Essay 45 (9/20/04) 

HYMNS TO CHRIST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT (2)

   It should not surprise us that the writers of the New Testament would draw upon sources beyond themselves – such as some of these hymns we are studying – in order to get said what they wanted to say, particularly in extolling and glorifying Christ. They were, after all, part of the culture of the times and were affected by it. We have seen that Paul quoted from pagan poets and philosophers.

   Even Jesus himself drew upon a common proverb, frequently found in Jewish and Greek sources, in referencing himself as a prophet – "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house" (Mark 6:4). It should broaden our view of the nature of revelation to see that Jesus – through whom God spoke most definitively – made use of "outside" sources.

   Sometimes the "sayings" they quoted were not hymns but simply that, sayings. Five of these appear in the pastoral letters (1-2 Timothy and Titus). Each is prefaced with, "This is a faithful saying . . ." Some of them express the essence of the Christian faith, such as 1 Timothy 1:15, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." Some are practical, as with 1 Timothy 3:1, "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the office of a bishop, he desires a good work."

   The hymns – virtually without exception – extol God as omnipotent creator and/or Christ as his Son and savior. As one scholar put it, "The hymns expose the nerve ends of the gospel." Therein lie their value for us – they reveal the basic faith of the early church. The hymns expressed the bond of their union. This one from Revelation 15:3-4 shows how they sang/chanted about God:
 

  Great and marvelous are your works,

   Lord God, Almighty!

  Just and true are your ways,

  O King of the saints!

  Who shall not fear you, O Lord,

  And glorify your name?

  For you alone are holy.

  For all nations shall come and worship before you,

  For your judgments have been manifested.

 

   While this hymn is introduced as "the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb," it is not drawn from Exodus 15, where a Song of Moses is given, as much as from various biblical allusions. It is a hymn of the primitive faith. It shows that early on they understood that God was to be worshipped by all nations.

   Others are creedal statements about God and Christ, concise and to the point, as if to say, This is what we believe. 1 Corinthians 8:6 is an example.
 

    For us there is only one God, the Father,

   of whom are all things, and we for him;

   And one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things,

   and through whom we live.

 

     This was the apostle Paul’s answer to the question of "lords many and gods many." To the pagans there might be such so-called lords and gods, but to us, he says, there is but one God and one Lord. One is the Father and creator, the other is the Christ and savior. That’s it! Case closed! This creedal hymn is not trinitarian in that it doesn’t include the Holy Spirit. That is because the Spirit was not an object of worship, but pointed to who was to be worshipped.

   Some hymns show the relationship between God and Christ – sometimes in incomprehensible language – as in Philippians 2:6-11. The first paat reads:
 

   Who, being in the form of God,

    did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,

    but made himself of no reputation,

    taking the form of a servant,

    and coming in the likeness of men,

  And being found in appearance as a man,

    he emptied himself and became obedient to the point of death,

    even the death of the cross.

 

   It is commonly supposed that while Paul drew this hymn from the "faith tradition" of the early church, he added the last line, even the death of the cross. However that may be, we can see it as an expansion of a hymn we’ve already considered, "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9). Both hymns refer to the preexistence of Christ, and both emphasize his humanity. His becoming a slave and suffering poverty are made redemptive.

   The "kenosis problem" ("he emptied himself" – kenosis being the Greek word for empty) is one of those irresolvable mysteries. Of what did Christ empty himself? It is OK to leave it a mystery. I find the rest of the hymn equally baffling.
 

  Therefore God has also highly exalted him,

    and given him the name which is above every name,

    that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,

    of things in heaven, and those on earth,

   and those under the earth,

    and that every tongue should confess

   that Jesus Christ is Lord,

    to the glory of God the Father.

 

   Will every Buddhist knee one day bow to Christ? Will every Moslem tongue one day confess that Jesus is Lord? Osama bin Ladin? Hitler? Infidels? Your neighbors? Everyone? Does this teach ultimate salvation for all (universalism), even if preceded by punishment for disbelief? Or will it be, not a redemptive confession, but a reluctant one, in judgment? The latter view does not seem to fit the last line, "to the glory of God the Father." It would be to the glory of God if all humanity – at last, in God’s tomorrow – confesses Jesus Christ as Lord, willingly and eagerly and penitently.

    am posing no particular thesis here. I am only placing the claims of an old Christian hymn (and an apostolic affirmation) on the table for discussion. And I am inviting you, as Alexander Campbell urged, to "come within understanding distance of the text." That means to study with heart as well as head – and without prejudice!

