ROCK of Ages

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

There’s one thing you can definitely say about classic Christian hymns, they are jam-packed with good Christian doctrine.

 

I was recently listening to a contemporary Christian musician incorporate the great hymn “Rock of Ages” into his worship set. The hymn brought back memories from my childhood, but also ministered to my spirit as I listened to the words that were so full of the gospel. Let me share with you the words from this hymn and why I think such classic songs need to be continually and repeatedly sung by us as we worship in the 21^st century.

 

The words of the first verse are:

 

Rock of Ages cleft for me
Let me hide myself in Thee
Let the water and the blood
From Thy wounded side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure
Save from wrath and make me pure

 

The “Rock” referred to here is Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. He is the foundational Rock upon which the universal church is based. Several verses speak of this. In Matthew 16:15-19 Jesus asks Peter who he thought He was. The discussion goes like this. “‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’” Many mistakenly believe that here Christ is saying that the rock upon which He will build His church is Peter, but the Rock is Christ Himself.

 

In Romans 9:33 it states, “’See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’” Many will stumble over the fact that the only way to have a relationship with God and obtain forgiveness from sins is to accept Christ as Lord. Many will seek other paths or try to earn their own salvation by means they have devised, but the only way to God is through the Rock, Jesus Christ.

 

In this first verse of the song it states, “Rock of Ages cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.” This references the cleft in the rock that Moses hid in so he would not be destroyed witnessing the holy presence of God. Jesus is our cleft, our hiding place. We are acceptable to God only because we are hidden in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It continues “Let the water and the blood, From Thy wounded side which flowed, Be of sin the double cure, Save from wrath and make me pure.” This establishes the fact that the cleaning living water Jesus offers and His sacrificial blood that flowed from His side cleanses us from all our sins. It saves us from God’s wrath and makes us holy in our Heavenly Father’s sight.

 

The song continues with the second verse:

 

Nothing in my hand I bring
Simply to Thy cross I cling
Naked come to Thee for dress
Helpless look to Thee for grace
Foul I to the fountain fly
Wash me Savior or I die

 

This second verse establishes the fact that nothing we do can save us from our sins. Only by clinging to the cross, the sacrificial death of Christ, can we obtain cleansing from our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 speaks of this when it says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” We can’t earn our salvation by doing good deeds through serving other people. We can’t buy our way into heaven through donations to charitable organizations. A nice pleasant personality doesn’t grant us forgiveness of sins. Only by accepting Christ as our Savior and Lord are we cleansed, forgiven and granted relationship with God and eternal residence in heaven.

 

How dramatic the words in this second verse are. “Naked come to Thee for dress.” We come to Christ naked as sinners waiting for Him to dress us in His righteousness. “Helpless look to Thee for grace.” We are helpless in ourselves so look to Christ for mercy and grace. “Foul I to the fountain fly.

Wash me Savior or I die.” We come to Christ from the dirty pit of sin, smelling of death. We come desperate to the fountain of living water to be washed in Jesus’ blood. We are desperate when we come to Christ but relieved and comforted once we are cleaned and forgiven.

 

The third verse says,

 

Not the labor of my hands
Can fulfill Thy law’s demands
Could my zeal no respite know
Could my tears forever flow
All for sin could not atone
Thou must save and Thou alone

 

This verse reminds us of what Romans 3:20 states, “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” No amount of effort on our part can keep the laws of God. The law was given to convict us of sin and this verse verifies this. No religious zeal on our part will postpone the inevitable. No copious tears of regret will pardon us. Nothing can atone for our sins except Jesus Christ the Son of God.

 

The fourth verse continues with words that predict the events at our own death in the future. That is, if we are a believer in Jesus Christ as our Savior. 

 

While I draw this fleeting breath
When my eyes shall close in death
When I rise to worlds unknown
And behold Thee on Thy throne
Rock of Ages cleft for me
Let me hide myself in Thee

 

What a verse. When we lie on our deathbed and draw our last breath our thoughts will be of our Lord. When we leave our earthly body and ascend to heaven we will behold Christ sitting at the right hand of God. Our thoughts during these moments will be focused purely on the “Rock” of our faith. The “Rock,” who is our cleft, our hiding place in whom we sought refuge, in whom we have our salvation, is Jesus Christ our Savior.

 

The last and final fifth verse states,

 

Could my tears forever flow
Could my zeal no languor know
These for sin could not atone
Thou must save and Thou alone
In my hand no price I bring
Simply to Thy cross I cling

 

This verse is partially a repeat of some of the words of previous verses. Possibly the intention of the author of this song was to remind us once again, that no amount of sorrowful tears or zeal for doing right can grant us salvation. No good intentions or behavior will grant us favor. No remorse over the bad things we have done will give us mercy. No apologies will be accepted. Only believing on the blood of Christ and submitting to Him as Lord of your life will grant us forgiveness of sins. The words, “In my hand no price I bring” reminds us also that there is nothing that I can bring to God to convince Him to forgive my sins and save my soul. Only by submitting my heart, my soul, my life to my Heavenly Father and accepting His Son as an atonement for my sins, can I be saved.

 

Who is Jesus Christ? He is the ROCK of ages. He is the cleft where I can hide. He is my cross to which I cling. He is my Salvation. He is my King. He is my Lord. He is my God. He is my Future Eternal Life. He is my Savior. He is my God. He is my friend.

 

“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

Hebrews 1:3