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| Old Trinity was O. H. Walther's congregation, then CFW Walther's congregation after his big brother died. |
"Salvation unto Us has Come"
by Paul Speratus, 1484-1551
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 guilt 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.
7. Let me not doubt, but trust in Thee,
Thy Word cannot be broken;
Thy call rings out, "Come unto Me!"
No falsehood hast Thou spoken.
Baptized into Thy precious name,
My faith cannot be put to shame,
And I shall never perish.
8. The Law reveals the guilt of sin
And makes men conscience-stricken;
The Gospel then doth enter in
The sinful soul to quicken.
Come to the cross, trust Christ, and live;
The Law no peace can ever give,
No comfort and no blessing.
9. Faith clings to Jesus' cross alone
And rests in Him unceasing;
And by its fruits true faith is known,
With love and hope increasing.
Yet faith alone doth justify,
Works serve thy neighbor and supply
The proof that faith is living.
10. All blessing, honor, thanks, and praise
To Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God that saved us by His grace,-
All glory to His merit!
O Triune God in heaven above,
Who hast revealed Thy saving love,
Thy blessed name be hallowed.
Hymn 377
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Rom. 3: 5
Author: Paul Speratus, 1523, cento
Translated by: composite
Titled: "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her"
Tune: "Es ist das Heil"
German melody, c. 1400
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| Paul Speratus |
http://www.lstc.edu/chapel/sermons/?a=sermon&id=234
“Salvation Unto Us Has Come” (ELW 590), composed in prison in Olmütz in 1523, it became THE Reformation “Sturmlied” [battle hymn] in many locales, e.g. Heidelberg, Magdeburg, & Waiblingen. i.e. not Ein Feste Burg. 12 stanzas in the original German, 10 to describe law and gospel, the last 2 for the Lord’s Prayer at the end. One can understand why it became the battle hymn of the Reformation in parts of sixteenth century German. It rings the changes on law and gospel, on which Luther based his theology.
In 1523, he came to Wittenberg where he worked with Luther and assisted him in preparing theAchtliederbuch, 1524. Later he was appointed court preacher to Margrave Albrecht at Konigsberg. Luther had recommended him for the position. Speratus had a great deal to do with drawing up the Liturgy and Canons, the Kirchenordnung, for the Prussian Church of his day. He died on August 12, 1551 as the bishop of Pomerania. Speratus wrote the text for one of the hymns in the LBW: "Salvation Unto Us Has Come."
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After Speratus was released from prison, he and his wife went to join Luther in Wittenberg in 1523,[5] where Speratus helped Luther to create the first Lutheran hymnal, the Achtliederbuch, published in 1524.[3] This hymnal contained only eight songs: four by Luther, three by Speratus, and one by Justus Jonas.[6]
[edit]Es ist das Heil uns kommen her
Main article: Es ist das Heil uns kommen her
The words of this hymn were written during the time Speratus was imprisoned; the melody is taken from a 15th-century chorale.[2][4] According to Catherine Winkworth, "Luther himself is said to have given his last coin to a Prussian beggar from whom he heard it for the first time."[7]
The 14 stanzas of Speratus's text expound Luther's teaching concerning salvation by faith rather than by doing good works. According to Scott Hendrix, "It not only emphasizes justification by faith alone but it also underlines the vitality of that faith manifested in service to others".[5]
