About a year ago, David Ward and I began writing a series of hymns on the attributes of God. The idea for this series was born out of a sense of need. While there are many good hymns that touch on various character traits of God, their purpose is not to explore one particular attribute in detail, or to probe that attribute’s connection to the gospel or the Christian life.
We selected 15 attributes of God (see below). We then wrote one, three-stanza hymn for each attribute, each with a similar structure. First, an explanation of the attribute (doctrine). These stanzas begin with the phrase “the Lord is.” Second, the attribute’s relevance to the gospel. These begin with the phrase “the Lord has.” Third, personal application, or the attribute’s relevance to our lives. These stanzas begin with the phrase “the Lord will.”
They each are written in the same meter and structure, fitting Martin Luther's tune to "A Mighty Fortress is Our God." This way they can be used for teaching, either in public worship or in family devotions, without necessitating the learning of a new tune for each hymn. (In the spirit of hymn texts, however, we have composed two additional tunes and encourage anyone to write tunes for particular hymns for their particular congregations or musical sub-cultures. You can find sheet music and recordings for all three tunes at the top and side of this page, or on the tune resource post.)
An explanation of the project, links to each hymn, and recordings of the tunes can be found on the main project page.
The text to each hymn, along with recordings and sheet music, can be found through the links below:
- The Lord Is One
- The Lord Is Holy
- The Lord Is Constant
- The Lord Is Not in Need
- The Lord Is Sovereign
- The Lord Is Present Everywhere
- The Lord Is Wise
- The Lord Is Righteous
- The Lord Is Jealous
- The Lord Is Angry
- The Lord Is Patient
- The Lord Is Merciful
- The Lord Is Gracious
- The Lord Is Loving
- The Lord Is Faithful
Those interested in learning more about the attributes of God would benefit from the following works (either on or containing sections about the attributes of God):
- Knowing God, J.I. Packer
- The Attributes of God, A.W. Pink
- The Existence and Attributes of God, Stephen Charnock
- The Knowledge of the Holy: The Attributes of God: Their Meaning in the Christian Life, A.W. Tozer
- Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
- Christian Theology, Millard Erickson
- Systematic Theology, Louis Berkhof
- Systematic Theology, Charles Hodge
- Foundations of the Christian Faith, James M. Boice
- Abstract of Systematic Theology, James P. Boyce
I also preached a sermon series on the attributes of God, as part of a wider series on systematic theology.
