The Trinity and salvation

One of the currently popular substitutes for the name of the Trinity, “Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer,” cannot serve this function because God does not create, redeem, or sustain himself. These terms describe God in relation to us but not within himself, so God’s being (ousia) is not affirmed. When we say “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,” however, we are saying that what God is in himself, he also is toward us. The doctrine of the Trinity is therefore a working out of what it means to say that God is love. It tells us that God is love within his own three-personed self, and he is love toward us as we see his action in the Son’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 12 n. 24

Timeless truths from Tozer

Right here I want to say something that will no doubt land me on the wrong side of popular Christian opinion. But I will say it anyway. I do not believe the church is the place for entertainment. With that said, let me explain what I mean.

We have churches today, in desperate need of attendance, advertising in newspapers for the world to come and enjoy “clean entertainment.” We have, so the boast goes, what the world has, only ours is much cleaner and, to add insult to injury, in my opinion, it is family friendly. I am not totally against entertainment; I am just totally against entertainment in the church and entertainment used by the church to try to win the world. How can we battle the world if we have locked arms with the world?—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 133–34

Jesus Lives, and So Shall I

288 Jesus Lives, and So Shall I

1 Jesus lives, and so shall I;
   Death, thy sting is gone forever!
   He who deigned for me to die
   lives, the bands of death to sever.
   He shall raise me with the just:
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

2 Jesus lives, and reigns supreme,
   and, His kingdom still remaining,
   I shall also be with Him,
   ever living, ever reigning.
   God has promised: be it must:
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

3 Jesus lives, and by His grace,
   vict'ry o'er my passions giving,
   I will cleanse my heart and ways,
   ever to His glory living.
   Me He raises from the dust;
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

4 Jesus lives! I know full well
   nought from Him my heart can sever,
   life nor death nor pow'rs of hell,
   joy nor grief, henceforth forever.
   None of all His saints is lost;
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

5 Jesus lives, and death is now
   but my entrance into glory.
   Courage, then, my soul, for thou
   hast a crown of life before thee;
   thou shalt find thy hopes were just;
   Jesus is the Christian's Trust.
                         Christian F. Gellert
                         Tr. by Philip Schaff
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Yep. That Philip Schaff, the one who wrote all those church history volumes. Makes sense he would also translate hymns—I just never noticed any before. Some hymnals insert a verse after verse 2:

3 Jesus lives, and God extends
   grace to each returning sinner;
   rebels He receives as friends
   and exalts to highest honor.
   God is True as He is Just;
   Jesus is my Hope and Trust.

</idle musing>

The role of the Trinity in the crucifixion

God is the triune God. He is one God in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus of Nazareth was not a free-floating holy man. If he is not the second person of the Trinitarian Godhead and the only-begotten Son attested in the Nicene Creed, then God’s self was not directly involved at Golgotha. In that case, Jesus would be detached from the eternal plan of God shown forth in the history of Israel, and the cross would be a random event of no more than passing interest.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 12

Were You There?

287 Were You There?

1 Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
   Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
   Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

3 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
   Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

4 Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
   Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
   Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
   Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
                         American Folk Hymn
                         Hymns for the Family of God

If We Had Been There (A very relevant thought for today)

286 If We Had Been There

Minister: If we had been Jews, would we have spoken out for Him when the Sanhedrin accused Him of blasphemy?
      If we had been Gentiles, would we have defended Him when the Romans condemned Him to death?
      If we had been disciples, would we have stayed with Him when the crowd became a crucifying mob?
      Or would we have been like Peter-
      who followed Him and loved Him
      and denied Him three times before the dawn?

Choir: Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
      O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Minister: And the Christ who was crucified there, once said.
      “As you have done it to the least of these, My brothers, you have done it unto Me.”
      As nations rise in war
      As governments oppress the poor
      As passive people turn and look aside
      In silence
      We crucify.
      Again-
      We crucify.

People : As indifference forms the pattern of our lives,
      As hungry children cry for food,
      As widows mourn alone in empty rooms,
      In apathy-
      We crucify.
      Again-
      We crucify.

Choir: Were you there when they nailed Him to the tree?
      O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Minister: I think of the nails that crucified my Lord.
      They were made of iron,’ but more-
      They were made of hatred, prejudice and greed.
      And I wonder-
      What part of myself is found in the shadow of that mob that stretches down through history?
      What part of myself creates nails in other forms that wound my brother—and my Lord?

People: You know how many times I have betrayed You, Lord.
      You know the times lhave chosen evil over good.
      Guilt lies upon me like an iron cloak.
      My soul is heavy—my burden hard.

Choir: Were you there when He rose up from the grave?
      O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.

Minister: In the act of death He absorbs our sins.
      In love, He forgives our failures.
      In the act of resurrection He gives the promise of acceptance, the assurance of forgiveness, the affirmation of eternal life.
      “Your sins are forgiven you”, He said, “Go and sin no more. ”

People: Through Your love, I am made whole,
      Through Your death, I have found new life.
      You are my shield, my redeemer and my hope.
      My sins are forgiven—Hallelujah!
                         —MariIee Zdenek
                         Hymns for the Family of God

What Wondrous Love Is This?

283 What Wondrous Love Is This?

1 What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
   What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
   What wondrous love is this
   That caused the Lord of bliss
   To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
   To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

2 To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
   To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
   To God and to the Lamb
   Who is the great "I Am";
   While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
   While millions join the theme, I will sing.

