(By: Eddie Goodwin)

In 2004, while training as a ministerial student, I had the privilege of preaching an assigned doctrinal-topical sermon on the imputed righteousness of Christ. Though the sermon and its delivery bore the obvious marks of a novice preacher struggling to grow and develop, the doctrine itself was nevertheless glorious.  What child of God can hear such words as “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21) and not be moved in the very depths of his blood-bought soul!

For me personally, the theology of that particular study led to doxology in a most unexpected way.  The fruit of that particular study led to the writing of a song.  The lyrics are set to the public domain tune used for The Church’s One Foundation.  This song is being shared with the hope that you will be renewed in your ardent love and zeal for the One whose one act of obedience resulted in justification of life to all men (Rom. 5:18).

Christ, Our Righteousness (tune: The Church’s One Foundation)

Through Adam’s one transgression death came to all the race

The hope of life then perished and judgment took its place

The cherubim were stationed to bar the holy tree

Unrighteousness and sorrow became man’s legacy.

Yet, in that darkest moment of mankind’s greatest need

God intervened in mercy by promising a seed

A suf-fer-ing Deliv’rer would crush the serpent’s head

while offering up obedience in fallen Adam’s stead.

In vain do sinners labor and trust in deeds they’ve done

To satisfy God’s justice we need the Righteous One

The Sacrifice unblemished, ordained to bleed and die

in resurrection glory now lives to justify.

O marvelous reversal, the sinless One made sin!

The curse of Law is broken for those who enter in

By grace through faith receive Him–the Son that we adore

who grants to over-comers the tree of life once more.

We’ll revel in our Savior, the precious, spotless Lamb

when dressed in white apparel before the judgment stand

We’ll boast in none but Jesus, no works will we profess

but rest forever, only, in Christ our Righteousness.

 

(By David Giarrizzo…and Isaac Watts)

How sweet and awful is the place
With Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
The choicest of her stores!

While all our hearts and all our songs
Join to admire the feast,
Each of us cry, with thankful tongues,
“Lord, why was I a guest?

“Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
And enter while there’s room,
When thousands make a wretched choice,
And rather starve than come?”

’Twas the same love that spread the feast
That sweetly forced us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
And perished in our sin.

Why was I made to hear? Why was I made to come? Why was I made to sit? Why was I made to eat? Thousands upon thousands, born in sinful rebellion just like me, remain in the dark outside of the banquet-hall of God. And yet, for whatever reason that pleased Him, the loving Father has accepted this prodigal wretch and has given me a place at His heavenly table. Nothing I could do would ever repay this debt I owe. The King has made this enemy His child. By this I begin to understand grace.

Pity the nations, O our God!
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
And bring the strangers home.

The love of God, as expressed through the sending and dying and resurrecting of His only Son, Jesus Christ, has been lavished upon those from every tribe, tongue, and nation whom God had chosen according to His perfect will from before the foundation of the world. That love which has drawn us, broken us, and compelled us to turn our eyes to Jesus for life everlasting—that same everlasting love that displayed salvation to me should thus compel me to pity the nations as He has.

Do I pity the nations as Christ does? Do I long to see true churches filled? If I do, then why am I not doing more to share the love of Christ? What gratitude do I show Him who redeemed my life from the grave when I do not open my mouth and tell of His wonders? What part am I playing in sending the victorious Word abroad? If God wills, might that even one stranger be sought and found and brought into the house of the Lord by way of a lowly messenger like me.

We long to see Thy churches full,
That all the chosen race
May with one voice, and heart and soul,
Sing Thy redeeming grace.

God’s redeeming grace will be the unified song of all God’s children for all eternity. The harmony of heaven will sound forever to the only One Who is worthy to receive all power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.

God give me the strength to sing this song as long as you give me days. Amen.

(By: John Miller)

My wife and I are lovers of music. We thank the Lord that He created music and has given it to us to enjoy. We both enjoy listening to music, and we both enjoy (at least attempting) to make music. She plays the piano, and I play the guitar, and we both love to sing. We are both musical, though my wife is far more musical than I am! (After all, she is the one who was a music major in college and taught elementary school music for three years after we were first married!) Needless to say, we enjoy music, and we take pleasure in various styles of music at that. We can delight in the intricacies of Mozart and enjoy the simplicity of the children’s songs we sing with our three year old daughter. Most of all, we delight in singing the praises of God with His people in corporate worship. But this has also been the occasion of great grief in our hearts, especially when we witness the people of God fighting with one another over this issue and causing dissension and division in the church of Jesus Christ. The worship wars, beloved, should not be! Yet the issue of music in worship has been the circumstance through which selfishness, hatred, jealousy, envy, anger, rage, malice and all manner of sins of the heart have come to be expressed among the people of God. Oh, may the Lord have mercy, and first forgive us of our sins and sanctify our hearts! Then may the Lord give us wisdom, especially those of us with the responsibility of leading the people of God in worshipping God through song.


