There Is "No Bitterness" In Christ

 There Is "No Bitterness" In Christ


Number 168 in the 1994 edition of The Trinity Hymnal, has a particularly wonderful line (at the beginning of the fourth) stanza, of the song, "I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art."  The words go like this: "Thou hast the true and perfect gentleness, no harshness hast thou and no bitterness . . . "

 

I particularly want to pick up on these words, "No Bitterness."  By "no bitterness," I, just like the Strasbourg Psalter arranger of this rendition of these gospel words, do not mean, no resentment, or no unresolved (and unrighteous) anger.  Though this was and is certainly true of our "Sure Redeemer," what I have in mind is the fact that there is nothing but sweetness, beauty, perfection, and glory in the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

All of us have to face the fact that, in ourselves, and in every other fallen human being, there is a level of "bitterness" that we have to accept and live with.  There is simply no way around this reality in a fallen world.  BUT, this is not true of the church's Elder Brother, our Head, our Lord and King, Jesus Christ our Savior.  In Him there is absolutely no bitterness (whatsoever).  Everything about our Lord Jesus Christ is pleasant, melodious, pure, wholesome, and amiable.

 

Because this is true, the regenerated Christian church member has at his or her immediate behest, at anytime, access to a Pristine Human Being who is simply incapable of failing us, disappointing us, or coming short of blessing us in the most profound and perfect ways.

 

Will we face "bitterness" in this world?  Yes; undoubtedly we do, and we will continue to throughout our time as the church militant.  But the greater truth is that we have The Sweet One, The Gentle One, The Good Shepherd--and, because of this, what else do we really need?

 

The fact that our Redeemer possesses "no bitterness"; and that we "definitely-possess-some-bitterness," means that we recognize that our fellow and fallen human sinners--even those who have been made new creatures in Jesus--cannot satisfy us, and they never were intended (by God), to do so.  Only Christ, the "No-Bitterness-In-Him" One, can do that.

 

The aforementioned Trinity Hymnal chose this verse from Gal. 1:4, to encapsulate the essence of this great hymn (#168).  This is what Paul wrote, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "Who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age."

 

Rev. Mark J. Henninger

Treatise #34

6 November 2025

https://theologicaltreatisesinretirement.blogspot.com

https://henningerdevotions.blogspot.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Do we Know we Are Right?

  How Do we Know we Are Right? Have you ever asked yourself this question?  What gives  us --and, for sake of clarity, I will mean by  "us"  (particularly) those convinced and convicted members of the Reformed expression of the Christian religion-- both  the  "right"  and the  "confidence"  to boldly state that we  are,  with regard to religious debate,  "in the right"?   This is actually a very good, and important question.  I would like to forthrightly  answer  the query; and then seek to work out some of the details (that I am quite certain may be on many people's minds). . . .   The  true regenerated  saints of Christ's church--and in this case, we will include those who are members of any number of orthodox Christian communions (denominations)--know that they are "in the right" because of the  internal witness of the Holy Spirit within them,  (cf. for now Rom...
Read more

What Is Preaching?

  What Is Preaching? Dedicated to all truly-called church ministers of the gospel When I ask the question, "What is preaching?", the context I have in mind is mostly, (but not exclusively), the church's Sunday worship services.  I also hope to address the issue of the goal (or end) of preaching.   Paul's 10th chapter of Romans is probably the most comprehensive treatment of this sublime subject; and his (Paul's) Holy Spirit-inspired injunction of 2 Tim. 4:2a: "Preach the Word!", says it very succinctly.   I believe that preaching is the authoritative verbal presentation of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ in the message of His gospel of grace and mercy.  I also believe that anything short of this, is not preaching at all.  It is also my conviction that every text of Holy Scripture not only  lends  itself to this grand enterprise; but  exists  so as to facilitate it.   Therefore, when a true gospel preacher approach...
Read more

Persecution of Real Christians in America

  Persecution of Real Christians in America Dedicated to all regenerate churchmen in the United States A lot of times we hear people say, "There is no persecution of the church in America."  This statement, though understandable on one level, is  entirely  false.  In fact,  every  truly regenerated (born again) Christian  does  get persecuted; and it depends  not at all  on where we live, or in what era of human history we live.   Here are Paul's Holy Spirit-inspired words of 2 Tim. 3:12: "Indeed,  all  who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus  will  be persecuted," (ESV/italics mine).  This means that if you are a  real  Christian you  will  be persecuted--and it does not matter  where  you live.  There is simply no way around this inevitable spiritual law of the gospel.   Somebody might say, "Yes; but Christians in America are not thro...
Read more