Is He Worthy? A Song That Answers Heaven’s Greatest Question

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” — Revelation 5:12 (NIV)

There are worship songs, and then there are songs that transport you directly into the throne room of heaven. Is He Worthy, performed with breathtaking reverence by CeCe Winans, is the latter. It is built almost entirely on the book of Revelation — specifically the great scene in Revelation 5, where all of creation is asked whether anyone is worthy to open the scroll, and the answer breaks forth in waves of thundering praise.

But what makes this song so extraordinary is not just its theological richness — it is its structure. It is written as a call and response, a dialogue between a congregation and a soloist, between question and answer, between honest acknowledgement of the world’s brokenness and unshakeable proclamation of Christ’s worthiness. Let’s walk through it carefully.

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Opening: Naming the World as It Is

Do you feel the world is broken? We do. Do you feel the shadows deepen? We do. But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through? We do. Do you wish that you could see it all made new? We do.

The song begins not with triumphant declaration but with honest confession. Do you feel the world is broken? The answer — we do — is one of the most theologically grounded admissions in modern worship music. It does not pretend. It does not perform a faith that refuses to acknowledge reality. It simply says: yes, we see it. We feel it.

Romans 8:22 describes this exact condition: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (NIV). The world’s brokenness is not a crisis of faith — it is an expected reality in the biblical story. The groaning is real. And the song honours that.

But the genius of the opening is in the turn: “But do you know that all the dark won’t stop the light from getting through?” This is John 1:5 in lyric form: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (NIV). Notice the tense — has not overcome. Darkness has tried and failed. It will always try and always fail. The light is not threatened by the dark — it simply shines through it.

“Do you wish that you could see it all made new?” This longing for renewal is the cry of Revelation 21:5, where God declares from His throne: “I am making everything new!” (NIV). The wish is not naive fantasy — it is prophetically grounded hope. What we long to see is exactly what God has promised to do.

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The Creation Groans — and the New Creation Is Coming

Is all creation groaning? It is. Is a new creation coming? It is. Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst? It is. Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? It is.

These lines deepen the theological foundation laid in the opening. “Is all creation groaning?” returns us to Romans 8:22-23: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies” (NIV). The groaning is not hopeless — it is the groaning of labour, the pain that precedes birth. Something new is being brought forth.

“Is a new creation coming? It is.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 gives the personal dimension of this: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (NIV). And Revelation 21:1-2 gives the cosmic dimension: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away” (NIV). The new creation is not just a personal spiritual experience — it is the ultimate destiny of the entire universe.

“Is the glory of the Lord to be the light within our midst?” Revelation 21:23 answers this precisely: “The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp” (NIV). And Isaiah 60:19 prophesied it centuries earlier: “The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory” (NIV). God Himself will be the light of the renewed creation.

And then this quietly profound line: “Is it good that we remind ourselves of this? It is.” This is the song acknowledging its own purpose — and the purpose of all worship. Deuteronomy 6:12 warns God’s people to “be careful that you do not forget the Lord” (NIV). Psalm 103:2 exhorts: “Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (NIV). Remembrance is a spiritual discipline. Worship is, at least in part, the act of reminding ourselves of what is true — especially when what we feel in the moment tells a different story.

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The Heart of the Song: Heaven’s Question

Is anyone worthy? Is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll? The Lion of Judah who conquered the grave — He is David’s root and the Lamb who died to ransom the slave.

This is the theological and dramatic centre of the entire song — and it is drawn almost word for word from one of the most breathtaking passages in all of Scripture: Revelation 5:1-5.

In that vision, the Apostle John sees God seated on His throne, holding a scroll sealed with seven seals — the scroll that contains the destiny of all things, the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan for creation. An angel cries out with a loud voice: “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” (Revelation 5:2, NIV). And no one in all of heaven or earth is found worthy. John weeps bitterly.

Then one of the elders speaks: “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5, NIV). And when John looks, he sees not a conquering lion but “a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6, NIV).

This is one of the most stunning reversals in all of Scripture. The one expected to come as a warrior-king comes as a slaughtered lamb. The one worthy to hold the destiny of the universe in His hands bears the marks of sacrifice. Power expressed through vulnerability. Kingship through self-giving love.

The song captures all of this in just a few lines. “The Lion of Judah” — Genesis 49:9-10 first uses this imagery for the coming ruler from the tribe of Judah. “David’s root” — Isaiah 11:1 prophesied a shoot from Jesse’s root; Revelation 22:16 has Jesus declare: “I am the Root and the Offspring of David” (NIV). “The Lamb who died to ransom the slave” — 1 Peter 1:18-19 describes the ransom: “You were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors… with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (NIV).

