Till on that cross as Jesus died,The wrath of God was satisfied
These words are controversial because of the theology of
penal substitutionary atonement (PSA) they presume. I don’t need here to go
into the reasons for why they’re controversial; it’s enough for me to link to
this recent post at Ian Paul’s Psephizo blog and to Steve Holmes’s eight-year-old post on the song’s grammatical problems. But if we do happen to object to these particular lyrics, what should
we sing in their place? How about N.T. Wright’s suggestion?
Till on that cross as Jesus died,The love of God was satisfied
But this amendment, if you read Holmes’s post, isn’t free
from problems. So I sing a variant:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,The God of love was glorified
You could argue it’s a little too Abelardian in its theology
(the cross as moral influence) and doesn’t fit especially well with the
following lines (‘For every sin on Him was laid / Here in the death of Christ I
live’), but it works for me. However, if you’re not in favour of a moral
influence model of atonement, what other words might fit, metrically and
theologically? Someone in the comments on Psephizo
proposed:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,The wrath of God was turned aside
And here is my suggestion if you want to affirm Christus Victor:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,The Devil’s schemes were nullified
If you see Jesus’s death as a sin offering (cf. Leviticus 4,
16), you could sing:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,This world of sin was purified
And a ‘second Adam’ revision could look like:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,Creation’s course was realigned
I’m not sure how much sense that makes, though, and the rhyming
is perhaps unforgiveable!
So what are my reasons for seeking alternative lyrics for
these two lines? I have three reasons. First, and most importantly for me, I
don’t appreciate the way in which some champions of PSA appear to use this and
similar songs as measures of orthodoxy. (Maybe this was purely a noughties
phenomenon.) There are genuine problems with PSA, and some might choose not to
sing these words precisely because they cannot assent to the theology of
atonement PSA presupposes. But this does not mean that anyone choosing not to
sing this song or these two lines in particular is heterodox or unorthodox. So
I do not sing about the cross satisfying God’s wrath—not because I necessarily
disagree with a doctrine of PSA, but because I just do not think any model of
atonement can be used as a measure of orthodoxy. Scripture does not explain the
precise mechanisms of atonement and so to privilege PSA as the model of atonement is mistaken. My second and third reasons are
simpler to explain. These lyrics seem unhelpfully to conflate two different
models of atonement (satisfaction theory and PSA). And I find the octave leap
from ‘The’ to ‘wrath’ quite jarring because it seems tonally to celebrate God’s wrath. Taking these
three aspects into consideration, I will continue to sing, ‘The God of love was
glorified.’
I wish there was a 'like' button here! I had unthinkingly sung those lyrics because I enjoyed the rest of the song, and the lilting melody, until I asked my husband why he didn't sing them. When he explained, I didn't want to sing those words again. And yes, it is ridiculous to assume that some song lyrics are representative of one's orthodoxy. That's just daft! But there's nowt so daft as folk.
ReplyDeleteNot sure Blogger has a 'like' button . . . I'll have a look around.
DeleteAre you resuming blogging now Lent's over, Sandy?
You are either saved or unsaved. The unsaved will face the wrath of God at the Great White Throne judgement (Revelation 20). God is Holy and therefore cannot have sin in His presence. When Christ died on the cross for my sin, He paid my penalty and saved me from the wrath of God.
DeleteSo the people who never accept what Christ did for them cannot have been the people he really died for. The wrath of God does not go away The teaching is vicious elective and spanks of a Father who cannot love anyone without torturing
DeleteHis Son as a human sacrifice Jews and tribes who offer animals are welcome to this Provider but I also cannot recognise the Jesus who is here Kendricks helpless Babe and when was Our Lord buried in the ground? . This is the phrasing of a lout and thug and when I hear him he is totally without reverence for all his mighty God and endlessly suffering Servant King who never was so.when you think about it.
Legally speaking you sing what's written by the author. It's called copyright and if you can't sing those words for theological reasons you have no right to alter them to appease your sensibilities.
