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Fight the Good Fight

Words: John Samuel Bewley Monsell (b. March 2, 1811; d. Apr. 9, 1875)
Music: Pentecost, by William Boyd ( _____, 1847; d. Feb. 16, 1928)

Note: The original title of this hymn was “The Fight of Faith.” The Cyber Hymnal gives us the original of (3). This is often altered today to read:

Cast care aside, lean on thy Guide,
His boundless mercy will provide;
Trust, and thy trusting soul shall prove
Christ is its life, and Christ its love.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The Apostle Paul was in prison, facing execution. But he was far from depressed and despondent. His testimony was:

I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

II Tim. 4:6-8

All of this is deeply meaningful, and worthy of study. The mood is triumphant. At a time when outward appearances would suggest Paul had been defeated and his ministry a failure, he assures Timothy that it is quite the contrary. Pastor Monsell focuses on Paul’s declaration, “I have fought the good fight” (vs. 7), and more particularly on a similar expression in his earlier letter to young Timothy, where Paul exhorts him to “fight [literally, keep on fighting] the good fight of faith” (I Tim. 6:12).

The spiritual conflicts of the Christian life, against the world, the flesh, and the devil, are spoken of a number of times in the epistles (e.g. Eph. 6:10-13; II Tim. 2:3-4). So, what is the good fight? What does it involve? It is a stand for all that is right and true and good. It is a stand against the corruption of this evil world, and it involves the proclamation of the gospel of grace, to lost and dying sinners. This fight requires all our energies. The Greek word for “fight” (agonizomai) gives us the English word agonize, to suffer anguish and agony.

There is an additional point in First Timothy 6:12 that is lost in some English translations. Though “faith” in God is required, that is not how Paul uses the word. Most of the newer Bible versions put a “the” in front of “faith.” (It is there in Greek.) For example, “Keep up the good fight for the faith” (Williams New Testament). Or, “Be constantly engaging in the contest of the Faith” (Wuest’s Expanded Translation). “The faith” is what we put our faith in. It is sound doctrine; it is all the teachings of the Word of God.

To say someone is a defender of the faith certainly implies that he trusts in God. But it says more. It says that by faith he stands for the truth of God. That’s exactly what Jude urges: “Contend earnestly [agonize] for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). It is by standing firm upon the truth of God’s Word that we’re able to resist Satan’s lies (I Pet. 5:9; cf. Matt. 4:4, 7, 10). It’s how we maintain a godly walk (Col. 2:6-7). But sadly, not all have done this (I Tim. 4:1; 6:10).

(1) Fight the good fight with all thy might;
Christ is thy strength, and Christ thy right;
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.

(2) Run the straight race through God’s good grace,
Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the path, and Christ the prize.

Questions:

  1. What does John Monsell mean by Christ being the path and Christ being the prize in the race of life?
  2. Is it possible to “contend” and “fight” for the faith without being obnoxious, antagonistic and arrogant? (Explain.)

Links:

Soldiers of Christ, Arise

Words: Charles Wesley (b. Dec. 18, 1707; d. March 29, 1788)
Music: Diademata, by George Job Elvey (b. March 27, 1816; d. Dec. 9, 1893)

Note: This hymn originally had 16 stanzas, but many hymn books now use only three: (1), (2), and for a final stanza the first two lines of (4), and the first two of (16), like this:

Leave no unguarded place, no weakness of the soul,
Take every virtue, every grace, and fortify the whole;
From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray,
Tread all the powers of darkness down, and win the well fought day.

A number of the other stanzas are a bit awkward. For example, the third line of (4) calls upon us “indissolubly joined, to battle all proceed.” The Cyber Hymnal lists a number of tunes for this hymn. St. Ethelwald, by William Monk, works well too.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This hymn is based upon Ephesians 6:10-17, a passage about spiritual warfare, and the means God has provided for our triumph in the battle. The hymn, as published in 1742, was entitled, “The whole armour of God, Ephesians 6.” Twice in the Ephesians passage we read that phrase, “the whole armour” (vs. 11, 13). The Greek word is panoplia, giving us the English word “panoply,” meaning the complete outfit, all the necessary equipment. Wesley adopts that term in (2), challenging us to “take, to arm you for the fight, the panoply of God.”

