CHRISTMAS HYMN STUDY; O COME EMMANUEL

CHRISTMAS HYMN STUDY: O COME EMMANUEL

The Lyrics

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times did'st give the Law,

In cloud, and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

This hymn is a metrical version of one the “O Antiphons” from the final week of Advent vespers in the Roman Catholic Church.  It was originally written in Ecclesiastical Latin text as "Veni, veni, Emmanuel". . It may go back as far as the 8th Century. It certainly is known by the 12th century in Latin. In the mid-19th century, John Mason Neale and Henry Sloane Coffin wrote the music for it that we know today. Others have tinkered with the words when publishing it in various hymnals.

An antiphon (Greek ἀντίφωνον, ἀντί "opposite" + φωνή "voice") is a responsive chanting by a congregation to a text in a religious service or musical work. Many Baptist hymnals have “responsive readings” in the back, which are the same sort of thing.

 The "O Antiphons" each starts with a title for the Messiah. Additionally, each one refers to a prophecy of Isaiah of the coming of the Messiah.

Let’s examine the theology of the hymn, starting with the first stanza.

O come, O come, Emmanuel

And ransom captive Israel

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

The text is based on the of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son and shall call his name Immanuel. Matthew interpreted the verse as applying to the birth of Jesus. After relating the speech of the angel to Joseph, Matthew explained that “all this took place to fulfill what the Lord has spoken by the prophet” and then quotes the verse from Isaiah. He also translated the word Emmanuel for his readers, writing “which means God with us”. (Matthew 1:22-23).

The first stanza portrays Israel yearning for the Messiah to come and ransom them from sin and save them from the sinful world in which they, and we, are exiles. Peter addressed his first letter to the “elect exiles”. He called our time on earth “the time of your exile” and spoke of our being ransomed from our sinful ways by Christ. (1 Peter 1:1, 17-18).  

Now let’s look at the second stanza:

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free

Thine own from Satan's tyranny

From depths of Hell Thy people save

And give them victory o'er the grave

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

The “rod of Jesse” refers to Isaiah 11. Isaiah 11:1 says “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit”. Verse 10 says “In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples, of him shall the nations inquire and his resting place shall be glorious”. Jesse was the father of David. So, Isaiah was saying that a greater David will come, from the line of the king, and will be important. He will be a new shoot from an otherwise dying tree.

In this stanza, the work of salvation is shown as freeing us from death and hell, the province of Satan.

Here is the third stanza:

O come, Thou Day-Spring, come and cheer

Our spirits by Thine advent here

Disperse the gloomy clouds of night

And death's dark shadows put to flight.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

This stanza asks Christ to come and bring us joy by relieving us of the fear of death and darkness. Christ is referred to a “Day Spring”. This comes from the praise of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. In Luke 1:77-79, which in the old versions says “To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our god, whereby the dayspring from on high has visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace”. (King James Version)

The English Standard Version, a new translation, says “the sunrise shall visit us” instead of the dayspring on high. The New International Version uses “the rising sun” and the New American Standard Bible uses “sunrise”. The idea is that Jesus is the light that dispels the darkness of fear. Many people are afraid of the dark, because it is when bad people and things can come out and remain hidden or disguised. Almost everyone is afraid of death to some degree. Woody Allen said he was not afraid of dying, he just did not want to be there when it happened. But Jesus came to dispel sin and darkness and the fear associated with them.

John wrote “In him (Jesus) was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it”. (John 1:4-5) Darkness in the Bible often symbolizes sin, lostness, and depravity. Jesus is the light that exposes these and drives them away. Isaiah 9:2 looked forward to the coming of Christ and said “the people living in darkness have seen a great light”. Matthew said that was fulfilled when Jesus went into Galilee. (Matthew 4:12-16)

Now, the fourth stanza reads:   

            O come, Thou Key of David, come,

And open wide our heavenly home;

Make safe the way that leads on high,

And close the path to misery.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

This stanza asks Jesus to come and show us the way to heaven. The “key of David” is a reference to Isaiah 22:22. In Isaiah 22, God appointed a new man to be the steward of the house of David. God said he would “place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open and none shall shut and he shall shut and none shall open.” By this, God meant that the steward would make binding decisions for the house of David. He had full authority to do so.

The hymn asks Christ to unlock the way to heaven for us and to keep us secure or safe in it. Christ’s decision to take some one to heaven  will never be undone.

