****THE OLD RUGGED CROSS

Al Smith was often called “Mr. Singspiration” and the “Dean of Gospel Music.” He was a composer, Gospel soloist, song leader, lecturer, and an authority on church music, recording artist, and music publisher.

One night, in the 1940s, He was singing at the Mel Trotter Mission in Grand Rapids. At the close of the evening meeting, he wandered over to Walgreen's drugstore to get a sandwich.  As he was placing his order, an old man with long snow-white hair and thick glasses approached him and asked, "Are you, Al Smith?"

When Al replied, that he was, the old man introduced himself; "I'm George Bennard."

Al Smith had often hoped to someday meet the writer of the hymn, THE OLD RUGGED CROSS, and now, here he was at the food counter in a Walgreen’s drug store.  And, had this encounter never happened, we would not know this story about how George Bennard came to write the hymn. 

Dr. Bennard was an ordained minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church and he was active in the Salvation Army.

As they chatted, George told Al Smith that John 3:16 had always been a favorite verse of his.  The phrase, “He Gave His only begotten Son,” conveyed a sense of great sacrifice. The more he quoted it, the more meaningful it became and always, there was with it a vision of a cross--not a beautiful gold-colored one, but a rough and rugged one--a crude Roman instrument of death- a cross of shame stained with the blood of God's only begotten Son.  And George understood that his Savior's blood was shed for him.

One day as he was imagining that scene, he began to compose the song.  The complete melody came in a matter of minutes, but he stalled on the lyrics; all he could get was, `I'll cherish the Old Rugged Cross.'"  So, he set it aside unfinished.

Sometime later, when he accepted a call to speak at some evangelistic meetings in New York, he felt led to emphasize the theme of the cross.   

At each service, many were coming to Christ, trusting in His finished work at Calvary. More and more the Lord began to reveal to him, the true meaning of His love at Calvary. The meetings so overwhelmed him with the importance of the cross that when he returned to Michigan, he sat down at his desk and immediately began to write the stanzas of the song without hesitation.

When he had finished, he took up his guitar, called to his wife, and sang the completed song to her.  She was thrilled!

Then he sent the manuscript to Charles Gabriel and asked him to harmonize it so that he could have it published.  When Mr. Gabriel returned the finished manuscript, he enclosed a note saying, “You will hear from this song.  When I played and sang it for some friends they said, `God has given you a song that will never die; it has moved our hearts as no other song ever has.'”

With that note, George was humbled as he felt that he could take no credit for writing the song; he was merely an instrument that God used for His glory."

At the end of their visit, that night, at Walgreen’s, the 75-year-old Dr. George Bennard excused himself saying, "I must get back to Albion tonight, for it isn't good for a young fellow like me to be out too late after dark.”

****AT THE CROSS

Throughout most of church history, some musicians have attempted to revive old hymns, make a few alterations, and reintroduce them to a new generation.

 

Sometimes writers make legitimate changes to correct doctrine or to clarify language difficulties.  And sometimes authors will add other stanzas that greatly improve the hymns.

  

That practice, however, is not without due criticism because sometimes those altered hymns border on plagiarism.

Probably the most notable hymn pirate today is Chris Tomlin who has earned an unseemly reputation by taking great hymns, changing the score, adding a refrain, renaming them, and then copyrighting them as his own creations.

But not all hymn changes are the result of piracy.

 

AT THE CROSS is one of those hybrid hymns.  It was originally written, without a refrain, in 1707 by Isaac Watts with the title, “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed?”

In 1885, Ralph Hudson republished it, complete and intact, with his added refrain and the new title, AT THE CROSS.  In every hymnbook, the lyrics are still attributed to Isaac Watts.

Nevertheless, there are plenty of critics who complain that the added refrain breaks the serious mood of Watts’ hymn.

 

But I would argue that the structure of this altered hymn is similar to the structure of Christ Arose.  It starts with a dark and somber feel because Jesus was crucified and buried.  But then, suddenly, the song explodes in joyful gladness because He is alive.

AT THE CROSS begins with Isaac Watts’ vivid picture of the crucifixion of Christ at Calvary and the seriousness of our sin.  It is not uncomfortable for most people to think or talk about the crucifixion in universal and impersonal terms (eg. “Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world”).  It is much more difficult when it is personalized.  The lyrics of this hymn are deliberately painful and designed to convict us.

When I think about that cross, I see the Son of God who was crucified for me.   He took the humiliation and shame of being stripped naked and paraded through the mocking crowds; He endured the beatings and scourging that tore His flesh to shreds and laid it open to expose His bones.  He is the One who was forsaken by His Father.  And He did all that for me.