   This hymn is weighty theology – very weighty – and yet it appears in a context that does not appear to call for such heavy artillery. There was no crisis in the Philippian church for Paul to deal with. Only pettiness. Two women were at outs with each other, and there may have been some "conceit and selfish ambition." No monumental issues such as he had with other churches. In urging them to be humble like Christ the apostle hangs this theological bombshell on them.

   But that is the point of these hymns. There were no minor issues; everything mattered. It was all theology, and theology belongs, not to theologians, but to the church. The community of faith – the rank and file -- were challenged to think big. To think big about Christ!

   We see this in still other hymns – or so they can be considered – that appear to be the writer’s own composition. John 1:1-18 is an elegant example of this. You will notice that some modern versions indent these verses, as if they are poetry. They may well have been chanted as a creed or a hymn. And notice that, as in other hymns, the preexistence of Christ is emphasized – "the Word was with God" – and the incarnation – "the Word became flesh." The hymn is replete with substantive Christology – Christ is the Light and the exegete of God!

   Another noble instance of such hymns is Colossians 1:15-20, where we find a glorious description of the nature of Christ – he is the image of the invisible God, the creator of all things, and the head of the body which is the church. And again his preexistence: "He is before all things, and in him all things consist."

   It is informing that these hymns to Christ – as much as they extol him as divine – fall short of actually calling him God, except perhaps John 1:1 ("The Word was God"). But even here "the Word" is distinguished from God ("the Word was with God"). Jesus was in the image of God, the form of God, the express image of God (Hebrews 1:3, perhaps another hymn), but not actually God.

   The creed was clear: "We believe in one God, the Father . . . and in one Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 8:6). This was in keeping with the strong monotheistic emphasis in the Old Testament – "God is one" -- which was the Holy Scriptures of those who sang these hymns.

   A recovery of these hymns to Christ in the life of the family of God today will lead us to be more Christ-centered. They will also help us in prayer, both in private and in the assembly. The early church was willing to be overwhelmed by the mystery of Christ, and to walk by faith rather than by sight. They didn’t have to understand. It was believing that mattered. It was a faith that made them martyrs. We’ll close with yet one more hymn to Christ. This one was thought to be a martyr’s hymn.
 

  If we died with him,

  We shall also live with him.

  If we endure,

  We shall also reign with him,

  If we deny him,

  He will deny us.

  If we are faithless,

  He remains faithful;

  He cannot deny himself. (1 Tim. 2:11-13) 

 

Personal Notes

Due to a pressing research project, I will take a break from these essays for a few weeks. I am writing a chapter for a book, a festschrift in honor of a well-deserving leader among Churches of Christ (a surprise to him so far!). My chapter is a comparative study of Martin Luther and Alexander Campbell. I am having fun studying two reformers who had much in common, and were yet very different. If it is permitted, I may eventually pass it on to you as an e-mail essay.

We continue to get positive responses to my autobiography – A Lover’s Quarrel: My Pilgrimage of Freedom in Churches of Christ. Some say their favorite part is an addendum on "What I Want for Churches of Christ." Others find that they identify with some of my rather stormy experiences. A telephone call was from a dear brother who had read the chapter on "Becoming An Editor And Landing in Jail," in which I told of how 26 preachers had signed a statement approving of the college’s action in jailing me, which was published in the Gospel Advocate. He called to tell me he was one of the 26, and wanted to apologize. He was young then, he explained, and he had regretted all these years signing the statement. Fifty years ago! I told Ouida that that was his victory, not mine.

Maybe I’ve talked you into giving the autobio a read. If you send a check for $14.95 to Leroy Garrett at 1300 Woodlake Dr., Denton, TX 76210, we’ll put one in the mail to you, and we’ll pay the postage.