"It Is Well With My Soul" An Exposition of My Favorite Hymn (Part 2)

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know [Later changed to "say"]
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Refrain:
It is well, (it is well),
With my soul, (with my soul)
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
A song in the night, oh my soul! [Later changed to "Even so it is well with my soul!"]

In Part 1 of this article we briefly looked at the tragic life of Horatio Spafford, up to the point when he penned the great hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul." We also considered some less-known information about Spafford's spiritual beliefs, convictions, and practices. Contrary to many of the partial biographies about Spafford, most telling only of the story surrounding "It Is Well with My Soul," there is evidence to suggest he may not have been a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. In spite of his questionable, spiritual pedigree, I believe Christians can still sing the song and, in doing so, worship the Lord in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24).

What follows is an exposition of the text of the original four stanzas of the song. One of the first and most basic steps in the application of good hermeneutics in the study of God's Word is to make observations of the text in such a way as to ask question about the text. What does the verse or passage say? What doesn't the verse or passage say? And what questions come to mind as I observe the verse or passage. In applying these principles to Spafford's lyrics, I as the simple question: "Isn't it true?"

Contentment

The theme of the first stanza is contentment, regardless of circumstances. My favorite New Testament passages regarding contentment are Matthew 6:25-34 and Philippians 4:10-13.

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (Matthew 6:25-34).

And...

"I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:1-13).

Whether the state of my heart and mind or my present lot in my life is akin to the peace and serenity that comes with the sight and sound of a peacefully flowing river, or it is akin to being adrift in tumultuous midst of a perfect storm, the Lord Jesus Christ has taught me to say, "It is well with my soul." It is well with my soul because I belong to Christ. It is well with my soul because even when I fear dying in the midst of life's storms, even when my endurance is a faithless endeavor, my Lord and Savior remains faithful. He remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13).

Isn't it true?

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Yes! A thousand times, yes! It is true my Lord. It is true that you have taught me to say, in times of plenty and in times of want, in times of peace and in times of persecution, it is well with my soul. I can count it all joy whenever I encounter myriad trials (James 1:2-4) because you have made it well with my soul. You have taught me to say it is well with my soul.  You have taught me to believe it is well with my soul. You have taught me to know it is well with my soul. Thank you, Lord.

Assurance

The theme of the song's second stanza is assurance. Jesus said, "And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved" (Matthew 10:22).

The endurance of which Jesus speaks is not an endurance that leads to salvation. Rather, it is an endurance that is the fruit of salvation. Only those who are saved can endure to the end. The Christian's endurance is not predicated upon his ability to endure. Apart from the grace of God alone (Ephesians 2:8-19), through faith alone (Romans 1:17), in Jesus Christ alone (John 14:6)--apart from God causing one to be born-again (1 Peter 1:3)--no one can or will endure to the end. No. The Christian's endurance is predicated entirely upon monergistic work of Almighty God. The Christian's endurance is predicated upon the mercy of God not the perceived deeds of man's righteousness (Titus 3:4-7).

The apostle Paul understood perseverance and assurance like no one else, and he beautifully articulates both in one of my favorite passages of Scripture.

"For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

Isn't it true?

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Of course it's true! Because God will extend mercy and compassion upon whom He wills (Romans 9:14-18), those upon whom He chooses to extend such mercy and compassion can be assured it will never be lost or taken away and replaced by renewed wrath and judgment (John 1:12-13; John 5:24; John 10:27-30; Romans 10:9-13; Philippians 1:6; Ephesians 2:8-9).

The writer of Hebrews tells us that man can never exert himself in his war against sin to the point of shedding his own blood. "Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood" (Hebrews 12:3-4). Yet the same writer also makes it clear that blood must be shed for the forgiveness of sins. "And in the same way he sprinkled with the blood both the tent and all the vessels used in worship. Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these" (Hebrews 9:21-23).

The genuine follower of Christ lives with the assurance of eternal life, knowing that it pleased God the Father to crush God the Son under the weight and fury of His wrath against sin (Isaiah 53:10), knowing that God's love for those who believe (John 3:16) was made manifest through His sovereign willingness to allow His perfect, precious, and priceless Son to take upon Himself the punishment we rightly deserve for our sins against Him. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the assurance of salvation through the shedding of your blood to cleanse me of my sin. Thank you for having such regard for my utterly helpless estate. You have changed my estate from helpless to that of co-heir with you. It is indeed well with my soul!

Propitiation

Stanza two and three are beautifully, theologically linked. The theme of the third stanza is propitiation. I believe "propitiation" is the most important word in the Bible. The word "propitiation" appears three times in the New Testament.

"But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:21-26).

"Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17).

"He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).

The best inscripturated word picture of propitiation is found in Colossians 2.

"See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him" (Colossians 2:8-15).

Isn't it true?