ReplyDeleteYou're probably right, though note what Ian Paul says (I don't know if he's right or not; copyright law isn't my specialism):
DeleteFinally comes the question of copyright. The Presbyterian Church were right to consult the hymn’s authors before changing the words in a published work. But what is copyright about? Principally two things: recognition of the author; and recompense for the work. It is not about hymn writers controlling our doctrine. In fact, if you read the words of the song, it is full of biblical language, and would be thought of as theologically conservative, even without this one phrase. There is plenty else here that I would hope the writers are pleased that people want to sing. So my recommendation would be to use it, to amend this one phrase, to credit the original writers, to note the amendment, and to pay up your royalty fee.
If it turns out that it's illegal to do this, then I'd encourage reconsidering using the song at all.
That is the point of copyright. It is illegal to do that and if you don't want to sing the song as written, you don't sing it at all. Or you get permission from the author to make the amendment you want, but that's unlikely to happen because it sets a precedent.
DeleteBut who enforces the legality or otherwise of a song? If, for example, my church followed Ian Paul's stance here (which it doesn't - to my knowledge, I'm the only person who sings different lines here, and I'm not in any position of authority), who would enforce the copyright (or how would it be enforced)? Genuine question.
DeleteWell gathered, Terrry! I love people's creative ingenuity in all those alternatives.
ReplyDeleteMy reservations singing that line have generally been around the area of visitor misunderstanding. Yes, good for them to come to discuss PSA in due course, but not to be hit over the head with God's wrath needing satisfying within ten minutes of walking through the church door.
Thanks, Rosie. Aside from the original, the Tom Wright example, and the one about wrath being turned aside, all the alternatives are mine. Feel free to add more, though!
DeleteAs to your point, yes . . . I'd never thought of that. I guess I tend to think of these things in the context of people who are already Christians. Do you have any anecdotal evidence of how visitors hear those lines?
My friend Robert Sang posted the following comments on Facebook and has given me permission to reproduce them here. Part one:
ReplyDeleteI think there are several points to be made here:
1) Language is inadequate to express a thought fully, particularly in a song, where you have to fit in many ideas into the short space of a line or two. Sometimes ideas are expressed in terms of a metaphor or a few simple words, which may not necessarily be trying to imply an entire theology out of it. We sometimes use analogies of penal substitution or other legal terminology only to present an imperfect and incomplete picture of what has happened, but not necessarily intending for it to represent the entire picture.
2) In the case of “In Christ Alone”, I don’t think it’s the language of penal substitutionary atonement which is the problem. In other words, is it always wrong to use words or phrases that talk about substitution, taking another’s place for punishment, etc? If, for example, a song were to be based on Isaiah 53, it would surely use that very kind of language. There are also a number of different forms of penal substitution theology which focus on different ideas. The problem with “In Christ Alone” is more to do with that line “the wrath of God was satisfied”, which is more Calvinist satisfaction theory where it implies that God is a God whose anger must be appeased. However, even Romans 5:2 speaks of being saved from God’s wrath. So maybe it's just the word "satisfaction" that is the issue because of its immediate association with satisfaction theory of atonement, making it now somewhat of a loaded word?
3) “In Christ Alone” might be rather Calvinist anyway. The lines “From life's first cry to final breath, Jesus commands my destiny” could be seen as predestination theology, which is another debate.
And part two:
Delete4) Using “the God of love was glorified” doesn’t quite fit with Stuart Townsend’s sentiment to express within those few lines that some sort of transaction occurred, and suddenly introduces a different idea into the subject but then switches back, which isn’t considered good song writing. I don’t think it works either just to put anything that rhymes with “died”, otherwise one could put “Till on that cross as Jesus died, the Son of God was crucified” which would not only be stating the obvious, but wasting an extra line repeating essentially the same idea from the line before. If you don’t want to drift too far from the spirit of Townsend’s song, having something like “And on that cross, as Jesus died, we by his blood were justified”, or something similar could work.