There’s an interesting literary reference in (5). Charles Wesley alludes to John Milton’s masterwork Paradise Lost (Book vi, 110) which describes the devil this way:

Satan, with vast and haughty strides advanced,
Came towering, armed in adamant and gold.

John Milton

(“Adamant” refers to the great hardness of his armour, and “gold” to its splendour.) In our hymn, with daring boldness, Wesley suggests in (5) that we’re not only a match for the enemy, but we can turn his equipment against him (italics mine).

But, above all, lay hold on faith’s victorious shield;
Armed with that adamant and gold, be sure to win the field.

Satan advances in self-confidence (cf. Isa. 14:12-14), believing in his own abilities, but we stand our ground against him with God-confidence, if I can put it that way (cf. Rom. 8:29-31). We resist the devil (I Pet. 5:8-9), confident in, and sustained by, the promises of Almighty God. God’s truth is infinitely superior to Satan’s lies, and far more glorious.

(1) Soldiers of Christ, arise, and put your armour on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son.
Strong in the Lord of hosts, and in His mighty power,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts is more than conqueror.

The often unused (12), by its repetition, expresses the urgent necessity of the Christian soldier keeping in touch with his heavenly Commander, through prayer. This is based on the end of the passage about our spiritual armour, where the apostle exhorts us to be “praying always with all prayer” (Eph. 6:18; cf. I Thess. 5:17).

(12) Pray without ceasing, pray, your Captain gives the word;
His summons cheerfully obey and call upon the Lord;
To God your every want in instant prayer display,
Pray always; pray and never faint; pray, without ceasing, pray!

Questions:

  1. What are some aspects or fields of our spiritual battle, at the personal level, and the public level?
  2. It has been pointed out that the Ephesians passage lists no armour for the soldier’s back. What is the possible significance of this?

Links:

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Words: Thomas Obediah Chisholm (b. July 29, 1866; d. Feb. 29, 1960)
Music: Faithfulness (or Runyan), by William Marion Runyan (b. Jan. 21, 1870; d. July 29, 1957)

Note: Since the day of Thomas Chisholm’s birth coincides (nearly a century later) with the date of William Runyan’s death, you can see a note about both men in the Wordwise link below. The former gentleman is also somewhat unique among the better-known hymn writers in that he died on February 29th.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

This is a near perfect gospel song. The words and thoughts are biblical and inspiring, and the tune fits the text beautifully. The opening stanza of the hymn, and the overall theme, is based on the words of the prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations:

“Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.”

Lam. 3:22-23

As the name of the book suggests, Lamentations is a series of laments over the destruction of the city of Jerusalem (Lam. 1:1), and over the fact that the people of Israel had been carried into captivity in Babylon (vs. 3). The prophets had warned them for years to turn from their idolatry and unbelief and seek the Lord, but there was little response. Now, the blow had fallen. In great grief, Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, stared at the ruins of his beloved city. So, was that the end?

No. There was still a believing remnant remaining, including Jeremiah himself. And God had promised Israel that they would experience a restoration to their own land. The Babylonian Captivity would last only for seventy years (Jer. 25:11). Then they would be allowed to return. And the books of Ezra and Nehemiah show that they did. Further, there would be a glorious future for the nation one day, under the reign of the Messiah (Isa. 2:1-4; 9:6-7; 35:1-10).

God is faithful and trustworthy. What He promises will come to pass. That is the basis for the encouraging words in Lamentations, and it’s the basic theme of the hymn. The opening stanza also draws on the promise in the epistle of James:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”

James 1:17

God “does not change like shifting shadows” (NIV); “there is never the slightest variation or shadow of inconsistency” in Him (Philips Paraphrase).

(1) Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

In the temperate zone where I live, we have four distinct seasons. They roll around each year, on a schedule that can be relied upon–which is exactly what the Lord promised after the flood of Noah’s day: “While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22).

In Thomas Chisholm’s hymn, the rolling seasons (2) become a graphic object lesson on the faithfulness of God, one which can encourage our faith when it comes to the promised eternal salvation in Christ (3). The Lord pledges, in passage after passage, that if we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, and receive Him as our Saviour, our sins will be forgiven, and we’ll receive God’s gift of eternal life (e.g. Jn. 1:12-13; 3:16; 14:6).

