John Newton Rocks (again)

Let us Love and Sing and Wonder Today we sang one of my all time favorite songs, “Let us love, and sing, and wonder,” by John Newton. The way the lyrics are written completely draw me into the message which then slays me. The first line is expanded in the second, third and fourth verses—love, sing, wonder. And because I don’t sing it enough, I forget this construction until I am into the third verse and then my eyes flick back and forth between the first and succeeding verses while I try to sing.

We sang a newer tune today, which I had been humming during the week without remembering the words. (That is one problem with learning new tunes. Even the catchy ones take a while before I associate words with the tunes. We sang the Indelible Grace version—much like the Jars of Clay version but with a repeat of the next to last line, “He has washed us with His blood,” in each verse.)

The verse that caught me today was verse 4.

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. It is the joining of this double theme, grace and justice, that lies at the heart of Christianity. There is no sentimentalism here, only the rugged love of a God who maintains His righteousness while at the same time declaring His people righteous in Jesus. At the same time he emphasizes the incredible significance of every single person (all our thoughts, words, and deeds matter—to our own damnation!) and amplifies the sacrifice of the Son for us. Who can stand when such reality breaks out. He smiles and asks no more. He has secured our way to God!

When checking out lyrics I found a sixth verse, one I have never sung nor heard nor seen. I am not a 6 verse hymn proponent, but this verse rocks…

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.

This is our unbelievable condition. After we love and sing and wonder at Jesus, we blush for our praises are faint and our love is cold. Who will change us? Who will save us?

How can I sing such praise? It is too much for me. I am undone.