   

The truth is, there is nothing good in me.  I can do NOTHING to merit God’s mercy and grace. So, in the last stanza, Isaac Watts concedes, “Drops of grief can never repay the debt of love I owe.”

It grieves me that I stand here, alive, knowing that His punishment should have been mine.  I deserved that death sentence.

I love Watts' hymn but I praise God for the message of Ralph Hudson’s added refrain.  It proclaims our hope.  The Light of God has penetrated our hearts.  Because of Calvary, the burdens of our sin and guilt are gone.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and THAT not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”  (Eph. 2.8-9)  

(My other commentaries on Watts' hymn, "Alas!  And Did My Savior Die? can be seen here, here, and here.)

****WERE YOU THERE?

“WERE YOU THERE?” is one of many American spirituals that were sung by plantation slaves in the early 1800s.   The words are based on the New Testament narratives of the trial, persecution, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.  

There is no known author, but it is likely that the song just evolved.  It was customary for the slaves to sing together, for comfort and encouragement, while they labored.  And because they had no formally written songs or accompaniment, usually one person would sing out a line.  And then the rest would repeat the line in full harmony.  In that kind of setting, it was not unusual, for several people, to chime in with a new line or thought and so, the song would grow.   These songs were then memorized and passed down through several generations.

This “Negro spiritual” follows that traditional style.

Each verse starts with the same question, “WERE YOU THERE?” I read a recent account about a tourist who was visiting Golgotha and the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem. And while he was there, he fell on his knees and began to weep.  Someone saw him and asked, “Sir, have you ever been here before?”

“Yes!” he answered, “I was here 2000 years ago.”

How can that be?  Well, it is clear from scripture (Acts 4:27), the death of Jesus was a corporate act of all sinful humanity against God.  We are all together guilty.

That man’s answer is my answer, “I was there.” 

According to God’s Word, before my life began in 1948, I was in Adam, both positionally and spiritually. 

Just as through one man (Adam), sin came into the world, and death came through sin, so death has come to all men since everyone has sinned.  (Romans 5:12)

So, God's Word says, I am a condemned sinner by nature.  The judgment for Adam's sin is my judgment.

But the Good News of the Gospel is that God sent a Redeemer (Jesus Christ).  Just as I was condemned to eternal death by the sin of my natural father, Adam, now I am made alive by the death of Jesus Christ who took my death penalty on Himself.

"WERE YOU THERE when they crucified my Lord?"   

My answer is “Yes.  I was there.”  My sin nailed Him to the cross.  That’s why that tourist was weeping. 

But the death and burial of Jesus is not the end of the story.  Christ arose; He is alive.  And so, the somber mood of this hymn changes to joy in this last stanza:

“WERE YOU THERE when He rose up from the dead?
Sometimes I feel like shouting, Glory, glory, glory!"  because I was there when Christ suffered and bled and died for my sin and now I am made alive and free.

****AT CALVARY

The story behind this hymn was told by Dr. Torrey, who was the President of Moody Bible Institute in the mid-1800s.  He told how he had received a letter from a pastor with a troublesome and rebellious son.  The father hoped that attendance at Moody would help. 

Dr. Torrey advised him that, even though he sympathized with him, his responsibility was to run a Bible school and not a reform school, and so he had to deny the father’s request. 

After many letters of relentless pleading, Dr. Torrey finally gave in with the stipulations that the son must meet with him every day and must abide by the rules and requirements of the Institute.

After months of private counseling, the father’s prayers were answered.  The boy, William Newell, was saved.  He eventually became a minister and later returned to Moody Bible Institute as a teacher.

It was a fascinating story but I want to focus on the text of the hymn.  It makes an excellent presentation of the gospel of grace which he originally wrote as a chronological account of his personal testimony in the form of a poem.

Verse 1 starts with his wasted past.  Note the first phrase, “Years I spent in vanity and pride.”  He was self-absorbed, self-sufficient, arrogant, and, even though he was a preacher’s kid, he was unconcerned about God and unreceptive to the message of the Gospel.

 

And that is the sinful condition of every man.  We are all born with depraved natures, incapable of doing good and bound for judgment and the eternal wrath of a holy God.  BUT GOD sent His Son to die for our sins AT CALVARY.

In verse 2, are the words, “At last, Then, and Until.”  They follow all those “years in the author’s “past.”

  

Then there came a turning point in William’s life and it wasn’t of his own efforts or good works.  In the words of his poem, it happened when, “By God’s Word, at last, my sin I learned.” That’s when the Spirit of God opened his ears to hear, and the Word of God penetrated his heart.

