Sunday Hymn: How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
‘Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary rest.

Dear Name! the Rock on which I build,
My Shield and hiding place,
My never-failing Treasury filled
With boundless stores of grace;

Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,
My Prophet, Priest, and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see thee as thou art,
I’ll praise thee as I ought.

Till then I would thy love proclaim
With ev’ry fleeting breath;
And may the music of thy Name
Refresh my soul in death.

—John Newton

Theological Term of the Week: Inclusivism

inclusivism
The view that while Jesus is the only Saviour, and everyone who is saved is saved by his work, explicit knowledge of Jesus and faith in him is not necessary for salvation.

• Scripture that shows inclusivism is wrong:

[I]f you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. [11] For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” [12] For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. [13] For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

[14] How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? [15] And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” [16] But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” [17] So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:9–17 ESV).

• From the Westminster Larger Catechism, chapter 6: 

Question 60: Can they who have never heard the gospel, and so know not Jesus Christ, nor believe in him, be saved by their living according to the light of nature?

Answer: They who, having never heard the gospel, know not Jesus Christ, and believe not in him, cannot be saved, be they never so diligent to frame their lives according to the light of nature, or the laws of that religion which they profess; neither is there salvation in any other, but in Christ alone, who is the Savior only of his body the church.

Learn more:

1. Got Questions: Inclusivism vs exclusivism - what does the Bible say?
2. Matthew Barrett: What Is Inclusivism?
3. Kevin DeYoung: Clarifying Inclusivism and Exclusivism
4. Trevin Wax: What Is Inclusivism and Why Does It Matter?
5. Greg Koukl: Revisiting Inclusivism: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
6. Ardel Canaday: “Evangelical Inclusivism” and the Exclusivity of the Gospel: A Review of John Sanders’s No Other Name

Related terms:

• general revelation
• exclusivism
• pluralism
• universalism

Filed under Salvation

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Sunday Hymn: Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

—Tho­mas Ken