3 And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on;
   And when from death I'm free, I'll sing on.
   And when from death I'm free
   I'll sing and joyful be;
   And thro' eternity, I'll sing on, I'll sing on;
   And thro' eternity, I'll sing on.
                         American Folk Hymn
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Some versions insert a verse after verse 1:

2 When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
   When I was sinking down, sinking down,
   When I was sinking down
   Beneath God's righteous frown,
   Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
   Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

</idle musing>

Amazing God! (covenant)

The particularity of this God is startling; the God of Israel aligns himself with specific mortals with individual names who live in identifiable places on the map. They have life stories unique to themselves, by no means always edifying. This God, unlike the gods of the religions, has chosen of his own sovereign free will to elect a discrete group of people simply because he wills to do so. The irreligiousness of this election is that it has nothing to do with any spiritual attainments by the chosen ones. The opposite is true — they are selected, we might say, in spite of themselves, for if there is one thing certain about the children of Israel, it is that they did not deserve their election. This factor of undeserved election is in view whenever God is called “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 11 (emphasis original)

Go to Dark Gethsemane

281 Go to Dark Gethsemane

1 Go to dark Gethsemane,
   You who feel the tempter's pow'r;
   Your Redeemer's conflict see;
   Watch with Him one bitter hour;
   Turn not from His griefs away;
   Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

2 Follow to the judgment hall;
   View the Lord of life arraigned;
   O the worm-wood and the gall!
   O the pangs His soul sustained!
   Shun not suff'ring, shame, or loss;
   Learn of Him to bear the cross.

3 Calv'ry's mournful mountain climb
   There' adoring at His feet,
   Mark the miracle of time,
   God's own sacrifice complete:
   "It is finished!" Hear the cry;
   Learn of Jesus Christ to die.
                         James Montgomery
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I've never sung this hymn, although it occurs in more than 800 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a fourth verse:

4 Early hasten to the tomb
   Where they laid his breathless clay;
   All is solitude and gloom;
   Who hath taken Him away?
   Christ is ris'n! He meets our eyes:
   Savior, teach us so to rise.

I like that. Without the fourth verse, the hymn seems truncated and hopeless.
</idle musing>

"Which one?" as a denominational weapon

There have been times when groups of Christians — especially Protestants of an evangelical persuasion — have rated themselves genuine or false by adherence to, or rejection of, a given “theory” of what happened in Christ’s death. This is a difficult stance to maintain, since the great church councils that succeeded in defining the nature of Christ and the Holy Trinity left us with no equivalent conciliar definition of the cross. This fact in itself is suggestive. Does anyone think that the great minds of the early church were not up to the challenge? It seems wiser to posit that there is a reason for the silence of the sources in this respect, and that the reason favors a multifaceted understanding rather than favoring one theory over against another.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 8–9

Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain

276 Come to Calvary's Holy Mountain

1 Come to Calvary's holy mountain
   sinners ruined by the fall;
   Here a pure and healing fountain
   Flows to you, to me, to all,
   In a full perpetual tide,
   Opened when our Savior died.

2 Come in poverty and meanness,
   Come, defiled without, within;
   From imperfection and uncleanness,
   From the leprosy of sin,
   Wash your robes and make them white;
   Ye shall walk with God in light.

3 Come, in sorrow and contrition,
   Wounded, impotent, and blind;
   Here the guilty, free remission,
   Here the troubled peace may find.
   Health this fountain will restore;
   He that drinks shall thirst no more.

4 He that drinks shall live forever,
   'Tis a soul-renewing flood;
   God is faithful; God will never
   Break His covenant of blood;
   Signed when our Redeemer died,
   Sealed when He was glorified.
                         James Montgomery
                         Hymns for the Family of God

It's a kaleidoscope!

The Old and New Testaments give us images — drawn from many sources — making a kaleidoscopic, inexhaustibly rich storehouse from which to draw meaning and sustenance for all times and all generations. No one image can do justice to the whole; all are part of the great drama of salvation. The Passover lamb, the goat driven into the wilderness, the ransom, the substitute, the victor on the field of battle, the representative man — each and all of these and more have their place, and the cross is diminished if any one of them is omitted. We need to make room for all the biblical images. We will be best enriched by the meaning of the crucifixion in all its manifold aspects, not just as an intellectual construct, but as dynamic, living truth empowering us for the living of these days.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 7

Up Calv'ry's mountain (Blessed Redeemer)

275 Blessed Redeemer

1 Up Calv'ry's mountain one dreadful morn
   Walked Christ, my Savior, weary and worn;
   Facing for sinners death on the cross,
   That He might save them from endless loss.

Chorus:
   Blessed Redeemer! Precious Redeemer!
   Seems now I see Him on Calvary's tree;
   Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading—
   Blind and unheeding— dying for me!

