Unless stated otherwise, my source for hymn texts and tunes is The Lutheran Service Book.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

LSB #565 "Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ"

Biblical citations in the hymnal:  Titus 3:3-7, John 14:6, Philippians 3:7-9, Acts 4:12

Titus 3:3-7:  "3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaved to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another.  4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life."

John 14:6:  "Jesus said to him [Thomas], 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

Philippians 3:7-9:  "7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith"

Acts 4:12:  "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

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The text is public domain:
Thy works, not mine, O Christ,
Speak gladness to this heart;
They tell me all is done,
They bid my fear depart.
To whom save Thee,
Who canst alone
For sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?
Thy wounds, not mine, O Christ,
Can heal my bruised soul;
Thy stripes, not mine, contain
The balm that makes me whole.
To whom save Thee,
Who canst alone
For sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?
Thy cross, not mine, O Christ,
Has borne the crushing load
Of sins that none could bear
But the incarnate God.
To whom save Thee,
Who canst alone
For sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?
Thy death, not mine, O Christ,
Has paid the ransom due;
Ten thousand deaths like mine
Would have been all too few.
To whom save Thee,
Who canst alone
For sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?
Thy righteousness, O Christ,
Alone can cover me;
No righteousness avails
Save that which is of Thee.
To whom save Thee,
Who canst alone
For sin atone,
Lord, shall I flee?
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The passage from Titus is in the first verse ("Thy works, not mine, O Christ"), and the passage from Philippians appears in the fifth ("Thy righteousness, O Christ, / Alone can cover me").  The other verses have a similar structure, so these two passages could be cited for all of them.  Some of the specific words in the second verse come from Isaiah 53:5:  "But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed."

John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 are the basis for the refrain.  The phrasing also recalls John 6:68:  "Simon Peter answered him, 'Lord to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.'"