But Wholly Lean on Jesus' Name
Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 9:30PM …teaching…one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs….
(Colossians 3:16)
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name.
—From the hymn My Hope Is Built
If we’re teaching each other when we sing, we ought to know what the words mean, right? I’ve decided to continue on with the examination of the words to the hymn My Hope Is Built by Edward Mote. You’ll find a post on the first two lines of this hymn here.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
The first two lines of this hymn tells us what it is we can trust. We can build our assurance of our eternal inheritance on the work of Christ—his obedient life and sacrificial death on the cross. This third line warns us of something that isn’t trustworthy— “the sweetest frame.”
We don’t talk about “sweet frames” anymore, although we do use the word frame in a similar way when we talk about a “frame of mind.” A frame, used in the old sense of the word, is an emotional state. When Edward Mote writes of a sweet frame, he’s referring to pleasant feelings, particulary, I’d think, a feeling of closeness to God. We can’t build our hope on a sense of satisfying communion with God because feelings come and go, and the sweet frames of today can turn into despondency tomorrow. Anything built on our emotional highs will come tumbling down when, inevitably, our emotional state changes.
According to this song, when it comes to hope or assurance of our eternal inheritance, we dare not look inward.
But wholly lean on Jesus’ Name
Where we can put our trust for our future is outside of ourselves, in the name of Jesus. Jesus’ name, as it is used here, is something more than the word we use to address him, or what we call him. Jesus’ name, as I understand it, refers to Jesus’ authority, the authority by which he makes good on the promises he’s made. And of course, his authority to make good on his promise to give eternal life to those who believe in him comes from the work he has done. In this fourth line of our hymn, Jesus’ name is used, then, in parallel with the phrase “Jesus’ blood and righteousness” found in the second line.
We can wholly lean—or build our hope—on Jesus’ name because of the sufficiency of his work. His work covers all the bases, giving us both forgiveness of sins on the grounds of his death, and a declaration of righteousness on the basis of his obedient life. Nothing else is needed for he has met all the requirements.
The rock-solid guarantee of our eternal inheritance is not our work or even our “sweet frame,” but the finished, sufficient, and perfect work of Christ. It is Jesus’ name, his work, that holds our future secure. There’s where we find our assurance and our endurance. There’s where we stand. Anything else is sinking sand.
Reader Comments (3)
I like that, teaching each other in songs. It's too bad we don't talk like "sweetest of frames".
I also love your Mountain View photo.
You are making me love this hymn even more, Rebecca!
I've said before that I love this hymn. Your post defines why and makes me love it even more.