What "This Is Living" means
The title makes a claim that takes courage to sing sincerely, because it is the claim Jesus makes in John 10:10. Not religion. Not rule-keeping. Not managing behavior. Living, abundantly, in the fullest expression the word can carry. Hillsong Young and Free wrote a song designed to sound like what that promise feels like when it lands in a person's actual life. Key of C for male voices, F for female, at 128 BPM in 4/4. The tempo is itself theological: abundance is not timid. Galatians 5:1 grounds the lyric, "it is for freedom that Christ has set us free," and Romans 6:4 extends it into present tense reality, connecting the resurrection to how a person lives on an ordinary Wednesday. Colossians 3:1-4 provides the orientation: this living is sourced above, in the resurrection reality of Christ seated in authority, not in circumstantial conditions. The song is an announcement, not a request. What it means is that the Christian life is not primarily about restriction but liberation into something that actually deserves the word life, that the gospel is not a behavior modification program but a declaration that changes the category of existence for those who receive it.
What this song does in a room
Energy moves through a room fast when it is theologically grounded. This song generates movement, but the movement is not empty. The lyric keeps reaching back to the source of the freedom being celebrated, and that prevents the energy from becoming mere enthusiasm disconnected from content. Youth contexts in particular respond with something that looks like recognition, as though the gospel has been given words that fit their actual experience rather than a Sunday-morning vocabulary that feels borrowed from another era. In congregational settings that have been leading slower, more introspective worship, this song can be a recalibration toward joy as a legitimate theological posture, a reminder that celebration is not shallowness but an appropriate response to the resurrection. The room participates with its whole body: standing, moving, engaging at the full range of human expression. That is not incidental to the song's purpose; it is the purpose.
What this song is saying about God
The song says God's gift is life in its fullest form, not a diminished or provisional version of existence. John 8:36 is underneath every lyric: "if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." That adverb matters. Not partially free, not free with conditions, but free indeed. The song is saying God is a giver, not a withholder, and that what he gives is the very thing the human heart was made for. It is also saying that the resurrection of Christ is not a historical event held at theological arm's length but a present-tense source of living that changes the texture of today. The abundance is not prosperity in any material sense; it is the abundance of being fully known and fully held by the one who made the universe, of having access to a life that does not depend on circumstances being favorable.
Scriptural backbone
- John 10:10: the thief comes to steal and destroy; Jesus comes that they may have life to the full
- Galatians 5:1: it is for freedom that Christ has set us free
- Romans 6:4: as Christ was raised from the dead, we too may live a new life
- John 8:36: if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed
- Colossians 3:1-4: set your minds on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God
How to use it in a service
Youth events, young adult services, and high-celebration moments on the Sunday calendar are the natural placements. Opening with this song sets a posture of expectation and joy that carries through a service. Brief framing of John 10:10, naming the contrast between the thief and the shepherd, gives the congregation a theological hook that elevates the lyric beyond enthusiasm into declaration. Do not bury this song in the middle of a slow set; the energy it generates needs room on either side to breathe and to be received. It works well as a service opener or as the high point of a celebration sequence, where the room has been building toward something and this song provides the release.
Things to watch for as the worship leader
At 128 BPM the physical demands on the worship leader are real. Do not let the tempo outrun the congregation's engagement; watch for whether people are singing or watching. If the congregation is not tracking the lyric, slow the intro or add a brief spoken phrase before the first verse that connects the lyric to what Jesus actually promised. The song's energy can be mistaken for a performance requirement, which is the opposite of its intention. Lead from genuine conviction about the content, not from an attempt to generate enthusiasm that is not already present. The bridge or final extension is where this song often unlocks for a congregation, so stay patient through the first chorus to get there. Trust the lyric to do the theological work. John 10:10 is strong enough to carry the moment; the worship leader's job is to stay out of its way while staying fully present to the congregation.
A note for the team behind you (techs, vocalists, band)
Band members, the rhythm section carries this song's entire argument. If the pocket is loose at 128 BPM the lyric's claim about abundant living rings hollow because the arrangement does not embody it. Lock in and stay locked in. Vocalists, match the energy of the lead without oversinging; the congregation needs to be able to find the melody above the production, and that requires clarity rather than volume. Synthesizers and electronic elements are part of the song's language, not additions to it; techs should ensure those elements sit in the mix at a level that serves the song's momentum without burying the vocal clarity. The congregation's participation, clapping, movement, singing, is the point; arrange and mix to amplify that rather than to display the band's capability.