Becoming the Message Part 1

About this time last year I was teaching at my church and accidentally tested my Pastor with a difficult question. While trying to make a point I meant to ask him (knowing what his answer would be) to sum up the gospel in one sentence. Instead I asked him to sum up the gospel in one word. This didn’t seem to throw him off too much as he pondered the question for a moment and then said “Christ.” Though it didn’t strike me as a profound answer at the time (partly due to the nervousness of teaching and the fact that I had accidently asked the question wrong) I can now look back at that answer and say “yes!” because it such a wonderful truth. Not only did Christ do the work to make the gospel possible. He is the gospel.

But the question we as Christ’s ambassadors should be asking is how we can most effectively present this gospel message. If the message can be summed up as “Christ” how can we, who have are empowered by his Spirit, most fully and vividly present him to a lost and dying world? I think the answer to this question can be found in the life of the apostle Paul who became the message in order to most effectively propagate that message to the world. Here are some of the ways that I have seen him become the message:


1. In his love for and dedication to Christ.

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Phil. 3:7-11)

Paul loved Jesus Christ. His love for Jesus was so consuming that he would rather “away from the body and at home with the Lord.” This love for Christ displayed the message because of people Paul demonstrated what it meant to be reconciled to the one against whom you were once at war.

Paul had not merely become keen with a religious system, he had been changed by Christ and now had real love to show it.

2. In the way he saw his conversion.

For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! (1 Cor. 9:16)

Most of us have a conversion experience and then later on feel called to a certain type of ministry through the recognition of particular gifts and particular passions. Paul, on the other hand, could only look back to one event at which time he was called to salvation and the ministry that would consume his life.

In Galatians 1 Paul is recounting what we would call his “testimony” when he makes a startling connection, “But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles…” (Gal. 1:15-16) Other examples of Paul talking about his purpose in life being the same as his ministry, which was tied up with his conversion are found in Romans 1:5 and Acts 20:24.

Imagine if your first memory was as a 25 year old at the end of a job interview and the interviewer says, “you can start training tomorrow.” Chances are your entire identity would be wrapped up in this job. How much more in this case when Creator and Lord has called you to the ministry of the gospel?

3. In the passion he had for seeing people be saved.

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Romans 9:1-3)

A message isn’t much of a message if it doesn’t have an intended audience. Though I think much of modern evangelism has become far too man-centered, it is still necessary for the evangelist to care for the souls of the people to whom he has been called to proclaim the gospel. Paul takes this so far as to use odd language when speaking of his people, the nation of Israel. He goes as far as to say that he could with the he were cut off from Christ for their sake. We have already seen Paul’s love for Christ. He’s not going to remove himself from Christ (nor can he), but how far do you think he will go to get the gospel to his people?

Stay tuned for part 2.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

At the Cross (Daniel Renstrom)

We are singing songs of redemption, We are Christ's possession
Bought with the precious blood.
Given us pardon and forgiveness, we are freed to love Him
Bought with the precious blood.

At the cross wrath was taken away, Christ was in our place
Oh what marvelous grace.
At the cross justice was supplied, by the blood of Christ
Forever we will praise.

Amazing pity grace made known to me
Love beyond all I conceived
Bought with the precious blood.

Righteous now is how He looks at me
Aroma of Christ to God from me
Bought with the precious blood

Burdens were lifted away.
God caused this heart to awake to His glorious grace.
Burdens were lifted away.
God caused this heart to awake, He's provided a way.

Daniel Renstrom

Bible Study: Romans 9:14-18 "...it depends not on human will..."

What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

God is not unjust, as some would claim, in deciding to save some and leave the rest in their unconverted, hell-bound state. He mercifully saves whomever He wills from the mass of humanity and yet still has a purpose for those who willfully reject Him (i.e. Pharaoh). Let us thank God that He has (literally) "mercied" us who were once rebels, hostile to God, wanting nothing to do with Him. He is so gracious.

Unconditional Election Part 5

V. Acts 13:48

A lot of times Calvinists will, perhaps wrongly, make controversial statements like “Jesus was a Calvinist” or “Paul was a Calvinist” while understanding that Calvin derived his theology from Jesus, Paul, and other biblical writers and not the other way around. With that said, I think this verse tells us that Luke believed in unconditional election.

