Sunday's Hymn: How Firm a Foundation

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

—From John Rip­pon’s  Se­lect­ion of Hymns.

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

• Update: I Love to Tell the Story at Random Thoughts From a Cluttered Mind
• At Calvary at By Grace Alone
• When I Survey the Wondrous Cross at Gospel Grace
• Beloved, Let Us Love at The Happy Wonderer
• Voices From the Past #7 at Tried With Fire 
• Lord’s Day 7, 2013 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Your Weekly Dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: The mother of Hell

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

There is often a whirl of people (and maybe their dogs) in and out of my home, but now, as I write, it is peaceful. Those who were here have gone home for the day and it is quiet. I am thankful that God gives me stillness when I need it.

This morning I had my hair cut, so today I thank God for my hairdresser.  She likes to complain, but she works hard and does a good job, and as with those in most lawful vocations, she is an instrument of God’s providence. 

She told me, as she finished my blow dry (and I quote), “You have nothing to complain about with your hair. It’s thick; it has body; and it’s naturally blonde. It kind of does it’s own thing, but it still usually looks good.” I’m glad she reminded me—and on Thankful Thursday—to be thankful the gift of hair. My hair. Thick and willful, but good.

I’m thankful for fresh strawberries in my yogurt in the middle of winter.

Tomorrow my third grandchild will be born. I am thankful that my soon-to-be born grandchild and his/her mother are in God’s hands. I’m thankful that my grandchildren have good parents to love and care for them.

Purposes of Christ's Death: 1 Peter 2:24

This is another updated and reposted piece from an old series of posts examining the purpose statement that scripture gives us regarding the death of Christ. 

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. (1 Peter 2:24 ESV)

The purpose statement in this verse is “that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.” Christ’s death was designed to cause a change of behaviour in those to whom it is applied. 

Christ took our sin upon himself when he died on the cross (a clear reference to the substitutional nature of his death), and this makes a new way of life a reality for us. From the ESV study notes for this verse: 

Jesus’ death should lead to a profound change in the lives of believers, so that they now sever all ties with evil (die to sin) and devote themselves to living in a holy manner (live to righteousness).

Because Jesus died in our place, sin no longer has power over us and so we begin to live righteously. Another scriptural way to express this is to say that those who die with Christ — or those for whom Christ died — rise with him to new life, a life in the Spirit (see Romans 6:1-10). 

Some people use this verse to prove that Christ’s death brings us physical healing, but I don’t think that’s the kind of healing Peter had in mind. “By whose wounds you have been healed” is sandwiched between two statements about spiritual change — living to righteousness, and returning ‘to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” The healing refered to is not physical, but spiritual.1 It is freedom from sin’s power resulting in a new righteous way of life, and this inner healing that works righteous behavior is one of the planned consequences of Christ’s death.

Another purpose of Christ’s death is to cause those united with him to stop sinning and live righteously.

---

1Although this verse does not refer to physical healing, Christ’s death does result in physical healing for those united with him. This will happen in the future when they are glorified.