Thanks, John!

I know I have blogged about this hymn before, but really I think I need to sing this song everyday. Or maybe I need someone else to sing it TO me. I was listening to this week's topic on the White Horse Inn which is entitled "Rightly Dividing the Word: Law and Gospel". It was fab. I cannot do it justice by summarizing, you must just listen to it, or ask me to borrow the cd. But here are a couple thoughts:
There are 3 uses of the law:
1. To point us to our need for Christ (we cannot live up to the law)
2. To some degree the law is written on all humanity's hearts, common grace, why we all agree that murdering is wrong, etc.
3. To show us how we should behave as believers.

The problem is that the basis for our faith is not law, but gospel. Law shows us what God demands and Gospel gives us what we need to meet what God demands. I often get bogged down in the law...I am not doing what I should be doing. I do not love God or my neighbor as I should. The solution is not to try harder...to give all of myself to God...to read more scripture...to pray harder. The solution is the announcement of the Gospel. My failures, my "mistakes", my sin, past, present and future was paid for one afternoon two thousand years ago. I need to hear that announcement everyday because I am always trying to pay for my sin. "When through grace in Christ our trust is, justice smiles and asks no more."

This week we have been teaching HC this hymn. Thank you John Newton!
Let us love and sing and wonder
Let us praise the Savior’s name
He has hushed the law’s loud thunder
He has quenched Mount Sinai’s flame
He has washed us with His blood
He has brought us nigh to God

Let us love the Lord Who bought us
Pitied us when enemies
Called us by His grace and taught us
Gave us ears and gave us eyes
He has washed us with His blood
He presents our souls to God

Let us sing though fierce temptation
Threatens hard to bear us down
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conqu’ror’s crown
He, Who washed us with His blood,
Soon will bring us home to God

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

Let us praise and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high
Here they trusted Him before us
Now their praises fill the sky
Thou hast washed us with Thy blood
Thou art worthy Lamb of God