COVENANT GRACE Tune to "I SING THE MIGHTY POWER OF GOD" CM/DOUBLE Words by JIM BYRD
1. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or earth and heav’n were made; From everlasting Thou art God, In majesty arrayed. ‘Twas in eternity that God Chose out in love a race; Ordained to rescue us from sin, By free and sovereign grace.
2. The Son of God in cov’nant love, Our Sure-ty then became; His people Christ the Lord would save, O praise His blessed Name. Here view the wisdom of our God, A great salvation this; Unworthy souls by Christ are saved, Marked out for heav’nly bliss.
3. The Son would give His life for us, From sin to set us free; His blood would wash and make us clean, Safe for eternity. Praise God for that great covenant, To it salvation trace; God gave free grace in Christ His Son, Unto a chosen race.
SCRIPTURE READINGS TODAY: MORNING: ECCLESIASTES 3:1-15 EVENING: JOHN 20:19-31
"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever Thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God." (Psalm 90:2)
***** Not a New Translation But a Transformation In 1526, having translated the New Testament out of the original Greek, William Tyndale printed the first New Testament in English. Prior to that, in 1521, spokesmen for the Church of Rome had told Tyndale not to oppose the pope saying, "We had better be without God’s laws than the pope’s." The pope had threatened with death any who tried to put the Scriptures into the hands of the public. To the pope’s representatives Tyndale replied , "I defy the pope and all his laws; and if God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost." In time, his enemies arrested him in Brussels and convicted him of heresy. He was strangled and his body was burned at the stake on October 6, 1536.
Since Tyndale, there have been about 900 English translations and paraphases of either the entire Bible or portions of it. Many which claim to be translations, however, are in fact transliterations. They are not an accurate rendering of the original languages in which the Scriptures were written, but interpretations by men as to what they think the Bible is saying. Men produce a version (perversion!) which reflects their own doctrinal persuasion, usually dishonoring God in some way. They often water down the great doctrines of the Bible, such as God’s electing grace, man’s depravity, Christ’s successful redemption of His people and the Holy Spirit’s effectual work within the hearts of sinners. Of those that are translations, there is one that stands head and shoulders above the others, the Authorised Version, also known as the King James Version. I know people are in search of a Bible which is more understandable and easier to read, but the King James Version has an accuracy and beauty about it which is unsurpassed. And as far as understandability is concerned, it appears to me that many of these so-called translations are trying to make a spiritual book to be understandable to the natural man, which is an impossibility. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). A true discernment of the Scriptures must come by Holy Spirit illumination. That which men need is not a new translation, but a transformation by the Lord who must give life from above and with that life comes a spiritual understanding of the Scriptures. –Pastor Jim Byrd
***** SIN JUDGED AT THE CROSS There was not a speck of sin on the conscience, nor a principle of sin in the nature of His people for which Christ was not judged on the cross; and they are now looked upon as having died with Christ, lain in the grave with Christ, been raised with Christ, perfectly accepted in Him - their sins, their iniquities, their transgressions, their enmity, their uncircumcision, having been entirely put away by the cross. The sentence of death has been written on the flesh; but the believer is in possession of a new life, in union with his risen Head in glory.
What rest - perfect rest - for the heart and conscience is here! What full relief for the burdened spirit! All our sins buried in the grave of Christ, not one - even the smallest - left out! God did this for us! All that His searching eye could detect in us, He laid on the head of Christ when He hung upon His cross! He judged Him there and then, instead of judging us in hell forever. –copied
***** Hypocritical professors are like dunghills covered with snow. They look well for a time, but sooner or later, the snow will melt and they will prove themselves to be but dunghills. –Augustus Toplady
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