Wide is the Gate by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus – It Means More Than You Think

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus have done pretty well for themselves over the years. I wouldn’t really call them a “mainstream” band, but within the scene of alternative rock, punk, post-hardcore, etc, they’ve made a real name for themselves.

What a lot of people don’t seem to know or understand, is that they are actually a very Christian band. That’s how they started and that’s what they still are. There are interviews where Ronnie admits to falling away from it for a little while, but he’s assured us that he’s back on track.

As a Christian myself, I can very easily see the biblical references and spiritual messages within the songs. Some are more obvious than others, but they are right there. They are very in your face. But a lot of people seem to miss it. Or ignore it. I mean, they haven’t gone around promoting themselves as an overtly Christian band, they don’t tour and play with the likes of TFK and Skillet all the time, but they don’t exactly hide it either.

I have personally been a fan of this band for a very, very long time. It was in grade 8 that a classmate of mine showed them to me and that was it, I just couldn’t get enough. That was nine years ago.

Too Many Songs to Count

I know a lot of people say this about their favourite bands, but there really aren’t any songs by these guys that I don’t like. There are so many good songs with really amazing, Godly messages in them. Some have spoken to me on a very deep level, some have served as more of a reminder. There are really too many to count. I could go through all of them with you, but we’d be here all day.

There is one I want to focus on today, and it’s called “Wide is the Gate.”  It is on the Et Tu, Brute? Ep from 2013. I was really excited about this EP when it was released. It’s so good, and I just thoroughly enjoyed it, and still do.

It’s now been four years since it came out, but Wide is the Gate has stuck out to me a lot recently. I believe it is because I have been diving into the world of spiritual warfare. It’s something that certainly isn’t taught in Sunday School. And I find that it’s not really taught much in regular Church either, which is unfortunate. I’ve spent most of my life being completely ignorant about just how significant this war that we’re in is. But RJA knows what’s up.

That’s why this song has spoken to me so much recently.

So Much Power

The song is a good song. It’s well done, it’s catchy, and there are some really cool heavier parts that I do enjoy. But all of that is completely secondary to what the song is telling us. The message is a very important and powerful one. Let’s start at the beginning.

We’re not the weak or the broken, we’re not the lost or the confused,
We’ll never change our direction (I can’t hear you).

For all the lies that you told us, for all the stories you sold us,
I’ll never lose my conviction. 

These lines are aimed directly at the devil himself. Satan is in the business of lies and deception. He doesn’t care about truth. He will tell you anything that he thinks will make you believe the agenda that he’s pushing.

My very favourite line in the whole song comes after the first chorus. It says:

The greatest thing you have ever achieved is getting people to believe you were just a fairy tale.

The first time I heard this line, and I mean actually heard it, I honestly did a bit of a double take. Because it’s just SO. TRUE. Probably the most effective strategy that the devil has is convincing people that he doesn’t even exist. Whether you believe in God or not, he doesn’t want you to believe in him. Why not? Well, because how can you fight and resist an enemy if you don’t think he’s even there?

Your ignorance is what he wants. If you don’t even think he’s there, he has full access. He can do whatever he wants because you’re not even aware that he is doing it. He will pull you. You won’t know why everything in your life seems to be crashing down around you because you don’t even believe in the one who is causing it all.

The song’s chorus drives this point home even further:

Don’t lose your soul, and fall into the hole, that this world has dug.
You must prove them wrong, and take back what belongs to you, we’ve already won.

The world has indeed dug a very large hole. It is so incredibly easy to fall into earthly desires and temptations, but in doing so, you will eventually lose your soul. The good news though, is that the battle is already won. Jesus already defeated the devil when he died on the cross. Satan has already been defeated. He cannot destroy you, he can only deceive you. He can only do what you give him permission to do. This leads us to the final line in the song:

If you can see there’s a war that is coming, then I feel sorry for you.
Make sure you’re on the side that is winning, you cannot run from the truth.

We need to make sure we’re on the side that is winning. The side that has already won, and that’s God’s side. In the end, you simply can’t run from the truth.

Conclusion

Bottom line, this song is an introduction to the spiritual battle that is raging all around us at all times. It’s a fun, catchy, good quality song, but that is only the beginning. When you really look at it, it goes so much deeper, and it is filled with so much truth. While its connotations are very dark and almost frightening when you really think about it, I also find it to be encouraging in a way. For one, it’s nice to know that we’re not alone. There are lots of people fighting for God alongside us. It also gives some hope. It reminds us that the battle is already won. We are not fighting for victory, but rather fighting from victory. Victory is already ours, we just have to remember that.

Want to Listen?

You can purchase the EP “Et Tu, Brute?” From Amazon: