart AI generated for it genuinely looks like a sinner contemplating the grace of God, and I could genuinely picture him singing this version.
The "Viking Version", so named because the man in the cover art looks like a Viking, is actually my favorite of the four. I didn't end up choosing it as the main version, because it's too "heavy" (especially considering the humble theme of the song), but it's certainly worth listening to if you're interested in that genre. Ironically, while it sounds more like a heavy rock song, the genre Mozart AI was asked to produce is "symphonic". The reason for this oddity is that AI works by regurgitating its training data. The filters, such as genre, voice, and style, merely set a bias towards certain parts of its data. As a result, it may do differently, and even the opposite of what it is actually asked to do. This, of course, is a sloppy, non-expert explanation, but that's about the gist of it.
Scripture references
Psalm 19:7-9
John 3:19-20
Romans 3:20
Romans 7:7
Jeremiah 17:9
Proverbs 14:12
Romans 7:15
Acts 15:10-11
Exodus 20:13
1 John 3:15
Matthew 5:27-28
Job 31:1
1 Corinthians 7:9
Romans 7:12
Matthew 26:41
James 3:2
James 2:10
Romans 7:19
Romans 7:18
Romans 17:24
Romans 17:20
Matthew 3:8
Revelation 7:14
Romans 10:9-10
1 Timothy 1:15
1 Timothy 1:16
AI usage
This song was produced using Mozart AI.
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