Building on the foundation of his debut album, Metamorphosis, J.R. now presents the antithesis of an infamous heavy metal album of similar moniker, Death By Stereo, with Life By Stereo—signifying God’s use of music as a medium to communicate LIFE rather than DEATH. Life By Stereo centers on the human existence, its trials and the healing balm of the gospel message. Like the book of Psalms, J.R.’s pen scopes the lamentations, woes and triumphs of the whole person. Transcending generation and genre, the album ministers in a style all its own—fusing eclectic urban gospel, contemporary R&B, Rock and Pop styles in a way pioneered by tobyMac.
J.R. has himself undergone a transformation and he sings about it with a soul-stirring grit and maturity that is revealed in the artistry of this album’s jam-packed array of percussive beats and explosive lyrical delivery. The Outkast-meets—Gwen Stefani single “Not a Slave” hones in on the perils of a past life ruled by sin contrasted with a present life ruled by the Holy Spirit.
For Me
J.R. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If God really cares for me
I would start at the cross
Or the hills of calvary
For the ransom was paid
So that man could be redeemed
And come closer to God
With the hope of eternity
You ask me how do I know
The love God has for me
While I was yet in my sin
He gave His live to set me free
From the stink of the grave
And the void that's in this life
Glory be unto God
For the passion of his cries
(Chorus)
And I thank You for dying for me
When I was surely dead in my sin
You came down from Heaven for me
So I praise You for thinking of me
You ask me how do I know
If Christ really died for me
I would show you His words
The very words that let me see
That whosoever believed upon the only begotten Son
He shall live forever and see his face in the life to come
Because of his shed blood
Now we can live life
Receive the sacrifice
That Jesus made for me
His work He has spoken
Now we can believe in
(Chorus)
Spoken:
For God so loved the world
That he have his only begotten Son
That whosoever believeth in him shall not perish,
But have everlasting life.
This is love, that Christ gave himself
For us while we were still sinners
We were dead in our sins
Ah, but He gave us life
For you and for me
Thank You Jesus.
(Chorus)
In this song, J.R. is answering the question of how he knows that God cares for him, loves him, and died for him by pointing to the cross and the sacrifice that Jesus made. He speaks of the ransom paid so that man could be redeemed and come closer to God with the hope of eternity. J.R. also refers to his own personal experience of being saved and freed from sin by Jesus' death and resurrection. He describes the void that was in his life prior to knowing Christ and the glory that belongs to God for his passion in saving us from the grave.
The chorus of the song serves as a thanksgiving and praise to Jesus for dying for him while he was still dead in sin. J.R. acknowledges that Jesus came down from heaven for him and so he thanks and praises Him for thinking of him. He also speaks of the words of Jesus that let him see the truth about His sacrifice and the eternal life that can be obtained through believing in Him. He declares the importance of receiving Jesus' sacrifice and believing in His work.
Line by Line Meaning
You ask me how I know
You want to know how I am certain
If God really cares for me
That God loves me and watches over me
I would start at the cross
I would begin with Jesus' sacrifice
Or the hills of calvary
Or the place where He was crucified
For the ransom was paid
Because the price was paid
So that man could be redeemed
So that man could be saved
And come closer to God
And be in a closer relationship with God
With the hope of eternity
With the hope of eternal life
You ask me how do I know
You want to know how I am sure
The love God has for me
That God loves me
While I was yet in my sin
Even though I was still a sinner
He gave His live to set me free
Jesus gave His life to save me
From the stink of the grave
From the smell of death and decay
And the void that's in this life
And from the emptiness of this world
Glory be unto God
Praise and honor to God
For the passion of his cries
For the deep love and emotions He has for us
And I thank You for dying for me
And I am grateful that You died for me
When I was surely dead in my sin
When I was definitely lost and sinful
You came down from Heaven for me
You left Heaven to save me
So I praise You for thinking of me
So I give You thanks for Your love for me
If Christ really died for me
If Jesus actually died for me
I would show you His words
I would point to His teachings in the Bible
The very words that let me see
The words that allowed me to understand
That whosoever believed upon the only begotten Son
That whoever believes in Jesus
He shall live forever and see his face in the life to come
Will have everlasting life and see God in the afterlife
Because of his shed blood
Because of the blood He shed
Now we can live life
Now we can live fully
Receive the sacrifice
Accept the sacrifice
That Jesus made for me
That Jesus made for my salvation
His work He has spoken
His actions have spoken for themselves
Now we can believe in
Now we can have faith in
For God so loved the world
Because God loved the world so much
That he have his only begotten Son
That He gave His one and only Son
That whosoever believeth in him shall not perish,
So that whoever believes in Him will not die
But have everlasting life.
But will have eternal life
This is love, that Christ gave himself
This is the ultimate example of love, that Jesus gave Himself
For us while we were still sinners
For us even though we were still sinners
We were dead in our sins
We were spiritually dead because of our sins
Ah, but He gave us life
But He gave us new life
For you and for me
For each and every one of us
Thank You Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus.
And I thank You for dying for me
And I am grateful that You died for me
When I was surely dead in my sin
When I was definitely lost and sinful
You came down from Heaven for me
You left Heaven to save me
So I praise You for thinking of me
So I give You thanks for Your love for me
Contributed by Mason J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.