"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." - Jerome

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

I Shall Lose NONE of Them: Hymn of the Week

"If I am truly saved, can I lose my salvation?"

Well, if the question is about me, then I can only cite my inability. The real question is: “Can Christ lose you?” John seems to like to quote Christ taking offense to the idea that He did not have that ability or power in John 10:28, John 17:12, John 18:9. Christ claims to be a good Shepherd (John 10:14) who seeks sheep that He knows (Luke 15:4).


So can I lose my salvation? Did I gain my salvation? Is Christ that unappealing that if He didn't happen to get me out of that "hell place" by my obeying, I would be done with religion? How is that different from saying "if I knew my wife wouldn't divorce me, what's to keep me from cheating?" Gadsby writes, Christ's love is rich and free. For those who find Romans 8:35-39 to excite their love for Christ more and not entice them to sin: here is a hymn from William Gadsby, a Reformed Baptist. You have to love the Calvinistic Baptists. They are outnumbered in their tradition, and so never tire of repeating the doctrines of grace in their hymns. I love, in verse 4, where Gadsby writes: “He loves through every changing scene, Nor aught from Him can Zion wean, Not all the wandering of her heart, Can make His love for her depart.” :


The love of Christ is rich and free;
Fixed on His own eternally;
Nor earth, nor hell, can it remove;
Long as He lives, His own He’ll love.


His loving heart engaged to be
Their everlasting Surety;
’Twas love that took their cause in hand,
And love maintains it to the end.

Love cannot from its post withdraw;
Nor death, nor hell, nor sin, nor law,
Can turn the Surety’s heart away;
He’ll love His own to endless day.


Love has redeemed His sheep with blood;
And love will bring them safe to God;
Love calls them all from death to life
And love will finish all their strife.

He loves through every changing scene,
Nor aught from Him can Zion wean;
Not all the wanderings of her heart
Can make His love for her depart.


At death, beyond the grave, He’ll love;
In endless bliss, His own shall prove
The blazing glory of that love
Which never could from them remove.

1 comment:

Aaron said...

Love that! I have only heard it thanks to the copy you gave me of Derek Webb doing it. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!