To us salvation now is come

1 To us salvation now is come,
Through free-est grace and favor,
Our works could not avert our doom,
Thy keep 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 doth in His law demand,
No man to Him doth render;
Before His bar all guilty stand;
His law speaks curse in thunder
The law demands a perfect heart;
We were defiled in every part,
And lost was our condition.

3 False dreams deluded minds did fill,
That God His law did tender,
As if to Him we could, at will,
The due obedience render:
The law is but a mirror bright
To bring the inbred sin to sight,
That lurks within our nature.

4 To cleanse ourselves from sinful stain,
According to our pleasure,
Was labor lost--works were in vain--
Sin grew beyond all measure;
For when with power the precept came,
It did reveal sin's guilt and shame
And awful condemnation.

5 Still all the law fulfilled must be,
Else we were lost forever,
Then God His Son sent down that He
Might us from doom deliver;
He all the law for us fulfilled
And thus His Father's anger stilled
Which over us impended.

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

7 Not doubting this, I trust in Thee,
Thy word cannot be broken,
Thou all dost call, "Come to Me!"
No falsehood hast Thou spoken:
"He who believes and is baptized,
He shall be saved," say'st Thou, O Christ,
And he shall never perish.

8 The just is he--and he alone--
Who by this faith is living,
The faith that by good works is shown,
To God the glory giving;
Faith gives thee peace with God above,
But thou thy neighbor, too, must love,
If thou art new created.

9 The law reveals the guilt of sin,
And makes man conscience-stricken
The gospel then doth enter in,
The sin-sick soul to quicken:
Come to the cross, look up and live!
The law no peace to thee doth give,
Nor can its deeds afford it.

10 Faith to the cross of Christ doth cling
And rest in Him securely;
And forth from it good works must spring
As fruits and tokens surely;
Still faith doth justify alone,
Works serve thy neighbor and make known
The faith that lives within thee.

11 Hope waits for the accepted hour--
Till God give joy for mourning,
When He displays His healing power,
Thy sighs to songs are turning;
Thy needs are known unto thy Lord,
And He is faithful to His word,
This is our hope's foundation.

12 Though it may seem, He hears thee not,
Count not thyself forsaken;
Thy wants are ne'er by Him forgot,
Let this thy hope awaken;
His word is sure, here is thy stay,
Although thy heart to this saith nay,
Let not thy faith be shaken.

13 All blessing, honor, thanks and praise,
To Father, Son and Spirit,
The God who saved us by His grace,
All glory to His merit:
O Father in the heavens above,
The work begun performs Thy love,
Thy worthy name be hallowed.

14 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done
In earth, as 'tis in heaven:
Keep us in life, by grace led on,
Forgiving and forgiven;
Save Thou us in temptation's hour,
And from all ills; Thine is the power,
And all the glory, Amen!

Source: The Lutheran Hymnary #205