(3) Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Praise the Lord for His great faithfulness and for His trustworthy Word!

Questions:

  1. For what provision or event have you been led to praise the Lord for His faithfulness in this past week?
  2. Whom can you tell about this blessing, to encourage their faith too?

Links:

O for a Closer Walk with God

Words: William Cowper (b. Nov. 15, 1731; d. Apr. 25, 1800)
Music: Beatitudo, by John Bacchus Dykes (b. March 10, 1823; d. Jan. 22, 1876)

Note: There is more about the hymn and the author (whose name is pronounced Cooper) at the Wordwise Hymns link, including a photo of the original printing of the hymn. The Cyber Hymnal gives us all six stanzas, but many hymnals use only four ((1), (4), (5), (6), or (1), (2), (5), (6)). As to the tune, the Cyber Hymnal offers several choices, but I’m most used to Dykes’s beautiful tune Beatitudo.

(1)  O for a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame,
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Personally, I prefer the second grouping of stanzas listed above, which skips stanza (4). If it is accepted that the Bible teaches the eternal security of the believer (a doctrine I believe to be biblical), then (4), with its implication that the Holy Spirit has departed from the Christian’s heart is unbiblical. We may indeed be out of fellowship with God, because of unconfessed sin. This causes a loss of joy and of spiritual power. But it does not mean the Spirit of God has deserted us.

There is much confusion about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in our day, and the subject deserves careful attention. While we are not given full details of the work of the Spirit of God in Old Testament times, the saints then are never said to be permanently indwelt by the Spirit. Further, the Lord Jesus clearly foretells a new relationship with the Holy Spirit that had not pertained earlier (Jn. 14:17).

When we put our faith in Christ, the Spirit of God comes to live within (I Cor. 6:19-20). The presence of the Holy Spirit is God’s seal of ownership on the believer (II Cor. 1:22). This is the guarantee that God will complete the work begun in us (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30). We are certain of our salvation because of His presence within. If we do not have the indwelling Spirit, it is because we do not belong to Christ (Rom. 8:9)–in other words, we’re not saved.

Knowing the severe emotional struggles of William Cowper, and his lifelong battle with depression, we can appreciate that there were times when he didn’t feel as though God was present in his life. However, our changing emotional condition mustn’t inform and dictate our theology. Rather, it should be the other way around. Even “if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (I Jn. 3:20).

Setting this issue (and stanza 4) aside, we need to consider the important message of this great hymn. We are to “walk as children of light” (Eph. 5:8).

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us [i.e. continues to cleanse] from all sin.”

I Jn. 1:6-7

To walk with God requires that we “walk in the Spirit,” submissive to and dependent on Him (Gal. 6:16, 25). This is how we maintain close fellowship with Him, through a life of consistent faith and obedience. And when sin raises a barrier between us, or if there is an “idol” that has robbed Him of His preeminent place (5), we need to confess and forsake what is displeasing to Him (I Jn. 1:9), restoring the intimacy we knew before.

(5) The dearest idol I have known,
Whate’er that idol be
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.

(6) So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

Questions:

  1. In your own experience, with are the things that most often rob you of the sense of the closeness of God, and intimate fellowship with Him?
  2. What do you do to restore the vitality of your relationship?

Links:

Rescue the Perishing

Words: Frances Jane (“Fanny”) Crosby (b. March 24, 1820; d. Feb. 12, 1915)
Music: William Howard Doane (b. Feb. 3, 1832; d. Dec. 23, 1915)

Note: The story of how this song came to be written is told in the Wordwise link below. The old Bowery Mission, in New York City, where it was born, has since been torn down. But for some years there was a brass plaque there that read:
Fanny Crosby occupied this seat on her many visits to this mission over a period of 50 years. It was while sitting here that she received the inspiration for the great gospel song “Rescue the Perishing.”

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

It is a great song. Considered by many to be the finest missionary hymn ever written in America. There is a passion and an urgency in it that are compelling, and Dr. Doane’s tune wings it into our hearts and fixes it in our memories.

(1) Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

“Rescue missions” are numerous, especially in our larger cities. A couple of former students of mine operate a ministry of this kind in a city south of where I now live. The “rescues” involved are personal, relational, and spiritual, as well as practical. The men and women who go there may be homeless and hungry, and may be in bondage to drugs or alcohol, as well as being estranged from their families.