In this story we see Paul preaching in the synagogue at Antioch on the Sabbath. He preaches a long explanation of the gospel and they ask him to come back the next week (Acts 13:42). When Paul comes back there is a huge gathering of the whole city to hear him preach. But the Jewish leaders were jealous of the attention Paul was getting and started to speak against the message of Paul. Paul sternly reacts by turning to the Gentiles with his message. This is where Luke describes the conversion of many Gentiles, “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Notice the importance of word order, Luke does not say “and as many as had believed were appointed to eternal life” Luke instead gives the credit of the belief to the One who appointed the belief, namely, God.

This verse adds two things to our understanding of election:

1. It is unconditional.
2. It brings about faith.

Election always plays out in faith. That might seem obvious to some but to others it is a stumbling block. Some might argue “if God elects unconditionally why preach the gospel?” or “what if someone who is elect dies having never believed in Christ?” those questions are fair but they are based on the presupposition that a person believes in unconditional election and not the rest of the Bible. Here we see Luke showing us election applied in the faith of the Gentiles. For more on what happens at conversion see my series on Irresistible Grace.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

What is the Heart of Salvation?

"At the heart of salvation lies reconciliation to the God who made us and under whose just judgment we lie. Its ultimate triumph is a new heaven and a new earth…the consummating transformation of this fallen, broken existence, the gain of resurrection bodies, and above all the sheer triumph and glory of God." -D.A. Carson

If Hell Must Be Filled...

If sinners will be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our bodies. And if they will perish, let them perish with our arms around their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, at least let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go there unwarned and unprayed for. (Charles Spurgeon)

Man of Sorrows

"Man of Sorrows," what a name

For the Son of God who came

Ruined sinners to reclaim!

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

In my place condemned He stood;

Sealed my pardon with His blood;

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Guilty, vile, and helpless, we,

Spotless Lamb of God was He;

Full atonement—can it be?

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
Lifted up was He to die,

"It is finished!" was His cry;

Now in heaven exalted high;

Hallelujah! what a Savior!
When He comes, our glorious King,

To His kingdom us to bring,

Then anew this song we'll sing

Hallelujah! what a Savior!

(Philip Bliss)

Bible Study: Romans 9:9-13. In order for what?!

For this is what the promise said: "About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son." And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, "The older will serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

"[We] should recognize that the passage is dealing with individuals and not merely the nation as a whole (or the church as a whole). Paul is concerned with the election of individuals to salvation. This is made clear in verse 6 which speaks of the distinction within Israel (a distinction which is based upon election as subsequent verses will profess), as well as the use of the singular in verse 16. In addition, the use of specific individuals throughout the passage, including Jacob, Esau, Abraham, Isaac, and Pharaoh, points decisively in favor of this interpretation." -Geoff Ashley (What is Unconditional Election?)

Unconditional Election Part 4

IV. 1 Corinthians 1:26-31.

The following quote is of the 2nd century philosopher Celsus. It was meant to be a mockery of Christianity but instead it goes quite well with Paul’s point in 1 Corinthians 1.

“Let no cultured person draw near, none wise and none sensible, for all that kind of thing we count evil; but if any man is ignorant, if any man is wanting in sense and culture, if anybody is a fool, let him come boldly [to become a Christian]. … We see them in their own houses, wool dresses, cobblers, the worst, the vulgarest, the most uneducated persons. … They are like a swarm of bats or ants creeping out of their nest, or frogs holding a symposium around a swamp, or worms convening in mud” (quoted in MacArthur Commentary Series: 1 Corinthians).

What is wisdom? Where does wisdom come from? Who is truly blessed? In what can a person boast? These questions have drastically different answers when asked of the world and of the Bible. To the world one can be both wise and corrupt, both rich and spiritually bankrupt, blessed and yet depraved. To the Bible the only one who is truly wise is the one who sees his wisdom as from God. The one who is blessed is the one on whom the Lord has shown His infinite mercy.

