Christian worship song

[Richard Mulcahy]

 

[ViaCrucis]

The hymn is nice, but from a Lutheran perspective theologically problematic. It speaks of us coming to Jesus, rather than of Christ coming to us. And that's problematic theology--because we didn't come to Christ, Christ came to us. Our Lord says, "You did not choose Me, I chose you" and throughout the Scriptures we are told that it is about God coming to us, not us coming to God. Our salvation is found in God-come-down; God come down, made flesh, who suffered and died for us, who conquered hell, sin, death, and the devil, rising from the dead. It is God who comes to us through the Means of Grace, Word and Sacrament.

Or, as simply as St. John puts it, "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19).

The hymn as it addresses Jesus' word to us, that's quite lovely. But by placing the emphasis on our coming to Him, of our giving Him a place to rest, that's theologically backward. It is Christ who gives us rest, it is Christ Himself who comes and makes dwelling in us by the Spirit--it is Christ who does this, not us.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Richard Mulcahy]

The hymn is nice, but from a Lutheran perspective theologically problematic. It speaks of us coming to Jesus, rather than of Christ coming to us. And that's problematic theology--because we didn't come to Christ, Christ came to us. Our Lord says, "You did not choose Me, I chose you" and throughout the Scriptures we are told that it is about God coming to us, not us coming to God. Our salvation is found in God-come-down; God come down, made flesh, who suffered and died for us, who conquered hell, sin, death, and the devil, rising from the dead. It is God who comes to us through the Means of Grace, Word and Sacrament.

Or, as simply as St. John puts it, "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19).

The hymn as it addresses Jesus' word to us, that's quite lovely. But by placing the emphasis on our coming to Him, of our giving Him a place to rest, that's theologically backward. It is Christ who gives us rest, it is Christ Himself who comes and makes dwelling in us by the Spirit--it is Christ who does this, not us.

-CryptoLutheran

Hello ViaCrucis! Thank you for your reply. Have you considered the context of the song I.t.o. Mathew 11: 28 - 30? I do not believe the song implies that Christ didn't come first?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest..."

 

[ViaCrucis]

Hello ViaCrucis! Thank you for your reply. Have you considered the context of the song I.t.o. Mathew 11: 28 - 30? I do not believe the song implies that Christ didn't come first?

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest..."

Right, and that much is good. It's where we have lyrics such as this which introduce the problematic theology:

"I came to Jesus as I was,
weary and worn and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad."

The implication that salvation involves a personal decision on our part is diametrically opposed to Lutheran soteriology, which insists upon the gracious and completely efficacious work of God through His Means of grace to deliver faith to us, a faith apart from ourselves as a free gift.

Hence it is, from a Lutheran POV, problematic. We would see it (perhaps even unintentionally) as teaching an erroneous position which can be injurious to the Church by confusing Law and Gospel.

A simple change such as the following would alleviate the problem, and be consistent with the monergistic work of God's grace:

"Jesus came to me as I was,
weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place,
And He has made me glad."

It might seem, at the surface, to be a very small matter. But it is a tremendously different thing with massive ramifications. It's the difference between me pulling myself up out of the hole to go to Jesus and Jesus climbing down the hole to meet and rescue me.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Richard Mulcahy]

Right, and that much is good. It's where we have lyrics such as this which introduce the problematic theology:

"I came to Jesus as I was,
weary and worn and sad;
I found in him a resting place,
and he has made me glad."

The implication that salvation involves a personal decision on our part is diametrically opposed to Lutheran soteriology, which insists upon the gracious and completely efficacious work of God through His Means of grace to deliver faith to us, a faith apart from ourselves as a free gift.

Hence it is, from a Lutheran POV, problematic. We would see it (perhaps even unintentionally) as teaching an erroneous position which can be injurious to the Church by confusing Law and Gospel.

A simple change such as the following would alleviate the problem, and be consistent with the monergistic work of God's grace:

"Jesus came to me as I was,
weary and worn and sad;
I found in Him a resting place,
And He has made me glad."

It might seem, at the surface, to be a very small matter. But it is a tremendously different thing with massive ramifications. It's the difference between me pulling myself up out of the hole to go to Jesus and Jesus climbing down the hole to meet and rescue me.

-CryptoLutheran

I just can't see that the implication you refer to is implied? There is no context in the lyrics that I can interpret it that way? Would you agree that perhaps from a non-denominational perspective you would be happy with the song? Is it not well known that we come to Jesus just as we are?

 

[ViaCrucis]

I just can't see that the implication you refer to is implied? There is no context in the lyrics that I can interpret it that way? Would you agree that perhaps from a non-denominational perspective you would be happy with the song? Is it not well known that we come to Jesus just as we are?

In the Lutheran view we don't come to Jesus at all--He comes to us. At least as far as salvation is concerned.

Lutheranism is explicitly monergistic, meaning that salvation is totally and completely God's work, it's one-sided: God saves us. There's no altar calls, or inviting Jesus to be our personal Lord and Savior, etc; these are ideas foreign to Lutheranism. Christ's work is finished and accomplished once and for all by His life, death, and resurrection; and it is the Holy Spirit who takes Christ's finished work and appropriates it to us as pure grace, by giving us faith through the Means which God has instituted, Word and Sacrament. As such the preaching of the Gospel is not an invitation to make a decision to follow Jesus, the Gospel is the declaration of what God has already done for us in Christ, and it is the very power of God to save us. When the Gospel is preached it accomplishes what it promises, as such it creates faith (Romans 10:17). It is this faith, God's gift to us, through which we are justified because it is through faith that God applies the once-and-done work of Jesus.

As such we don't invite Jesus to be our personal Lord and Savior; He is already the one and only Lord and Savior of all, and He by His great love for us grabs hold of us even in our animosity and enmity against God to clothe us with Himself and His righteousness, making us joint-heirs with Himself, and thus we are called the sons and daughters of God by our union with Him.

So, again, we don't come to Jesus. Jesus comes to us. He comes to us in Word and Sacrament; in these Christ comes down, meets us, and makes us His.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[brinny]

It's beautiful, although this version below brings me to my knees in worship and adoration (this version only because of the depictions of Jesus in the video you posted (He looked nothing like that, and he didn't have blue eyes and blondish hair, nor was He "pretty". In Isaiah He is described quite differently, and also in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Otherwise the song itself is beautiful.

Thank you and God bless you, brother, and welcome to CF.

 

[Richard Mulcahy]

It's beautiful, although this version below brings me to my knees in worship and adoration (this version only because of the depictions of Jesus in the video you posted (He looked nothing like that, and he didn't have blue eyes and blondish hair, nor was He "pretty". In Isaiah He is described quite differently, and also in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Otherwise the song itself is beautiful.

Thank you and God bless you, brother, and welcome to CF.

Hi Brinny!
Thank you for your message your version of the song is also beautiful. Its one of my favourite songs.
Thank you for your welcome and God bless you too...

 

[brinny]

Hi Brinny!
Thank you for your message your version of the song is also beautiful. Its one of my favourite songs.
Thank you for your welcome and God bless you too...

Thank you and you are most welcome.

God bless you.