But their deepest need is to come to know the Saviour, and to be taught the Word of God. It is often discouraging work. Time and again, those who make commitments, and seem to be moving forward, fall back into the old pattern of life. The challenge in Fanny’s text  to “snatch them in pity from sin and the grave” (1) may come from the book of Jude:

“Have mercy on those who doubt [or waver]; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”

Jude 1:22-23, ESV

Difficult work indeed, and dangerous at times. But those who serve the Lord, rescuing souls from the precipice of eternity, continue to do so because they are constrained by the love of Christ (II Cor. 5:14-15), empowered by the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8), and equipped with the powerful gospel of the grace of God (Rom. 1:16).

The testimonies of the ones who have been delivered, and are on a new and productive path, are inspiring to hear. Reclaimed by love, they are building a new future, by the grace of God. Sometimes the Lord also uses their witness to turn others from the destructive course they are on. A biblical example is the demon-possessed man at Gadara (also rendered Gergesa), on the south-eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

It is difficult to imagine a man more pitifully and powerfully in bondage to sin and Satan than he was. Various facts about him are revealed in three of Gospels, with the longest account given by Luke (Matt. 8:28-34; Mk. 5:1-20; Lk. 8:1-39). The latter’s interest was appropriate to his profession–Luke was a medical doctor.

The demoniac lived in his nakedness among the tombs. Day and night he cried out in torment. He was self-destructive, often cutting himself with stones, and he was fierce and dangerous to passers-by. When attempts were made to chain him up, he broke the chains, and continued on his abusive downward course. But he was delivered by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. When those of the surrounding community saw him afterward, he was “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind” (Lk. 8:35), and he wanted to serve the Lord. Christ told him:

“‘Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.’ And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.”

Lk. 8:39

(4) Rescue the perishing, duty demands it;
Strength for thy labour the Lord will provide;
Back to the narrow way patiently win them;
Tell the poor wand’rer a Saviour has died.

Questions:

  1. Have you ever helped out at a rescue mission, or attended a service there? What impressed you most about the experience?
  2. Does your church support anyone in rescue mission work? (If not, is this something you could suggest be included in the home missions budget?)

Links:

Lead Me to Calvary

Words: Jennie Evelyn Hussey (b. Feb. 8, 1874; d. Sept. 5:1958)
Music: William James Kirkpatrick (b. Feb. 27, 1838; Sept. 20, 1921)

Note: This is a twentieth-century gospel song, having been published in 1921. And if you’ve ever tried singing through the alphabet–as I’ve done many times, driving along in the car–you know it’s difficult to think of a hymn beginning with the letter “k.” Miss Hussey has solved our problem with “King of my life I crown Thee now.”

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Jennie Hussey’s life was solitary and difficult. She spent hours each day caring for an invalid sister, and also battled with painful, crippling arthritis. Yet she maintained a bright, cheerful attitude through it all.

Her family, going back many generations, had been Quakers (members of the Society of Friends). But Jennie chose to identify with the Baptists. When she requested believer’s baptism at First Baptist Church, in Concord, New Hampshire, she said to the pastor, “I’ve spent much of my life hidden away in the country, and I’d like to have the opportunity, before God takes me home, to tell everybody, ‘I love Jesus.’”

One way Jennie did that is through the many hymns she wrote. And this particular one seemed to grow itself, in an unusual way. One day, when the painful trial of her arthritis was almost beyond endurance, she prayed, “Please, Lord, make me willing to bear my cross daily, without complaining, because You bore Yours for me.” She then set down that prayer in lines of verse that would later become (4) of our hymn:

May I be willing, Lord, to bear
Daily my cross for Thee;
Even Thy cup of grief to share,
Thou hast borne all for me.

In the next few days, she added (2) and (3), about the garden tomb, and about Mary Magdalene’s visit to the tomb on resurrection morning. “May I be willing…show me…let me…” It was only after composing these stanzas of petition and humble submission that Jennie Hussey added the triumphant opening stanza of personal commitment:

King of my life, I crown Thee now,
Thine shall the glory be;
Lest I forget Thy thorn crowned brow,
Lead me to Calvary.

Lest I forget Gethsemane,
Lest I forget Thine agony;
Lest I forget Thy love for me,
Lead me to Calvary.

