Public entry: Mind blowing Christology
Christ did not ultimately die for you. Christ died for God. When I heard that for the first time this week, my whole paradigm went for a wild ride.
Christ died for God, and God was satisfied with Christ.
An unblemished sacrifice, O Son of Praise,
For who are we to boast that of works that we have done
But by faith in God's own son, we are saved by grace.
Christ died for God, and God has made Him LORD of all
For He drank the bitter gall, the cup of wrath,
Nut He rose in majesty that grace might reign through righteousness,
Blessed obedience, our Sabbath rest, and we cry, "Holy, worthy is the Lamb..."
--"Christ Died for God" by Steve Camp*
We are almost always taught that Christ died for us on the cross, that this was his primary purpose in dying. But his purpose lay much higher. We are only saved so that God's glory might be greater. Christ died for us so that we might be saved so that God may be glorified. Christ died for God.
This is also very different than the view of Jesus' sacrifice that Michael W. Smith gives in his song, "Above All":
Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all.
First of all, Jesus was not "like a rose trampled on the ground." His life was not taken from him while he remained passive. The Scriptures are very clear that Jesus actively and voluntarily gave up his life. John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep..." Galatians 2:20, "The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me." Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all."
Yes, Jesus was very active in his death. He did not open his mouth at times while being accused, but that was because he wanted to be in control of his death. At times he spoke, and at times he remained silent; all of this was very strategic.
But that isn't my main nit with this song. Look at the last two lines. Christ thought of me above all? That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, but it just isn't true. Above all Christ thought of God and God's glory. A theocentric (God-centered) view of the cross is definitely in order. We little humans think we are so important and that the world revolves around us. Let it not be so!
And besides, if God thought of me above all, what about you? Or you? Or you or you or you? The song is immediately rendered illogical once more than one person sings it. And it's false the moment one person sings it. So there we have it: a thoroughly inaccurate song.
Christ died for God above all. That is the truth.
* If anyone has the lyrics to this whole song, which is appears on Camp's "Mercy in the Wilderness" CD, I'd really appreciate it! Believe me when I say that, as surprising as this sounds, the lyrics in their entirety do not exist anywhere on the internet! The internet has failed me...
Christ died for God, and God was satisfied with Christ.
An unblemished sacrifice, O Son of Praise,
For who are we to boast that of works that we have done
But by faith in God's own son, we are saved by grace.
Christ died for God, and God has made Him LORD of all
For He drank the bitter gall, the cup of wrath,
Nut He rose in majesty that grace might reign through righteousness,
Blessed obedience, our Sabbath rest, and we cry, "Holy, worthy is the Lamb..."
--"Christ Died for God" by Steve Camp*
We are almost always taught that Christ died for us on the cross, that this was his primary purpose in dying. But his purpose lay much higher. We are only saved so that God's glory might be greater. Christ died for us so that we might be saved so that God may be glorified. Christ died for God.
This is also very different than the view of Jesus' sacrifice that Michael W. Smith gives in his song, "Above All":
Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all.
First of all, Jesus was not "like a rose trampled on the ground." His life was not taken from him while he remained passive. The Scriptures are very clear that Jesus actively and voluntarily gave up his life. John 10:11, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep..." Galatians 2:20, "The Son of God loved me and gave himself for me." Romans 8:32, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all."
Yes, Jesus was very active in his death. He did not open his mouth at times while being accused, but that was because he wanted to be in control of his death. At times he spoke, and at times he remained silent; all of this was very strategic.
But that isn't my main nit with this song. Look at the last two lines. Christ thought of me above all? That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, but it just isn't true. Above all Christ thought of God and God's glory. A theocentric (God-centered) view of the cross is definitely in order. We little humans think we are so important and that the world revolves around us. Let it not be so!
And besides, if God thought of me above all, what about you? Or you? Or you or you or you? The song is immediately rendered illogical once more than one person sings it. And it's false the moment one person sings it. So there we have it: a thoroughly inaccurate song.
Christ died for God above all. That is the truth.
* If anyone has the lyrics to this whole song, which is appears on Camp's "Mercy in the Wilderness" CD, I'd really appreciate it! Believe me when I say that, as surprising as this sounds, the lyrics in their entirety do not exist anywhere on the internet! The internet has failed me...