Whatever My God Ordains Is Right

A couple of days ago I found this song at the Sovereign Grace Ministries store. The original words were written by Samuel Rodigast in 1676. SGM rewrote some words and put an alternate tune to it. Here is the first of three verses written and sung by Mark and Stephen Altrogge.



Follow this LINK to hear other samples.
Posted by Joshua Ritchie at 6:31 PM
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good song, questionable first line though... you don't want to go so far as to say that things are right because God said they are... because not only does morality become a subjective truth, but God's very nature becomes subjective.. Rightness, just like truth, beauty, and love, stems straight from God's nature. Yes God ordained things. but they are right because His ordinances are a reflection of His nature.

if that is understood, or implied then fantastic.. p.s. I really like the song, and I wasn't just saying stuff to say stuff, just reflected on the eternality of God's nature, and it's relation to His ordinances. Read a lot on Divine Command Theory, and it has some considerable flaws.

March 25, 2009 at 9:32 AM
Joshua Ritchie said...

I don't think the song was saying that whatever God says is right simply because He says so--as if to say that there is no basis behind the rightness of God's decrees.

But I don't think that necessarily makes the first line of the song questionable...as if to say that it is ambiguous or not doctrinally sound. We could rightly say that God's laws are right and whatever commands or laws God's gives are always right. Even if one does not know the basis for God's commands and laws (His nature and what He loves above all--Himself), then the statement still stands true. Whatever laws God gives are right and always true. The same is true of what He decrees, ordains and foreordains even though we know they are grounded in His love for His glory and goodness. Whatever God ordains is right and always right. Though there is some other theology behind that statement that brings it to greater clarity, it still remains true.

Now, may a congregation or unbeliever need to be taught about God's Sovereignty and goodness and other attributes so that when they sing or hear "Whatever my God ordains is right" they don't necessarily need a full explanation and theological undergirding to make sense of the song? I think so. To someone who hears those lyrics for the first time, it may strike them as offensive, unjust and just odd but the same is true with the gospel. Hence the need for proper preaching and teaching so that God is proclaimed rightly to both saint and sinner.

When I heard those lyrics for the first time I knew exactly why what God ordains is right. Someone else may not but that is the beauty of discipleship...we get to lead others to know God more and more. These are the kinds of discussions and questions that really make things lively in a group Bible study when a new believer's brain starts ticking and trying to discern truth from error!

P.S. I do know that God's laws/commands and His ordinances/decrees are often used interchangeably and synonymously but do have subtle differences when used in difference contexts.

Thank you for your input. It's always great to hear from others.

March 26, 2009 at 11:59 AM

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