Category Archives: Christmas

Christ came, full of grace & truth

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JOHN 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

This speaks of the incarnation (“God taking on human flesh”) of Jesus Christ. It is the climax of the prologue to John’s Gospel. It ends with the phrase “full of grace and truth.” What does this mean? While some think it refers to the moral character of the Lord Jesus Christ (which was/is gracious and truthful), others see it as describing the spiritual riches He brought into the world of men as Savior.

So thinks J. C. Ryle, who writes:

“He came full of the gospel of grace in contradistinction to the burdensome requirements of the ceremonial law. He came full of truth, of real, true, solid comfort, in contradistinction to the types and figures and shadows of the law of Moses. In short the full grace of God, and the full truth about the way of acceptance, were never so clearly seen until the Word became flesh, dwelt among us on earth, opened the treasure-house , and revealed grace and truth in His own person.”

Praise God for the coming of Jesus Christ!
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Thou Who Wast Rich….

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My favorite song of the season this year….

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love’s sake becomes poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenwards by thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love’s sake becamest man.

Thou who art good beyond all measure,
All for love’s sake became sin;
Setting aside thine own good pleasure,
Died to make us live again.
Thou who art good beyond all measure,
All for love’s sake became sin.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.

— Frank Houghton (1894-1972)
— based upon 2 Corinthians 8:9

I definitely like SARAH BROWN’s version of this, on my favorite Christmas album. (Her album notes here)

Chip Stam writes: “This hymn was written at a particularly difficult time in the history of the missions to China. Missionaries had been captured by the communist Red Army and released in poor health after over a year of suffering. Others had been captured never to be heard from again. In 1934 the young missionaries John and Betty Stam (my great aunt and uncle) were captured in Anhwei and beheaded . The news of these sorrows had reached the mission’s headquarters in Shanghai. Though this was a very dangerous time for both the Chinese Christians and the foreign missionaries, Frank Houghton decided he needed to begin a tour through the country to visit various missionary outposts. While traveling over the mountains of Szechwan, the powerful and comforting words of 2 Corinthians 8:9, “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor,” were transformed into this beautiful Christmas hymn.”