Sunday Hymn: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

My shep­herd will sup­ply my need:
Jehovah is His name;
In pas­tures fresh He makes me feed,
Beside the liv­ing stream.
He brings my wan­der­ing spir­it back
When I for­sake His ways,
And leads me, for His mer­cy’s sake,
In paths of truth and grace.

When I walk through the shades of death
Thy pre­sence is my stay;
One word of Thy sup­port­ing breath
Drives all my fears away.
Thy hand in sight of all my foes,
Doth still my ta­ble spread;
My cup with bless­ings ov­er­flows,
Thine oil an­oints my head.

The sure pro­vi­sions of my God
Attend me all my days;
O may Thy house be mine ab­ode,
And all my work be praise!
There would I find a set­tled rest,
While oth­ers go and come;
No more a strang­er, nor a guest,
But like a child at home.

—Isaac Watts

Theological Term of the Week: Noetic Effects of Sin

noetic effects of sin
The negative effect of sin on the minds and thinking of humankind, causing the reasoning ability of fallen humanity to be corrupted, especially degrading the understanding of spiritual things; also called the noetic effects of the fall.

• From scripture:

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:21 ESV).

• From the Canons of Dort:

The Third and Fourth Main Points of Doctrine

Article 1

The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature
Man was originally created in the image of God and was furnished in his mind with a true and salutary knowledge of his Creator and things spiritual, in his will and heart with righteousness, and in all his emotions with purity; indeed, the whole man was holy. However, rebelling against God at the devil’s instigation and by his own free will, he deprived himself of these outstanding gifts. Rather, in their place he brought upon himself blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in his mind; perversity, defiance, and hardness in his heart and will; and finally impurity in all his emotions.

Article 2

The Spread of Corruption
Man brought forth children of the same nature as himself after the fall. That is to say, being corrupt he brought forth corrupt children. The corruption spread, by God’s just judgment, from Adam to all his descendants - except for Christ alone - not by way of imitation (as in former times the Pelagians would have it) but by way of the propagation of his perverted nature.

Article 4

The Inadequacy of the Light of Nature
There is, to be sure, a certain light of nature remaining in man after the fall, by virtue of which he retains some notions about God, natural things, and the difference between what is moral and immoral, and demonstrates a certain eagerness for virtue and for good outward behavior. But this light of nature is far from enabling man to come to a saving knowledge of God and conversion to him - so far, in fact, that man does not use it rightly even in matters of nature and society. Instead, in various ways he completely distorts this light, whatever its precise character, and suppresses it in unrighteousness. In doing so he renders himself without excuse before God.

Learn more:

1. Ligonier Ministries: The Noetic Effects of Sin
2. Simply Put: The Noetic Effects of Sin
3. Got Questions: What are the noetic effects of sin?

Related terms:

• fall of humanity
• original sin
• total depravity 

Filed under Anthropology

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Sunday Hymn: Join All the Glorious Names

Join all the glo­ri­ous names
Of wis­dom, love, and pow­er,
That ev­er mor­tals knew,
That an­gels ev­er bore:
All are too mean to speak His worth,
Too mean to set my Sav­ior forth.

But O what gen­tle terms,
What con­des­cend­ing ways,
Doth our Re­deem­er use
To teach His heav’nly grace!
Mine eyes with joy and won­der see
What forms of love He bears for me.

Arrayed in mor­tal flesh,
He like an an­gel stands,
And holds the pro­mis­es
And par­dons in His hands;
Commissioned from His Fa­ther’s throne
To make His grace to mor­tals known.

Great Pro­phet of my God,
My tongue would bless Thy name,
By Thee the joy­ful news
Of our sal­va­tion came,
The joy­ful news of sin for­giv’n
Of hell sub­dued, and peace with Heav’n.

Be Thou my coun­se­lor,
My pat­tern, and my guide,
And through this de­sert land
Still keep me near thy side:
Nor let my feet e’er run as­tray
Nor rove nor seek the crook­ed way.

I love my shep­herd’s voice,
His watch­ful eyes shall keep
My wan­d’ring soul among
The thou­sands of His sheep:
He feeds His flock, He calls their names,
His bo­som bears the ten­der lambs.

To this dear sure­ty’s hand
Will I com­mit my cause;
He an­swers and ful­fills
His Fa­ther’s brok­en laws:
Behold my soul at free­dom set!
My sure­ty paid the dread­ful debt.

Jesus, my great high priest,
Offered His blood, and died;
My guil­ty con­science seeks
No sac­ri­fice be­side:
His pow­er­ful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads be­fore the throne.

My ad­vo­cate ap­pears
For my de­fense on high;
The Fa­ther bows His ears,
And lays His thun­der by:
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn His heart, His love away.

My dear al­migh­ty Lord,
My con­quer­or and my king,
Thy scep­ter and Thy sword,
Thy reign­ing grace I sing:
Thine is the pow­er; be­hold I sit
In will­ing bonds be­neath Thy feet.

Now let my soul arise,
And tread the tempt­er down;
My cap­tain leads me forth
To con­quest and a crown:
A fee­ble saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell ob­struct the way.

Should all the hosts of death,
And pow­ers of hell un­known,
Put their most dread­ful forms
Of rage and mis­chief on,
I shall be safe, for Christ dis­plays
Superior pow­er, and guard­ian grace.

—Isaac Watts