Round the Sphere Again

Don’t Forget
that you need to get your list of ten favorite hymns to Sherry by Sunday to be included in her Top 100 Hymns Survey. I’ll be very disappointed if you don’t send her your list. And you don’t have to be a blogger to do this, you know.

Speaking of Hymns
In a breakout session at the Basics Conference 2009, Keith Getty (In Christ Alone, The Power of the Cross, etc.) explained what he’s trying to accomplish with the hymns he writes. You can hear the audio here (mp3). Here are a couple of things I learned:

• How he feels about people changing the words to his songs: It’s rude and wrong, illegal, and it’s often theological heresy. In other words, he’s not a big fan of it. The biggest reason people want to change the words to his hymns is to remove mention of the wrath of God. If you want to change the words to his songs, he’d rather you not use the songs.
• On giving new tunes to old hymns: He grew up loving hymns, so for him, it’s a little like putting a mustache on the Mona Lisa.

And while we’re on the subject of tunes and hymns, Brandon Watson has an interesting post on hymnic meter.

Once upon a time hymns did not come prepackaged the way they do now; lyrics and tunes were detachable. The tune for “Amazing Grace” originally was called “New Britain”; it was a separate thing, and many different songs were sung to it.

Arcing the Text
Biblical arcing is a tool to help you work through the flow of thought in the Biblical text. I’m currently working my way through the Gospel of John in my daily reading, and I’ve been arcing some passages at BibleArc.com. I’m finding the exercise both very fun and very useful. If you’re not sure what I’m going on about, take the Bible Arcing Tutoral.

Resistance is Futile
Yes, God mapped out your entire life before you even existed, but since he’s completely trustworthy, why would that disturb you?

Many professing believers can’t stand the idea that God has a blueprint for your life and mine. And they don’t understand how believers like me could abide such a God.

Well, my attitude is just the opposite: I don’t understand how they can sing and pray to a God whom they would never trust with their own lives, or the lives of their loved ones. They have less faith in God than they abode in their doctor or babysitter.

A God you can’t bring yourself to trust with your life is not a God you should bring into your life. What kind of God do you really believe in?

[Steves Hayes at Triablogue]

Preventing Boredom
Should you forget your book, here’s a convenient origami project.

My Favorite Fruit is a Vegetable
Two recipes for using your rhubarb:

• Rhubarb Compote (HT to TTT)
• Rhubarb Soda (HT to LP, who would use less sugar next time.)

On the Ropes
Only one looks truly dangerous, but they all look a little scary.

Theological Term of the Week

prophet (as an office of Christ)
The office by which Christ “reveals God to us and speaks to us the words of God.”1

• From scripture, the prediction2:

  I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19 ESV)
  

• From the Westminster Larger Catechism:

  Question 43: How does Christ execute the office of a prophet?

  Answer: Christ executes the office of a prophet, in his revealing to the church, in all ages, by his Spirit and Word, in divers ways of administration, the whole will of God, in all things concerning their edification and salvation.

• From In Understanding Be Men by T. C. Hammond:

  1. Our Lord is the consummation of the line of Hebrew prophets. For example, see Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22, 26.
  
  2. He spoke with immediate prophetic authority, replacing ‘Thus says the Lord’ by ‘I say to you’. His ministry was characterized by direct authority, and also contained less of the predictive element than the messages of some of the earlier prophets. The other chief characteristics of His prophetic ministry were His incisive parabolic preaching to the common people, His eschatological pronouncements centering in the imminence of the kingdom of God, and His self-revelation as the Son of man through whose sufferings and exaltation the kingdom would come.
  
  3. He confirmed His prophetic ministry by performing miracles of healing, etc., such as had accompanied the beginnings of new epochs in the previous history of Israel.
  
  4. He continues His prophetic office, in a mediate sense, through the apostles and in the gifts of ministry in the church.

Learn more:

1. Matthew Henry: A Scripture Catechism in the Method of the Assembly’s, Question 24.
2. J. C. Philpot: Jesus the Great Prophet to His People
3. Thomas Watson: Body of Divinity Contained in Sermons upon the Assembly’s Catechism
4. Wayne Grudem: Chapter 29: The Offices of Christ: Prophet, Priest, and King, part 1 (mp3)

1From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, page 624.

2See threefold office(s) of Christ for a text that shows that Christ is the fulfillment of this promise to raise up a prophet like Moses.

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. I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. I’ll give you credit and a link back to your blog if I use your suggestion.

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

Sunday's Hymn

Next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, we’ll be worshiping in tongues in my church. We’ll be singing hymns in several of the native languages found in our congregation, including Mandarin, Japanese, Tagalog, French, German, Spanish, Dutch and Slovak.

Here’s one we’ll be singing. Can you tell which hymn it is and what language it’s in?

O Cristong kaibigibig,
Umaako ng sakit,
Sa dalangi’y ninanais
Lagi Kang makaniig.

Kay bigat ng kasalanan
Kung kami ang papasan;
Kung Ikaw ay kaagapay,
Hirap ay naiibsan.

Completely stumped? Here is is in English.

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

• Lord’s Day 21, 2009 at The Thirsty Theologian
• O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus at The Happy Wonderer
• O Christ, Thou Hast Ascended at Nova Scotia Scott
• Ah, Holy Jesus at Hiraeth
• Be Thou My Vision at Fieldstone Cottage
• Commit Whatever Grieves Thee at joythruChrist

Have you posted a hymn today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.