2 "Father, forgive them!" thus did He pray,
   E'en while His lifeblood flowed fast away;
   Praying for sinners while in such woe–
   No one but Jesus ever loved so. [Chorus]

3 O how I love Him, Savior and Friend,
   How can my praises ever find end?
   Thro' years unnumbered on heaven's shore,
   My tongue shall praise Him forevermore. [Chorus]
                         Avis B. Christiansen
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Feel-good religion? Not so much…

The religious imagination seeks uplift, not torture, humiliation, and death. Therefore the principal purpose of this book about the crucifixion will be to strengthen the reader’s surmise that the cross of Jesus is an unrepeatable event that calls all religion into question and establishes an altogether new foundation for faith, life, and a human future.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, 2

Jesus Paid It All

273 Jesus Paid It All

1 I hear the Savior say,
   "Your strength indeed is small!
   Child of weakness, watch and pray,
   Find in Me your all in all."

Refrain:
   Jesus paid it all,
   All to Him I owe;
   Sin had left a crimson stain–
   He washed it white as snow.

2 For nothing good have I
   Whereby Your grace to claim–
   I'll wash my garments white
   In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb. [Refrain]

3 And when before the throne
   I stand in Him complete,
   "Jesus died my soul to save,"
   My lips shall still repeat. [Refrain]
                         Elvina M. Hall
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
The author only wrote a few hymns; this one was by far the most popular, occurring in more than 850 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

2 Lord, now indeed I find
   Your pow'r, and Yours alone,
   Can change the leper's spots
   And melt the heart of stone. [Refrain]

</idle musing>

New book started!

Today we start a book I've been meaning to read for about ten years now. I was going to start it on Ash Wednesday, but finally started late last week. It's a thick book, and will probably take a few months to get through, but I think it will be worth it. The book? Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion. Here's the first excerpt:

The Christian faith is empty at its heart if congregations habitually skip over Good Friday as if it had not occurred.—Fleming Rutledge, The Crucifixion, xvii

Jesus, the Son of God

269 Jesus, the Son of God

1. Do you know Jesus,
   Our Lord, our Savior,
   Jesus the Son of God?
   Have you ever seen Him,
   Or shared of His favor?
   Jesus the Son of God.

Refrain
   O sweet Wonder!
   O sweet Wonder!
   Jesus the Son of God;
   How I adore Thee!
   O how I love Thee!
   Jesus the Son of God.

2. God gave Him, a ransom,
   Our souls to recover;
   Jesus the Son of God.
   His blood made us worthy
   His Spirit to hover;
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]

3. O who would reject Him,
   Despise or forsake Him,
   Jesus the Son of God?
   O who ever sought Him,
   And He would not take Him?
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]

4. If you will accept Him
   And trust and believe Him,
   Jesus the Son of God,
   Your soul will exalt Him,
   And never will leave Him;
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]

5. Then some day from Heaven,
   On clouds of bright glory,
   Jesus the Son of God
   Will come for His jewels,
   Most precious and holy,
   Jesus the Son of God. [Refrain]
                         G. T. Haywood
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Take a minute to read the biography of the author. Interesting guy, although his theology went a bit off the rails when he embraced, and became a founding member of, Oneness Pentacostalism.
</idle musing>

An Easter meditation

300 Easter

Some years ago a newspaper editor telephoned and asked me to tell in a few words what Easter means to me. My testimony was this: Easter means Christ to me. It means Christ in His kingly splendor, Christ in His serene glory, Christ in His gracious condescension. This is because Easter is the return of Christ from inflicted violence, from induced death, from imprisonment in a tomb. Easter is Christ triumphant over all that sin and death and man could do to Him. Easter means Christ.

And where Christ goes, drama goes. For it is impossible to look anywhere in the Gospels and fail to find something powerful happening. This is because Christ is Himself the Gospel and He is life, abundant life, and His life means action, pilgrimage, arrival. Easter means life. Christ defeated death in order that life in Him might always live. And it is life that we want, life in Christ. Whether we put it in words or not, our constant thought is “Life, more life, always more and more life.” We want life in ourselves, in our loved ones, in our friends, the kind of life that cannot be diminished, the kind of life that always expands. Easter is Christ’s victory over all that would restrict, deny and strangle life. “For to me to live is Christ.” That is Easter.
                        —Raymond Lindquist
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Nothing but the Blood

266 Nothing but the Blood

1 What can wash away my sin?
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   What can make me whole again?
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
   Oh! precious is the flow
   That makes me white as snow;
   No other fount I know,
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

2 For my pardon this I see -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   For my cleansing this my plea -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]

3 Nothing can for sin atone -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   Naught of good that I have done -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]

4 This is all my hope and peace -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
   This is all my righteousness -
   Nothing but the blood of Jesus. [Refrain]
                         Robert Lowry
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Interestingly, this hymn doesn't appear in any United Methodist/Methodist Episcopal hymnal until 1989!
</idle musing>

Are You Washed in the Blood?

259 Are You Washed in the Blood?

1 Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
   Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Refrain:
   Are you washed in the blood,
   In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?
   Are your garments spotless?
   Are they white as snow?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

2 Are you walking daily by the Savior's side?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
   Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?
   Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]

3 When the Bridegroom cometh, will your robes be white,
   Pure and white in the blood of the Lamb?
   Will your souls be ready for the mansions bright
   And be washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]

4 Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin
   And be washed in the blood of the Lamb?
   There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean;
   Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb? [Refrain]
                         Elisha A. Hoffman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Thwarted!

