Anger

Anger from BT

The Nature of Anger
    Anger is a state of disturbing and energizing passion in which strong negative emotion is triggered by a perception of wrong done to oneself or others or both. The capacity for anger, like that for joy and grief, is ours as moral and relational beings made in God’s image, for Scripture frequently depicts joy, grief, and anger in God as well as in his human creatures. Anger asserts itself in attitudes of indignation and acts of aggression, both expressing a sense of outrage and a wish that appropriate punitive hurt overtake the wrongdoer. Anger threatens human self-control, prudence, and good judgment: ordinary speech describes angry people as having lost their ‘temper’ (equable balance) and ‘head’ (wisdom) and as being ‘mad’. Yet Scripture speaks of anger as motivating admirable action too (see 2 Cor. 7:11; Is. 59:16; 63:3–6).
    Analysing anger in any particular instance requires that we review our apprehension of the offending events, the arousal of our hostile reaction, our approval of our negative feelings, and our assault, such as it was, on the object of our anger (perhaps God, as with Jonah [Jonah 4]; perhaps oneself, as with Judas [Matt. 27:3–5]). This assault may stop at cherishing ill-will, or break out in verbal or physical violence; or, if the object of our anger is also an object of our love, it may issue in tragic, frustrated distress at the good that has been lost and the harm that has been done; and if we are already committed to serve God and others, anger may teach us to be more careful in future. So anger may be righteous or unrighteous, justified or unwarranted, virtuous or vicious, constructive or destructive in its effects, depending on what one is angry at, and on one’s own prior character and commitments. The biblical writers view anger, human and divine, within this frame of understanding throughout.

The Vocabulary of Anger
    Anger is multiform, and both OT Hebrew and NT Greek have a variety of words for its various expressions. The commonest Hebrew noun is apœ, which means first the nose or nostril (Num. 11:20; Is. 2:22) and then the quivering, snorting and flaring of the nostrils that indicate anger (Gen. 27:45; Job 4:9). ‘Slow to anger’ in Proverbs 14:29; 15:18; 16:32 (NRSV) is literally ‘long of nose’. The imagery of heat and of burning is also drawn on, as is the vocabulary of fury, hostility and the quest for revenge. In the LXX and, echoing it, the NT, thymos and orgeœ are used as synonyms, often paired, to render all the Hebrew anger-words in application to both God and humans, and these are the commonest NT words for the idea. In secular usage orgeœ is more suggestive of thoughtful deliberation and thymos of thoughtless outburst, but in biblical Greek these distinctions of nuance do not apply.

Anger and Sin
    The loss of control and wisdom that anger brings lets loose what is worst in fallen human nature, namely love’s opposite, the revengeful hatred of thwarted and wounded pride. Thus in Genesis Cain kills Abel (4:3–8), Lamech threatens wholesale slaughter (4:23–24), Esau plans Jacob’s death (27:41–45), Simeon and Levi massacre the Hivites (34:7, 25–29; 49:5–7), and Joseph’s brothers hate and sell him (37:4, 8, 11, 18–28). Small wonder, then, that James says Christians should be ‘slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires’ (1:19–20, NIV), and that Proverbs constantly represents the indulging of anger as the trouble-making style of the cruel fool (12:16; 14:17, 29; 15:18; 19:19; 27:3–4; 29:22; 30:33; cf. Eccles. 7:8–9). NT surveys of sins regularly include angry attitudes and behaviour patterns (rage, envy, jealousy, hatred, fury, malice, murder) as habits to abjure and to replace by goodwill, self-control, patience, and peaceable purposes (Mark 7:22; Rom. 1:29–31; Gal. 5:20, cf. 22–23; Eph. 4:31, cf. 26–27; Col. 3:8; 1 Tim. 1:9; Jas. 3:14–18). Proneness to anger is specified as unfitting a man for eldership (Titus 1:7).