5) Another of Stuart Townsend’s songs might be more problematic than this one. “How deep the Father’s love for us” has the lines “Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer; But this I know with all my heart - His wounds have paid my ransom.” This could very well veer into the ransom theory of atonement, where commonly, Christ’s death was a ransom paid to Satan or to death. That depends on whether Townsend subscribes to this view, or whether he has a later view of ransom theory similar to the likes of Gustaf Aulen where it’s not so much a transaction being paid, but the word "ransom" is used to describe the liberation from sin and death. Again, this shows the inadequacy of language, particularly in a short line in a song.
6) Another example of language’s inadequacy where it may or may not be hinting at a particular type of theology is in the Christmas carol, “Away in a Manger” and the lines “The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes, but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes.” Some have argued this suggests a Docetic Christ who doesn’t act in a human way and doesn’t cry, because apparently all babies cry when they wake. It has been argued that the line should read “some crying he makes.” But not all babies do cry when they first wake up. They can be lying quietly in their cribs starring up at their mobile (the thing hanging over their bed, not their mobile phone!). They might cry eventually, but not necessarily right away. “Away in a Manger” therefore could simply be expressing what Jesus does at that particular moment, and not necessarily that he never cries at any point. So in that case, I think “no crying he makes” works.
7) Ultimately, with all songs and creative expressions, or even prayers, we have to recognise that we can’t convey every idea adequately in a few short words. Therefore we have to assess, on a case by case basis, whether the song writer is simply trying to convey a point and express their love for or praise of God at that moment rather than laying out a full theology, especially as we do use metaphor and simile in everyday language. Bananrama’s “Love in the first degree” is an example of a secular song that uses legal metaphor and even transactional language to describe feelings of love, but one would hardly argue that this represents some kind of theology of how love works.
I'm quite drawn to Robert's 'we by his blood were justified', I must admit - copyright issues notwithstanding!
DeleteRobert has added a bit to #5:
DeleteAlso, these lines are somewhat awkward for English speakers when considering how to pronounce the words. Do you say "I cannot give an answer" like an American or a Northerner, so that "answer" rhymes with "ransom", or do you say "arnswer" in Queen's English, in which case it wouldn't quite rhyme with "ransom" unless you say "rarnsom" and don't mind sounding like a plonker?
You forgot an "If you need a theory to worship Jesus, go worship your fucking theory" Hauerwasian alternative. Something like:
ReplyDeleteTill on the cross as Jesus died --
for "Why?" -- by Christ! -- the church divides.
Indeed, Kim. :)
DeleteI can no longer sing the original lyrics, and so I always sing
ReplyDelete"The love of God was magnified" (loudly and with gusto in the hope that someone might just ask why!)
Me too.
DeleteAnd in terms of the next line "For every sin on Him was laid" this could equally refer to Christ taking away the sin of the world (as per the scapegoat/John the Baptist's announcement). It isn't inherently tied to PSA. Incidentally, I have a slight problem with this line too since this idea is not supported by Isaiah 53 as it appears in the Bible of Palestine in AD30 (the Septuagint). Also, the Apostles didn't utilize Isaiah 53:10 at all in their gospel preaching/teaching, so why do we rely on it so?
ReplyDeleteJust to clarify: Do you mean Isaiah 53:6? That seems to be the verse lying behind the line you quote. As far as NT allusions go, I suppose much depends on how far the idea of 'handing over' or 'giving up' in Isaiah 53:6 LXX is intentionally echoed in NT passages such as Luke 22:19; 23:25; Romans 8:32; and 1 Corinthians 11:23. And given that most modern translations have some variation on 'the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all', I also suppose much depends on how far we think the theology here deviates from the cultic language of 'giving up'.
DeleteGODS WRATH IS REAL!
ReplyDeletewe should worship and pray correct doctrine!
The Bible is THE great tool IF we read it!
The Wrath of God WAS satisfied!
BY CHRIST ALONE!
Agreed
DeleteProgressive 'Christianity' at its finest. Just wondering when those folks will publish their own 'Bible' replacing the word wrath in the above mentioned ways ...
ReplyDelete'Those folks'? Who do you have in mind?
