Magnificent Marvelous Matchless Love

Matt Papa said this song began as the title. From there, he built a melody and some thoughts on verses and brought in Aaron Keyes, Luke Brown, Keith, and Kristyn Getty to work on it together. What we have is a beautiful celebration song of God’s love. Matt Papa said, “This song celebrates God’s love in all facets of life.”

Verse 1
Magnificent, marvelous, matchless loveToo vast and astounding to tellForever existing in worlds aboveNow offered and given to all
Oh, fountain of beauty eternalThe Father, the Spirit, the SonSufficient and endlessly generousMagnificent, marvelous, matchless love

In the first verse, we’re presented with the fact that God’s love is beyond any form of measure and forever exists. In the book of Exodus, we see God present himself as a cloud by day and fire by night. A cloud to shield them from the hot day sun and a fire to keep them warm in the cold desert night. He sent manna from heaven and supplied water from a rock. God’s love is “sufficient and endlessly generous”. Psalm 86:15, “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
Verse 2
Creation is brimming with thankfulnessThe mountains, exultant they standThe seasons rejoice in Your faithfulnessAll life is sustained by Your hand
You crown every meadow with colorYou paint every shade in the skyEach day the dawn wakes as an encore ofMagnificent, marvelous, matchless love

Romans 1:20 says, “For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made…” Simply put, we can know God exists, and that his love is endless and “sustained”, through his creation. God’s love is endlessly beautiful throughout creation. We look at the stunning beauty of God’s creation in small views all over the globe. Everywhere you look from wherever in the world you are, you find beauty.

Refrain
How great, how sureHis love endures forevermoreMagnificent, marvelous, matchless love

Verse 3
What grace that You entered our brokennessYou came in the fullness of timeHow far we had fallen from righteousnessBut not from the mercies of Christ
Your cross is our door to redemptionYour death is our fullness of lifeThat day, how forgiveness flowed as a floodMagnificent, marvelous, matchless love

In verse 3, we’re presented with the Gospel of Christ. “For it is by grace you have been saved…” Romans 2:8-9. There’s a line in there, “How far we had fallen from righteousness but not from the mercies of Christ”. Jesus knows our every move, our every thought, our every action. In many places in the Bible we see this play out in his interactions with the disciples. And yet, he still died for us, he still loves us, he still grants mercy, he still gives grace. Tim Keller says, “Religion operates on the principle of ‘I obey—therefore I am accepted by God.’ The basic operating principle of the gospel is ‘I am accepted by God through the work of Jesus Christ—therefore I obey.“

Bridge
United in Your resurrectionYou lift us to infinite heightsCould anything sever or take us fromMagnificent, marvelous, matchless love

One final thought from the bridge of the song. Romans 8:38-39, “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,  nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Magnificent, marvelous, matchless love!

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