Then he, without any voice or opening of his lips, formed these words in my soul: ‘By this is the Fiend overcome.’ Our Lord said these words meaning overcome by his blessed Passion, as he had shown it earlier. Now our Lord was revealing how with his Passion he defeats the Devil. God showed that the Fiend is still as wicked as he was before the Incarnation and works as hard, but he continually sees that all those to whom salvation is due escape him gloriously through the power of Christ’s dear Passion, and that grieves and humiliates him severely; for everything that God allows him to do turns into joy for us and into shame and vexation for him. And he feels as much sorrow when God allows him to work as when he does not work; and that is because he may never do as much evil as he would wish, for God holds all the Devil’s power in his own hand.—Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, 60

You can't glamorize it (Good Friday thought)

The crucifixion of a man on a cross outside of the hills of Jerusalem must have been a repulsive thing. There just is no way to glamorize the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Just like the altar in the Old Testament tabernacle was a gory and unpleasant mess, so the cross of Jesus Christ was unpleasant in just about every aspect of it. But the altar in the Old Testament tabernacle foreshadowed the cross of Jesus Christ, and pointed to the one and only acceptable sacrifice for God. To take away the reproach of the cross is to undo God’s remedy for man’s revolt. Not only was the altar in the inner court, but also the laver.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 130–31

A Good Friday meditation

257 Good Friday

We acknowledge, O Lord, that there is so little in us that is lovable. So often we are not lovely in our thoughts, in our words, or in our deeds. And yet Thou dost love us still, with a love that neither ebbs nor flows, a love that does not grow weary, but is constant: year after year, age after age.

O God, may our hearts be opened to that love today. With bright skies above us, the fields and woods and gardens bursting with new life and beauty, how can we fail to respond? With the clear notes of bird songs challenging us to praise, with every lowly shrub and blooming tree catching new life and beauty, our hearts indeed would proclaim Thee Lord, and we would invite Thee to reign over us and make us truly Thine own. May Thy healing love invade our inmost hearts, healing sorrow, pain, frustration, defeat, and despair.

May this day create within us a love for Thee of stronger stuff than vague sentimentality—a love which seeks to know Thy will and do it. So grant that this day of hallowed remembrance may be the beginning of a new way of life for each of us, a new kind of living that shall be the best answer to the confusion and to the challenge of evil in our day. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
—Peter Marshall
Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
It wasn't planned by me that this would be the post from the hymnal I am blogging through! It just "happened" to be the next one. Call it divine appointment.
</idle musing>

Person(ality)-to-person(ality)

Because I am a personality, and God is a personality, I believe that we can have personal interaction with God—the interaction between one personality and another in love and faith, and conversation, to speak and to be answered. It is no proof that we have great faith if we solemnly, glumly, grimly and coldly live our lives, saying, “I believe,” and never have God give any response to our faith. There ought to be a response.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 125

Down at the Cross

255 Down at the Cross

1 Down at the cross where my Savior died,
   Down where for cleansing from sin I cried,
   There to my heart was the blood applied;
   Singin', Glory to His name!

Refrain:
   Glory to His name, Precious name.
   Glory to His name, Precious name
   There to my heart was the blood applied;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name!

2 I am so wondrously saved from sin,
   Jesus so sweetly abides within;
   There at the cross where He took me in;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name! [Refrain]

3 Oh, precious fountain that saves from sin,
   I am so glad I have entered in;
   There Jesus saves me and keeps me clean;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name! [Refrain]

4 Come to this fountain so rich and sweet,
   Cast thy poor soul at the Savior’s feet;
   Plunge in today, and be made complete;
   singin' Glory to His name, His name! [Refrain]
                         Elisha A. Hoffman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Gotta love a hymn that doesn't just say forgiven, but says cleansed and saved from sin. And one that says keeps me clean, not just forgiven but still dirty. Good holiness theology there.

The hymn appears in more than 820 hymnals. I recall singing it at VBS and church camp—even though I didn't have a clue what it meant : )
</idle musing>

The humble heart

He who attributes any goodness to himself, obstructs the coming of God’s grace, for the grace of the Holy Spirit always seeks a humble heart. If you would perfectly overcome self and set yourself free from love of creatures, I would come to you with all My grace. But while your interest is in creatures, the vision of the Creator is hidden from you. Learn, then, for love of the Creator, to overcome self in everything, and you shall come to the knowledge of God. But so long as anything, however small, occupies too much of your love and regard, it injures the soul and holds you back from attaining the highest Good.—Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, 148-49 (ch. 42)

"Man of Sorrows," What a Name!

246 "Man of Sorrows," What a Name!

1 Man of sorrows! what a name
   For the Son of God who came
   Ruined sinners to reclaim!
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

2 Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
   In my place condemned He stood,
   Sealed my pardon with His blood;
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

3 Guilty, vile, and helpless we,
   Spotless Lamb of God was He;
   Full atonement! can it be?
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

4 Lifted up was He to die,
   "It is finished," was His cry;
   Now in heaven exalted high,
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!

