Biblical Spirituality Press

Category: Hymns

  • A New Hymn on Total Depravity: “Reborn in Christ, Who Pardoned Me”

    Text: Brian G. NajapfourTune: CEDAR TREE L.M.6L., Robert Azkoul; alt. and harm. Michael R. Kearney Stanza 1By nature I was dead in sin,A body but no life within,Too dead to see the gospel light,For Satan had destroyed my sight.I had two ears but could not hearThe gospel sound that was so clear. Stanza 2Depraved was…

  • Hark! the herald angels sing

    Today our guest contributor is Chris Fenner, Digital Archivist at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has contributed scholarly articles to The Hymn: A Journal of Congregational Song, has produced new editions of the Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of Isaac Watts and Our Own Hymn Book by Charles Spurgeon, and is managing editor of HymnologyArchive.com. ______________________________ The Wesleys had an enduring…

  • Total Depravity: A Hymn

    My friend Bob Azkoul and I met today to sing for the first time the hymn that I wrote entitled “Total Depravity.” Bob composed the tune. I thought his tune fits well with the message of the song. We are still in the process of refining the hymn and its tune. So we welcome your suggestions for…

  • “Lord, I thank thee that Michigan winters are not always like this past week.”

    This week’s winter storm is definitely the worst one that I’ve ever experienced in the thirteen years that I’ve lived in Michigan. And winter is not yet over; more snow is predicted to come. Consequently, many feel tired of the snow. Many (including myself) cannot wait for the spring. But before the snow melts, let…

  • The Earliest Christian Hymnbook

    The Odes of Solomon, considered to be the earliest Christian hymnbook, contains more than forty odes (lyric poems intended to be sung). In this post I will examine one of these odes which is entitled “The Cup of Milk.” This ode is listed as number 19 in The Earliest Christian Hymnbook: The Odes of Solomon (2009)…

  • The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of Isaac Watts

    Here’s my interview with Chris Fenner about his edited book The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of Isaac Watts. Frisco, TX: Doxology & Theology Press, 2016, 641 pp., hardcover.  Chris, thank you for editing The Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs of Isaac Watts. I thought you did an excellent job. I have some questions for you:…

  • A Proud Calvinist

    In May of 2009 Dr. Joel Beeke and I were in the Philippines to attend a conference on reformed theology in which Dr. Beeke was the speaker. During the Q&A session one of the delegates asked, “Can you be a Calvinist and at the same time proud?” To this question Dr. Beeke initially replied, “To…

  • I’m Thankful that I Became Blind

    One of my favorite hymn writers is the blind hymn writer Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915) who wrote over 8,000 hymns including “Blessed Assurance” and “To God Be the Glory.” In her autobiographical book entitled Fanny Crosby’s Life-Story (1903), Crosby narrates the following account in which she expresses her thankfulness to God that, in His providence,…

  • The Cross, the Gospel, & Christ

    As a technical term, the word cross has a deeper meaning. It represents the gospel of Christ, particularly His atoning death. In fact, sometimes the word cross and the word Christ are used indistinguishably. For example, Paul says in Galatians 6:14, “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our…

  • My Resolution: “Though no one joins me, still I will follow”

    “I have decided to follow Jesus” “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.” “The cross before me, the world behind me.”   These words are taken from the hymn titled “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.” But, actually, the words came out of the mouth of the martyr who lived in India many…