The Lord Jesus spoke to His followers about cross-bearing many times (as described in (4), above). In fact, the first reference to the cross in the New Testament (Matt. 10:38) concerns, not the cross of Jesus, but the cross of those who believe on Him. The last reference to the cross (the cross of Christ, in this case) is instructive as to its spiritual meaning:

Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Heb. 12:2

Here we see the Saviour’s determination to do the will of His heavenly Father, in spite of the terrible cost, looking forward to the blessings that lay ahead. Think of how that applies to us.

Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Lk. 9:23-24; cf. Matt. 10:38; 16:24; Mk. 8:34; 10:21; Lk. 14:27).

The believers of that day were all too familiar with the cruel form of execution used by the Romans. It was the practice to have a condemned criminal take up his cross and carry it to the place of execution. It identified him to the passing throng as a law-breaker.

For Christians to metaphorically take up the cross, in the sense Jesus uses the expression, means we will openly identify ourselves as followers of Christ, committing ourselves with what William MacDonald calls “devoted abandonment” to live for Him, whatever the cost.

Questions:

  1. What would be the opposite of taking up the cross, as it is explained here?
  2. Why is it important to keep the cross of Christ in view as we too take up the cross?

Links:

Christ Arose

Words: Robert Lowry (b. March 12, 1826; d. Nov. 25, 1899)
Music: Robert Lowry

Note: There isn’t currently a specific note on this hymn in the Wordwise Hymns link below, but there is a bit about Pastor Lowry and some other songs he wrote.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Robert Lowry was having his evening devotions at Easter time in 1874. As he meditated on the Scriptures, he was particularly impressed with the words of the angel, in Luke:

“He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again’” (Lk. 24:6-7).

Inspired by this thrilling scene, Lowry seated himself at the little reed organ in his parlour, and created both words and music for Christ Arose (sometimes called Low in the Grave He Lay). The song is unusual in that the refrain is more than twice as long as each stanza. But it sounds an important note of triumph.

This is a much-used gospel song not only about the resurrection of Christ, but about the necessity of His resurrection. “Vainly they seal the dead” (2), “death cannot keep its prey” (3). In the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament, it is repeatedly asserted that the Messiah, though He die, would most assuredly rise again from the dead. Unlike any other human being, Christ not only had the power to die, but to take up His life again (Jn. 10:17-18).

“You will not leave my soul in Sheol [the grave, the place of the dead], nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption” (Ps. 16:10; cf. Acts 13:34-35).

“I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (Ps. 22:22; cf. Heb. 2:9, 11-12).

“It pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand” (Isa. 53:10; see vs. 8-12).

The angelic message (Lk. 24:6-7), and both the Lord Jesus, and later the apostles, spoke of Christ’s resurrection as the fulfilment of prophecies and declarations previously made.

“The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Lk. 9:22; cf. Jn. 2:19-21).

“Then He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” (Lk. 24:25-26).

“Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day’” (Lk. 24:46).

“Whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it….He [David], foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption” (Acts 2:24, 31).

(1) Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Saviour,
Waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Questions:

  1. If Christ had not risen, what would that show about Him? Since Christ has risen, what does that show about Him?
  2. What does Christ’s resurrection mean to us as Christians?

Links:

Like a River Glorious

Words: Frances Ridley Havergal (b. Dec. 14, 1836; d. June 3, 1879)
Music: Wye Valley, by James Mountain (b. June 16, 1844; d. June 27, 1933)

Note: Miss Havergal wrote the text for this hymn in November of 1874. James Mountain wrote the majestic tune specifically for the hymn.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

The word “peace” and other forms of it are found over 400 times in the Bible. The Hebrew word shalom carries a number of positive meanings such as: peace, safety, prosperity, and friendship. In the New Testament, the Greek word commonly translated “peace” is eirene (pronounced i-RAY-nay), with shades of meaning such as: peace, tranquility, rest, and quietness. Together these give us a sense of what God’s peace is all about.

The word is applied in several ways, in addition to relating to friendly relations between individuals or nations. Spiritually, when a sinner comes to the Saviour, he and God are reconciled, by faith. Sin is no longer a barrier between them, and the believer is said to have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). In committing our concerns to God in prayer, we are able to experience the peace of God within (Phil. 4:6-7). And when Christ, the Prince of Peace returns, He will establish a lasting peace on earth (Isa. 9:6-7; cf. 2:4).