5 When He comes, our glorious King,
   All His ransomed home to bring,
   Then anew this song we'll sing,
   Hallelujah, what a Savior!
                         Philip P. Bliss
                         Hymns for the Family of God

That our peace cannot depend on Man

CHAPTER 42 That our Peace cannot Depend on Man

Christ speaking: My son, if your peace depends on anyone. by reason of your afiection or friendship with him, you will always be unsettled, and dependent on him. But if you turn to the living and eternal Truth, the departure or death of your friend will not distress you. Your love for a friend must rest in Me, and those who are dear to you in this life must be loved only for My sake. No good and lasting friendship can exist without Me, and unless I bless and unite all love it cannot be pure and true. You should be so mortified in your affection towards loved ones that, for your part, you would forego all human companionship. Man draws the nearer to God as he withdraws further from the consolations of this world. And the deeper he descends into himself and the lower he regards himself, the higher he ascends towards God.—Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, 148

Tozer for Tuesday

The full purpose of our salvation is that we might enjoy the manifest, conscious presence of God as well as He enjoys our presence. When we are enjoying the conscious presenceof God, we are fulfilling the tenets of our salvation. The purpose of our redemption is to bring us into a right relationship to God in order that He might bring us into a conscious relationship with Himself.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 123

Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners

244 Jesus! What a Friend for Sinners

1 Jesus! what a friend for sinners!
   Jesus! lover of my soul;
   Friends may fail me, foes assail me,
   He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Refrain:
   Hallelujah! what a Savior!
   Hallelujah! what a friend!
   Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
   He is with me to the end.

2 Jesus! what a strength in weakness!
   Let me hide myself in Him;
   Tempted, tried, and sometimes failing,
   He, my strength, my vict'ry wins. [Refrain]

3 Jesus! what a help in sorrow!
   While the billows o'er me roll,
   Even when my heart is breaking,
   He, my comfort, helps my soul. [Refrain]

4 Jesus! what a guide and keeper!
   While the tempest still is high,
   Storms about me, night o'ertakes me,
   He, my pilot, hears my cry. [Refrain]

5 Jesus! I do now receive Him,
   More than all in Him I find,
   He hath granted me forgiveness,
   I am His, and He is mine. [Refrain]
                         J. Wilbur Chapman
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Civilization...

“Civilization was fun while it lasted.”—David Brooks in the New York Times, April 10, 2025

The Unveiled Christ

236 The Unveiled Christ

1 Once our blessed Christ of beauty
   Was veiled off from human view;
   But thro' suff'ring, death and sorrow
   He has rent the veil in two.

Chorus:
   O behold the Man of Sorrows,
   O behold Him in plain view;
   Lo! He is the mighty conqu'ror,
   Since He rent the veil in two.
   Lo! He is the mighty conqu'ror,
   Since He rent the veil in two.

2 Now He is with God the Father,
   Interceding there for you;
   For He is the mighty conqu'ror,
   Since He rent the veil in two. (Chorus)

3 Holy angels bow before Him,
   Men of earth give praises due;
   For He is the well-beloved
   Since He rent the veil in two. (Chorus)
                         N. B. Herrell
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I don't recall ever hearing or singing this hymn, which isn't surprising, given that it only occurs in 25 hymnals. Hymnary.org adds a fourth verse:

4 Thro'out time and endless ages,
   Heights and depths of love so true;
   He alone can be the giver
   Since He rent the veil in two. (Chorus)

Join All the Glorious Names

232 Join All the Glorious Names

1. Join all the glorious names
   Of wisdom, love, and power,
   That ever mortals knew,
   That angels ever bore:
   All are too mean to speak His worth,
   To poor to set my Savior forth.

2. Great prophet of my God,
   My tongue would bless Thy name,
   By Thee the joyful news
   Of our salvation came,
   The joyful news of sin forgiv’n
   Of hell subdued, and peace with Heav’n.

3. Divine, almighty Lord,
   My conqueror and my King,
   Thy scepter and Thy sword,
   Thy reigning grace I sing:
   Thine is the power; behold I sit
   In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.

4. Now let my soul arise,
   And tread the tempter down;
   My captain leads me forth
   To conquest and a crown:
   A feeble saint shall win the day,
   Though death and hell obstruct the way.
                         Isaac Watts
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
This one has a lot more verses! Hymnary.org has them:

2. But O what gentle terms,
   What condescending ways,
   Doth our Redeemer use
   To teach his heav’nly grace!
   Mine eyes with joy and wonder see
   What forms of love He bears for me.

3. Arrayed in mortal flesh,
   He like an angel stands,
   And holds the promises
   And pardons in His hands;
   Commissioned from His Father’s throne
   To make His grace to mortals known.

5. Be Thou my counselor,
   My pattern, and my guide,
   And through this desert land
   Still keep me near thy side:
   Nor let my feet e’er run astray
   Nor rove nor seek the crooked way.

6. I love my Shepherd’s voice,
   His watchful eyes shall keep
   My wand’ring soul among
   The thousands of His sheep:
   He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
   His bosom bears the tender lambs.

7. To this dear surety’s hand
   Will I commit my cause;
   He answers and fulfils
   His Father’s broken laws:
   Behold my soul at freedom set!
   My surety paid the dreadful debt.

8. Jesus, my great high priest,
   Offered His blood, and died;
   My guilty conscience seeks
   No sacrifice beside:
   His powerful blood did once atone,
   And now it pleads before the throne.

9. My advocate appears
   For my defense on high;
   The Father bows His ears,
   And lays His thunder by:
   Not all that hell or sin can say
   Shall turn His heart, His love away.

12. Should all the hosts of death,
   And powers of hell unknown,
   Put their most dreadful forms
   Of rage and mischief on,
   I shall be safe, for Christ displays
   Superior power, and guardian grace.

