Matthew 3:13-17: "13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?' 15 But Jesus answered him, 'Let it be so now, for this it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; 17 and behold, a voice from heaven said, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"
Hebrews 2:17: "Therefore he [Jesus] 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."
Luke 4:18: "'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed...'"
2 Corinthians 5:21: "For our sake he [God] made him [Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."
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The Matthew 3 text is the basis of the hymn, especially the first four verses, which simply narrate Jesus' baptism. The line "The God from God, the Light from Light" in the first verse seems to come from the second article of the Nicene Creed, specifically "God of God, Light of Light."
The other Biblical texts cited start to appear in the fifth verse. The first two lines are "The Father's word, the Spirit's flight / Anointed Christ in glorious sight," which connect to Luke 4:18 (the "anointed" specifically). Christ is anointed "To save the world and free us all," which could really be drawn from any of the last three Biblical citations. In the sixth (and last) verse, there's the line "This man is Christ, our substitute," which - again - could come from either Hebrews 2:17 or 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The other Biblical texts cited start to appear in the fifth verse. The first two lines are "The Father's word, the Spirit's flight / Anointed Christ in glorious sight," which connect to Luke 4:18 (the "anointed" specifically). Christ is anointed "To save the world and free us all," which could really be drawn from any of the last three Biblical citations. In the sixth (and last) verse, there's the line "This man is Christ, our substitute," which - again - could come from either Hebrews 2:17 or 2 Corinthians 5:21.