Paul begins the paragraph by pointing each person back to an event. That event isn’t said to be “the moment you believed” but “your calling” (1 Cor. 1:26). He doesn’t attribute this calling to them being wise, wealthy, and powerful, but instead reminds them that they were poor, weak, and foolish. But God chose them in order to shame people like Celsus who put their trust in worldly values.

Verse 30 adds “and because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God…” Remember last week we saw that our election is “in Christ” and I reminded you that there are those who see this as a clear sign of conditional election. However, here Paul literally says “And from him [God] you are in Christ.”

This tells us two things:

1. The nature of election excludes the ability of anyone to boast.
2. God’s work in our salvation is, in part, to put to shame the values of a fallen sinful world.

A closely related text that will not be expounded on in later posts is Matthew 11:25-30. Jesus praises the Father for His sovereign work in salvation, even in keeping the gospel from being seen for its true beauty by the “wise and understanding” He makes it clear that the Son has the sole authority of revealing the Father to whomever he pleases. We also see that the invitation to come to Christ is still universal.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Homosexuality and Heroin

In the book Adventures In Missing the Point Emergent leader and social activist Tony Campolo argues,

"It is very important to distinguish between a homosexual orientation and homosexual behavior. Orientation is who a person is; behavior is what a person does." (pg 200)

Throughout the chapter Campolo continues to insist that, though homosexual behavior is wrong, homosexual desire cannot always be helped. I think Mr. Campolo is right on some things that he asserts. But I think we need to make more distinctions. First, I reject the idea that a person is anything but a creature made in the image of (and for the glory of) his Creator first and foremost. To define a person as a homosexual is to say that a person "is" what that person "does." Though it is acceptable in our culture to say "I am a lawyer" and know that the person isn't making a philosophical statement about their very essence, Campolo certainly goes too far in saying that a person is a homosexual in this way.

I do agree with Campolo on one thing, Christians must accept that, at some level, it is at least possible (if not probable) that most people currently practicing homosexuality were born with that inclination. It could even be that scientists will find this to be hereditary. My questions is, what's new about that? So many Christians seem to think that there is a difference between being born in sin and being born with an inclination to a certain sin. As if God would be unfair if He allowed a person to want to sin. We seem to think that people simply stumble into sin out of pure ignorance and then grow to like it. What does the Bible say about our inclinations from birth? "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). In fact, it seems that homosexuality is especially a sin of judgment upon humanity (seen clearly in the evil progression of our culture) for exchanging worship of God for worship of idols, "God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error" (Romans 1:26-27).

So how does this come together? How does a person's sinful inclination relate to his subjection to judgment? This is a very real situation for Christians in this country.

We need to be careful about how we approach this. There is such a thing as loving a person who is clearly living in and loving their sin while hating what they do. But we must remember that true love for a person means that you are going to do what you can to help them see the sinfulness of their sin and the wonderful grace of God. In the end all sin will be judged (Revelation 21:8). But how is that fair? How can God judge someone for an inclination they were born in to?

Consider a man standing before a judge for a possession of heroin. He was caught red handed indulging in a sin that, to the judge's knowledge, harmed nobody but himself. The man's only defense is that he can prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was born with an addiction to the drug. If the judge is good and just he will still convict the man because, despite his being born with the addiction, he still knew the law and violated it. In God's case it is even more good because He has provided a Way to salvation from the sin and the eternal consequences of it and freely offered it to the whole world.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

The Persistent Evangelist

"Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Don't Waste Your Life

Bible Study: Romans 9:6-8 The Word Has Not Fallen

But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but "Through Isaac shall your offspring be named." This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

"The Lord had not abrogated or in any way invalidated the ultimate fulfillment of His unconditional promises to the Jews. Through Jeremiah, He had long ago assured His people that, “just as I brought all this great disaster on this people, so I am going to bring on them all the good that I am promising them” (Jer. 32:42). Through Isaiah He said, “My word… which goes forth from My mouth… shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isa. 55:11). Even God’s cutting off unbelieving Israel was perfectly consistent with His covenant promises to them. Chastening and punishment are elements of His divine faithfulness, integrity, and love and are not to be questioned." -John MacArthur (MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Romans)