DeleteI contacted the publisher and they refused to allow the changes. Their point, as with many above, (there are any number of songs out there that may not totally agree with my theology) but they are there and that IS copyright law.
ReplyDeleteI have heard this song (In Christ Alone) performed on a streaming service done differently and no one came after them for © infringement.
The group "Cloverton" as well as many, many others have recorded Cohen's "Hallelujah" with different words and I have yet to hear of the "copyright police" going after them or of any repercussions at all.
As the person responsible for the music we use in our church, I try to NOT do songs that misrepresent God according to our theology.
Thank you for all the input.
I hope there's no copyright police going undercover in our church services! To be sure, I don't think I've ever been in a service that's projected or printed anything other than the official lyrics. Policing individuals who sing alternate lyrics (which is what I do) is surely verging on impossible.
DeleteThankyou, terry, this is helpful. As you say, the next line can then look like a mismatch, so I tend to follow your example and then change it further as follows:
ReplyDeleteTill on that cross as Jesus died,
The God of love was glorified.
I stand in awe and unafraid;
here in the death of Christ I live.
I like your changed line - that fits well.
DeleteIt seems odd to me, that is the concern with the original lyrics is that it has "become a model of atonement can be used as a measure of orthodoxy".
ReplyDeleteHow does changing the lyrics to fit your model of atonement not become a measure of orthodoxy?
I'm concerned that people who, for theological reasons, cannot sing the lines in question will be judged unorthodox by those who can and do. As I say, I'm not sure this is something I perceive as happening now so much as in the mid-noughties.
DeleteI think I understand where you are coming from, however, I see plenty of people being over critical of PSA where they often use mischaracterizations of PSA. While they may not specifically be stating that those who hold PSA are unorthodox, there is a sentiment in those criticisms that carry that kind of feel.
DeleteIf the goal here is to protect those who don't hold PSA from being considered unorthodox, then the same goal should be in place to ensure those who are critical of PSA don't do the same.
Yes, I think you're right on that front. Too many accusations are thrown - or have been thrown - from either 'side'.
DeleteThanks for the article and exchange of thoughts Terry!
ReplyDeleteNo problem. :)
Delete"By their fruits you shall know them. ". Perhaps the value of the teaching that our sins deserve punishment and Jesus took that punishment upon himself could be judged by the effect of holding such a belief has on those who have that belief. Does it make them more able to act in life out of unconditional love or does it make them more likely to act out of fear ?
ReplyDeleteSome years ago my children had a 5 year old friend tea. His name was Rob. We started tea by thanking God for our food. Rob who had a puzzled look on his face.
" Why do the people in this house talk to God? "
I asked him why did he think it strange That we talked to God. He replied " God is a nasty man with a big stick to beat you with when he is angry".
Presumably something told him by an adult.
I meant to finish my comment by explaining that was why I can' t sing about the need to satisfy the wrath of God.
DeleteI have not been able to see crucifixion as a " just" punishment. Does anyone deserve to be tortured to death. It is not Just and I believe God is.
Thanks for your comments, Angela. For sure, the cross raises all kinds of issues about justice and God's character.
DeleteYou are either saved or unsaved. The unsaved will face the wrath of God at the Great White Throne judgement (Revelation 20). God is Holy and therefore cannot have sin in His presence. When Christ died on the cross for my sin, He paid my penalty and saved me from the wrath of God.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
DeleteAs JI Packer says, it is not that all other atonement theories are wrong, but that they are of no hope if Christ is not our penal substitute condemned in our place on the cross.
For example, Christ did and will conquer evil (Christus Victor). But that is not good news if our evil and sins were not first punished in his cross. After all, if Christ conquers evil, what does that mean for us without his satisfaction of God's wrath for our sins?
What about the lyrics: “up from the grave he rose again!” Last time I checked he rose from the grave once! And for all time. He hasn’t ever been back to the grave to rise again! So, why those lyrics?
ReplyDeleteInteresting. I'd not noticed that before. Thanks.
DeletePossibly referencing a creedal allusion to John 10:18?
Delete