Come Praise and Glorify by Bob Kauflin and Tim Chester, 2011.

Verse 1:

Come praise and glorify our God the Father of our Lord.
In Christ he has in heav’nly realms his blessings on us poured;
for pure and blameless in his sight
he destined us to be
and now we’ve been adopted through his Son eternally.

Chorus:

To the praise of your glory,
to the praise of your mercy and grace,
to the praise of your glory,
you are the God who saves.

Observe: As you read the lyrics of verse 1 and the chorus, consider Paul’s words in Ephesians 1. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3–6, ESV).

From the heavens, God pours out his “spiritual blessings” for everyone who is “in Christ.” How does one gain access to these blessings in Christ? Because of his mercy and grace, he saves for his glory! It is to the praise of his glory alone, because of His mercy and grace alone, that we are saved by Christ alone. Here are three of the five “solas” (alones) that sparked the Reformation in 1517 that was the recovery of the gospel.

Verse 2 explains that by grace, the Father credits sinners with the perfect righteousness earned by Jesus. As a man on earth, he was perfectly obedient to his Father’s commands. As the eternal Son, his obedience was from everlasting to everlasting. Verse 2 tells us this is the “mystery of his will,” and it is, indeed, a mystery that God should save anyone. Paul, the apostle quotes David the king, who, led by the Spirit, writes, None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:1-3; 53:1-3; Romans 3:10–12).

With the recovery of the gospel by Luther, Calvin, Knox, and other reformers, Christians embraced five “solas” or “alones” of grace, faith, Christ, Scripture, and God’s glory. Verse one sings of three solas; verse 2 reveals the mystery hidden for ages, now revealed as Christ’s church made from every tribe, and language, and people (Revelation 5:9), but what of the two remaining solas?

Verse3:

Come praise and glorify our God for we’ve believed the Word
and through our faith we have a seal: the Spirit of the Lord.
The Spirit guarantees our hope
until redemption’s done,
until we join in endless praise to God, the Three in One.

By faith alone, we’ve believed the Word, which is Scripture alone. The five solas are complete, and they reveal our Spirit sealed hope of eternal life for the endless praise of the “Three in One” alone.

Sing the praise of his glory, for he is the great God who saves.

Blessings, Pastor Don.