The chords provided are my interpretation and their accuracy is not guaranteed. These country classic song lyrics are the property of the respective artist, authors and labels, they are intended solely for educational purposes and private study only. Paul embodies the cross in his ministry, becoming the fragrance of death as he is lead on the triumphal procession (2 Cor. Watts played a vital role in the evolution and creativity of hymnody as we know it today. The refrain of this hymn echoes the words of the apostle Paul, But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross lyrics and chords. After Jesus explained to his disciples that he must suffer, he tells them, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me (Matt 16:24). He thought that hymns should be freely composed and not just hold to the letter of Scripture and that hymns should give straightforward expression to the thoughts and feelings of the singers and not merely recall events of the distant past. He believed that hymns should echo the theme of the sermon and insisted that songs in the church should be amply evangelical and not just additives to the Psalms. (The only way we can overcome the world, and I mean the.
Watts’ hymns include theology in a format that is well suited for congregational singing. Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross: Experiencing the Passion and Power of Easter. Paul also said, But God forbid that I should glory (boast) save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (what the opponents of Paul sought to escape at the price of insincerity is the Apostle’s only basis of exultation), by Whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. His 600 hymns found in seven collections made the transition from stringent, metrical psalmody to liberated, theologically-based hymnody. But by the time of his death, he had developed a style of a much more complex hymnody. The Story Behind When I Survey the Wondrous CrossĪt the time of Isaac Watts' early years, churches in England sang only metrical psalms.