For example, in John 17:2, Jesus said “you have given him (Jesus) authority over all flesh to give eternal life to all whom you have given him.” In John 6:39, he said “and this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day”.

Finally, the last verse reads as follows:

O come, O come, Thou Lord of might,

Who to Thy tribes, on Sinai's height,

In ancient times did'st give the Law,

In cloud, and majesty and awe.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel

Shall come to thee, O Israel.

In the last verse, you have a Trinitarian statement of sorts, for the writer places Christ with the Father in might and glory, giving the law to Israel on Mount Sinai with signs of majesty. You might remember that when Israel gathered at Mount Sinai to receive the covenant law, there were “thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain”. (Exodus 20:16)

Finally, please note that each stanza has a two line refrain calling for God’s people to rejoice at the coming of Emmanuel, of the one who is God with us. Indeed, Jesus said he would be with us always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)

In the midst of all that goes on at Christmas, the most important thing is to rejoice that Christ has come, is with us and is coming again.

            Rejoice this week. God is with you.

The story of the conversion of actor Steve McQueen. We should never believe anyone is beyond the reach of the gospel.

CHRISTMAS HYMN STUDY: JOY TO THE WORLD

CHRISTMAS HYMN STUDY: JOY TO THE WORLD

The words to the hymn were written by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). The music was written or arranged by Lowell Mason (1792-1872) to the tune named “Antioch”. Antioch was the city where believers were first called Christians. He lists “G.F. Handel” as a music writer, but Handel did not write it.

Watts was a child prodigy. He learned Greek, Latin, French and Hebrew before he was 13. He studied theology and philosophy. He wrote books on logic and theology.

When he was 18, he criticized the Psalms sung at his church. His father told him to write something better. He brought a newly written hymn to church the next Sunday. His congregation loved it. For the next two years he wrote new hymns for each Sunday. He then published 210 hymns in a book called “Hymns and Spiritual Songs”. All in all, he wrote 600 hymns. He is called the father of English hymns. He wrote “Our God our Help In Ages Past”, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and “I sing the Mighty Power of God”.

Watts wrote the hymn for his hymnal “Psalms of David Imitated in the language of the New Testament”. He wanted to give the Psalms a New Testament meaning and style. It was common at the time for all worship songs to be rhymed versions of the Psalms. Watts wanted to update the songs.

“Joy To The World” is Watts’ reflection on Psalm 98:4-9. That Psalm rejoices in God’s protection and guidance for his people. It anticipates the time when God will be the God of the whole earth and his law obeyed by all people. Watts interpreted it as praise for the coming of Christ in his kingdom. The original title Watts gave it was “The Messiah’s Coming and Kingdom”.

Psalm 98 in the King James Version reads as follows:

 O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

2 The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

3 He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

5 Sing unto the Lord with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

6 With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King.

7 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

8 Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

9 Before the Lord; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.

Verses 4-9, which inspired the hymn, call for joyful praise to God with voices and instruments. Also, the sea and rivers and hills all praise God with joy.

Finally, verse 9 speaks of the Lord coming to judge the world with justice.

So, the flow of thought in Psalm 98 is that God has done great things for Israel, all people on earth should praise him for he is the rightful king of the earth, the creation should also praise him as it looks forward to his rule when God will be the judge of the earth.

Evidently, the use of the word “joy” and speaking of the coming of the Lord, made people think of the birth of Jesus. So they began to sing it as a Christmas hymn. However, Watts did not write it as a Christmas hymn. It is a song looking for ward to God’s coming at the end of the age to judge the earth and restore it.

But you could still sing it at Christmas as long as you do it meaning that Jesus comes to spread God’s praise to the Gentiles and bring his kingdom to the whole earth.

This hymn is sometimes called a postmillennial hymn. Postmillennialism is the view of the last things which holds that the Kingdom of God is now being extended in the world through the preaching of the Gospel and the saving work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of individuals, that the world eventually is to be Christianized, and that the return of Christ is to occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace commonly called the ‘Millennium.’

Postmillennialis believe the second coming of Christ will be followed immediately by the general resurrection, the general judgment, and the introduction of heaven and hell in their fullness.

Postmillennialists see the millennium as a golden age of spiritual prosperity during the Church age, the time between the first and second coming of Christ. They believe it will be brought about through forces now active in the world. It is an indefinitely long period of time, perhaps much longer than a literal one thousand years.

