Sunday's Hymn: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee

Joyful, joy­ful, we adore Thee,
God of glo­ry, Lord of love;
Hearts un­fold like flow­ers be­fore Thee,
Praising Thee, their sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sad­ness;
Drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of im­mor­tal glad­ness,
Fill us with the light of day!

All Thy works with joy sur­round Thee,
Earth and Heav’n re­flect Thy rays,
Stars and an­gels sing around Thee,
Center of un­brok­en praise:
Field and for­est, vale and mount­ain,
Blooming mea­dow, flash­ing sea,
Chanting bird and flow­ing fount­ain
Call us to re­joice in Thee.

Thou art giv­ing and for­giv­ing,
Ever bless­ing, ev­er blest,
Well-spring of the joy of liv­ing,
Ocean-depth of hap­py rest!
Thou our Fa­ther, Christ our bro­ther,
All who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each oth­er,
Lift us to the joy di­vine.

Mortals, join the migh­ty chor­us,
Which the morn­ing stars be­gan;
Father-love is reign­ing o’er us,
Brother-love binds man to man.
Ever sing­ing march we on­ward,
Victors in the midst of strife,
Joyful mu­sic leads us sun­ward
In the tri­umph song of life.

—Hen­ry J. van Dyke

Sunday's Hymn: Of the Father's Love Begotten

Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore.

At his word the worlds were framèd;
He commanded, it was done:
Heav’n and earth and depths of ocean,
In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun—
Evermore and evermore.

He was found in human fashion,
Death and sorrow here to know,
That the race of Adam’s children,
Doomed by law to endless woe,
May not henceforth die and perish
In the dreadful gulf below—
Evermore and evermore.

O that birth forever blessèd,
When the virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,
Bore the Savior of our race,
And the babe, the world’s Redeemer,
First revealed his sacred face—
Evermore and evermore.

This is he whom seers in old time
Chanted of with one accord,
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word;
Now he shines, the long-expected;
Let creation praise its Lord—
Evermore and evermore.

O ye heights of Heav’n adore him!
Angel hosts his praises sing!
All dominions bow before him
And exalt our God and King.
Let no tongue on Earth be silent,
Every voice in concert ring—
Evermore and evermore.

Christ! to thee with God the Father,
And O Holy Ghost, to thee,
Hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
And unwearied praises be,
Honor, glory, and dominion,
And eternal victory—
Evermore and evermore.

—Aurelius Prudentius

Theological Term of the Week: Incarnation

incarnation

The act of God in which God the son, the second person of the Trinity, took upon himself a human nature so that his divine nature and human nature were joined together in one person who is both truly God and truly man.

• From scripture:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8 ESV).

• From The Belgic Confession, Article 18, The Incarnation:

The Son took the “form of a servant” and was made in the “likeness of man,” truly assuming a real human nature, with all its weaknesses, except for sin; being conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit, without male participation.

And he not only assumed human nature as far as the body is concerned but also a real human soul, in order that he might be a real human being. For since the soul had been lost as well as the body he had to assume them both to save them both together.

Therefore we confess … that he “shared the very flesh and blood of children”; that he is “fruit of the loins of David” according to the flesh; “born of the seed of David” according to the flesh; “fruit of the womb of the virgin Mary”;”born of a woman”; “the seed of David”; “a shoot from the root of Jesse”; “the offspring of Judah,” having descended from the Jews according to the flesh; “from the seed of Abraham”— for he “assumed Abraham’s seed” and was “made like his brothers except for sin.”

In this way he is truly our Immanuel— that is: “God with us.”

• From Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof, page 334:

It was not the triune God but the second person of the Trinity that assumed human nature. For that reason it is better to say that the Word became flesh than that God became man. At the same time we should remember that each of the divine persons was active in the incarnation, Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:35; John 1:14; Acts 2:30; Rom. 8:3; Gal. 4:4; Phil 2:7. This also means that the incarnation was not something that merely happened to the Logos, but was an active accomplishment on His part. In speaking of the incarnation in distinction from the birth of the Logos, His active participation in this historical fact is stressed, and His pre-existence is assumed. It is not possible to speak of the incarnation of one who had no previous existence. This pre-existence is clearly taught in Scripture: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,” John 1:1. “I am come down from heaven,” John 6:38. “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor,” II Cor. 8:9. “Who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men,” Phil. 2:6,7. “But when the fulness of the time came God sent forth His Son,” Gal. 4:4. The pre-existent Son of God assumes human nature and takes to Himself human flesh and blood, a miracle that passes our limited understanding. It clearly shows that the infinite can and does enter into finite relations, and that the supernatural can in some way enter the historical life of the world.

Learn more:

1. Simply Put: Incarnation
2. Got Questions: What is the meaning of the Incarnation of Christ?
3. Biblical Training: Incarnation
4. J. I. Packer: Incarnation: God Sent His Son to Save Us 
5. R. C. Sproul: What We Celebrate at Christmas
6. Stephen Wellum: The Incarnation and Two Natures of Christ
7. Bob Deffinbaugh: The Importance of the Incarnation
8. Mark Jones: The Mystery and Glory of the Incarnation

Related terms:

• advent
• crucifixion of Christ
• deity of Christ
• humanity of Christ
• hypostatic union
• virgin birth

Filed under Person, Nature, and Work of Christ

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