Songfacts®:

• This song was written and originally recorded by worship leader and husband of Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes. The Newsboys version features a guest performance by Peter Furler, who was The Newsboys' lead singer between 1985 and 2009.
  
  "It was a blast singing together with Peter, and we hope it is a message that encourages you. To the weary believer... the person who is doubting... feeling like you're all washed up... you're not done! God has plans for your life, and He has a purpose for your existence. No matter what is in your past, forgiveness can be found in the cross. You can leap forward in faith and victory," said the Newsboys' current vocalist, Michael Tait.
• Peter Furler explained the song's message:
  
  "'The Cross Has The Final Word' is all about the power of Jesus and the great work He did for us on the cross. It's truly something Christians place our hope in. That something started on the earth in the beginning when man disobeyed and were separated from God. Doors were opened that brought in powerful things like sickness, disease, hurt, and pain. Science can't defeat those things. Drugs can't defeat them. Alcohol can't defeat them. Buddha can't. The New Age movement can't. Muhammad can't. The only thing that can is something more powerful than all of them... something more powerful than death. The only thing more powerful than death is Jesus Christ and the reconciliation of what He did on the cross."
• When the Newsboys decided to cover the song they struggled to come up with a version they were happy with. The band asked Peter Furler to help them.
  
  "He sent back a scratch vocal and ideas of what he had," drummer Duncan Phillips recalled to Billboard. "We loved it so much we said, 'Why don't you come sing on it with us?' We thought that would be nice to get Pete back on a Newsboys track again."