The changed character of many people who come to Christ will be reflected in a God centered social, economic, political and cultural life of humanity on the earth.

The world will then enjoy a state of righteousness such as at the present time has never known in any world wide sense.

Every person will not be a Christian during the millennium, nor will sin will be completely abolished. But evil will be negligible, Christian principles will be the rule, and Christ will return to a Christian world.  Most Protestants were postmillennialists during Watts’ lifetime.

The first stanza of the hymn is:

Joy to the world! The Lord is come!

Let earth receive her King;

Let every heart prepare him room

And heaven and nature sing.

The words of the first stanza, “Joy to the Lord” reflect the words of verse Psalm 98:4: “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.”

So, as Psalm 98 expresses joy at God’s coming to rule the world, Watts applied it to Christ’s second coming to reign in the millennium. The Christianized world would welcome him with great joy. Earth would receive it king.

Watts picked up the theme by singing “joy to the world”. He meant the world would rejoice at the appearance of Christ. It would receive him as king because, as a postmillennialist, he believed most of the world would be Christians when Christ returned.

Even if you are not a postmillennialist, you can sing that the world should have received Christ as king at his first coming. In Luke 2, the angel says he had good news of great joy for all people, that one was born who was Christ the Lord. The Messiah, or Christ, would be the Davidic king and would rule.  The Wise Men also thought Jesus would be a king. They asked “where is he who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:1-2)

I have always thought the wise men came because they read the Book of Daniel. They were from the East and may have been Medes in the Persian Empire. Daniel had prophesied about a “son of man” who was given a kingdom. (Daniel 7) Jesus would later identify himself as the son of man. He claimed the office of king and messiah in his trial before the council, as recorded in Mark 14:61-62.

Yet, Jesus did not establish a visible kingdom on earth during his first appearance. The kingdom was inaugurated when Jesus came the first time. He preached that the kingdom was at hand. In Mark 1:14, Jesus says “the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel”. But it will not be consummated until he returns as king, as shown in Revelation 19:11-16. But Watts was looking forward to the time of Christ’s return, believing he would come and reign on earth.

So, the first stanza pictures Christ returning to the welcome of his people and the rejoicing of all of creature, heaven and earth.

Here is the second stanza:

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!

Let men their songs employ;

While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

The second stanza pictures Christ reigning on earth. Men sing because they are glad to be under the reign of a just and righteous king. Creation sings also. Why does creation sing? It sings because it has been released from bondage to the sin of mankind.

The third stanza speaks specifically to this:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

Nor thorns infest the ground;

He comes to make His blessings flow

Far as the curse is found,

Far as the curse is found,

Far as, far as, the curse is found.

Genesis 3 tells us that, because of Adam’s sin, the ground was cursed. Thorns and Thistles grow on it. You know this if you have ever planted a garden or raised crops on a farm.

Romans 8:19-22 says:

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.

So,Watts says Christ will remove the curse and bring blessing. Psalm 98 does not deal with this issue specifically, but Watts was expanding the Psalm with New Testament teaching.

I personally do not think creation will be released from the curse of man’s sin until it is remade in the new heavens and earth. Peter wrote that the heavens and earth that now exist are kept until the day of judgment. (2 Peter 3:7) We, then, wait for the new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3:13) Revelation 22:3 says “no longer will there be anything accursed….”

I also think this is true of sins and sorrows. They will only cease in the new creation.

The Fourth stanza reads:

He rules the world with truth and grace,

And makes the nations prove

The glories of His righteousness,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders of His love,

And wonders, wonders, of His love.

This stanza reflects Psalm 98:9

Before the Lord, for he comes

To judge the earth

He will judge the world with righteousness

And the peoples with equity.

The Old Testament contains many references to God judging the nations. The New Testament shows us that the Father has given that authority to the Son. When Peter preached the first sermon to the Gentiles, speaking to Cornelius and his household, he said “And he (the Father) commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God (the Father) to be judge of the living and the dead. (Acts 10:42) Paul wrote “on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus”. (Romans 2:16)

Revelation pictures Jesus as the one who judges mankind. In chapter 5, the scroll is presented which is sealed with seven seals. (5:1) The scroll contains all of the judgments that will be poured out on mankind. Only Jesus is able to open it and break the seals. (5:5)

Matthew 25:31-46 speaks of Jesus judging mankind when he returns.