</idle musing>

How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

229 How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

1 How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
   In a believer's ear!
   It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
   And drives away his fear.

2 It makes the wounded spirit whole,
   And calms the troubled breast;
   'Tis manna to the hungry soul,
   And to the weary, rest.

3 By him, my pray'rs acceptance gain,
   Although with sin defil'd;
   Satan accuses me in vain,
   And I am own'd a child.

4 Weak is the effort of my heart,
   And cold my warmest thought;
   But when I see thee as thou art,
   I'll praise thee as I ought.
                         John Newton
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Although this hymn occurs in more than 1600 hymnals, I don't recall singing it growing up. Hymnary.org adds a fifth verse:

5 Till then, I would thy love proclaim,
   With every fleeting breath;
   And may the music of thy name
   Refresh my soul in death.

</idle musing>

I Will Sing of My Redeemer

228 I Will Sing of My Redeemer

1. I will sing of my Redeemer
   And His wondrous love to me;
   On the cruel cross He suffered
   From the curse to set me free.

Refrain:
   Sing, oh, sing of my Redeemer,
   With His blood He purchased me;
   On the cross He sealed my pardon,
   Paid the debt and made me free.

2. I will tell the wondrous story,
   How my lost estate to save,
   In His boundless love and mercy,
   He the ransom freely gave. [Refrain]

3. I will praise my dear Redeemer,
   His triumphant pow'r I'll tell,
   How the victory He giveth
   Over sin and death and hell. [Refrain]

4. I will sing of my Redeemer,
   And His heav'nly love to me;
   He from death to life hath brought me,
   Son of God, with Him to be. [Refrain]
                         Philip P. Bliss
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

226 Jesus Loves Me, This I Know

1 Jesus loves me! this I know,
   For the Bible tells me so;
   Little ones to Him belong;
   They are weak, but He is strong.

Refrain:
   Yes, Jesus loves me.
   Yes, Jesus loves me.
   Yes, Jesus loves me,
   for the Bible tells me so.

2 Jesus loves me! He who died
   Heaven's gates to open wide!
   He will wash away my sin,
   Let His little child come in. [Refrain]

3 Jesus take this heart of mine,
   Make it pure and wholly thine;
   Thou hast bled and died for me;
   I will henceforth live for Thee. [Refrain]
                         Anna Bartlett Warner
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
I didn't realize there are so many variations on this hymn. Hymnary.org lists the following, plus more:

3 Jesus loves me! loves me still,
   Tho' I'm very weak and ill;
   From His shining throne on high,
   Comes to watch me where I lie. [Refrain]

4 Jesus loves me! He will stay
   Close beside me all the way;
   If I love Him when I die
   He will take me home on high. [Refrain]

2 Jesus loves me! This I know,
   as he loved so long ago,
   Taking children on his knee,
   saying, "Let them come to me." [Refrain]

3 Jesus loves me! Still today,
   walking with me on my way,
   Wanting as a friend to give
   light and love to all who live. [Refrain]

2 Jesus loves the children dear,
   Children far away or near;
   They are safe when in His care,
   Every day and everywhere. [Chorus]

I'm fairly sure those who read this blog are familiar with the story that Karl Barth was once asked what the greatest truth in scripture was. He famously answered, "Jesus loves me, this I know." I first heard the story in an introduction to New Testament survey course.

The historicity of that report has been questioned more than once. There seem to be two versions of it, one taking place at the University of Chicago, and the other one at an eastern seminary. A while back, Roger Olson declared what he knows and why he thinks it really happened at least once. Chase the link for the story. It's kind of a fun one.
</idle musing>

Thought for the day

The twelfth revelation is that the Lord our God is supreme Being.

And after this our Lord showed himself in even greater glory, it seemed to me, than when I saw him before, and from this revelation I learned that our soul will never rest until it comes to him knowing that he is the fullness of joy, of everyday and princely blessedness and the only true life. Our Lord Jesus said repeatedly, ‘It is I, it is I; it is I who am highest; it is I you love; it is I who delight you; it is I you serve; it is I you long for; it is I you desire; it is I who am your purpose; it is I who am all; it is I that Holy Church preaches and teaches you; it is I who showed myself to you here.’ The number of these utterances went beyond my wit and all my understanding and all my powers, and it is supreme, it seems to me, for there is included within it—I cannot tell how much; but the joy that I perceived as they were revealed surpasses all that the heart may wish and the soul may desire; and therefore the utterances are not fully explained here, but, according to the powers of understanding and loving which are given by the grace of God, may everyone receive them as our Lord intended.—Julian of Norwich, Revelations of Divine Love, 78

I Stand Amazed

223 I Stand Amazed

1. I stand amazed in the presence
   Of Jesus the Nazarene,
   And wonder how He could love me,
   A sinner, condemned, unclean.

Refrain:
   How marvelous! how wonderful!
   And my song shall ever be;
   How marvelous! how wonderful!
   Is my Savior's love for me!

