Sunday's Hymn: He Hideth My Soul

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
A wonderful Savior to me;
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock,
Where rivers of pleasure I see.

Refrain

He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land;
He hideth my life with the depths of His love,
And covers me there with His hand,
And covers me there with His hand.

A wonderful Savior is Jesus my Lord,
He taketh my burden away;
He holdeth me up, and I shall not be moved,
He giveth me strength as my day.

With numberless blessings each moment He crowns,
And filled with His fullness divine,
I sing in my rapture, oh, glory to God
For such a Redeemer as mine!

When clothed in His brightness, transported I rise
To meet Him in clouds of the sky,
His perfect salvation, His wonderful love
I’ll shout with the millions on high.

—Fanny Crosby

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

• Update: Jesus, Lover of My Soul at Jam and Books
• Update: Oh God of Beauty and Grace! at Gospel Grace
• Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken at By Grace Alone
• Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent at The Happy Wonderer
• I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say at Challies.com
• Mighty Creator, Merciful and Tender at Conjubilant With Song
• Voices from the Past #21 at Tried With Fire 
• Lord’s Day 21, 2013 at The Thirsty Theologian
• You Weekly Dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: Faultless

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.

Book Review: The Atonement

The Atonement: Its Meaning and Significance Its Meaning & Significance by Leon Morris

As church librarian, I do a monthly review of a book found in our church library for the church newsletter. Can you believe that even though I’ve recommended this book over and over, I’ve never done a proper review of it? So here you go, a draft version June’s review. Want to help me proofread/edit it before I sent it off to the newsletter editor? This is the edited version, about 50 words shorter than what I originally posted.

Leon Morris was an Australian New Testament scholar and author most noted for The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, his scholarly work examining the biblical words related to the cross of Christ and defending the historical doctrine of the atonement from the testimony of Scripture. It is considered by many to be a classic, but it’s also a technical book, written by a scholar for other scholars, and not accessible to the layperson.

The Atonement was put together from the material in The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross, but presented in a simpler, less technical form. We might think of it as the average Christian’s version of Apostolic Preaching. It’s a biblical study of the terms associated with the atonement—“the great words,” to quote the introduction, “used to bring out the meaning of the cross.” 

Morris shows us the multifaceted nature of the cross work of Christ as described through biblical words—justification, sacrifice, propitiation, redemption, and reconciliation, to list a few. Christ’s death can be viewed through many lenses: as payment in exchange for freedom (redemption), as the turning of enemies into friends (reconciliation), or the turning away of wrath (propitiation), and more. Each perspective on this gracious act at the center of Christianity adds to our understanding of its significance.

What’s more, even though it was written in the 1980s drawing from research done in the 1950s, many of the arguments in The Atonement, especially those found in the chapter on propitiation, are applicable to current debates about the nature of the atonement.

The Atonement is on a very short list of basic theology books I’d recommend to any believer. It’s of classic quality, but not difficult to read—and short enough for those who do a page count first and eliminate anything over 200 pages. And what’s more important than understanding what Christ accomplished for us on the cross?

Thankful Thursday

I’m thankful that my youngest son arrives home from his trip to Europe on Saturday afternoon. He’s been travelling there for seven weeks, long enough to make us all extremely happy that he’s coming home. I’m thankful that God kept him safe and healthy while he was gone. 

I’m  thankful that I worry a lot less than I used to. Does that sound like I’m thanking God for something I do—or, in this case, don’t do? It’s not—not really—because I only worry less because I am more sure of God’s care in everything, even tragic circumstances. And that assuredness is God—worked: I’ve seen him working all things together for my good; I’ve known his upholding hand.

I’m thankful that I’m still healthy and strong enough to tackle the spring yard and garden prep. I’m thankful for good weather—finally, and buds on the May Day tree.

I’m thankful for all the time I’ve had alone over the past weeks. (I’m one of those people who enjoys big chunks of uninterrupted time to read books or work on projects.) I’m also thankful that I haven’t had too much time alone.