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Horatius Bonar
Horatius Bonar (1808 - 1889). Scottish Presbyterian minister, poet, and hymn-writer born in Edinburgh to a ministerial family. Educated at Edinburgh University, he was ordained in 1837, serving Kelso’s North Church for 30 years. Joining the Free Church of Scotland during the 1843 Disruption, he later pastored Chalmers Memorial Church in Edinburgh (1866-1889). Bonar wrote over 600 hymns, including “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,” and authored books like The Everlasting Righteousness (1873), emphasizing justification by faith. A prolific evangelist, he edited The Quarterly Journal of Prophecy and published tracts reaching millions. Married to Jane Lundie in 1843, they had nine children, five surviving infancy. His devotional works, blending Calvinism and warmth, influenced global Christianity. Bonar’s hymns remain sung in churches worldwide, and his writings, notably God’s Way of Peace, endure in reprints. His poetic style enriched Victorian spirituality, inspiring figures like Charles Spurgeon. Despite personal losses, he preached hope and Christ’s return until his final years.
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Horatius Bonar emphasizes that Christ's role as the Substitute is essential for understanding His sacrifice for sinners. He argues that if Christ did not die as the Sin-bearer, then His death is meaningless. Bonar clarifies that Christ's deliverance is not merely a risk or a small sacrifice; rather, it is a complete substitution of His life for ours. He highlights that true redemption comes through Christ's blood, which cleanses us from sin and brings us into a relationship with God. This profound act of love is what inspires our worship and gratitude.
Scriptures
Christ the Substitute
If Christ is not the Substitute, He is nothing to the sinner. If He did not die as the Sin-bearer, He has died in vain. Let us not be deceived on this point nor mislead by those who, when they announce Christ as the Deliverer, think they have preached the gospel. If I throw a rope to a drowning man, I am a deliverer. But is Christ no more than that? If I cast myself into the sea and risk myself to save another, I am a deliverer. But is Christ no more? Did He risk His life? The very essence of Christ's deliverance is THE SUBSTITUTION OF HIMSELF FOR US–HIS LIFE FOR OURS! He did not come. to risk His life; He came to die! He did not redeem. us by a little loss, a little sacrifice, a little labor, a little suffering; "He redeemed us to God by His blood" (I Peter 1:18,19). He gave all He had, even His life, for us. This is the kind of deliverance that awakens the happy song, "To Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood" (Rev. l:5).
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Horatius Bonar (1808 - 1889). Scottish Presbyterian minister, poet, and hymn-writer born in Edinburgh to a ministerial family. Educated at Edinburgh University, he was ordained in 1837, serving Kelso’s North Church for 30 years. Joining the Free Church of Scotland during the 1843 Disruption, he later pastored Chalmers Memorial Church in Edinburgh (1866-1889). Bonar wrote over 600 hymns, including “I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say,” and authored books like The Everlasting Righteousness (1873), emphasizing justification by faith. A prolific evangelist, he edited The Quarterly Journal of Prophecy and published tracts reaching millions. Married to Jane Lundie in 1843, they had nine children, five surviving infancy. His devotional works, blending Calvinism and warmth, influenced global Christianity. Bonar’s hymns remain sung in churches worldwide, and his writings, notably God’s Way of Peace, endure in reprints. His poetic style enriched Victorian spirituality, inspiring figures like Charles Spurgeon. Despite personal losses, he preached hope and Christ’s return until his final years.