Sunday's Hymn: O for a Closer Walk with God

O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

Where is the blessedness I knew,
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul refreshing view
Of Jesus and His Word?

What peaceful hours I once enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But they have left an aching void
The world can never fill.

Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest!
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn
And drove Thee from my breast.

The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.

So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

—William Cowper

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• Jehovah, God the Father, Bless at The Happy Wonderer
• Your Great Name at Gospel Grace
• A Mighty Fortress Is Our God at By Grace Alone
• The Puritans: Stephen Charnock at Challies.com
• The Lord’s Prayer: The Second Petition at Tried With Fire 
• Lord’s Day 35, 2013 at The Thirsty Theologian
• You Weekly Dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: Pull that rope again!

Have you posted a hymn (or sermon, sermon notes, prayer, etc.) today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by contacting me using the contact form linked above, and I’ll add your post to the list.

Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful 

• for beautiful late summer days and frost-free nights. (At this point of the year, every frost-free night is a gift.)
• for visits from family—daughters, daughter-in-law, grandchildren and granddogs.
• for anticipation of a free day tomorrow and the hope that I can catch up on some tasks I need to do. 
• for anticipation of a return to regular scheduling as summer ends.
• for anticipation of a visit with Kim.
• for my church and God’s work in it. 
• that God keeps me weak so I must keep trusting him for help. 
• that God provides everything I need, and also teaches me that what he doesn’t provide, I don’t need.
• that God speaks to us through nature, showing us his wisdom, power, and love, but especially that he speaks to us in his word, where we learn what he has done for us in Jesus and what he has promised for us in the future.

Theological Term of the Week

marriage
The first human institution established by God, consisting of a lifelong covenantal relationship between one man and one woman, for the purpose of helping and comforting each other, rearing children, preventing sexual immorality, picturing the relationship between Christ and the church, and glorifying God.

• From scripture:
  

  Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, 

  “This at last is bone of my bones

  and flesh of my flesh;

  she shall be called Woman,

  because she was taken out of Man.”

  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:18-24, ESV)

• From The 1689 London Baptist Confession: 
  

  Chapter 25: Of Marriage 

  1. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman; neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband at the same time. 
  
  

  2. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with a legitimate issue, and the preventing of uncleanness. 

• From God, Marriage, and Family: Rebuilding the Biblical Foundations by Andreas Kostenberger: 

  In exploring the biblical teaching on marriage, there is no more important paradigm than God’s intended pattern for marriage presented in Genesis 1–3. Although the book of Genesis was originally addressed to Israel’s wilderness generation in preparation for entering the Promised Land, the early chapters of this book provide the parameters of the Creator’s design for marriage in every age. This is reflected in Jesus’ and Paul’s teaching and applies to our own age as well… . 

  … In Genesis 1–3, the God whom Israel had come to know as Redeemer and Lawgiver is revealed as the Creator of the universe, the all-powerful, all-wise, and eternal God who spoke everything there is into being. Marriage is shown to be rooted in God’s creative act of making humanity in his image as male and female. 

Learn more:

1. GotQuestions.org: What is the definition of marriage? and What is the purpose of marriage?
2. Andreas Kostenberger: Marriage in the Old and New Testaments (pdf)
3. Al Mohler: Marriage and the Glory of God
4. John Piper: Marriage: God’s Showcase of Covenant-Keeping Grace
5. Wayne Grudem: Definition and Encouragement of Marriage (Pt. 1) (mp3), and Definition and Encouragement of Marriage (Pt. 2) (mp3)

Related terms:

• complementarianism
• creation ex nihilo
• cultural mandate
• imago Dei

Filed under Anthropology

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.