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!

By Thee my pray­ers ac­cept­ance gain,
Although with sin de­filed;
Satan ac­cus­es me in vain,
And I am owned a child.

Jesus! my shep­herd, hus­band, friend,
O 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 ev­ery fleet­ing breath,
And may the mu­sic of Thy name
Refresh my soul in death!

—John Newton

Sunday Hymn: Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder

Let us love and sing and won­der,
Let us praise the Sav­ior’s name!
He has hushed the law’s loud thun­der,
He has quenched Mount Si­nai’s flame.
He has washed us with His blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.

Let us love the Lord who bought us,
Pitied us when ene­mies,
Called us by His grace, and taught us,
Gave us ears and gave us eyes:
He has washed us with His blood,
He pre­sents our souls to God.

Let us sing, though fierce temp­ta­tion
Threaten hard to bear us down!
For the Lord, our strong sal­va­tion,
Holds in view the con­quer­or’s crown:
He who washed us with His blood
Soon will bring us home to God.

Let us won­der, grace and jus­tice
Join and point to mer­cy’s store;
When through grace in Christ our trust is,
Justice smiles and asks no more:
He who washed us with His blood
Has se­cured our way to God.

Let us praise, and join the chor­us
Of the saints en­throned on high;
Here they trust­ed Him be­fore us,
Now their prais­es fill the sky:
Thou hast washed us with Your blood;
Thou art wor­thy, Lamb of God!

Hark! the name of Je­sus, sound­ed
Loud, from gold­en harps ab­ove!
Lord, we blush, and are con­found­ed,
Faint our prais­es, cold our love!
Wash our souls and songs with blood,
For by Thee we come to God.

—John Newton

Theological Term of the Week: Biblical Theology

biblical theology
The theological discipline that “seeks to discover what the biblical writers, under divine guidance, believed, described, and taught in the context of their own times”1 in order to discover how the different books of the Bible contribute to its overall theological message.2

• From Biblical Theology by T. D. Alexander:

The study of biblical theology is not an end in itself. It is rather a tool for understanding better the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Biblical theology helps us see the big picture, appreciate the themes that hold the Bible together, understand how the story develops, see how the promises of the Old Testament, sometimes expressed through covenants, are fulfilled in Jesus Christ, as witnessed in the New Testament, and appreciate how the Old Testament provides patterns or types that explain later developments in the story.

The study of biblical theology is about understanding how each part of the Bible contributes in a distinctive way to the overarching story of the Bible and how an awareness of this story informs our understanding of each part of the Bible. When this is achieved, biblical theology is strongly Christ-centered.

Learn more:

1. GotQuestions.org: What is biblical theology?
2. Monergism.com: What is the difference between Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology?
3. T. D. Alexander: Biblical Theology
4. Dr. Andreas J. Kostenberger: What Is Biblical Theology?
5. Michael Lawrence: 3 Ways to Define Biblical Theology
6. Dr Thomas Schreiner: Introduction to Biblical Theology (video)

Related terms:

• systematic theology
• redemptive history

Filed under Theological Categories

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