You laid aside your majesty

The opening of Noel Richards’ song from 1985 raises a theological point which divides editors; in coming from heaven to earth, did the eternal Son of God lay aside his majesty, his glory, or both? A similar point arises with And can it be; 776. Some urge that the divine majesty was not laid aside but ever present, sometimes visibly so (cf 408); some, that majesty must be ‘put off’ if the incarnation was to happen at all—‘Christ emptied himself, not by giving up deity but by laying aside his majesty …’ (Paul Davis). The editors accepted this text, partly as it had parallels in classic and contemporary hymns which have been accepted as authentically scriptural; these include David Mowbray’s What if the One who shapes the stars. This song entered MP in 1987 (in Roger Mayor’s arrangement), was sung frequently at Spring Harvest and has since featured elsewhere. Davis wrote in 2001 that it ‘represents the cream of this worship troubadour’s songwriting and performing ability.’ Let’s Praise (1988) put Isaiah 53:4 and Philippians 2:6 at its head. The tune YOU LAID ASIDE YOUR MAJESTY was composed with the words.

b 1955. Brought up in Llantrisant nr Cardiff, where he attended the Pentecostal church. He became a believer as a child, making a re-commitment at the age of 15. At that time, around 1971, the new young guitar-playing minister John Glass encouraged him to play and sing in public. On leaving school he worked for 3 years in a drawing office but did not find this exciting enough; a period as a supermarket sales asst followed. But he was increasingly involved in schools evangelism, and was finally offered a full-time job with Youth for Christ. He spent a year ‘on the road’ learning fast and encouraged by Clive Calver; his songs were mainly evangelistic, and in 1979 the first of them was published. Since 1986 he has recorded several song albums; see also the following entry. Nos.477, 626, 743, 786.