It’s through the preaching of the Gospel that men are saved.  We aren’t saved simply by warm fuzzy messages about how much God loves us.  A true Gospel message must bring us to a clear understanding that the law, God’s moral standard, has been broken and we are guilty and deserve judgment.

“Then, he said, I trembled at the Law I’d spurned.” Once William Newell realized his guilt, the Spirit of God convicted him and made him aware of his need for a Savior.  And the result of that was his turning to the Only remedy; the Only way to salvation; the Cross of Jesus Christ AT CALVARY

In verse three William describes the result of his new faith in Jesus Christ.   He expressed it this way, “Now I’ve given to Jesus, everything, Now I gladly own Him as my King.”

When God saves a man, there will be evidence of a changed life that surrenders to His Lordship and a heart that is naturally filled with His praises.

  

William Newell finished his poem with a great song of praise:

“Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan!

Oh, the grace that brought it down to man!

Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span AT CALVARY!”

5/8/16

****IN CHRIST ALONE

Is God's wrath something to sing about?

The doctrines of sin, judgment, and the cross have become unpopular and rejected in much of our contemporary theology.  There is nothing that irritates liberal Christians more than the idea of divine wrath.

In 1934, Richard Niebuhr wrote a book titled, The Kingdom of God in America.  In it, he described liberal Protestant theology, which was called “modernism,” in one famous, concise sentence; “A God without wrath brought man without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.”

One Sunday morning, the text for my pastor’s sermon, was Romans 1:24-32.  The subject was “Understanding Our Sin-Sick Culture."  As was my custom, I attempted to select songs for our worship, that supported the sermon.  And I found that there were very few Christian songs on the subject of God’s judgment or wrath.

One of them, IN CHRIST ALONE, is probably the best-loved and most often used contemporary song among Christian churches in the past several years, and most of you are familiar with it.  But it is despised by liberal Christianity.  

Recently, that song became a major point of controversy among Presbyterians.  A PCUSA denominational committee voted to exclude the contemporary worship song from their new hymnal.

Although most Presbyterians wanted to include it because of its popularity, they just couldn’t allow it because of one short line in the second stanza.  The committee wanted to make a change in the song's lyrics.  They wanted to cut the phrase, "Till on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied," and replace it with, "the love of God was magnified." 

Well, Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, the authors of the hymn, insisted on the original wording so the committee vote to discard the song.

Interestingly, though, Presbyterians were not the only, nor the first, denomination to find the line problematic; It seems that some of us Baptists balk at the subject too. Unbeknownst to the songwriters, the alternate lyric had already been inserted and published by the American Baptists in a 2010 hymnal.

So what about it?  Were the authors right?  Is God angry?   Well, consider these verses:

Psalm 7:11 - "God is a just judge, and God is angry with the wicked every day."

Nahum 1:6 - "Who can stand before His indignation? And who can endure the fierceness of His anger?  His fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by Him."

Romans 1:18 - "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."

Revelation 14:18-20 - "And another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire, and he cried with a loud cry to him who had the sharp sickle, saying, 'Thrust in your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe.' So the angel thrust his sickle into the earth and gathered the vine of the earth, and threw it into the great winepress of the wrath of God.  And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs."

There is a popular little meme that says, "God hates the sin but loves the sinner," but that is a false and unbiblical statement that is found nowhere in Scripture.  In fact, the Bible makes it very clear that God is not only angry at sin but also sinners.

And He has revealed His anger at the sin of mankind many times; He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. He wiped out the entire world, except for Noah, his family, and a few animals, in a universal flood.  But those were nothing compared to His ultimate act of vengeance when He poured out His wrath on His Only Son who bore our sins on the cross of Calvary.   The book of the Revelation foretells a time when God will bring terrible judgments during the Tribulation.   And finally, at the end of the age, God will display His wrath against all the unrighteous at the great white throne judgment.

One of the main points of my pastor's sermon suggested that we may be observing God’s judgment and wrath on our nation as He abandons us to the consequences of our own reprobate minds.  

Words mean things and the words of our Christian music are especially important. Debating over doctrinal issues in the lines of hymns is not a new thing and it is not always a bad thing.  But, in this case, if we fail to recognize God’s capacity for wrath, we, in effect, trivialize His sovereign power.  It is true that God is Love.  That’s one of His attributes.  Wrath is not one of His attributes, but wrath is a function of His holiness and justice; without His wrath, there is no need or appreciation for His mercy.

It is good to sing songs about the judgment and wrath of God.  They are direct reminders of His mercy toward us.  And this contemporary song is one of the great ones and this controversial line is even greater.  We will only know and fully appreciate God's grace when we understand the magnitude of our sin that required His great sacrifice.

“…'Til on that cross as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied.  For every sin on Him was laid, here in the death of Christ, I live.”