Unconditional Election Part 3

III. Ephesians 1:3-14.

This is one of the great election passages. In it we find two main points:

1. Election is in Christ.
2. Election is for the glory of God.

This passage tells us that our election, salvation, and spiritual blessings are all “in Christ” or “in him” nine times. As I mentioned in part 1 there are advocates of conditional election that would say that Christ is the elect one and those who meet the condition of faith in him are therefore elect in him. However, this text is not arguing in this way. Consider it this way instead, to what have we been elected or “predestined” that is not on the basis of Christ’s righteous life and sacrificial death? Absolutely nothing! This does not negate the election of individuals to salvation, rather, it appropriates the central aspect of that election (this will be further explained in coming posts).

Secondly we see that the goal of God electing us is “to the praise of His glorious grace” (Ephesians 1:6). There are at least seven references in this passage to the goal of God’s election and ultimate salvation. God is working all things toward a single purpose, namely, “the praise of His glory” (Isaiah 43:6-7, Ephesians 1:14).

Grace be with you,
Stephen

Why He Came Where He Came When He Came

If a person ever asks you why God chose to send His Son at the point in history that He did first say "because they had counted down all of the B.C. years" and then use this information to help with your serious reply.

The Perfect Time Religiously- The canon of the Hebrew Scriptures had been complete for approximately 400 years and the insufficiency of the Jewish system of religion was evident. God did have a people preserved through that time by His Scriptures, but Judaism needed to be completed. The rest of the story had to be told. The Messiah had to come. God's righteousness for forgiving sin, even through the Jewish "system" had to be vindicated (see Romans 3).

The Perfect Time Culturally- Many might say that today the world is smaller than ever, and in some ways that is true when you take into account travel and media. But during the time of the New Testament you had a much smaller world culturally. Because of the big empires that had ruled in the world you now had a single language that was at least functional throughout the world. That happens to be the language (Greek) in which the New Testament was written.

The Perfect Time Politically- Again we see the sovereignty of God over political leaders as the Roman Empire was used for His purposes. Not only did God's plan from eternity past include using certain people in killing His Son (Acts 4:23-31), but He also used the entire political system to His advantage. If nothing else consider that Rome established safe roadways that were used for the propagation of the gospel.

The Perfect Time Judicially- The practice of crucifixion has long been considered the most horrific form of execution in the history of man. To some this was a device that man stumbled across and then realized to be a terrible form of torture, however, it so happens that the sacrifice for the redemption of man came at the same time as this horrible torture device. This is not only significant because it was spoken of centuries before it happened (see Psalm 22) but also because God used this horrible practice to demonstrate how terrible it was for Christ to bear His wrath.

God's sovereign work in history is undeniable when you consider the perfect timing of Christ's advent. It seems to me that this fact makes belief that He will make the events that we are told will surround the second advent come true as well.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

A Suggestion For Church Architects

It seems to be more common these days to build church sanctuaries with aisles slightly slanted downhill to help "encourage" people to go to the front and accept Christ during the invitation. If I may, I would like to suggest to any church architects out there to reconsider this concept. Perhaps it would be more biblical to make it uphill; better yet maybe we should build a mote around the alter, maybe even an obstacle course with flaming arrows flying at people as they run to make a "decision". It's not that I believe these things should be prerequisites for salvation. And it's not that I don't want people to see the free gift of salvation that Christ offers. It's just that the fellowship is so much nicer with someone who will take a flaming arrow for Christ than it is with someone who is only willing to walk an aisle, say a prayer, and fill out a card never to count the cost again in their life.

"When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples... strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." (Acts 14:21-22)

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy wounded side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure;
Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill 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.

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

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall 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.

-Augustus Toplady

FYI

You may notice some "reruns" on the blog periodically for the next few weeks. This is because I have several projects I am working on at the same time and, therefore, there is less time for me to write new material for the blog. However, I'm sure that these projects will produce future material.

