Glory be to God the Father

Many times when we pray-read the word of the Bible in this way, it causes us to be inspired and weep. Not only the word of the Bible but even the hymns affect us in this way. A few days ago I sang Hymn #1 in Hymns. I love that hymn very much. The first stanza says, "Glory be to God the Father, /And to Christ the Son,/Glory to the Holy Spirit—/Ever One." Stanza two says, "As we view the vast creation, /Planned with wondrous skill,/So our hearts would move to worship,/And be still." When I came to this stanza, my tears came down. Then stanza three says, "But, our God, how great Thy yearning/To have sons who love..." By reading this I knew that what God wants is not even the beautiful creation; He yearns to have many sons. Regardless of whether it is the word of the Bible or the hymns, if we read with a spirit of prayer, often we will be moved and will shed tears. This experience shows us that the life-giving Spirit, through the prayers and petitions of the believers, mingles with the Lord's words to make them spirit and life, that is, the Spirit who gives life.

Actually, the many sons are in the firstborn Son. In other words, the firstborn Son includes the many sons. It is a corporate Son that is praising and exulting God. This is a profound truth. But it has been written into a hymn and is explained in very simple words. I hope that you can all enter into these truths and can teach them to the new ones.

Hymn #1 (Hymns) is very simple and short but deep in its thought concerning God's purpose:

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According to my knowledge, of all the hymns chosen by us to be included in our hymnal, apart from those written by us, no other hymn covers the New Testament economy of God in such a good way. The first and last verses cover the thought of the Triune God receiving glory. He receives glory because, first, He created the universe, and second, He will gain a group of sons. Verses 2 and 3 trace God's economy from creation to His sons, and verses 3 and 4 show how God unveils His love and affection to His many sons so that they may love Him with His love. Verse 5 shows that Christ in His redemption conquered all of His enemies in order to gain worshippers in the new creation. In summary, this hymn has the following main points: the old creation, God's desire to have a group of sons, His desire being according to His love, and Christ's redemption gaining worshippers in the new creation. What a wonderful hymn this is!