• A king dies in the place of one of his subjects
• The eternal God of the universe take on humanity and dies in the place of one of his creatures

Obviously, as great as the first is, the second is greater by several orders of magnitude.

I bring this up because in church today, we sang a praise song that is theologically accurate and edifying – and yet it annoyed me tremendously. Here’s the chorus of that song:

Amazing love, how can it be
That You my King would die for me
Amazing love, I know it’s true
It’s my joy to honor you
In all I do, I honor you

The first two lines probably sound familiar to those of you who were raised singing hymns. It’s a modification from Charles Wesley’s hymn “And Can It Be”. Here’s the first verse:

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me who caused His pain,
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love – how can it be
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

So, although Christ is our King, and a king dying for his subject is an awesome thing, it is a much more massive, significant and praiseworthy truth that it was not just our King who died for us, but God himself. I don’t know what the author of the modern chorus was thinking when he wrote it, but to take Wesley’s words and water them down as he did – frankly, it ruins the song for me.

(By the way, this is not a criticism of the worship team at my church. In fact, it’s not a criticism of anyone, or at least it’s not meant to be.)

No more my God, I boast no more
Of all the duties I have done
I quit the hopes I held before,
To trust the merits of Thy Son

No more my God
No more my God
No more my God
I boast no more

Now, for the loss I bear his name,
What was my gain I count my loss
My former pride I call my shame
And nail my glory to His cross

Yes, and I must, I will esteem
All things but loss for Jesus’ sake
O may my soul be found in Him
And of His righteousness partake
Amen, amen

The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before Thy throne
But faith can answer Thy demands
By pleading what my Lord has done