So, as NBC says, "if you haven't seen it, it's new to you!" And that is why I am purposefully reposting material from last year that many of you probably haven't read before. So enjoy the reposts and keep in mind that the series on unconditional election and the study of Romans will continue as fresh material.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Bible Study: Romans 9:1-5 "...unceasing anguish..."

I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.

"The fruit of Paul’s anguish for his kinsmen who are accursed and cut off from Christ is to desire their salvation and to pray for them to be saved. Again, I say, don’t follow the reasonings of skeptical men here. Don’t say: There is no reason to pray for sinners if God is sovereign to save. Say instead, Because God is sovereign to save, I will pray for sinners with hope. Because Paul prayed for their salvation, I will pray. Because Christ prayed on the cross for their salvation, I will pray. Because I have grief and anguish in my heart, I will pray. And as it says in 2 Timothy 2:25, 'God may perhaps grant them repentance.' To that end let us pray for Israel and for the nations and for our kinsmen that they might be saved." (John Piper)

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Unconditional Election Part 2

II. Does God have Multiple Wills?

Yes…and no. What I mean is that the Bible reveals that God “works all things according to the counsel of His will” (Ephesians 1:11), that He does all He pleases (Psalm 115:3), and that whatever He pleases, He does (Psalm 135:6). So God must have a will according to which He sovereignly acts. On the other hand, God does have desires that are, somewhat, contrary to this will. For example, He does not delight in the death of the wicked (see Ezekiel 33:11).

So what do we make of this “multiple wills” business? We see that the appeals made to God not wanting something or not wanting something order to refute this view of election are unfounded because of the biblical passages that say God does whatever He wants in the world.

This could possibly answer non-Calvinist claims that 1 Timothy 2:4 and 2 Peter 3:9 refute unconditional election. However, later in this series I will show that these passages are not a problem for my position on exegetical grounds.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Community

One thing that has shown itself to be one of the true cravings of the human (especially American) soul lately is the feeling of community. Yes there are still political divides on issues such as marriage and abortion. Yes there is still an evident worship of money and the planet. But there is also a longing for community.

This longing can be seen everywhere; commercials strive to send the message that we are all just trying to make it in this world and we might as well work together, bumper stickers with the message that every religion and philosophy should simply "coexist" and of course we Americans hired a "community organizer" as our supreme leader.

This longing can also be seen from a biblical perspective. The greatest example being the Tower of Babel when the people worked together to make a name for themselves. It was at that point that God confused their languages forcing them to cluster around the planet (Genesis 11:1-9).

Though we can find the world striving for community in many other places in the Bible as well the reality is they will never truly satisfy this desire. It is a longing that is only satisfied in the Church.

In the book of Acts Luke describes this community as it is expressed in the local church:

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. (Acts 4:32-35)

But these little groups are not the only satisfaction for this longing. Ultimately humanity will find true university (a word that comes from the concept of trying to find unity in diversity) in the universal Church. For example, in Revelation 7:9 John tells us of a multitude of people from every people, nation, and language standing before the throne of God.

This is just one more example of the longings of the human soul being fulfilled in Christ.

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Penn Jillette on Evangelism

Yes there are those who will hate you for evangelism. But even Penn Jillette the illusionist atheist will tell you what the loving thing to do is.

For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer... All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. -2 Corinthians 5:14-20

Grace and Peace,
Stephen

Heaven Came Down

O what a wonderful, wonderful day, day I will never forget;
After I'd wandered in darkness away, Jesus my Savior I met.
O what a tender, compassionate friend, He met the need of my heart;
Shadows dispelling, with joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart.

Born of the Spirit with life from above into God's family divine,
Justified fully thru Calvary's love, O what a standing is mine!
And the transaction so quickly was made, when as a sinner I came,
Took of the offer, of grace He did proffer, He saved me, O praise His dear name!

Now I've a hope that will surely endure after the passing of time;
I have a future in heaven for sure there in those mansions sublime.
And it's because of that wonderful day, when at the cross I believed;
Riches eternal and blessings supernal, from His precious hand I received.

Chorus
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul,
When at the cross the Savior made me whole;
My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day,
Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!
-John W. Peterson