(1) Like a river glorious, is God’s perfect peace,
Over all victorious, in its bright increase;
Perfect, yet it floweth, fuller every day,
Perfect, yet it groweth, deeper all the way.

Stayed upon Jehovah, hearts are fully blest
Finding, as He promised, perfect peace and rest.

Frances Havergal based her beautiful hymn on a couple of texts from Isaiah.

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isa. 26:3).

“ Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea” (Isa. 48:18).

“Stayed upon Jehovah” (Refrain)–that phrase comes from Isaiah 26:3. It represents an attitude of enduring trust and confidence. Faith puts us in a place of safety, “hidden in the hollow of His blessed hand” (2).

The second Scripture text is addressed to the people of Israel when they were facing impending judgment (the Babylonian Captivity). In a life of obedience to the Word of God is found the river of God’s peace. But instead, in their waywardness, they would face conflict, and turmoil, and bondage. “O that you had heeded!”

Notice, we have faith represented in the first text, and obedience in the second. These are the keys to inner peace. But earthly trials also come upon people who trust and obey God. What of times when trials come our way, and burdens weigh upon us? Then we can be confident that a wise and loving God would allow only those things to touch the life of His child that are ultimately for our best and for His glory. He works in all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).

(3) Every joy or trial falleth from above,
Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love;
We may trust Him fully all for us to do.
They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true.

Questions:

  1. What kinds of things do you find most often disturb your peace in daily life?
  2. What is your remedy, when this happens?

Links:

Whiter Than Snow

Words: James L. Nicholson (b. _____ c. 1828; d. Nov. 6, 1876)
Music: William Gustavus Fischer (b. Oct. 14, 1835; d. Aug. 13, 1912)

Note: James Nicholson emigrated to America from Ireland when he was about 25 years old. He served as a Methodist lay-preacher, and was also, for many years, a clerk in the Post Office.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Mr. Nicholson’s hymn expresses an urgent appeal for inner purity and holiness. It does not represent an unbeliever seeking salvation, but a Christian waiting on God for total cleansing and perfection.

Though that should be the desire of each believer, this hymn is based on the doctrine of perfectionism, which teaches that the Christian can have a second crisis experience after conversion in which he gains perfection (sometimes called crisis sanctification). Some (though not all) who hold this position also claim that the inner sin nature is removed, so there is no longer any tendency to sin. This teaching is not biblical. I have commented some about it on the Wordwise Hymns link, but will add a few thoughts here.

(1) Lord Jesus, I long to be perfectly whole;
I want Thee forever to live in my soul.
Break down every idol, cast out every foe;
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Whiter than snow, yes, whiter than snow.
Now wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Notice the emphasis of the song, in repeated phrases: “I long to be perfectly whole (1)….let nothing unholy remain (CH-2)….“Help me to make a complete sacrifice” (3)….“I wait…for my cleansing” (4). These are commendable desires. But then, we have, “O glory! My soul is [i.e. it has been] made perfect in love” (6).

There are two crucial aspects of the saving work of God that need to be kept in view if we’re to avoid error. As depicted in the diagram, they are the believer’s standing (or position in Christ), and his state (or condition in daily life.

When we put our faith in Christ, the righteousness of Christ is credited to our heavenly account (II Cor. 5:21). (That is the basis of justification, in which God pronounces us righteous.) Because Christ is never less than perfectly righteous, our standing in Christ never changes. But our state (what we are in daily experience) is another matter.

By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are able to grow in Christlikeness day by day (Gal. 5:16). But we are still fallible and weak. It’s possible we may stray, we can stumble into sin. That doesn’t mean we lose our salvation. A disobedient child is still the child of his parents. But our sin clouds the intimacy of our fellowship with God, robs us of joy, and of power for service. When that happens, God’s Word calls upon us to confess our sins (I Jn. 1:9), and take up once again a holy walk.

Perhaps becoming a citizen of a particular country provides at least a weak illustration. There is a pledge of loyalty, and an official declaration: “Congratulations! You are now a citizen of Canada!” That is the individual’s standing. But, as to his state, will he always perfectly obey the laws of Canada (or whatever the country is)? Likely not. Even so, a speeding ticket, or even a more serious offence, will not take away his citizenship.

