Hymns that Teach Justification by Faith Alone

[John Gilmore]

Paul Speratus was a Roman Catholic priest imprisoned for openly preaching justification by faith alone. He was given the death sentence by King Ludwig but he was later released into permanent exile. Salvation unto Us has Come was written by Speratus in 1523.

1. Salvation unto us has come
By God's free grace and favor;
Good works cannot avert our doom,
They help and save us never.
Faith looks to Jesus Christ alone,
Who did for all the world atone;
He is our one Redeemer.

2. What God did in His Law demand
And none to Him could render
Caused wrath and woe on every hand
For man, the vile offender.
Our flesh has not those pure desires
The spirit of the Law requires,
And lost is our condition.

3. It was a false, misleading dream
That God His Law had given
That sinners should themselves redeem
And by their works gain heaven.
The Law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to light
That lurks within our nature.

4. From sin our flesh could not abstain,
Sin held its sway unceasing;
The task was useless and in vain,
Our gilt was e'er increasing.
None can remove sin's poisoned dart
Or purify our guileful heart,-
So deep is our corruption.

5. Yet as the Law must be fulfilled
Or we must die despairing,
Christ came and hath God's anger stilled,
Our human nature sharing.
He hath for us the Law obeyed
And thus the Father's vengeance stayed
Which over us impended.

6. Since Christ hath full atonement made
And brought to us salvation,
Each Christian therefore may be glad
And build on this foundation.
Thy grace alone, dear Lord, I plead,
Thy death is now my life indeed,
For Thou hast paid my ransom.

 

[Travelsong]

That's total depravity in a nutshell.

 

[Molly]

Now,*these* are great lyrics!

Thanks for the background info,too.

 

[DanielFive]

Great post, thanks.

 

[John Gilmore]

Salvation unto Us has Come has been called the "confessional hymn of the Reformation" and with good reason. From the Evangelical Lutheran Hymnary Handbook:

In the town of Waiblingen near Stuttgart the Catholic priests vigorously opposed the Reformation, while the people favored it. The preacher, Werner, delivered the first evangelical sermon in the city in the year 1535. The Catholic priests tried to contradict him, but the congregation struck up the hymn of Speratus, and Werner’s enemies gave up the fight. In the Palatinate, also, the people desired to introduce the Reformation, but the duke dared not for fear that he would incur the emperor’s displeasure. Then, once while mass was being celebrated in the principal church in Heidelberg, the people began singing this hymn “as with one mouth.” The duke realized that it was high time that the people were granted their desire in the matter, and the Reformation was inaugurated. Similar incidents took place in Magdeburg and other cities.

 

[John Gilmore]

Compared with Paul Speratus, Christian Scheidt led a rather dull life. He was well educated having both religious and secular degrees. He became a university professor after receiving his doctor of laws degree. In 1742, he wrote "By Grace I'm Saved, Grace Free and Boundless"

By grace I'm saved, grace free and boundless;
My soul, believe and doubt it not.
Why stagger at this word of promise?
Hath Scripture ever falsehood taught?
Nay; then this word must true remain;
By grace thou, too, shalt heav'n obtain.

2. By grace! None dare lay claim to merit;
Our works and conduct have no worth.
God in His love sent our Redeemer,
Christ Jesus, to this sinful earth;
His death did for our sins atone,
And we are saved by grace alone.

3. By grace! Oh, mark this word of promise
When thou art by thy sins opprest,
When Satan plagues thy troubled conscience,
And when thy heart is seeking rest.
What reason cannot comprehend
God by His grace to thee doth send.

4. By grace God's Son, our only Savior,
Came down to earth to bear our sin.
Was it because of thine own merit
That Jesus died thy soul to win?
Nay, it was grace, and grace alone,
That brought Him from His heavenly throne.

5. By grace! This ground of faith is certain;
So long as God is true, it stands.
What saints have penned by inspiration,
What in His Word our God commands,
What our whole faith must rest upon,
Is Grace alone, grace in His Son.

9. By grace! On this I'll rest when dying;
In Jesus' promise I rejoice;
For though I know my heart's condition,
I also know my Savior's voice.
My heart is glad, all grief has flown,
Since I am saved by grace alone.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Wow! My heart staggers for words to share the joy welling up from reading these songs.

Were they originally in Latin? Or vernacular (German, et al)?

 

[John Gilmore]

Both hymns are German. Here is a link to the complete hymns in English and in German with melodies: (Hymn Web Page). Under the hymn index, click the first letter in the hymn title and follow the links.

 

[John Gilmore]

Horatious Bonar was ordained a minister in the Established Church of Scotland. However, in the "Great Disruption", he left the established church to become a founding member of the Free Church of Scotland. He wrote Not What These Hand have Done in 1861.

Not what these hands have done
Can save this guilty soul;
Not what this toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.

2. Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
Can bear my awe-full load.

3. Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.

4. Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest
And set my spirit free.

5. Thy grace alone, O God,
To me can pardon speak;
Thy power alone, O Son of God,
Can this sore bondage break.

6. I bless the Christ of God,
I rest on love divine,
And with unfaltering lip and heart
I call this Savior mine.

 

[John Gilmore]

Erdmann Neumeister was a Lutheran pastor in Germany. He opposed Pietism movement which encouraged believers to look to their own works and personal religious experience rather than to faith in Christ alone. He also opposed rationalism which led men to trust in their own reason rather than scripture alone. Erdmann Neumeister wrote I Know My Faith is Founded in 1718.

I know my faith is founded
On Jesus Christ, my God and Lord;
And this my faith confessing
Unmoved I stand upon His Word.
Man's reason cannot fathom
The truth of God profound;
Who trusts her subtle wisdom
Relies on shifting ground.
God's Word is all-sufficient,
It makes divinely sure,
And trusting in its wisdom,
My faith shall rest secure.

2. Increase my faith, dear Savior,
For Satan seeks by night and day
To rob me of this treasure
And take my hope of bliss away.
But, Lord, with Thee beside me,
I shall be undismayed;
And led by Thy good Spirit,
I shall be unafraid.
Abide with me, O Savior,
A firmer faith bestow;
Then I shall bid defiance
To every evil foe.

3. In faith, Lord, let me serve Thee;
Though persecution, grief and pain
Should seek to overwhelm me,
Let me a steadfast trust retain;
And then at my departure
Take Thou me home to Thee
And let me there inherit
All thou hast promised me.
In life and death, Lord, keep me
Until Thy heaven I gain,
Where I by Thy great mercy
The end of faith attain.

 

[John Gilmore]

Nicetas(335-414) was the missionary bishop of Remesiana in eastern Europe. He is mentioned in the poems of Paulinus as having melted the icy hearts of men by the warmth of the Divine doctrine. Nicetas is believed to have written the Te Deum Laudamus.

Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ.
Thou are the everlasting Son of the Father.
When Thou tookest upon Thee to deliver man;
Thou didst humble Thyself to be born of a virgin.
When Thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death,
Thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God
In the glory of the Father.
We believe that thou shalt come
To be our judge.
We therefore pray Thee to help Thy servants,
Whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious blood.

Justification by faith in Christ alone has always been the song of the Church from the earliest chants to the very latest gospel recordings. Sola fide!