God Loves You

Through times of grief and sorrow;
Through times of pain and woe;
Through times of deep dark valleys;
We wondered which way to go.

Through times when we forgot you,
You never left our side
When we turned our backs upon you,
And we tried to run and hide.

You caught each tear of sorrow,
And you've kept each tear of fear
In a bottle to remind us
You're God, and you are near.

As we climb out of the valleys;
Once again to the mountain top;
You've shook those tears upon us
To say your love won't stop.

For every tear we've ever shed,
I think God's shed one too,
And I think that they're recorded
In his book of love for you.

by Billy Arrington

O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of your name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
You blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, you lame, for joy.

In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in Earth and Heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, you fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.

Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.

With me, your chief, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Charles Wesley, 1739

Aspects of Salvation

Regeneration To be given or imparted life. Titus 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit.

Adoption God placing a believer as an adult son into His family; giving him access to all of the privileges that go with it. Eph 1:5 He predestined us to an adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,

Justification To be pronounced righteous. It is the legal and judicial act whereby God declares the believer righteous in Jesus Christ. It is not only the taking away of the believer's guilt, but also the imputation of Christ's righteousness in its place. Rom 3:24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.

Imputation To put something on a person's account or charge. To attribute or reckon something to an individual. Rom 4:23,24 Now not for his sake only was it written, that it was reckoned [imputed] to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be reckoned [imputed] as those who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,

Sanctification To be set apart unto God for God's use. To be set apart from sin unto holiness. God consecrates the believer unto Himself. 1 Cor 1:30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,

Reconciliation To be brought from enmity to friendship. To bring peace where there was once hatred and strife. Man is reconciled to God. 2 Cor 5:18,19 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

Propitiation To appease or satisfy someone. To make amends for a wrong that was committed. God is completely satisfied by Jesus Christ's atonement. 1 John 2:2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.

Redemption To purchase or buy back something that originally belonged to the purchaser. The death of Jesus Christ buys back the sinner. His blood is the payment. Col 1:14 in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.