Watts wrote that Jesus will judge with righteousness. There will be no partiality. Each person is either in Christ or in rebellion against him. Those who are in Christ are described as having their names written in the book of life. These inherit eternal life.   The others are judged for what they have done. The words of Romans 6:23 are shown to be true: the wages of sin is death. These are cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15)

This is our vindication. It will be a cause for rejoicing. Christ is exalted.

So, this might not really be the best choice for a Christmas hymn, but is a Christ exalting hymn. Regardless of your eschatological position, you may look forward to the coming of Christ and the consummation of the kingdom. You may also rejoice that the birth of Christ began the work of the kingdom on earth. His kingdom exists today, though not fully realized on earth. That is why he told us to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.

Joy to the world! The Lord had come and is coming. He will come and take us to be with him for eternity. You can rejoice in that.

CHRISTMAS HYMN STUDY: THE THEOLOGY OF “HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING”

Note:  I am taking a break from Jeremiah for the month of December. During this time we will study the theology of some well known Christmas hymns. We will examine their references to the Bible and the doctrines they teach.

CHRISTMAS HYMN STUDY: THE THEOLOGY OF “HARK THE HERALD ANGELS SING”

History of the Hymn

“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is a Christmas hymn written by Charles Wesley. It was published in 1739 in Hymns and Sacred Poems. The original music for it was slow and solemn. That was changed in 1840. That year Felix Mendelssohn composed a cantata to commemorate Johann Gutenberg's invention of the printing press. The English musician, William H. Cummings , adapted the music to fit the lyrics of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”. That is the melody we know and sing today.

As with many hymns, some of the words have been changed from the original.  Wesley's original opening couplet is "Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings". “Welkin” is an old English word for heavens or sky. Wesley was inspired to write the hymn while walking to church on Christmas Day, listening to the church bells ring.

When the hymnal was published, George Whitfield changed the words to the ones we know now because he thought more people would understand it.

Let’s examine the lyrics. We will see that Wesley referenced specific scripture passages and the truth taught in them.

In the first stanza, we see that Wesley alludes to Luke 2. This passage tells the story of angels appearing to shepherds out in the fields, telling them that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem.

First, an angel appeared and said “Fear not, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)(English Standard Version)

Then a host of angels appeared and praised God saying “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”  (14) Wesley captured this picture with the first stanza:

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

He took some literary license here. First, the angels did not sing, they spoke. Second, the angels gave glory not to Jesus but to the Father.

But Wesley got the gospel message right. The angels said there would be peace among those with whom he is well pleased. In the NIV, it reads “peace to men on whom his favor rests”. He emphasized it by saying that God and sinners would be reconciled.

Today, you will hear songs and speeches that interpret this as peace between nations and the end of war. But the context is peace between God and men. Jesus is the savior who will save people from their sins, reconciling them to God. They then have peace with God.

The idea is that Jesus removed our separation from the Father and allowed us to come to him. For example, Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

While the Jews expected a savior sent just to them, the angel said the good news was for all people. (Luke 2:10) Wesley captured that by saying “joyful all ye nations rise”.

Now let’s look at the second stanza of the hymn:

Christ by highest heav'n adored

Christ the everlasting Lord!

Late in time behold Him come

Offspring of a Virgin's womb

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see

Hail the incarnate Deity

Pleased as man with man to dwell

Jesus, our Emmanuel

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

We know that Christ was adored by highest heaven, for the praise here is from angels sent from heaven. They radiated with the glory of God so much that it made the shepherds afraid. (Luke 2:9) We also know that the Father himself adored his son. At Jesus’ baptism, the Father said “You are my beloved son, with you I am well pleased”. (Luke 3:22) Revelation 4 shows all of the inhabitants of heaven and earth praise him. Revelation 19:16 pictures Jesus in a robe dipped in blood with the name written on the robe and on his thigh: king of kings and lord of lords.

Wesley also wrote that Christ is the “everlasting lord”. Jesus claimed this very thing, saying “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13) Jesus also said “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am”. (John 8:58)

Wesley then moves from Christ’s heavenly status to his earthly appearance. He mentioned Christ’s virgin birth (offspring of a virgin’s womb). Luke 2:26-27 mentions the virgin birth. Matthew went further, explaining that the virgin birth was a fulfillment of the prophesy of Isaiah 7:14 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son…”.

