Romans 5:18 Consequently,
just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so
also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings
life for all men.
The other day one of my Facebook
friends sent me an article concerning my denomination, the PCUSA. It was about our
Committee on Song’s rejection of the beautiful contemporary hymn, “In Christ
Alone.” It was expected to be included in the new hymnal, mainly because
congregations like my own love to frequently sing it. However, it was rejected
by the PCUSA committee because the original writers of the hymn, Keith Getty
and Stuart Townend, would not allow the lyrics to be changed.
The original song contains the lines:
“Till on
that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of
God was satisfied.”
The Committee proposed an alternative:
“Till on
that cross as Jesus died
The love of
God was magnified.”
Some members of the Committee were repulsed by
the idea of God being wrathful; the original lyricists would not permit their
words to be changed because they believed it would change the entire theology
of the whole song.
It’s moments like this which cause
me to question the road that my denomination is traveling down. We seem to take
great offence of being reminded that we are sinners, condemned by a just and
holy God, in need of total and absolute salvation. If we do not acknowledge or
understand the depths of our sinful depravity which is offensive to God, then
we will never accept the need for salvation from our sins.
I admire Getty and Townend for their
insistence on keeping to the original lyrics; I deplore the Committee on Song
for having surrendered Reformed theology and replacing it with New Age
mentality. It’s a sad day for the church when we go into denial about the wrath
of God, the gravity of which sent Jesus to the Cross instead of ourselves.
As a much better pastor than I will
ever attain to be once wrote, “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on
ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring
repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession....
Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace
without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer: The Cost of
Discipleship.
Question for personal reflection
Do I honestly
believe that my sins have no eternal consequences? Do I really feel as though
God will forgive me of anything through repenting of nothing?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we stand condemned as
sinful creatures under a holy and perfect God. Without You, we would have no
forgiveness; without Your bloody sacrifice, we could not be redeemed or restored
to God. In You alone, we have salvation. Keep us from taking Your grace for
granted by reminding us of the terrible cost. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If
you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of my 2013 Easter drawings called “Outside a City Wall.” If you
would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7027482543_2af1a2c5f8_b.jpg
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