But notice in the diagram that the two, our standing and state, ultimately converge. Not in this life, but in heaven. Then we shall be in practice what we’ve always been positionally (I Jn. 3:2). It is one thing to long for practical perfection now, but quite another to say it is within each Christian’s reach today if he will ask for it.

To believe one has indeed reached that plateau may indicate a superficial and inadequate view of sin. And too many verses of Scripture indicate Christians face an ongoing battle to be more like Christ, moment by moment.

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected” (Phil. 3:12). “The flesh [the sin nature] lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh…so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Gal. 5:17). “We all stumble in many things” (Jas. 3:2). But, “if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father” (I Jn. 2:1). “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:18).

To be more aware of sin in our lives, and more diligent at rooting it out, these are commendable goals. As we are immersed in the Word of God, day by day, and responsive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit, He will help us with this. But though I appreciate the sentiment of this hymn, it is not a song I can recommend, or would want to sing. There is too much in it that is misleading, if not in outright error.

Questions:

  1. What are the dangers of believing one can be (or has been) made perfect in this life?
  2. What are the means God uses in the daily process of making us more and more like His Son?

Links:

Draw Me Nearer

Words: Frances Jane (“Fanny”) Crosby (b. March 24, 1820; d. Feb. 12, 1915)
Music: William Howard Doane (Feb. 3, 1832; d. Dec. 23, 1915)

Note: I don’t currently have an article specifically on Draw Me Nearer (sometimes called I Am Thine, O Lord, using the opening line). The link below to Mr. Doane will tell you a little about the composer of the tune.

(Stanza numbers in brackets below refer to the stanza number in The Cyber Hymnal. Find the link at the bottom of the article.)

Howard Doane was a frequent collaborator with Fanny Crosby, writing tunes for such still-popular hymns of hers as:

  • Safe in the Arms of Jesus
  • Rescue the Perishing
  • Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour
  • Saviour, More Than Life to Me
  • Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross

Not only did the two servants of God work together many times. They were also good friends, and Fanny greatly enjoyed visiting the Doane family in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Christian fellowship enjoyed at such times was a rich blessing for all.

It was on one such occasion in 1875 that the hymn, Draw Me Nearer, was written. They were sitting on the front porch of the Doane home, in the late afternoon, watching a beautiful sunset, described for Fanny, in her blindness, by the others. Howard Doane began to speak of a sense of the nearness of God in the still of the evening. While he was speaking, some lines of verse leaped into Fanny’s mind. She asked her friend if he’d write them down while she dictated them. The poem is our hymn. The next day, Mr. Doane composed a tune to fit.

This hymn beautifully answers the “What now?” question of the Christian life. In the opening words we have the believer’s confession: “I am Thine, O Lord.” So, what’s next? What should be the aspirations and goals of the child of God?

First (1), when we come to know the Lord, by faith, there’s a desire to be in closer fellowship with Him. We say, with the psalmist, “It is good for me to draw near to God” (Ps. 73:28). So, “Let us draw near with a truth heart in full assurance of faith” (Heb. 10:22). We have this certain promise from the Word of God: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Jas. 4:8).

In this richness of fellowship with the Lord, we will also have a desire to serve Him more effectively, and we’ll dedicate ourselves to His service, for His greater glory (2). To dedicate or consecrate, in a Christian context, means to be set apart for God, to be reserved for His use. In practical terms, His will becomes our will. We will awaken with the thought expressed so simply by missionary author Elizabeth Elliot: “I have only one thing to do today–the will of God.”

In our walk with God we’ll have a growing delight in the privilege of prayer (3). However, there will be an increasing sense that there is more and better yet to come, a richer fellowship in heaven than we could ever know down here (4). “Now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (I Cor. 13:12).

(1) I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith
And be closer drawn to Thee.

Draw me nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To the cross where Thou hast died.
Draw me nearer, nearer, nearer blessèd Lord,
To Thy precious, bleeding side.

Questions:

  1. Is there something in your life, or your family’s life that it would be meaningful to specifically dedicate to the Lord? If so, how will you go about this?
  2. How will the life of a dedicated Christian differ from that of one who’s lukewarm about the things of Christ?

Links:

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