The fall of 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the best-loved and widely-sung hymns of our time. It is Bill and Gloria Gaither’s song, “Because He Lives.” Gloria (b. 1942) was pregnant at the time with their third child. 1971 was a chaotic time that left them wondering in what kind of world their son would grow up. “I’m not sure how good we thought it was, but we just wanted to create a song of hope, and it just rang a bell with people,” Bill Gaither said in an interview. “I don’t think we understood the depth of what we wrote at the time when we wrote it.” Bill (b. 1936) was recovering from a bout with mononucleosis. It was a special period of anxiety and mental anguish for both of them. The thought of bringing another child into this world, with all of the “craziness,” was taking its toll on them.
The Gaithers say it is hard to believe it has been 50 years since the song was released. But for Gloria, it simply takes her back to the birth of her son, and a realization that gave her peace. “When we held our baby there was an ‘aha’ moment,” she said. “You don’t have a home, and a family and have babies and go on with your life because the world is stable. When has the world been stable? Jesus was born in the most uncertain of times. But the resurrection is not a one-time event, it is a principle for all time that life wins. This child can face uncertain days not because the world is stable, but because the resurrection is true.”
Social unrest was continuing in those days in the wake of the Vietnam War. The educational system was being infiltrated with the God-is-dead idea, while drug abuse and racial tensions were increasing. Then suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, she was filled with a gentle, calming peace. It was as if her heavenly Father, like an attentive mother bending over her baby, saw His child and came to her rescue. The panic gave way to calmness and an assurance that only the Lord can impart. She was assured that the future would be just fine, left in God’s hands.
Gloria said when writing the lyrics for “Because He Lives,” she actually began with the second verse about the joy of holding a newborn baby, and then wrote the first and third verses to give that verse context. She said it was initially surprising to see audiences respond so positively to a song so personal to them, but she says the personal nature of the song is actually what made it so successful. “As a young writer I used to think in order to minister or communicate with a lot of people I needed to write about things that were general,” Gloria said. “I found out actually the more specific you are, the wider the audience. The more specific to your honest life, the more universal appeal it will have.”
Once it had been published, the Gaithers soon began receiving letters from people telling stories of how much the song meant to them. They said a constant theme among the letters was how the song helped them get through a tough time. Many related especially to the line in the chorus about being able to face tomorrow. One person wrote that they loved the song, but had changed the line to “because He lives, I’m excited about tomorrow.” But while the Gaithers appreciated the sentiment, they compared it with the many notes and letters that described how the song helped people during a time of terrible loss or tragedy. They said the letters provided examples that sometimes, life is about facing tomorrow when joy seems hard to find. But for the believer, because of Christ’s resurrection there is access to true joy.
Performing as part of The Gaither Trio, Bill and Gloria began performing the song at concerts. It soon took on a life of its own as crowds responded positively to its message. “Because He Lives” has since been recorded or sampled by some of music’s biggest names, including Harry Connick Jr., Carrie Underwood, Steven Curtis Chapman, Matt Maher and David Crowder. It also made its way into countless hymnals and songbooks. Bill and Gloria have received numerous honors for their lyrical work over the years. They have garnered multiple Dove Awards and Grammys, and have been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. In 2000, they were named Songwriters of the Century by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP).
When both Gloria Sickal and Bill Gaither were single and teaching in Alexandria Monroe High School in Alexandria, Indiana, they met and began to share ideas about songs. Gloria, the English major in college, would in later years become the predominant writer of the lyrics in their songs, while Bill’s forte would be the musical settings. Bill had earned a master’s degree, which opened the door for him to become the head of the English department of their high school. Gloria later earned a master’s degree from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. They started to sing together and were married in 1962. By 1967, the couple left the teaching profession to become full-time recording and performing artists. Their joint efforts, which began in that Alexandria high school, blossomed into a prolific husband and wife songwriting duo. Bill, in most of their songwriting ventures, will write a musical setting with an idea in mind and Gloria, using the same idea, will write the lyrics. To date, they have written more than 700 songs, produced 60 recordings and several musicals. Both are authors or co-authors of several books.
The text of “Because He Lives” is supported by a simple, memorable melody and harmony. It is one of the most often requested songs in gatherings of believers singing their favorites. Bill wrote this about the circumstances of its composition from his point of view. “‘Because He lives’ was written in the midst of social upheaval, threats of war, and betrayals of national and personal trust. It was into this world at such a time that we were bringing our third little baby. Assassinations, drug traffic, and war monopolized the headlines. It was in the midst of this kind of uncertainty that the assurance of the Lordship of the risen Christ blew across our troubled minds like a cooling breeze in the parched desert. Holding our tiny son in our arms we were able to write:
How sweet to hold our newborn baby, And feel the pride, and joy he gives;
But greater still the calm assurance, this child can face uncertain day because He lives.
In hymnals, the song is usually included either in the Christmas or Easter section. But clearly the words are appropriate at all seasons of the year, and especially during times of danger and uncertainty about the future.
Stanza 1 stretches from Jesus’ birth (“God sent His Son”) to His death and resurrection (“He lived and died … an empty grave”). These are the essentials of the gospel, as Paul summarized it in the first part of 1 Corinthians 15. Notice that in that respect, the gospel is not about what we do, but what God has done for us.
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus, He came to love, heal and forgive.
He lived and died to buy my pardon; An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives.
Stanza 2 is a description of Gloria Gaither’s feeling as she held the new-born son God had “loaned” to her and Bill. That was what prompted her to write this, before she wrote the other two stanzas. It was her testimony that despite the uncertainty of the troubles all around, since God’s Son lives, we and our children can face the future with “calm assurance.”
How sweet to hold a newborn baby And feel the pride and joy He gives;
But greater still the calm assurance This child can face uncertain day, because He lives.
Stanza 3 looks beyond these troubled times to the day of victory when “I’ll cross the river.” That “final war” might be a fight characterized by pain, but beyond death lies the wondrous victory. Whether it’s the day of our death or the day of Christs return, “I’ll see the lights of glory.” As one preacher has said, that moment of our death will be the happiest moment of our life!
And then one day, I’ll cross the river, I’ll fight life’s final war with pain;
And then, as death gives way to victory I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He reigns.
The Refrain ties it all together with the fact that Jesus lives. That means that I have deliverance from fear. He has conquered the final enemy: death. Whatever I must deal with in this life, I will count it all “worth the living,” since He lives!
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow; Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living, just because He lives.
Here is a link to the song, as sung by Bill Gaither and friends.