Evangelical Lutheran hymnal ‎#252

252. By grace I'm saved - grace free and boundless!

1 By grace I'm saved—grace free and boundless!
My heart, believ'st thou this or not?
Why trembliest thou with terror groundless?
Has ever God a falsehood taught?
His Word is true—then this must be:
By grace there is a crown for thee.

2 By grace! our works are all rejected,
All claims of merit pass for naught;
The mighty Savior, long expected,
To us this blissful truth has brought,
That He by death redeems our race,
And we are saved alone by grace.

3 By grace! mark well this phrase's meaning,
When sin rolls sorrows o'er thy breast,
When Satan threats with pride o'erweening,
When troubled conscience sighs for rest;
What reason ne'er can comprehend
It pleases God by grace to send.

4 By grace His Son, on earth appearing,
Vouchsafed beneath thy woe to bend;
Hadst thou, damnation justly fearing,
Done aught to render Him thy friend?
Was't not that He thy welfare sought,
And but by grace deliverance wrought?

5 By grace! this ground of our salvation
As long as God is true endures:
What saints have penned by inspiration,
What God to our poor souls secures,
What all our faith must rest upon,
Is grace, free grace through His dear Son.

6 By grace! but think not, thou who livest
Securely on in godless ways,
That thou, though all are called, receivest
The promised rest that wakes our praise:
By grace none find in heaven a place
Who live in sin in hope of grace.

7 By grace! They who have heard this sentence
Must bid hypocrisy farewell;
For only after deep repentance
The soul what grace imports can tell;
To sin while grace a trifle seems,
To faith it bright with glory beams.

8 By grace! the timid hearts that languish,
Find access to the Father's heart,
When conflicts fierce and bitter anguish
Bid all their joy and hopes depart.
Where, ofttimes, should I strength obtain,
Did grace my anchor not remain!

9 By grace! on this in death I'll rest me,
Rejoicing e'en though feeling naught;
I know my sin—it oft oppressed me—
But Him, too, who my soul hath bought:
My heart exults—grief flees apace—
Because my soul is saved by grace.

10 By grace! O sin and Satan hear it!
I bear my flag of faith on hand,
And pass, in spite of doubts, nor fear it,
The Red Sea to the promised land;
I hold the Word my Savior taught
As certain, whether felt or not.

Text Information

• First Line: By grace I'm saved - grace free and boundless!
• Author: C. L. Scheit (1709)
• Translator: Rev. Matthias Loy, D. D. (1880)
• Meter: No. 32
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1908
• Topic: The Catechism: Justification; Christmas
• Notes: From the German text: Aus Gnaden soll ich selig werden

Tune Information

• Name: SALVATION BY GRACE (Aus Gnaden soll ich selig werden)
• Composer: Justin Heinrich Knecht (1706)
• Meter: No. 32
• Key: A Major