Jesus was born fully a man, but remained fully God. Wesley said “veiled in flesh the Godhead see, hail the incarnate deity”. In other words, at is birth (incarnation), Jesus’ divine nature was veiled by his human form. Paul, in Philippians 2:5 said “…Jesus Christ, who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” In the third stanza of the hymn, Wesley also wrote “Mild He lays His glory by.

Christ then lived among men for his time on earth. Wesley said “pleased as man with man to dwell”. John the apostle said “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. (John 1:14)

Now, let’s examine the third stanza.

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!

Hail the Sun of Righteousness!

Light and life to all He brings

Ris'n with healing in His wings

Mild He lays His glory by

Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

The first two lines deal with titles given to the Messiah in the Old Testament, Prince of Peace and Sun of Righteousness. “Prince of Peace” comes from Isaiah 9:6,which says

His name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Christ is also called the “sun of righteousness” in the Old Testament. Some have tried to correct this to “son” rather than “sun”. But the reference is to Malachi 4:2, which says “but for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise will healing it is wings”. We know this is correct because Wesley’s 4^th line is “Ris’n with healing in His wings”. So you can tell he is referring to the verse in Malachi.

Malachi 4 is talking about judgment. He said that the day of the Lord would come, burning like an oven and setting all evil doers ablaze, or burning them up. (4:1) But for those who fear the Lord, the believers, that day will be a day that makes everything right, bringing healing and joy.

Wesley then moved to Christ’s mission: to bring eternal life to those who believe in him. He said Christ was born that man no more may die. Jesus said that God sent him so that those who believed in him would not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16) He called it being born again. (John 3:3) Wesley wrote that Jesus came to bring the  “second birth”.

Eternal life also comes by way of resurrection. Our bodies die. But Jesus promised to raise them. Wesley said Jesus was “born to raise the sons of earth”. John 6:40 records Jesus as saying “For this is the will of my father, that everyone who looks on the son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”

The 4^th stanza alludes to Genesis 3:

Come, Desire of nations, come,

Fix in us Thy humble home;

Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,

Bruise in us the serpent’s head.

Now display Thy saving pow’r,

Ruined nature now restore;

Now in mystic union join

Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

After Satan, in the form of the serpent, deceived Eve to sin, God pronounced a curse on him, saying “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heal.” (Genesis 3:15) The woman’s conquering seed, then, is Jesus as God said in Genesis 3.

The words “Ruined nature now restore” also refer to Genesis 2 and 3 and to Romans 5. God told Adam that, if he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die. (Genesis 2:17) Physical death came into existence because of Adam’s sin. God said “you are dust, and to dust you shall return”. (Genesis 3:19) But Adam also suffered spiritual death, shown by God thrusting him out of the garden and forbidding his return.

Romans 5:12 says “Therefore just as sin came into the world through one man (Adam) and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.”

The last stanza of the hymn picks up the theme of Romans 5.

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,

Stamp Thine image in its place:

Second Adam from above,

Reinstate us in Thy love.

Let us Thee, though lost, regain,

Thee, the Life, the inner man:

Oh, to all Thyself impart,

Formed in each believing heart.

We see here that Wesley believed in the doctrine of original sin. This is the idea that Adam sinned as the representative for all mankind and so we all inherited his sin and fallen nature. That is why Romans 5 says sin came into the world through one man and death through sin.

Christ not only died to pay the penalty of our sins, but to restore our nature. Wesley  therefore calls Christ the “Second Adam”. By that he means, as Romans 5 says, that as Adam sinned as the representative for the race of men, Christ’s righteousness provides justification and life for men who believe in him.

 Augustine said all men inherit natural corruption. Wesley asked Christ to take away this corrupted nature and replace it with Christ’s nature or image.

Wesley also asked Christ to reinstate us into God’s love, again speaking of his work of reconciliation. Finally, he asked for sanctification, asking Christ to restore the inner man of each and every believer.

I like this hymn for it illuminates the whole mission of Christ. It does not just focus on a sweet baby in a manger, but shows that Christ came to die for our sins, and provide eternal life in restored fellowship with the Father and a changing nature that will increase in Godliness until Christ returns to transform us into full Godliness.

Amen. Come Lord Jesus.