Praise for the Fountain Opened

There is a fountain fill’d with blood, 
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins; 
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, 
Lose all their guilty stains. 

The dying thief rejoiced to see 
That fountain in his day; 
And there have I, as vile as he, 
Wash’d all my sins away. 

Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood 
Shall never lose its power, 
Till all the ransom’d church of God 
Be saved, to sin no more. 

E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream 
Thy flowing wounds supply, 
Redeeming love has been my theme, 
And shall be till I die. 

Then in a nobler, sweeter song, 
I’ll sing Thy power to save; 
When this poor lisping stammering tongue 
Lies silent in the grave. 

Lord, I believe Thou hast prepared 
(Unworthy though I be) 
For me a blood-bought free reward, 
A golden harp for me! 

‘Tis strung and tuned for endless years, 
And form’d by power divine, 
To sound in God the Father’s ears 
No other name but Thine. 

—William Cowper

Theological Term of the Week

crucifixion (of Christ)
The execution of Jesus Christ by nailing him to a cross.

• From scripture:

As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. (Matthew 27:32-50, ESV)

• From the Belgic Confession, Article 21:

Of the satisfaction of Christ, our only High Priest, for us.

We believe that Jesus Christ is ordained with an oath to be an everlasting High Priest, after the order of Melchisedec; and that he hath presented himself in our behalf before the Father, to appease his wrath by his full satisfaction, by offering himself on the tree of the cross, and pouring out his precious blood to purge away our sins; as the prophets had foretold. For it is written: He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and numbered with the transgressors, and condemned by Pontius Pilate as a malefactor, though he had first declared him innocent. Therefore: he restored that which he took not away, and suffered, the just for the unjust, as well in his body as in his soul, feeling the terrible punishment which our sins had merited; insomuch that his sweat became like unto drops of blood falling on the ground. He called out, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? and hath suffered all this for the remission of our sins. Wherefore we justly say with the apostle Paul: that we know nothing, but Jesus Christ, and him crucified; we count all things but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord, in whose wounds we find all manner of consolation. Neither is it necessary to seek or invent any other means of being reconciled to God, than this only sacrifice, once offered, by which believers are made perfect forever. This is also the reason why he was called by the angel of God, Jesus, that is to say, Savior, because he should save his people from their sins.

Learn more:

1. The Bible: Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, John 19
2. Theopedia: Crucifixion
3. Holman Bible Dictionary: Cross, Crucifixion
4. Christian Apologetics and Research Ministy: The Crucifixion of Jesus
5. Bob Deffinbaugh: The Crucifixion
6. Dr. Steven J. Lawson: The Crucifixion of Jesus (audio download)
7. R. C. Sproul: The Crucifixion (audio download)

Related term:

• ascension of Jesus
• triumphal entry
• priest (as an office of Christ)
• resurrecton of Jesus

Filed under Person and Work of Christ

Do you have a term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms in alphabetical order.

Beneath Thy Cross

I’ve posted this before during this week — Holy Week, as some call it. I just call it a week to remember that Christ died for me.

Am I a stone, and not a sheep, 
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath thy cross, 
To number drop by drop Thy Blood’s slow loss, 
And yet not weep?

Not so those women loved 
Who with exceeding grief lamented Thee; 
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly; 
Not so the thief was moved;

Not so the Sun and Moon 
Which hid their faces in a starless sky, 
A horror of great darkness at broad noon— 
I, only I.

Yet give not o’er, 
But seek Thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock; 
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more 
And smite a rock.

—Christina Rossetti

Round the Sphere Again: Christ's Deity

How Do I Know Christ Is God?
Because scripture affirms it: A list of Scripture texts which attest to the deity of Jesus Christ (The Reformed Reader).

Why Does It Matter to Me?
If he weren’t God, he could not be my Redeemer: Why must the Redeemer be truly God? (New City Catechism)

Does This Mean God Died on the Cross?
No. “It’s the God-man Who dies, but death is something that is experienced only by the human nature, because the divine nature isn’t capable of experiencing death” (R. C. Sproul at Ligonier Ministries Blog).