It is in this area of wisdom that I believe it is helpful to listen and learn from those who have gone before us. What have they said about issues of musical style in worship? With this thought in mind, allow me to leave you with a quote from Edward T. Hiscox, a baptist pastor who lived from 1814-1901. While you may not agree with everything that he says, learn from him what you can and will. The following quote is taken from his work Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches, published in 1893.

Since the true idea of sacred song is that the people shall worship, not witness a performance, therefore the style of music should be such as the people can perform. But the mass of worshipers can never go beyond the simplest elements of any art or science; therefore the music for Christian service should be of the simplest kind, in structure and execution, and limited to a small number of tunes. Music more complicated in structure, and more artistic in execution, a few could perform, and perhaps more highly enjoy; but it could not express the devotion of the great majority of worshipers because they could not unite in it. Devotion seeks plain choral harmonies in which to utter its worship.

The leaders of Church music will be constantly endeavoring to treat the congregation to a greater variety in style and execution; but this will be a departure from the true idea of worship. As our religious services are usually arranged it may be very well to introduce them with an anthem, a chant, or a sentence by the choir; and possibly a short set piece somewhere before the sermon; perhaps immediately following the “long prayer,” but before the notices, and the second hymn. But the hymns – and the prevailing custom calls for three – should be sung to simple music, so familiar that the people can sing them, without an effort to remember the tune, and without danger of losing it, all thought being given to the sentiment and spirit of the words.

Lord, may you continue to grow us to be more like your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, in love, wisdom, and grace, even in this area of music in your church. Amen.

Here’s a song by John Newton that has given me comfort and courage this week:

Begone Unbelief

Begone unbelief, My Savior is near,
And for my relief Will surely appear:
By faith let me wrestle, with God in the storm
And help me my Savior, the faith to adorn
And help me my Savior, the faith to adorn

Though dark be my way, Since he is my guide,
‘Tis mine to obey, and His to provide;
Though cisterns be broken, And creatures all fail,
The word he has spoken will surely prevail.
The word he has spoken will surely prevail.

Chorus
Begone unbelief, The Savior is here
Though cisterns be broken And creatures all fail
The word he has spoken will surely prevail
The word he has spoken will surely prevail

Why should I complain, Of want or distress
Temptation or pain? He told me no less
The heirs of salvation, I know from his word
Through much tribulation Must follow their Lord
Through much tribulation Must follow their Lord
Chorus

Since all that I meet will work for my good,
The bitter is sweet, The medicine food;
Though painful at present, will cease before long,
And then, O! how glorious, The conqueror’s song!
And then, O! how glorious, The conqueror’s song!
Chorus

©2005 Kevin Twit Music.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad;
The passover of gladness,
The passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
From earth unto the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over,
With hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil,
That we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal
Of resurrection light;
And listening to his accents,
May hear, so calm and plain,
His own “All hail!” and, hearing,
May raise the victor strain.

Now let the heavens be joyful!
Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph,
And all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen
Their notes in gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen,
Our joy that hath no end.

John Mason Neale

(By David Giarrizzo)

I was raised in a Reformed Baptist church. So as far as my taste for music in worship goes, I am an avid admirer of the hymns. From before I could read I was singing hymns. I sang them not just at church, but at home, at school, and in the car. I knew the hymns and loved them from a very young age—their words and tunes. And I used to think that by definition, all hymns were at least a hundred years old. But I was wrong.

Over the past few years I have noticed a resurgence of sorts in some circles of evangelical America: A forsaking of the shallow, rock-driven, “Jesus-is-my-boyfriend” praise choruses and a return to the deep, theologically-substantive, time-tested hymns. Some groups have sought to put old words to new music (“contextualizing??”), while others have just written their own original songs.

This hymn below, based on a selection from The Valley of Vision, is a hymn that was written by Bob Kauflin in 2006, and has become one of my favorites.

O great God of highest heav’n,
Occupy my lowly heart.
Own it all and reign supreme,
Conquer every rebel pow’r.
Let no vice or sin remain
That resists Your holy war.
You have loved and purchased me,
Make me Yours forever more.

I was blinded by my sin,
Had no ears to hear Your voice,
Did not know Your love within,
Had no taste for heaven’s joys.
Then Your Spirit gave me life,
Opened up Your Word to me
Through the gospel of Your Son,
Gave me endless hope and peace.

Help me now to live a life
That’s dependent on Your grace.
Keep my heart and guard my soul
From the evils that I face.
You are worthy to be praised
With my every thought and deed.
O great God of highest heav’n,
Glorify Your Name through me.

© 2006 Sovereign Grace Praise (BMI).