Sunday Hymn: Depth of Mercy

Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

I my master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
And profaned His hallowed name,
Put Him to an open shame.

I have spilt His precious blood,
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!

Lo! I still walk on the ground:
Lo! an advocate is found:
Hasten not to cut him down,
Let this barren soul alone.

Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood!
He disarms the wrath of God;
Now my Father’s mercies move,
Justice lingers into love.

Kindled His relentings are,
Me He now delights to spare,
Cries, How shall I give thee up?
Lets the lifted thunder drop.

Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.

There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

Jesus, answer from above,
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?

If I rightly read Thy heart,
If Thou all compassion art,
Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow,
Pardon and accept me now.

Pity from Thine eye let fall,
By a look my soul recall;
Now the stone to flesh convert,
Cast a look, and break my heart.

Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.

—Charles Wesley

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

• O Word of God Incarnate at The Happy Wonderer
• Faith Alone - May 13, 2012 at The Upward Call
• Lord’s Day 20 at Tried With Fire 
• Portrait of a Godly Mother at Theology for Girls
• Lord’s Day 20, 2012 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Praying the Psalms - Psalm 23:4 at Daily On My Way to Heaven
• Sunday Prayer: The Broken Heart at Lisa Writes
• Your Weekly Dose of Spurgeon at Pyromaniacs: A Beeline to the Cross

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.

Round the Sphere Again: Understanding The Bible

This week there were a whole lot of posts on the Bible in my clippings file, too many for one Round the Sphere post. I’ve set aside some to link from Theological Term posts and some for possible future Round the Sphere posts. These are a few links that have to do with understanding and interpreting the Bible.

An Overview
Fred Zaspel answers the question “What is the Bible all about?” (Credo Magazine).

How to Interpret It
Kim Shay posts on how to study the gospels . The summary:

I think the best approach to studying the gospels is to read, read, read, and take notes.  Furthermore, we must read “horizontally,” i.e., keeping in mind that there are four gospels, and “vertically,” i.e., paying attention to the context of a given pericope.  Getting into the context of the time Christ lived helps, too.

(The Upward Call)

D. A. Carson comments on this apparent contradiction between Paul and James:

“FOR WE MAINTAIN THAT A MAN is justified by faith apart from observing the law” (Rom. 3:28). So writes the apostle Paul. “You foolish man,” argues James, “do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? … You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone…. As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:14-26, especially vv. 20, 24, 26).

He gives three points to help reconcile the two passages (For the Love of God).

Steve Hays helps us understand the rhetorical techniques of biblical narrative (Triablogue). 

How Not to Interpret It
Don’t approach the Bible in any of these five ways (Jen Wilkin at The Gospel Coalition Blog).

Thorvald the Far-Traveled Viking from Iceland

During medieval times, it was widely believed and taught that a pilgrimage to Jerusalem was the only way to atone for serious sins—and by serious, I mean murder and rape and such like. There was lots of sinning, so there were lots of pilgrims. 

By the tenth century, many Norse pilgrims were coming [to Jerusalem] even though most of their countrymen were still pagans. “Most Scandinavian pilgrims liked to make a round tour, coming by sea through the Straits of Gibraltar and returning overland through Russia.” Like the Franks, the Norse converts were “very devoted to Christ if not to his commandments.” Among them was Thorvald the Far-Traveled, who came all the way from Iceland. Thorvald was a renowned Viking who had converted to Christianity and then “tried to preach the new faith to his countrymen in 981.” He undertook a pilgrimage in 990 seeking to atone for having killed two poets who had mocked his faith and another man who had criticized his preaching. Following his pilgrimage he devoted his missionary activities to Russia and died there, presumably without murdering any Russian pagans. 

Just one of the intriguing tidbits from history in God’s Battalions: The Case for the Crusades by Rodney Stark.