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Answer to the travel picture on Home Page: Ta Prohm Temple near Angkor Wat, Cambodia

To understand the meaning of a text, the very first step is to identify its literary genre—whether it is narrative, poetry, discourse, or something else. In Christian Sunday worship services, the lyrics of congregational hymns are clearly not narrative texts. If we view them as literature, they allow room for creativity and imagination on the part of the writers. Worshippers should be aware that some lyrics are not direct quotations from the Bible, but are instead inspired by Scripture. Just as many artworks from the European Renaissance drew from biblical themes without exactly replicating biblical accounts, hymn lyrics often reinterpret scriptural ideas.

Take, for example, the 18th-century hymn “And Can It Be,” which speaks of Jesus’ wondrous love—that He died on the cross for me, forgave my sins, and granted me eternal life. However, one line in the song—“But Thou my God should die for me.”—is a little disturbing to me. Indeed, I believe that the Son, one of the three persons of God, was crucified, but the Father and the Spirit were not. God does not die. The writer was likely inspired by the moment when Thomas encountered the risen Jesus and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus is God, and Jesus died for me—so the lyric says that God died for me. This is not a logical deduction nor a direct biblical quote, but rather a borrowing from Scripture, meant to evoke reflection on Christ’s love.

A modern Chinese hymn, “The Holy One of Israel,” contains the line: “The Holy One of Israel sacrificed Himself for me.” In Scripture, this title appears only in the Old Testament—31 times—and always refers to Yahweh. If one takes the phrase “The Holy One of Israel sacrificed Himself for me” literally, it would imply that Yahweh was crucified, which does not align with traditional Christian theology. However, lyrics are literature, not theology. The writer has borrowed this Old Testament title for God and applied it poetically to Jesus.

Another Chinese hymn, “I Am Determined to Offer Myself,” includes the line “May the dove descend from the sky.” Those familiar with the Gospels will immediately recall the Holy Spirit descending “like a dove” on Jesus at His baptism. Equating our reception of the Holy Spirit with Jesus’ baptismal experience is not appropriate. Moreover, the Bible says the Holy Spirit descended like a dove—it does not say the Spirit is a dove. Still, this is a borrowing from Scripture. Just as church art throughout the ages has used the dove to symbolize the Spirit, this image helps worshippers sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. Besides, when one receives the Lord as one’s savior, the Spirit has already come and dwells in the believer.

Another hymn, “I Come Before You in Prayer,” includes the lyric: “Every time I pray, I shake Your hand.” This paints the image of a child wanting something, going to an adult and tugging at his hand in earnest pleading, until the adult softens and agrees. The song also uses scriptural phrases like “mountains are moved, paths are made straight.” Yet, according to Jesus’ teaching, prayer itself has no power—it is trust in God that makes prayer effective.

Some churches that emphasize theological accuracy in hymn lyrics establish review committees to approve songs for worship, to prevent misleading the congregation. However, focusing too much on theological correctness and scriptural fidelity can end up limiting the freedom of literary and artistic expression. I believe worshippers should know about their theological stance and also understand that lyrics are literature. Even if they use phrases found in Scripture, they are not direct quotations. Only with this awareness can we fully participate in worship through singing with the congregation.

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(Continue from last week)

Halfway down the mountain, Caleb was waiting. “Joshua, I was starting to worry about you. I’m glad you’re back. Somehow, you look different—sadness mixed with peace, deep reflection with determination. My friend, don’t lose heart. God is faithful and He will be with you every step ahead. Will you sit with me for a while? I need someone to talk to.”

They sat on a rock and looked down at the camp. All the tents were neatly arranged around the tabernacle. It was supper time, but no one was cooking. A few people sat outside their tents and turned their faces toward the mountaintop.

“It’s been a long journey. We’ve all changed, haven’t we? We were once slaves, but now we’re free. What a wonderful feeling.” Joshua sighed. “Yet even with freedom, we still don’t have our land. Caleb, what did God promise our forefathers? Many descendants; a great nation; a land flowing with milk and honey, and to be a blessing to all nations. How can we be a great nation without land? How can we bless others without our land to farm? We must enter the land God promised to Abraham. May God strengthen my spirit and help me press forward. Will you stand with me?”

Caleb clasped his hands. “It’s not just me—all of us will stand with you, for you are now our leader. As we served Moses, we’ll serve you. Especially for me, because since leaving Egypt, we have acted with one accord. You and I witnessed all the awe-inspiring miracles in Egypt.”

Joshua squinted. “Whenever I recall those days in Egypt, the miracles still make me tremble. God is so great—those experiences changed my life.”

“My faith journey also began then. In Egypt, Moses turned water to blood, frogs covered the land, gnats tormented beasts and men. I still cannot erase those scenes from my mind. The miracles changed my understanding of God.” Caleb inclined his head. “He is a mighty God who protects His people and keeps His promises. When swarms of flies plagued all of Egypt, not one was found in our land. When disease swept through the Egyptians’ livestock, not a single loss touched our flocks. God spared us from the devastation of lice, hail, and locusts—calamities that Egypt could not escape.”

Joshua patted Caleb’s arm. “The last two plagues—darkness, and the death of the firstborn—had the greatest impact on me. Living in darkness was like living in hell; you couldn’t even see your hand, and every moment was filled with fear. But where we lived, there was light.”

Caleb lifted his face skyward. “When Moses and Aaron gave instructions for the final disaster, no one doubted. We followed Moses’s every detail, slaughtered the lamb, put blood on our doorposts and lintels. Some believing foreigners joined us and were also spared from the death of their firstborn.”

Joshua sighed again. “The crying that night was tragic. Every firstborn man and beast in Egypt was killed. Their wailing couldn’t erase our four hundred years of suffering—the murdered infants, forced labor, torture, and death, all the injustice. In a sense, God avenged us. Then we left Egypt hurriedly with gold, silver, and clothing. Just as God had promised, we gained our freedom. From that day, I was certain that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the true God. There is no god as great, as mighty, or as faithful as He.”

(Please come back next week for Part 3)

About the author: Dr. Ouyang received his BSc from Texas A&M University and his PhD from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He worked in Japan, the US, and the People’s Republic of China as a corn researcher until his retirement in 2015. In 2020, he earned a Master of Arts in Biblical and Theological Studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. Since then, he has been serving as a Sunday school teacher at Twin Cities Chinese Christian Church in Minneapolis.