A Catechism for Girls and Boys

Questions about the Word, the Church and the Ordinances

125. Q. How can we know the Word of God?
         A. We are commanded to hear, read and search the Scriptures.

(Click through to read scriptural proofs.)

Click to read more ...

Sunday's Hymn: We Have an Anchor

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

Refrain

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

It is safely moored, ’twill the storm withstand,
For ’tis well secured by the Savior’s hand;
And the cables, passed from His heart to mine,
Can defy that blast, thro’ strength divine.

It will surely hold in the Straits of Fear—
When the breakers have told that the reef is near;
Though the tempest rave and the wild winds blow,
Not an angry wave shall our bark o’erflow.

It will firmly hold in the Floods of Death—-
When the waters cold chill our latest breath,
On the rising tide it can never fail,
While our hopes abide within the Veil.

When our eyes behold through the gath’ring night
The city of gold, our harbor bright,
We shall anchor fast by the heav’nly shore,
With the storms all past forevermore.

—Pris­cil­la J. Ow­ens

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

• Fairest Lord Jesus at The Happy Wonderer
• Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing at Lisa Writes
• Crown Him with Many Crowns at By Grace Alone
• How Sweet and Aweful Is the Place at Gospel Grace
• When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Hymn story with free download) at Challies.com
• Sunday Hymnist: John Fawcett at Theology for Girls
• Voices From the Past #12 at Tried With Fire 
• Lord’s Day 12, 2013 at The Thirsty Theologian

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.

More Than a Message

I posted at Out of the Ordinary this morning:

[Jesus’s] resurrection is like a giant billboard proclaiming that he is God’s powerful reigning Son (Romans 1:3-4) who has the authority to judge everyone (Acts 17:30-31). Christ’s resurrection is a loud pronouncement that he is Lord of all.

But to those who believe in him, Jesus’s resurrection is more than a message about who he is. Because believers are united to Christ, they experience resurrection, too.

Read all of Experiencing the Resurrection.

Thankful Thursday

A short list, quickly:

• I’m thankful for the promise of warmer temps soon.
• I’m thankful for bright sun shining through the livingroom windows as I write.
• I’m thankful for the place I live. I might complain about the cold weather, but it’s still my favorite place in the world.
• I’m thankful for God’s help to finish the tasks on my to-do list today.
• I’m thankful for a full life at present. 
• I’m thankful for opportunities to serve.
• I’m thankful for the resurrection of Jesus and the hope it brings for life now and life to come.

What are you thankful for?

Round the Sphere Again: Book Giveaways

This Week
Luma Simms is giving away at least one book every week day. Click on the links below and leave a comment to enter. And go back tomorrow to enter tomorrow’s giveaway(s?), too.

1. Jerry Bridges, Transforming Grace
2. Lydia Brownback, A Woman’s Wisdom
3. Elyse Fitzpatrick, Comforts from Romans
4. Paul Tripp, Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

This Month
From Truth for Life, a giveaway of the book The Atonement by Alistair Begg, J. I. Packer and others. 

Purposes of Christ's Death: Romans 8:3-4

This is one more edited and reposted piece from an old series of posts examining the purpose statement that scripture gives us regarding the death of Christ. 

For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, [4] in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Romans 8:3-4 ESV)

The purpose statement in this text is found in verse four: “… in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

This is another purpose statement that refers to the law. We’ve already seen that Christ’s death removes the curse of the law. We all stand condemned because of our disobedience to God’s law, but Christ’s death removes this condemnation from those who are united to him. And this purpose statement from Romans 8 goes one step further. Yes, dying as a human being (in the flesh) Christ paid the penalty for sin (condemned sin), but his death also made it possible for those who belong to him to do what the law commands. 

Verse 3 says that that law was “weakened by the flesh.” Sinful corruption (the flesh) causes us all to be disobedient to the law, and this universal human disobedience turns God’s good law into a source of condemnation rather than blessing. God’s solution is to send his Son to die, removing condemnation for those who believe, and, in this way, giving the Spirit access to them. Based on the finished work of Christ, the Spirit works within each believer, enabling them to obey the law. Through Christ’s death God gives us power us to keep his commandments. 

Another of the purposes of Christ’s death is that those who belong to him would fulfill the requirements of the law through the work of the Spirit.