The Anger of Jesus
    Indications of anger on Jesus’ part appear in Mark 1:43 (at the prospect of unwelcome publicity), 3:1–5 (at the Pharisees’ ill-will and indifference to suffering), 10:14 (at the disciples’ arrogance towards children), 11:15–17 (at the desecration of the temple; cf. John 2:13–17), 12:24–27 (at the Sadducees’ complacent errors about resurrection); Matthew 16:23 (at Peter’s rejecting of his prediction of the cross), 23:13–36 (at the Pharisees’ sham religiosity); and John 11:33–38 (at the repellent legacy of sin, namely death). In light of the NT insistence that Jesus, the Son of God incarnate, was totally sinless (John 8:46; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22), these passages must be held to show that anger at what dishonours God, so far from being sinful, may be just the reverse – a truth already modelled in the Psalms and prophets (Ps. 139:21–22; Jer. 15:17).

The Anger (Wrath) of God
    Though God is ‘slow to anger’ (Exod. 34:6) in relation to what his human creatures deserve, his anger at sin (‘wrath’ in most EVV) is frequently highlighted in both Testaments. Conceived in a way that excludes the fitfulness, arbitrariness, waywardness and foolishness that disfigure human anger, God’s wrath is viewed as a judicial expression of holiness repudiating unholiness, as it must. God’s wrath is retribution re-establishing righteousness where unrighteousness was before, so vindicating God’s goodness. Divine wrath touches both individuals and groups – family units (Num. 16:25–34; Josh. 7:24–26), urban units (Gen. 19:1–29; Luke 21:20–24) and national units (2 Kgs. 17:1–23; 24:20). Israel’s lapses into apostasy brought drought, bad harvests and captivity, as Leviticus 26:14–45 and Deuteronomy 28:15–68 had warned; Revelation anticipates wrath in world history until it ends (Rev. 2:5; 11:18; 15:1; 19:15, etc.); Romans 1:18–32 diagnoses divine wrath in the spiritual and moral degenerating of society. Also, Jesus and the NT writers proclaim a coming ‘day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed’, when everyone will receive a destiny matching his or her personal life-choices (Rom. 2:5–16; 2 Cor. 5:10). So ‘leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord’ (Rom. 12:19 [NIV], citing Deut. 32:35).

God’s Anger Pacified
    A significant NT word group expresses the thought of propitiating (satisfying, and so quenching and pacifying) the anger of God against sinful human beings. The words are: the noun hilasmos (propitiation, that which propitiates: 1 John 2:2; 4:10); the verb hilaskomai (with dative, be propitious to: Luke 18:13; with accusative, make propitiation for: Heb. 2:17); the adjective hilasteœrios (having a propitiatory effect: Rom. 3:25); and the noun hilasteœrion (technical term in LXX for the propitiatory covering, the ‘mercy-seat’, in the tabernacle; Heb. 9:5). As the context in each case shows, it is the sacrificial death (‘blood’) of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son, that quenches divine anger against sinners, just because Christ’s death was a vicarious enduring of the penalty that was our due. The once popular view that expiation of sins is all that this word group signifies rested on the supposition that there is no wrath of God needing to be dealt with, rather than on linguistic or contextual considerations, and is now largely abandoned. The NT idea of propitiation is that of pacifying God’s judicial anger by removing sin from his sight, which is what the atoning blood of Christ has done. Sinners with faith in Christ are no longer in the hands of an angry God (to echo Jonathan Edwards’ famous phrase), but enjoy the forgiveness and favour of the God who quenched his own wrath by sending his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 4:10).

Bibliography
    J. Fichtner et al. in TDNT 5, pp. 382–447; H. C. Hahn in NIDNTT 1, pp. 105–113; L. Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (London, 31965); idem, The Cross in the New Testament (Exeter, 1967); R. V. G. Tasker, The Biblical Doctrine of the Wrath of God (London, 1951).
J. I. PACKER

OBEDIENCE

OBEDIENCE
JESUS CHRIST FULFILLED HIS FATHER’S REDEMPTIVE WILL
by J.I. Packer

Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his
Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” JOHN 5:19

Humility in Scripture means, not pretending to be worthless and refusing positions of responsibility, but knowing and keeping the place God has appointed for one. Being humble is a matter of holding on to God’s arrangement, whether it means the high exposure of leadership (Moses was humble as a leader, Num. 12:3) or the obscurity of subservience. When Jesus stated matter-of-factly that he was “humble in heart” (Matt. 11:29), he meant that he was conscientiously following the Father’s plan for his earthly life.

