Doctrine of Grace/Calvinisim In Hymns and Songs

I don't see anything distinctively Calvinistic about "Victory in Jesus" - even in the lyrics you highlighted.

What make you think it comes from a Calvinistic perspective? Do you know something about the lyric writer's background?

 

BB writes:
"I don't see anything distinctively Calvinistic about "Victory in Jesus" - even in the lyrics you highlighted."

I agree. Grace applies to all believers, not just Calvinist.

 

here is one of my favorites:

"Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me"
by Augustus Montague Toplady, 1740-1778
Text From:
THE LUTHERAN HYMNAL
(St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1941)



1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood
From Thy riven side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

2. Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfil Thy Law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helplees, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly,--
Wash me, Savior, or I die!

4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment-throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee!

 

here is another by Calvinist John Newton... I am willing to bet most will recognize it

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.



T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.



Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.



The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.



When we've been here ten thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun.



Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see."

 

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Refrain
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim,
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.

Refrain

And now complete in Him
My robe His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.

Refrain

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy power and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Refrain

When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.

Refrain

And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down
All down at Jesus’ feet.

Refrain

I wonder if the new evangelical version would be something like.....

Jesus secured my loan.....
I just keep up the payments....

 

The additional included verses here are great:
1. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

2. 'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved,
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed.

3. Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come.
'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

4. The Lord has promised good to me,
His Word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures.

5. Yea, when this heart and flesh shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the vail,
A life of joy and peace.

6. The world shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun refuse to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Shall be forever mine.

When we've been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we'd first begun.

As we now lay our garments down
Upon our beds to rest,
So Death ere long disrobes us all
Of what we now possess.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds
In a believer's ear
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds
And drives away his fear.

Must Jesus bear the cross alone
And all the world go free
No, there's a cross for everyone
And there's a cross for me.

Shall I be carried to the skies
On flow'ry beds of ease,
While others fight to win the prize
And sail through bloody seas?

Amazing grace has set me free,
To touch, to taste, to feel;
The wonders of accepting love,
Have made me whole and real.

 

By Daniel Whittle (I don't know what his theology was, but the song is perfectly calvinistic, in fact, I don't see how an arminian can honestly sing this song)

I KNOW WHOM I HAVE BELIEVED

I know not why God's wondrous grace
to me he hath made known,
nor why, unworthy, Christ in love
redeemed me for his own.

Refrain:
But I know whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I've committed
unto him against that day.

I know not how this saving faith
to me he did impart,
nor how believing in his word
wrought peace within my heart.
(Refrain)

I know not how the Spirit moves,
convincing us of sin,
revealing Jesus through the word,
creating faith in him.
(Refrain)

I know not when my Lord may come,
at night or noonday fair,
nor if I walk the vale with him,
or meet him in the air.
(Refrain)

 

Straight from my PB Hymnbook

Written by Josiah Conder, 1789-1855
3rd verse added by Elder Roland Green (1994), 1924-
Arr. Elder Roland Green (1994), 1924-

MY LORD I DID NOT CHOOSE YOU

My Lord, I did not choose You, For that could never be,
My heart would still refuse You, Had you not chosen me.
You took the sin that stained me, You cleansed me, made me new;
Of old You have ordained me, That I should live in You.

Unless Your grace had called me, And taught my opening mind,
The world would have enthralled me, To heav'nly glories blind.
My heart knows none above You, For Your rich grace I thirst,
I know that if I love You, You must have loved me first.

Your love has been forever, From all eternity,
Its drawing power never Shall be withdrawn from me.
I feel that I am kept by The strength of love divine,
And when I wake in Heaven, All glory shall be Thine.

 

Charles Wesley was not a calvinist but this verse of the great hymn is in agreement with calvinism:

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature's night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flame with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

 

One more from John Newton

Poor, Weak, and Worthless
by John Newton, 1725-1807

Poor, weak, and worthless though I am, I have a rich Almighty Friend;
Jesus the Savior is His Name, He freely loves and without end.

He ransomed me from hell with blood, And by His pow'r my foes controlled,
He found me wand'ring far from God, And bro't me to His chosen fold.

He cheers my heart, my want supplies, And says that I shall shortly be,
Enthroned with Him above the skies, O what a Friend is Christ to me.

 

Those mostly are our songs too so I guess Calvinist don't have a lock on Grace, it belongs to God after all.

 

Great hymn.

I had a college professor who called it "The Agnostic's Hymn" because the writer started every verse with, "I know not..."

I believe it is a great and encouraging hymn for the church, because we often get caught up in the Gnostic belief that systematic knowledge about God is more important than personally knowing God.

 

I don't think there is any Christian (Calvinist, Arminian, Open Theist, "biblicist", etc.) who does not believe that God seeks us or that He has first loved us, since those elements are such consistent and explicit themes in scripture.

 

I love this hymn, though not the word of God, it is sound doctrine. To say it is calvinistic seems funny to me. In the first verse: Who repented and won the victory in Jesus?

And the second verse: "then I cried dear Jesus, come and heal my broken spirit". Didn't you tell me the spirit is healed before the sinner can cry out to Jesus?

 

I don't know who those people are for it was I that was "lost" God never was, amen

 

Amen, praise God for the old hymns!!!

 

Praise the Lord!!!raying: