Not "Just" The Bible Gets Cut-and-Pasted

My favorite hymn is the Getty's "In Christ Alone."

Not some of the hymn, not most of the hymn, but the entire hymn...all the words.

But there are many who "cover" the song and cut out, eliminate, remove an entire verse.

And thus they remove propitiation...a vital part of the gospel.

Jesus did not "simply" die on the cross...He who knew no sin became sin...He offered Himself as a substitute, and the cup of God's wrath that should have been poured on me was poured out on the Son...the atoning sacrifice.

God's holy wrath against sin was satisfied.

And so reads the words of Getty's hymn.

But it is cut out by many...heard it done last night.

And here is an example of "I don't like that so I'm dropping it" in action, this one done at Passion 2013, a conference for teens and young adults...okay to add a lot of "oh oh oh oh ohs" but not okay to sing all the composers words?:

Owl City pulls the words also. The Newsboys sing the song in its entirety.

But no one sings it as well as the composers...here they are:

In case you don't have time or inclination to watch any of the videos, here are the words that are left out. I'm sure there will be some who shake their heads and mutter, "Oh, Jack, it's not that big of a deal."

Well, yeah, the atoning sacrifice of Jesus is a huge deal. The full and complete payment of sin is a huge deal.

These words are not merely poetry...they are doctrine, they are correct, they are essential. 

(and I don't know copyright law to know how kosher/legal/ it is to sort-of-cover a song...but it sure isn't ethical.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless Babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Til on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live, I live