In this he was keeping his place as the second Person of the Godhead. The three Persons of the Holy Trinity are eternal and self-existent, partaking equally of all aspects and attributes of deity, and always acting together in cooperative solidarity. But the unchanging cooperative pattern is that the second and third Persons identify with the purpose of the first, so that the Son becomes the Father’s executive and the Spirit acts as the agent of both. It is the Son’s nature and joy to do his Father’s will (John 4:34).

Regarding redemption, the Father’s will for the Son is sometimes called the covenant of redemption, since it has the form of an agreement between two parties on a program and a promise. The Westminster Confession summarizes the agreement (the Father’s purpose, accepted by the Son) as follows:

It pleased God in his eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, his only-begotten Son, to be the Mediator between God and man, the Prophet, Priest, and King, the Head and Savior of his Church, the heir of all things, and Judge of the world: unto whom he did from all eternity give a people, to be his seed, and to be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. (For the ideas and phraseology of this statement, see Eph. 3:11; 1 Pet. 1:20; 1 Tim. 2:5; Acts 3:22; Heb. 5:5-6; Luke 1:33; Eph. 5:23; Heb. 1:2; Acts 17:31; Isa. 53:10; John 17:6; 1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 8:29-30.)

This purpose of the Father for the Son had two stages. The first stage was humiliation. The eternal Son let go of his glory and through incarnation became a poor man and a religious outsider. Finally, by means of a show trial and unscrupulous manipulation of Pilate’s moral weakness, he became a condemned criminal dying a dreadful death as mankind’s sin-bearer (Phil. 2:6-8; 2 Cor. 8:9; Gal. 3:13; 4:4-5).

The second stage was exaltation. Christ rose, ascended, and now by his Father’s appointment reigns as king over the world and the church (Phil. 2:9-11), sending the Holy Spirit (John 15:26; 16:7; Acts 2:33) and thereby applying to us the redemption that by dying he won for us. Drawing those given him to himself (John 12:32), interceding for them (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25; John 17), guarding, guiding, and caring for them as a shepherd cares for his sheep (John 10:27-30), he is currently bringing many sons to glory (Heb. 2:10) according to the Father’s plan, and he will continue to do so until all God’s elect have come to repentance and new life (2 Pet. 3:9).

In all of this the Son is obeying the Father in true humility, living out a natural, voluntary, and joyful subordination. Meanwhile, the Father’s aim of having the Son worshiped and glorified equally with himself is steadily being fulfilled (John 5:19-23).

From: Concise Theology: A Guide To Historic Christian Beliefs

Definite Redemption

Definite Redemption
Jesus Christ Died for God's Elect
From Concise Theology by J. I. Packer

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me--just as the Father knows me and I know the Father--and I lay down my life for the sheep.
JOHN 10:14-15

Definite redemption, sometimes called "particular redemption," "effective atonement," and "limited atonement," is an historic Reformed doctrine about the intention of the triune God in the death of Jesus Christ. Without doubting the infinite worth of Christ's sacrifice or the genuineness of God's "whoever will" invitation to all who hear the gospel (Rev. 22:17), the doctrine states that the death of Christ actually put away the sins of all God's elect and ensured that they would be brought to faith through regeneration and kept in faith for glory, and that this is what it was intended to achieve. From this definiteness and effectiveness follows its limitedness: Christ did not die in this efficacious sense for everyone. The proof of that, as Scripture and experience unite to teach us, is that not all are saved.

