4th century BC
Plato
- Idealism — forms over particulars
- The Republic ethic: “God is not the author of evil”
Notes
One thing about the title before anything else, because duality is a loaded word in my vocabulary. This song is not about Platonic dualism. It is not the old lie that the soul is good and the body evil, two substances at war - I have spent my life fighting that lie. The duality here is Romans 7: two natures locked in strife, within one bosom dwell. One bosom. One person. The old man and the new man, warring inside the same redeemed believer. That is a very different thing, and the difference matters to me a great deal.
So this is the honest song of the album. The first four stripped the pride away; this one tells you what is still there underneath, even after the pride is gone - a war. We seek the good, the love, the grace, but evil finds us too. If you have ever wondered why you still sin after the Lord saved you, this song is Paul's answer and mine: the war is real, it is normal, and it does not mean you were never His.
But do not miss verse five, because it is the hinge: the more we see our tainted selves, the brighter He endears. That is the secret the war is hiding. Seeing your own vileness more clearly does not drive you from Christ - it magnifies Him. And once a man has seen that, the only posture left to him is the bow. Which is the very next song.
Lyrics
[Verse 1]
In shadows of duality, we wander and we strive,
A mystery to ourselves, the war within alive.
We seek the good, the love, the grace, but evil finds us too,
A paradox, a twisted dance, forever to pursue.
[Chorus]
In the war within my heart, Your mercy holds me still;
Grace lifts me from the shadows, and bends me to Your will.
[Verse 2]
Warmth and cold, the changing tide, within our very core,
Exalting self, then brought down low, upon the humbled floor.
A heart that longs for heaven’s touch, yet clings to worldly treasure,
Our souls entwined in conflict, seeking balance in this measure.
[Chorus]
In the war within my heart, Your mercy holds me still;
Grace lifts me from the shadows, and bends me to Your will.
[Verse 3]
Oh mystery, the puzzle of our mortal, fickle state,
A blend of wisdom, folly, and desires we navigate.
We press ahead with hopeful hearts, yet lag in hesitation,
A paradox, a battle waged, within our own creation.
[Verse 4]
Two natures locked in strife, within one bosom dwell,
A duality so deep, no words could ever tell.
As carnal thoughts and grace collide, the war within us waged,
We sink in self-abasement, by our vileness, we’re engaged.
[Chorus]
In the war within my heart, Your mercy holds me still;
Grace lifts me from the shadows, and bends me to Your will.
[Verse 5]
Yet through the darkness, light emerges, Jesus’ love appears,
The more we see our tainted selves, the brighter He endears.
The mystery of heaven’s realm, a paradox unveiled,
In this eternal struggle, may love’s grace always prevail.
[Chorus x2]
In the war within my heart, Your mercy holds me still;
Grace lifts me from the shadows, and bends me to Your will.
Commentary