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Yes! Praise God it is true! My sin was nailed to the cross my Lord and Savior bore for my sin. I know longer bear the weight of the penalty of my sin. I am no longer a child of wrath (John 3:36; Ephesians 2:1-3). I am now an adopted son of the Most High God (Romans 8:14-17). Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! Jesus made propitiation for my sin. The debt I owe to God has been paid in full, tetelestai! Jesus said, "It is finished!" And it is finished (John 19:30). Everything God the Father required of God the Son to perfectly fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17; John 17:4) and to clear the accounts (Colossians 2:14) of those whom God has chosen from eternity past to save (Romans 8:29-30), was accomplished on the cross.

The Return of Christ

The theme of the fourth and last of the original stanzas is the return of Christ and the outcome or culmination of the Christian's faith.

There is a great deal of passionate and fiery debate among Christians regarding the eschatological landscape. "Premill, Amill, Postmill": those who study the framework of the end times are very passionate about and committed to their positions, which are based upon diligent and sincere study, along with the presuppositions that impact their hermeneutics, exegesis, and eventual exposition.

I neither claim not feign expertise in the area of eschatology. My end times theology can, with tongue-in-cheek, be surmised with the statement, "It will all work out in the end." This is not to say the study of any area of Christian doctrine is not important.

What I'm certain of, because Scripture is clear, is that Jesus will return. Scripture declares it.

"Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail[a] on account of him. Even so. Amen. 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty'" (Revelation 1:7-8).

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:29-31).

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

I also know the time is coming when every born-again follower of Christ (there are no other kinds) will see his Lord and Savior, his Master and King, face-to-face (1 Corinthians 13:11-12). Presently, the earth-restrained Christian lives by faith and not by sight.

"For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

"So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil" (2 Corinthians 5:1-10).

But the day is coming, as Spafford wrote, when the Christian's "faith shall be sight." The day is coming when every Christian will obtain, as the outcome of his faith, the full sanctification and glorification that comes with the culmination of his salvation.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:3-9).

Is it not true?

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
A song in the night, oh my soul! [Later changed to "Even so it is well with my soul!"]

Yes, it is true! Oh, come quickly, Lord Jesus! Come quickly! It is well with my soul, and I hope it is well with yours. It is well with my soul, in part, because I live a life of expectancy. I live a life of anticipation of the Lord's return. This does not drive me to a hilltop or dark cave as it has on many occasions for false prophets and return-date setters. Mine is not an escapist's life. There is work to do And, as Jesus said, "We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work" (John 9:4). I worship the Lord expecting His return. I preach the gospel anticipating His return. I love and try to lead my family, with the imminent return of Jesus Christ as one aspect of my spiritual motivation.

Lord Jesus, please "haste the day when my faith will sight." Until then, knowing you will return, it is well with my soul.

Conclusion

I have thoroughly enjoyed writing this two-part article on my favorite hymn, "It Is Well With My Soul." In many ways, it afforded me the blessed opportunity one Saturday to worship the Lord, with my computer keyboard serving as my instrument.

Despite Spafford's apparently spurious theology and orthopraxy, he penned a beautiful song on a cold and vast sea while living in troubled waters. It appears a bridge over those troubled waters was the cathartic exercise of expressing his love for Christ and a realized comfort that can only be found in Him--an exercise of faith, not by sight.

Spafford's hand might have shook as he put pen to paper. His hand might have shook because he was on a ship tossed by the sea. His hand might have shook because of the piercing late Fall, early Winter cold of the Atlantic Ocean. His hand might have shook as he fought back tears of pain and sorrow. My hope is that in the midst of the emotionally and environmentally-induced, physical tremors, his hand shook with the joy of knowing the words he was writing were far more than a cathartic exercise. I hope his hand shook as he fathomed the depths of God's love, the riches of His mercy, and the loving nature of His kindness. I hope his hand shook, as every "Why?" question he may have had in his mind were melted away by the comforting warmth of knowing God owed him no explanations for the reasons or ultimate purpose of his suffering.

"Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen" (Romans 11:33-36).

My hope for you, dear reader, is that it is well with your soul--that peace like a river will attends your way as you find contentment in Christ, regardless of the circumstances you may be facing right now. I hope it is well with your soul because you have the assurance that Christ had mercy on you, showed regard for your helplessly sinful estate, and did what you could not do for yourself--shed blood for the remission of your sins. I hope it is well with your soul because you know that Jesus shed His perfectly innocent blood to make propitiation for you; to clear the debt you owe to God for your myriad sins against Him; to justify you, declaring you innocent of all charges because of the sacrifice His Son made on your behalf. And I hope it is well with your soul because you are filled with anticipation of one-day no longer living by faith, but by sight, as you come face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ, destined to spend eternity in His presence, in Heaven.





To share your thoughts regarding this and any other article on this blog, please email us at info@tmiano.com.