If God had a name,
What would it be?
And would you all it to His face,
If you were faced with Him
In all His glory?
What would you ask, if you had just
one question?

And, yeah, yeah, God is great
Yeah, yeah, God is good
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

What if God was one of us?
Just a slob like one of us?
Just a stranger on the bus trying
to make his way home?

If God had a face,
What would it look like?
And would you want to see,
If seeing meant that you would
have to believe
In things like heaven
And in Jesus and the saints and
all the prophets?

 

My friend plugged the tape into the stereo and said, "I want you to hear this song. I don't know what to think of it." What came next caught me off guard. The song entitled "One of Us" by New York-based artist Joan Osborne has all the pieces needed to make a pop hit—an instantly catchy melody and addictive rhythm. But what distinguished it from the usual drivel on secular radio were the haunting lyrics. The words penned by Eric Bazilian were startlingly honest questions about God.

The response to the song from Christians has been mixed. Some see it as blasphemous or cynical. Others read an overtly Christian message into it and attempt to "claim" it. Joan Osborne didn't intend either. In interviews Osborne (who was evidently raised Catholic but now claims no religious affiliation) has said she wanted to "bring a real innocence" to the song. "It looks at God without seeing through the lens of religion or organized institutions," she says.

Is it a Christian song deserving of our praise? No, but its honest searching is the starting point of any person's relationship to God through Jesus Christ. Without judging the personality of the messenger, we've attempted to find scripture that reveals God's answers to the questions posed.

The Bible has good news: God did become one of us. And only through the person of Jesus Christ can the rest of us "slobs" find our way home to eternity with God.