Song Devotional - The Scriptural Basis and Theology Behind "Hallelujah! What A Savior"

In 1875, Phillip Bliss wrote and published a hymn titled, "Man of Sorrows (What a Name)".  The hymn has now been published in every Baptist Hymnal dating back to the very first publication in 1956.  With lyrics such as, "Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
in my place condemned He stood" and "Full atonement, can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!", this hymn is full and rich in theology and expressions of worship.  

In 2011, Aaron Ivey (worship pastor at the Austin Stone church in Austin, Texas), in collaboration with other pastors from Austin Stone, took Bliss' hymn and did some slight rearranging and rewriting.  While maintating the melody, Ivey and the other pastors restructured the chord progression and some other slight aspects of the song.  Maintaining verses 1, 4, 5, and the context of verse 2, they rewrote the second verse.  Co-writer Halim Suh says, "What's really beautiful about old hymns like this is that they have lines like 'Bearing shame and scoffing rude.' But one of the bad things about old hymns like this is that they have lines like 'Bearing shame and scoffing rude.'"  Fellow co-writer Matt Carter adds, "It's not in common language."  So realizing this truth, they took the context of verse 2 and adapted it to make it more understandable and relative to today's worshippers.  

Aaron Ivey says that one of the values they hold to as a church and as a worship team is to lead their church in songs they can sing "boldly and anthemically."  With that mindset, after singing such theologically rich truths about our redemption through the cross and sacrifice of Jesus, the writers felt they needed a chorus to proclaim.  Which is where the lyrics "Hallelujah; Praise to the one whose blood has pardoned me; Oh what a Savior, Redeemer, and King; Your love has rescued me" come from.

Austin Stone Worship provides great resources for their songs.  They want worshippers to truly worship in spirit and in truth.  The truth aspect comes from knowing what you're singing and the truth of the scripture behind the songs you sing. Which is also the premise for this blog I author.  Because of this desire from Austin Stone Worship, they accompany each song they produce with what they refer to as a "Theology Paper".  For the bulk of the theology behind this particular song, I thought I'd let you read from the writers themselves.  Below is the "Theology Paper" released by Austin Stone Worship as well as a video of the writers discussing the story behind the song. 

Theology of Song: Hallelujah, What a Savior

“Man of sorrows, what a name for the Son of God who came...”

John 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (4) In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

From eternity’s past, Jesus was. He was in the beginning with God and He was God. He was the one and only eternal Son of God, coequal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, infinitely satisfied in the Trinitarian union absolutely independent from and not in need of creation. He was “before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light”1. This eternal God, this eternal Son, who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light,

became human...

Not only did He become human but Isaiah 53:3 tells us that He became a “man of sorrows”, despised and forsaken of men, like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

“Stand unclean, no one else could, In my place condemned He stood...”

But His humiliation didn’t stop there. Because all of mankind sinned against God we could not stand in His presence without the condemnation of being crushed by Him. We committed the most heinous act of evil by exchanging the goodness of our Creator for created things. And so the only one who was able to stand before the Almighty without shame, without guilt, without fear,

became sin...

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

“Lifted up was He to die, “It is finished!” was His cry...”

And so Jesus lived the life that we couldn’t live and died the death that we should’ve died. Because God is just, He demanded a payment for our sin and that payment was death. But because God is gracious, He provided - at the cross - the payment that He Himself demanded. At a great cost to Himself, Jesus

became our ransom...

By becoming our ransom Jesus made another exchange. He credited us with his life which He lived to meet all the righteous requirements of the law and He received for Himself every drop of God’s wrath that was directed at us as sinners.

Rom 8:1-4 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (3) For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, (4) so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

“Hallelujah, what a Savior!”

And so having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us, by taking it out of the way, and having nailed it to the cross, He

became our Savior!