The only possible alternatives are (a) actual universalism, holding that Christ's death guaranteed salvation for every member of the human race, past, present, and future, or (b) hypothetical universalism, holding that Christ's death made salvation possible for everyone but actual only for those who add to it a response of faith and repentance that was not secured by it. The choices are, therefore, an atonement of unlimited efficacy but limited extent (Reformed particularism), one of unlimited extent but limited efficacy (hypothetical universalism), or one of unlimited efficacy and unlimited extent (actual universalism). Scripture must be the guide in choosing between these possibilities.

Scripture speaks of God as having chosen for salvation a great number of our fallen race and having sent Christ into the world to save them (JOHN 6:37-40, 10:27-29, 11:51-52; Rom. 8:28-39; Eph. 1:3-14; 1 Pet. 1:20). Christ is regularly said to have died for particular groups or persons, with the clear implication that his death secured their salvation (JOHN 10:15-18,27-29; Rom. 5:8-10, 8:32; Gal. 2:20, 3:13-14, 4:4-5; 1 John 4:9-10; Rev. 1:4-6, 5:9-10). Facing his passion, he prayed only for those the Father had given him, not for the "world" (i.e., the rest of mankind, JOHN 17:9,20). Is it conceivable that he would decline to pray for any whom he intended to die for? Definite redemption is the only one of the three views that harmonizes with this data.

There is no inconsistency or incoherence in the teaching of the New Testament about, on the one hand, the offer of Christ in the gospel, which Christians are told to make known everywhere, and, on the other hand, the fact that Christ achieved a totally efficacious redemption for God's elect on the cross. It is a certain truth that all who come to Christ in faith will find mercy (JOHN 6:35,47-51,54-57; Rom. 1:16, 10:8-13). The elect hear Christ's offer, and through hearing it are effectually called by the Holy Spirit. Both the invitation and the effectual calling flow from Christ's sin-bearing death. Those who reject the offer of Christ do so of their own free will (i.e., because they choose to, Matt. 22:1-7; JOHN 3:18), so that their final perishing is their own fault. Those who receive Christ learn to thank him for the cross as the centerpiece of God's plan of sovereign saving grace.

SELF-EXISTENCE

SELF-EXISTENCE
GOD HAS ALWAYS BEEN
by J.I. Packer

Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. PSALM 90:2

Children sometimes ask, “Who made God?” The clearest answer is that God never needed to be made, because he was always there. He exists in a different way from us: we, his creatures, exist in a dependent, derived, finite, fragile way, but our Maker exists in an eternal, self-sustaining, necessary way—necessary, that is, in the sense that God does not have it in him to go out of existence, just as we do not have it in us to live forever. We necessarily age and die, because it is our present nature to do that; God necessarily continues forever unchanged, because it is his eternal nature to do that. This is one of many contrasts between creature and Creator.

God’s self-existence is a basic truth. At the outset of his presentation of the unknown God to the Athenian idolaters, Paul explained that this God, the world’s Creator, “is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:23-25). Sacrifices offered to idols, in today’s tribal religions as in ancient Athens, are thought of as somehow keeping the god going, but the Creator needs no such support system. The word aseity, meaning that he has life in himself and draws his unending energy from himself (a se in Latin means “from himself”), was coined by theologians to express this truth, which the Bible makes clear (Pss. 90:1-4; 102:25-27; Isa. 40:28-31; John 5:26; Rev. 4:10).

In theology, endless mistakes result from supposing that the conditions, bounds, and limits of our own finite existence apply to God. The doctrine of his aseity stands as a bulwark against such mistakes. In our life of faith, we easily impoverish ourselves by embracing an idea of God that is too limited and small, and again the doctrine of God’s aseity stands as a bulwark to stop this happening. It is vital for spiritual health to believe that God is great (cf. Ps. 95:1-7), and grasping the truth of his aseity is the first step on the road to doing this.

Spiritual Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:7
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Ephesians 4:7
7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

1 Corinthians 14:26
Orderly Worship
26 What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.

Romans 12:3
Gifts of Grace
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

No Christian is giftless, and it is everyone's responsibility to find,develop, and fully use whatever capacities for service God has given.