2. For me it was in the garden
   He prayed, "Not my will, but Thine;"
   He had no tears for His own griefs,
   But sweat drops of blood for mine. [Refrain]

3. In pity, angels beheld him,
   And came from the world of light
   To comfort him in the sorrows
   He bore for my soul that night. [Refrain]

4. He took my sins and my sorrows,
   He made them his very own;
   He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
   And suffered, and died alone. [Refrain]

5. When with the ransomed in glory
   His face I at last shall see,
   'Twill be my joy thro' the ages
   To sing of His love for me. [Refrain]
                         Charles H. Gabriel
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Tozer for Tuesday

Looking back over the past, beginning all the way back to the Garden of Eden, we will discover that God spared no pains in laying out for us this pathway. The purpose of God from the very beginning of creation is fulfilled in the regenerated heart of every believer who now can enjoy the manifest, conscious presence of the living God. The way into God’s presence is the delight of the redeemed. It is where he belongs, naturally.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 121

No, Not One!

221 No, Not One!

1 There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
   No, not one! no, not one!
   None else could heal all our soul's diseases,
   No, not one! no, not one!

Chorus:
   Jesus knows all about our struggles,
   He will guide till the day is done,
   There's not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
   No, not one! no, not one!

2 No friend like Him is so high and holy,
   No, not one! no, not one! And yet no friend is so meek and lowly,
   No, not one! no, not one! [Chorus]

3 There's not an hour that He is not near us,
   No, not one! no, not one!
   No night so dark but His love can cheer us,
   No, not one! no, not one! [Chorus]

4 Did ever saint find this friend forsake him?
   No, not one! no, not one!
   Or sinner find that He would not take him?
   No, not one! no, not one! [Chorus]

5 Was ere a gift like the Saviour given?
   No, not one! no, not one!
   Will He refuse us a home in heaven?
   No, not one! no, not one! [Chorus]
                         Johnson Oatman Jr.
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
The hymn only occurs in about 425 hymnals and most of them omit either verse 4 or verse 5. According to the bibliography at the link, he wrote over 3000 hymns and was quite popular in his day. Despite his being a Methodist, neither of my Methodist hymnals have a hymn by him!
</idle musing>

Are you just dunked?

What I often ponder is how many Christians are there who are Christians only by instruction, religious education or having somebody manipulate them by dunking them in a baptismal pool or sprinkling water on them?

How many of these people come to church every Sunday, take part in the services on Sunday and yet are not known for being Christians, because away from the church they do not act like a Christian? They are Christians by assumption, by manipulation or instruction, rather than by regeneration.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 120

Strong, Righteous Man of Galilee

Strong, Righteous Man of Galilee

1. Strong, righteous Man of Galilee,
   With borrowed peace we follow Thee:
   In temple court, Thy cleansing rod;
   On Pharisees, the scorn of God.
   With borrowed peace we follow Thee,
   Strong, righteous Man of Galilee.

2. Firm, peaceful Man of Galilee,
   With borrowed strength we follow Thee:
   Not to revenge, but heal and pray,
   To turn the cheek and tribute pay:
   With borrowed strength we follow Thee,
   Firm, peaceful Man of Galilee.

3. Calm, suffering Man of Galilee,
   With borrowed grace we follow Thee:
   Love at the well, share Martha’s loss,
   Forgive the nails, and take the cross.
   With borrowed grace we follow Thee,
   Calm, suffering Man of Galilee.

4. God’s peaceful Man of Galilee,
   Love’s triumph, we shall follow Thee:
   To crumble every boundary wall,
   Build highways to the hearts of all.
   Love’s triumph, we shall follow Thee,
   God’s peaceful Man of Galilee.
                         Harry Webb Farrington
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Well, I haven't run acrosss one as rare as this one in a long time. It occurs in about twelve hymnals. I don't recall ever hearing it sung or singing it. I do like the second verse:

With borrowed strength we follow Thee:
Not to revenge, but heal and pray,
To turn the cheek and tribute pay:

Not the version of strength that most today think of when the say "Christianity"! More's the pity. Theirs is a caricature of true Christianity. True Christianity features a self-emptying God, not a wrathful "kill the enemies" kind of god.

Note that most versions say, "Girt with Thy..." instead of "with borrowed," but the substance is the same—it's not ours, but his.
</idle musing>

Tell Me the Story of Jesus

215 Tell Me the Story of Jesus

1 Tell me the story of Jesus,
   write on my heart every word;
   tell me the story most precious,
   sweetest that ever was heard.
   Tell how the angels, in chorus
   sang as they welcomed his birth,
   "Glory to God in the highest!
   Peace and good tidings to earth."

Refrain:
   Tell me the story of Jesus,
   write on my heart every word;
   tell me the story most precious,
   sweetest that ever was heard.

2 Fasting alone in the desert,
   tell of the days that he passed,
   how for our sins he was tempted,
   yet was triumphant at last.
   Tell of the years of his labor,
   tell of the sorrow he bore;
   he was despised and afflicted,
   homeless, rejected, and poor. [Refrain]

3 Tell of the cross where they nailed him,
   writhing in anguish and pain;
   tell of the grave where they laid him;
   tell how he liveth again.
   Love in that story so tender,
   clearer than ever I see:
   stay, let me weep while you whisper,
   Love paid the ransom for me. [Refrain]
                         Fanny J. Crosby
                         Hymns for the Family of God

I Think When I Read That Sweet Story

213 I Think When I Read That Sweet Story

1 I think when I read that sweet story of old,
   When Jesus was here among men,
   How He called little children as lambs to His fold,
   I should like to have been with them then.