And so what should our response be to this eternal Son of God who humbled Himself to become sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him? The only proper response seems to be, “Hallelujah, what a Savior!” They say that the word “Hallelujah”, which means “praise be to God”, is the only word that is the same in all languages. Almost as though God is preparing us for the day when every language will be gathered up in one accord to sing, “Hallelujah!” to our precious Jesus who became man, who became sin, who became our ransom, who became our Savior! 

Song Devotional - The Scriptural Basis and Theology Behind "It Is Well"

"It Is Well" was written by Kristene DiMarco and released on Bethel Music's album "You Make Me Brave" in 2014.  With obvious ties to the hymn written by Horatio Spafford in 1873, this worship song seeks to deliver a similar message to the believer singing and proclaiming the statement "It is well with my soul."  DiMarco says, "The hymn 'It Is Well With My Soul' is a reminder that our worship of God should not be based on our circumstances, but rather on who God is."

Horatio Spafford's story leading up to 1873, is a tragic one.  (You can hear the entirety by clicking here.)  Within a matter of 3 years, he suffered the loss of all 5 of his children as well as every financial investment he had.  Yet, because of his faith in who God is, he was able to pen the words, "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul."

Kristene DiMarco's circumstances in 2014 that led to her writing of this song, were less tragic and dramatic (read the full story here.).  She and her husband had just moved to California and had moved in with his parents while beginning the search for their own house.  As they began to worry and fret about finding the right house, DiMarco says that God began to give her the phrase, "the waves and wind still know my name."  She began to think back on the story in Mark 4:35-41 of how Jesus speaks to the storm and it obeys His voice.  The Lord had brought her through many things that were bigger than finding a house, so why would she begin to doubt and question Him now?  If He is faithful to bring her through much bigger things, then He certainly will be faithful in the little things as well.  The wind and waves still know His name!

"Grander earth has quaked before. Moved by the sound of His voice. 

Seas that are shaken and stirred can be calmed and broken for my regard" 

This first verse came from the story of Kristene's and her husband's house hunting.  It's the reminder of how great and powerful our God is.  As we've already discussed, Mark 4:35-41 tells us the story of His power over creation.  He has that power because it's His creation.  Genesis 1 tells us that God simply spoke everything into being.  Yet, even as great and powerful as our God is, He still cares about us and our circumstances.  No matter how big or small they may be, God still cares (Matthew 6:26) and is still in control.

"Through it all, my eyes are on You. 

It is well with me."

Psalm 121:1-2 says, "I lift my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth."  Our Creator is greater than our circumstances. When we keep our eyes on Him, we see Him for who He really is.  When we see Him for who He really is, we see His greatness and sovereignty over our circumstances.  At that point, our response can be "It is well with me!"

"Far be it from me to not believe even when my eyes can't see.  

And this mountain that's in front of me will be thrown into the midst of the sea ."

Our faith is based on Someone we cannot see.  Hebrews 11:1 and 3 says, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.  By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible."  When we get our eyes on our circumstances rather than the One who controls them, our belief and our faith can suffer.  Our eyes turn to what we can see.  Our prayer should be that of the believer in Mark 9:24, "I believe!  Help my unbelief!"  When we fix our eyes on Him (Psalm 121:1-2), our faith grows (Matthew 17:20-21) and we realize that our Creator is far greater than the circumstances in front of us.  

"So let go my soul and trust in Him. 

The waves and wind still know His name."

This is our song of surrender!  Our song of trust!  As we've seen and read in Mark 4, Jesus spoke and the wind and waves obeyed.  Our God does not change!  Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever!"  Even today, we can let go and trust in Him.  The wind and waves still know His name!  He is still in control!

"It is well with my soul."

The song ends with one last reminder and declaration that with our eyes fixed on Jesus rather than our own circumstances, we can say "It is well with my soul!"

I close with the quote from the opening paragraph, "The hymn 'It Is Well With My Soul' is a reminder that our worship of God should not be based on our circumstances, but rather who God is."