Guided Endurance

* from my soon-to-be fave book: Guard Us , Guide Us by JI Packer
Chapter 2, Some Tangled Tales , pg 44

Guided Endurance

A myth, that is , a nonfactual fancy, which for some surrounds the subject of guidance, is the idea that as one follows God's guidance everything falls neatly and pleasantly into place, so that the headaches and heartaches that unbelievers have to cope with do not arise. Thus the guided ones lead a charmed life. The wide currency of this notion, is we think, further evidence of our immaturity, the naive magic-carpet view of living that Dallas Willard illustrated for us a few lines back, when he spoke of being addicted to the spectacular. We round off this chapter therefore, by categorically denying that either in the bible or in life, today or any day, are those whom God guides shielded from hardships and bewilderments.

This denial should not be problematical to any believers; for surely we all know, first, that it did not work out this way for Jesus, the Lord whom we follow, and , second, that God uses stretching and sandpapering experiences both to teach us truths and to shape and , if we may so speak,polish out souls. Says the psalmist,"You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word... Before i was afflicted , that i might learn your statutes"(Ps. 119:65,67,71). These are words that every believer will have reason to echo sooner or later. To Christians being hammered for their faith the writer to the Hebrews says:"it is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline?... He disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness"(Heb.12:7,10).

This regimen of character training is appointed for all who follow Christ.

The Pentateuch shows Israel experiencing hardships (lack of food and water along with perodic conflicts) as they trekked where the pillar of cloud and fire led; and the story of Jesus walking on water starts with the disciples caught in a windstorm because they were obeying Jesus' instructions to cross he lake to Bethsaida (matt 14;22;mark 6:45; compare mark 4:35-41 for a similar situation)

Knowing God: God's Wisdom and Ours

Knowing God Chapter 10, pg. 113

Where can we find wisdom? What steps must a person take to lay hold of this gift? There are 2 prerequisites according to Scripture.

First, we must learn to reverence God. 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom'(Ps 111:10; Prov.9:10; cf Job 28:28; Prov. 1:7; 15:33). Not till we have become humble and teachable, standing in awe of God's holiness and sovereignty ('the great and awesome God', Neh 1:5; cf 4:14; 9:32; Deut 7:21; 10:17; Ps99:3; Jer 20:11), acknowledging out own littleness, distrusting our own thoughts, and willing to have our minds turned upside down, can divine wisdom become ours.

It is to be feared that many Christians spend all their lives in too unhumbled and conceited a frame of mind ever to gain wisdom from God at all. Not for nothing does Scripture say, 'with the lowly is wisdom' (Prov. 11:2 KJV).

Then,second, we must learn to receive God's word. Wisdom is divinely wrought in those, and those only , who apply themselves to God's revelation. 'Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,' declares the psalmist, i have more insight than all my teachers: why?- 'for i meditate on your statutes' (Ps 119:98f).

So Paul admonishes the Colossians: 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.. with all wisdom' (Col 3:16). How are we of the 20th Century to do this? By soaking ourselves in the Scriptures, which, as Paul told Timothy( and he had in mind the OT alone!), are able to make you wise for salvation' through faith in Christ, and to make us 'thoroughly equipped for every good work' (2 Tim 3:15-17).

Knowing God : God Only Wise

Romans 16:25 Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages 26 but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.

If i have the chance, i would like to slowly drink in one chapter of Knowing God per week. And to actually reflect about it. In a "packed-out" chapter , Packer explained God's wisdom and linked it to human suffering and challenges us that in such suffering, God is only pointing to one direction: transformation.

