“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified to me, and I unto this world.” Galatians 6:14
In E.C. Clephane’s great hymn, “Beneath The Cross of Jesus,” she wrote: “Upon that cross of Jesus, Mine eye at times can see, The very dying form of One, Who suffered there for me; And from my smitten heart, with tears, Two wonders I confess, The wonders of His glorious love, And my own worthlessness.” Why would Ms. Clephane write such a powerful stanza? The answer lies in the perception, or vision, that God gave to her of great truths, great eternal realities. It was in the freshness, and realness, of these realities and their contrast one to another, that she was powerfully, and convincingly gripped. As is the case with the ways of God in dealing with men, He takes the eternal truth and reality of Christ, His sacrifice, and perfect work on Calvary, and then by the Spirit, makes it come alive so vividly that one cannot but be moved, changed, and thrust forward in the pursuit of God. So was the case of Clephane, who wrote several hymns. Because of the ministry of the Spirit of God to her heart, drawing her with the cords of everlasting love, she pursued this One whom she loved, this One who revealed that He had died for her, to save her, and all mankind. Though she would die at the age of 38 years old, she would have accomplished in her short lifespan a monumental task, that of presenting to the world of her time, the great contrast of the unfathomable love of God in Christ, and the condition of a sinner whom He came to save, but who became the recipient of Life eternal, because of God’s goodness and mercy.
There is no doubt, that among the disciples, with the exception of John, there was no one who had such a clear understanding, and grasp, of the depthless meaning and power of the Gospel of Christ, as the Apostle Paul. Paul’s letters reveal how the Gospel is used of God, not only to save men, but to sanctify them, filling them with His power and love. This gospel begins with the birth of a child in Bethlehem, the fulfillment of a promise that God made to mankind, to all who would truly believe in Him. The direction of the vision would quickly turn from that stable in Bethlehem, to a brief scene when Jesus at the age of twelve is interacting with the teachers of the Law of His day in the temple. The next thing we see is the beginning of His ministry, that blessed mission which was conferred to Him by the Father, where He would give to mankind the knowledge of the truth of two things, the lostness and hopelessness of sinful men before a holy God, and the way which God provided, as revealed throughout the Scriptures, so that the individual could truly repent and believe, coming to know the God who loved him, and was willing to die for him. It is in this picture, sealed and settled in heaven, by the resurrection of Christ, now seated at the right hand of God, that the great salvation of man is made complete in the eyes of men. There remains but one thing that is necessary in this scenario which is essential if lost and sinful man would know the saving work of Christ. It is that which we discover in the life of Ms. Clephane, expressed in her hymns. God had shown her the contrast of two things which would shake the foundations of her life, eventually exchanging them. Where once her hope and expectation were in herself apart from Christ, the unveiling of the love and worth of Christ completely transformed her. Where once she saw herself as one who was lost, clothed with the filthy rags of her own rightness, she also saw Christ dying for her, in the overwhelming power of His love.
Dear Father, Open our eyes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.