‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus

Copyright 2013 PJ Stassen

All Rights Reserved

Trust everybody, but cut the cards.

-       Fenley Peter Dunne, 1867-1936.

   There are those who appear to be doing their level best to reduce Jesus of Nazareth to just a ‘deluded prophet’ or a ‘fanatical ascetic’, among others the Jesus Seminar movement, known in South Africa as Die Nuwe Hervormers.  There is, in fact, a seminary professor attached to one of the biggest universities in the world who, in spite of the fact that he is one of the proponents of this movement, incredibly is still in charge of the training of proponents to the pulpit of one of the biggest protestant (‘reformed’) Churches in South Africa (who said miracles do not happen?).

   As to the divinity and divine Sonship of Jesus Christ, C.S. Lewis (friend of J.R.R. Tolkien) and writer of such books as Mere Christianity, The Screwtape Letters, The Problem Of Pain, Surprised By Joy, Fernseeds And Elephants and The Chronicles Of Narnia etc. writes:

   “I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is one thing we must not say.  A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher.  He would either be a lunatic ‒ on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg ‒ or else he would be the Devil of Hell.   You must make your choice.  Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse.  You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Lord and God.  But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher.  He has not left that open to us.  He did not intend to.” (Lewis: 52).  

   May I remind the reader that C.S. Lewis was Professor of Mediaeval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge, originally an atheist who became a Christian in 1929.  With his encyclopaedic knowledge of the classical languages and the anatomy and lure of the myth in storytelling he surely ought to have known what the Bible teaches about Christ.  Lewis indeed always insisted that the story of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth was certainly not mythology.

   Wikipedia quotes:   "From 1941 to 1943 Lewis spoke on religious programmes broadcast by the BBC from London while the city was under periodic air raids. These broadcasts were appreciated by civilians and service people at that stage. For example, Air Chief Marshal Sir Donald Hardman wrote:  'The war, the whole of life, everything tended to seem pointless. We needed, many of us, a key to the meaning of the universe. Lewis provided just that.' " 

   So, either Jesus was the Son of God and died for our sins, or He wasn’t and didn’t, in which case our faith is in vain.  Paul says:

   For if the dead are not raised, neither hath Christ been raised:   and if Christ hath not been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.  Then they also that are fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.   But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep.  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:16-22 ASV, www.e-sword.net).  

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'Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus

(Louisa M. R. Stead, 1850-1917/William J. Kirkpatrick, 1838-1921)

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to take Him at His word,

Just to rest upon His promise,

Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord.”

O how sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just to trust His cleansing blood,

Just in simple faith to plunge me

‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood!

Yes, ‘tis sweet to trust in Jesus,

Just from sin and self to cease,

Just from Jesus simply taking

Life and rest and joy and peace.

I’m so glad I learned to trust Thee,

Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend;

And I know that Thou art with me,

Wilt be with me to the end.

CHORUS

Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him!

How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er!

Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus!

O for grace to trust Him more!

eLiterature/eLiteratuur:

1. Scribd Publishing Site:  www.scribd.com/PietStassen (ENGLISH & AFRIKAANS)
2. eBook: 'Evolution: The Science That Evolved Into A Fairy Tale' (ENGLISH)  
3. eBook:  'Bertrand Russell Revisited: Rebuttal Of Bertrand Russell's 'Why I Am Not A Christian''(ENGLISH)
4. eBook: 'Meditations & Contemplations: A Reader For Both Atheists And Creationists' (ENGLISH)
5. eBook: 'Conservation, Rhino Poaching And Hypocrisy' (ENGLISH)
6. eBook: 'Why Darwinism ('Evolution') Does Not Make Sense' (ENGLISH)
7. eBook: 'Names And Titles Of Jesus Of Nazareth (ENGLISH)'
8. eBoek:  'Darwin Of Christus: Suid-Afrikaners By 'n Kruispad!' [AFRIKAANS].
9. eBoek:  'Bevryding Van Die Anti-Evangelie Van Ateisme-Evolusionisme' [AFRIKAANS].
10. eBoek:  'Name & Titels Van Jesus Christus' [AFRIKAANS].
11. eTracts, Christian (Free, Downloadable):  Free, downloadable Christian eTracts for free distribution (ENGLISH)
12. eTraktate, Christelik (Gratis, Aflaaibaar): Gratis, aflaaibare Christelike Traktate vir gratis verspreiding (AFRIKAANS)

Bibliography

1.    Andrews, Allen (1969)   Quotations For Speakers And Writers.  Newnes Books.  Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd. London.
2.   Lewis, C.S. (1942, 1943, 1944) Mere Christianity. Fount Paperbacks, Great Briatin.
3.   Peterson, John W. (1966)   Great Hymns Of The Faith. ‘Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesusl’.  Singspiration.  Zondervan Publishing House.  Grand Rapids, Michigan.