1 Timothy 1:15
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
Yet Not I But Through Christ in Me
What gift of grace is Jesus, my Redeemer
There is no more for Heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace
There’s a certain kind of person in this world who combines cynicism with pedantry, a particular kind of nitpicky contrarian. I am one of these people. This means that when I see a lyric like “There is no more for Heaven now to give” my instinct is to find all the exceptions. It is, after all, statement of superlatives and totality–heaven could not give more. Really? Nothing?
Really, nothing. When Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant . . . And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:7-8) he was the most that our Father in Heaven could give. He is the fulfillment of all promises. He is the resolution to all evil. He is salvation for all sinners who simply believe. He is our ongoing advocate and intercessor, bringing us close to our Father. And Jesus is the superlative who gently and inexorably smothers cynicism in love and beauty.
I originally wrote this post for my church, Immanuel Nashville, in our Daily Pulse email. If you want encouragement from God’s word delivered Monday thru Friday to your inbox, I encourage you to subscribe.