He is all of these things simultaneously — Lion and Lamb, Root and Offspring, conqueror and sacrifice. And He alone is worthy.

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The Chorus: The Answer Heaven Has Been Waiting For

Is He worthy, is He worthy of all blessing and honour and glory? Is He worthy of this? He is.

The chorus draws directly from the crescendo of praise in Revelation 5:12-13: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!'” (NIV).

This is not merely a beautiful sentiment — it is the ultimate destination of all history. Every knee will bow, every voice will join this chorus. Philippians 2:10-11 declares: “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (NIV). When we sing “He is worthy” in a Sunday morning service, we are joining a song that began in eternity and will echo throughout eternity.

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Verse 2: The Love That Holds, the God Who Dwells

Does the Father truly love us? He does. Does the Spirit move among us? He does. And does Jesus our Messiah hold forever those He loves? He does. Does our God intend to dwell again with us? He does.

This verse brings the cosmic and the personal together with extraordinary skill. The great truths of the Trinity are brought down into the intimate — does the Father love us? Does the Spirit move among us? Does Jesus hold those He loves?

The Father’s love is the bedrock of everything. Romans 8:38-39 gives the unbreakable guarantee: “Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (NIV). The love of the Father is not contingent. It cannot be severed.

The Spirit moves among us — Acts 2:1-4 describes the first great outpouring; Romans 8:26 assures us the Spirit “intercedes for us through wordless groans” (NIV). He is not dormant. He is active, present, moving.

“Does Jesus our Messiah hold forever those He loves?” John 10:28-29 gives the answer in Jesus’s own words: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (NIV). Forever held. Doubly secured — in the hand of the Son and the hand of the Father.

“Does our God intend to dwell again with us?” This question reaches all the way back to the Garden of Eden and all the way forward to Revelation. In the Garden, God walked with humanity in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). Sin broke that intimacy. The entire arc of redemptive history is the story of God working to restore it. And Revelation 21:3 announces the culmination: “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God” (NIV). The answer is yes. He does intend to dwell with us — and He will.

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The Bridge: A Kingdom of Priests

From every people and tribe, every nation and tongue, He has made us a kingdom and priests to God to reign with the Son.

This is Revelation 5:9-10, the new song sung to the Lamb: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth” (NIV).

These lines are staggering in their scope. The redemption of Christ is not for one tribe or nation — it is for every people, every language. Galatians 3:28 declares: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (NIV). The kingdom of God is the most diverse community in existence, unified not by ethnicity or culture but by the blood of the Lamb.

And the identity conferred is extraordinary: a kingdom and priests. 1 Peter 2:9 echoes this: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (NIV). We are not passive recipients of salvation — we are active participants in the reign of the Son. This is the dignity the Gospel bestows on every believer, regardless of background or standing in the world’s eyes.

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The Closing: “He Is” — Again and Again

Is He worthy, is He worthy? He is. He is. He is worthy. He is worthy. He is.

The song closes with the answer repeated until it fills the room, fills the heart, fills everything. He is. He is. He is worthy. This is not repetition for lack of content — it is repetition as a spiritual act. The more we say it, the more deeply it settles into us. The more we declare it, the more our souls align with what is eternally true.

Psalm 145:3 says: “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom” (NIV). Worthiness is not something Jesus achieved — it is something He is. And the final movement of this song is simply the church standing before that reality and saying it over and over, because some truths are too large for one declaration.

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What This Song Is Really Doing

Is He Worthy does something rare in contemporary worship: it teaches while it worships. It takes the congregation on a journey through Romans 8, Revelation 5, Isaiah 60, John 10, and Genesis 3 — without ever feeling like a lecture. It is doxology and doctrine held together in perfect tension.

It begins with honesty about the brokenness of the world, leads us through the one question that matters above all others, and arrives at the answer that changes everything. Not just is He worthy — but He is. Present tense. Eternal certainty. The Lion who is the Lamb, the Root who is the Offspring, the King who became the sacrifice — He is worthy of every blessing, every honour, every whisper of praise our hearts can offer.

Join the song. Heaven has been singing it since before time began.

He is worthy. He is.

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Key Scripture References: Revelation 5:1-13 • Revelation 21:1-5, 23 • Romans 8:18-23 • John 1:5 • Isaiah 60:19 • 2 Corinthians 5:17 • Deuteronomy 6:12 • Psalm 103:2 • Genesis 49:9-10 • Isaiah 11:1 • Revelation 22:16 • 1 Peter 1:18-19 • Philippians 2:10-11 • Romans 8:38-39 • Acts 2:1-4 • Romans 8:26 • John 10:28-29 • Genesis 3:8 • Revelation 5:9-10 • Galatians 3:28 • 1 Peter 2:9 • Psalm 145:3