Refrain:
   I should like to have been with them then,
   I should like to have been with them then;
   How He called little children as lambs to His fold,
   I should like to have been with them then.

2 I wish that His hands had been placed on my head,
   That His arm had been thrown around me;
   And that I might have seen His kind look when He said,
   "Let the little ones come unto Me."

3 Yet still to His footstool in prayer I may go,
   And ask for a share in His love;
   And if I now earnestly seek Him below,
   I shall see Him and hear Him above.
                         Jemima T. Luke
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
A fairly popular hymn, occurring in more than 750 hymnals. I don't recall ever singing it. Hymnary.org adds a fourth verse:

4 In that beautiful place He has gone to prepare,
   For all who are washed and forgiven;
   And many dear children are gathering there,
   For "Of such is the kingdom of heaven."

</idle musing>

Can salvation be taught?

But the serious error facing the church today is its belief that salvation can be taught. Set a person down or a group of people and teach them what the Bible says and ask them if they believe it and if they accept it and so forth. When everybody nods their head in the affirmative, we lead them into believing that they have now been born again.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 119

O Sing a Song of Bethlehem

208 O Sing a Song

1. O sing a song of Bethlehem,
   Of shepherds watching there,
   And of the news that came to them
   From angels in the air.
   The light that shone on Bethlehem
   Fills all the world today;
   Of Jesus' birth and peace on earth
   The angels sing alway.

2. O sing a song of Nazareth,
   Of sunny days of joy,
   O sing of fragrant flowers' breath,
   And of the sinless Boy;
   For now the flow'rs of Nazareth
   In ev'ry heart may grow;
   Now spreads the fame of His dear name
   On all the winds that blow.

3. O sing a song of Galilee,
   Of lake and woods and hil,
   Of Him who walked upon the sea
   And bade its waves be still;
   For tho' like waves on Galilee,
   Dark seas of trouble roll,
   When faith has heard the Master's word,
   Falls peace upon the soul.

4. O sing a song of Calvary,
   Its glory and dismay;
   Of Him who hung upon the tree
   And took our sins away.
   For He who died on Calvary
   Is risen from the grave,
   And Christ, our Lord, by heav'n adored,
   Is mighty now to save.
                         Louis F. Benson
                         Hymns for the Family of God

Citing the NRSV updated edition

Now that the updated edition of the NRSV has been out for a while, I'm starting to see it cited. But, How do you cite it? I've seen NRSVUE (all caps) and NRSV^ue. But the real question, for me anyway, because I mainly edit for publishers who use as their foundation style sheet SBLHS2, is: What does SBL recommend?

I emailed them and they responded that they were following the National Council of Churches (the body that owns the translation) recommendation: NRSVue (no superscript).

Ironic, isn't it, that the recommended way is the one I have hardly ever seen.

Go here for a complete list of copyediting-related posts.

His love is reaching

200 His Love … Reaching

Right from the beginning God’s love has reached, and from the beginning man has refused to understand. But love went on reaching, offering itself. Love offered the eternal … we wanted the immediate. Love offered deep joy … we wanted thrills. Love offered freedom … we wanted license. Love offered communion with God Himself … we wanted wanted to worship at the shrine of our own minds. Love offered peace … we wanted approval for our wars. Even yet, love went on reaching. And still today, after two two thousand years, patiently, lovingly, Christ is reaching out to us today. Right through the chaos of our world, through the confusion of our minds. He is reaching … longing share with us … the very being of God.

His love still is longing. His love is still reaching, right past the shackles of my mind. And the Word of the Father became Mary’s little Son. And His love reached all the way to where I was.
—Gloria Gaither
Hymns for the Family of God

What are you chasing after?

It is this presence of God that is the “other” each generation seeks and longs for, if only they knew it.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 107

An advent meditation (yes, I know it's Lent!)

189 How Proper It Is

How proper it is that Christmas should follow Advent.
-For him who looks toward the future, the Manger is situated on Golgotha, and the Cross has already been raised in Bethlehem.—Dag Hammarskjöld Hymns for the Family of God

Trust? Or obey? Which is it?

An old saint was once asked, “Which is more important: prayer or the reading of the Word?” He thought for a moment and then responded, “Which is more important to the bird, the right wing or the left?” That is a question I want to pose: Which is more important to a Christian, believing or obeying? For the sparrow flying through the air, both wings are equally important. With only one it is almost impossible to fly. So, we must believe God’s Word and we must obey it. By these two wings, a man will rise to God in faith and humble obedience to the Lord Himself.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 106

I Wonder as I Wander

183 I Wonder as I Wander

1 I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
   how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
   for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
   I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.

2 When Mary birthed Jesus, 'twas in a cow's stall
   with wise men and farmers and shepherd and all.
   but high from God's heaven a star's light did fall,
   and the promise of ages it did then recall.

3 If Jesus had wanted for any wee thing,
   a star in the sky, or a bird on the wing,
   or all of God's angels in heaven for to sing,
   he surely could have it, 'cause he was the King.

4 I wonder as I wander, out under the sky,
   how Jesus the Savior did come for to die
   for poor ordinary people like you and like I;
   I wonder as I wander, out under the sky.
                         Appalachian carol
                         Collected by John Jacob Niles
                         Hymns for the Family of God