Here is the theological part just to clear the way: (page 101) ... "But God's wisdom cannot be frustrated in the way that Ahithophel's 'good counsel' (2 Sam 17) was , for it is allied to omnipotence. Power is as much God's essence as wisdom is. Omniscience governing omnipotence, infinite power ruled by infinite wisdom, is a basic biblical description of the divine character. ' His wisdom is profound, his power is vast' (Job 9:4). ' To God belong wisdom and power' (12:13). ' He is mighty in strength and wisdom (36:5 KJV). He has great power and mighty strength... and his understanding no one can fathom (isa 40:26, 28) 'Wisdom and power are his' Dan 2:20. The same conjunction appears in the New Testament: Now o him that is of power to establish you according to the gospel.. God only wise...' (Rom 16:25,27 KJV). {listen closely to this} Wisdom without power would be pathetic, a broken reed; power without wisdom would be merely frightening; but in God boundless wisdom and endless power are united, and this makes him utterly worthy of our fullest trust. "

JI Packer later went on to describe how God deal with His people, through the illustration of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph. God allowed suffering and difficulties to come to this people so that he can mould them. They never fall out of the plan that God promised them. In fact, despite their sin, pride and disobedience, God still choose them to carry out the promised plan. (here is where i would highlight Unconditional Election). God had to bring all of us to a humble point in order to bless us.

Here's a paragraph that speaks right through my heart : (pg 106)
"To make this doubly clear to Jacob, as they wrestled God lamed him(v25), putting his thigh out of joint to be a perpetual reminder in his flesh of his own spiritual weakness, and his need to lean always upon God, just as for th rest of his life he had to walk leaning on a stick. "

... pg 108... Perhaps he means to strengthen us in patience, good humour, compassion, humility, or meekness, by giving us some extra practice in exercising these graces under specially difficult positions. Perhaps he has new lessons in self-denial and self-distrust to teach us. Perhaps he wishes to break us of complacency, or unreality, or undetected forms of pride and conceit. Perhaps his purpose is simply to draw us closer to himself in conscious communion with him.... as all saints know, that fellowship with the Father and the Son is most vivid and sweet, and Christian joy is greatest, when the cross is heaviest. Or perhaps God is preparing us for forms of service of which at present we have no inkling.

i find that in my study of Matthew, Jesus was prepared in the same way.. God did not allow him to launch his ministry straight away... John the Baptist has to come, Jesus had to be baptised, Jesus had to be tempted, John had to be arrested- all these things happen before Jesus start to recruit his first disciples- only then Jesus went out to start doing what he did.

Finally, some kind pastoral advice:

page 109 "But how are we to meet these baffling and trying situation if we cannot for the moment see God's purpose in them? First, by taking them as from God and asking ourselves what reactions to them, and in them, the gospel of God requires of us; second, by seeking God's face specifically about them."


Lesson i learnt:
1. God prepares his people.
2. God allowed suffering in this world, but the chief end is for the glory of God
3. God , in his wisdom, allowed this suffering.
4. When we talked about God as Wisdom, we are talking about the omnipotence and omniscience aspect of him. Only such a powerful God can engineer problems yet still plan and see the good out of a dire situation.
5. God has his timing... do you dare to trust.
6. To always seek God in times of darkness.
7. Only a wise God can allow suffering to happen yet still restore us in the process; while through that process draw us closer to his heart. this achieves the chief end of man: to enjoy God forever.

I will end with a hymn...


Based on I Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever", "Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" reminds us of the awe and reverence that we need to have as we worship our God. Even as we cannot see the sun, we see merely the light reflected by the hot gases surrounding the sun, so God's glory is hid from our eyes. Even the angels cover their faces in God's presence (Isaiah 6:2) because they cannot look on God's full glory.

"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" draws from other Scriptural references as well. "The Ancient of Days" from stanza one is from Daniel 7:9. "Thy justice like mountains" from stanza two is from Psalm 36:6. Originally written with six stanzas, stanza four referenced II Corinthians 3:15-16. The original stanzas four and five were combined to make the contemporary fourth stanza.

Great Father of Glory, pure Father of Light,
Thine angels adore thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart -
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.
All laud we would render; O help us to see
'Tis only the splendour of light hideth thee,
And so let thy glory, almighty, impart,
Through Christ in his story, thy Christ to the heart.
"Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise" was first published in Hymns of Christ and Christian Life, (1876). The text was altered by the author and published in W. Garrett Horder's Congregational Hymns. (1884)

Guard Us, Guide Us: Divine Leading in Life's Decisions

Click Here For Excerpts