Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me

“Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me” (LSB 683) is a hymn by Lutheran pastor Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676). Gerhardt’s hymns differ from the objective hymnody of the Reformation era, and they capture people’s hearts because of the beauty of their language, the depth of their theology, and the comfort they give to those who are suffering.

The substance of “Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me” is Christological as it connects us to Jesus’ flesh and blood. Gerhardt brings to us the suffering Christ, consoling us as this hymn bespeaks his “theology of the heart.” Through his own great, personal suffering, Gerhardt offers hope, courage, and trust in a gracious and merciful Lord to all who suffer. In the midst of unthinkable and unimaginable suffering, he sees not only a just God, the God of justification by grace through faith, but also a God of love.

When we sing this hymn, we sing the words of someone who knows and understands what we are feeling, and what we are sensing. His hymns tell us that Christ is enough.

Now, to the hymn:

Jesus’ boundless love is a divine one that human reason cannot describe and human praise cannot fully declare. In view of this love, only a eucharistic sacrifice is possible, rendered by believers who are thankful to God for the mystical union between Christ and His people. Every day we are tempted to replace Christ’s burning light with the feeble flames of idols, but Christ makes it possible for us to sing “Thine wholly, Thine alone I am” (stanza one).

May Jesus’ boundless love dwell in our soul and possess us whole! Where Christ’s love abounds, so also abounds our joy, our treasure, our crown (stanza two). The constant flame of Christ’s love warms our cold hearts so that we cannot help but embody it in all we say and do. His boundless love is our life’s journey and its desire, the source of all hope, as unwearied we guard ourselves day and night from losing that love, and by losing love, losing hope (stanza three). Christ’s boundless love is the sacred treasure that comes from His crucified and risen flesh living in our broken sinful bodies. All our “care” is to protect the Christ within who is embodied in us by hearing His voice and eating and drinking His very Body and very Blood, so that “every act, word, thought be love” (stanza two).

Jesus’ boundless love gives our suffering meaning and gives us peace, showing us how God’s “power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9), calming the storms of life so that when death call us, Jesus will be our rod and our staff as we take our place at His side, safe and sound (stanza four); for He is our joy, our treasure, our crown (stanza two).

1     Jesus, Thy boundless love to me

    No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
Unite my thankful heart to Thee,
    And reign without a rival there!
Thine wholly, Thine alone I am;
Be Thou alone my constant flame.

2     O grant that nothing in my soul
    May dwell, but Thy pure love alone;
Oh, may Thy love possess me whole,
    My joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All coldness from my heart remove;
My ev’ry act, word, thought be love.

3     This love unwearied I pursue
    And dauntlessly to Thee aspire.
Oh, may Thy love my hope renew,
    Burn in my soul like heav’nly fire!
And day and night, be all my care
To guard this sacred treasure there.

4     In suff’ring be Thy love my peace,
    In weakness be Thy love my pow’r;
And when the storms of life shall cease,
    O Jesus, in that final hour,
Be Thou my rod and staff and guide,
And draw me safely to Thy side!

Text: Public domain

Behind the Hymn: A Look at Paul Gerhardt

Episode Two of "Behind the Hymn: Stories of the Hymns We Love to Sing: Paul Gerhardt." Today's episode featured Gerhardt's hymn "Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" (LSB 683). The lyrics and tune are available below: 1 Jesus, Thy boundless love to me No thought can reach, no tongue declare; Unite my thankful heart to Thee, And reign without a rival there! Thine wholly, Thine alone I am; Be Thou alone my constant flame. 2 O grant that nothing in my soul May dwell, but Thy pure love alone; Oh, may Thy love possess me whole, My joy, my treasure, and my crown! All coldness from my heart remove; My ev’ry act, word, thought be love. 3 This love unwearied I pursue And dauntlessly to Thee aspire. Oh, may Thy love my hope renew, Burn in my soul like heav’nly fire! And day and night, be all my care To guard this sacred treasure there. 4 In suff’ring be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my pow’r; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy side! Text: Public domain

Awake, My Heart, with Gladness

"Awake, My Heart, with Gladness" (LSB 467) is a strong, personal Easter testimony by Lutheran hymnwriter Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676).

Lutheran immigrants to America brought this beloved hymn with them. But, it was in England, where a large number of Lutheran hymns were being translated from German into English.

Whereas early Reformation hymnody proclaimed Martin Luther's teachings, Gerhardt's hymns were different. Gerhardt's hymns were more personal, using the pronouns "I" and "me." The stanzas of "Awake, My Heart, with Gladness" present sequential scenes: joyful discovery at the grave site; victory banner is waved; surrender of the foe; my joy at the sight; now hell, death, and the devil are powerless; my freedom from worldly cares; my fidelity to Christ; I follow my Defender; and a crown of life for the faithful.

This hymn testifies with joyful confidence to the truths of Romans 8:35-39, that following Christ our leader, we are free from sin, the power of death, and the world, and are so protected from all evil that nothing is able to separate us from God's love in Christ Jesus, our Lord!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

1 Awake, my heart, with gladness,
See what today is done;
Now, after gloom and sadness,
Comes forth the glorious sun.
My Savior there was laid
Where our bed must be made
When to the realms of light
Our spirit wings its flight.

2 The foe in triumph shouted
When Christ lay in the tomb;
But lo, he now is routed,
His boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free;
In glorious victory
He who is strong to save
Has triumphed o’er the grave.

3 This is a sight that gladdens—
What peace it doth impart!
Now nothing ever saddens
The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake,
No foe shall ever take
The hope which God’s own Son
In love for me has won.

4 Now hell, its prince, the devil,
Of all their pow’r are shorn;
Now I am safe from evil,
And sin I laugh to scorn.
Grim death with all its might
Cannot my soul affright;
It is a pow’rless form,
Howe’er it rave and storm.

5 The world against me rages,
Its fury I disdain;
Though bitter war it wages,
Its work is all in vain.
My heart from care is free,
No trouble troubles me.
Misfortune now is play,
And night is bright as day.

6 Now I will cling forever
To Christ, my Savior true;
My Lord will leave me never,
Whate’er He passes through.
He rends death’s iron chain;
He breaks through sin and pain;
He shatters hell’s grim thrall;
I follow Him through all.

7 He brings me to the portal
That leads to bliss untold,
Whereon this rhyme immortal
Is found in script of gold:
“Who there My cross has shared
Finds here a crown prepared;
Who there with Me has died
Shall here be glorified.”

Text: Public domain

Upon the Cross Extended

The Apostle Peter writes, "[Jesus] Himself born our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Lutheran hymn writer Paul Gerhardt's depiction of the crucifixion in "Upon the Cross Extended" (LSB 453) leads us to the same place, to the healing of the wounds of sin (stanza 5), then to eternal rest in Christ (stanza 7). 

Here are some of the vivid pictures that Gerhardt paints: "Your Lord suspended" (stanza 1), "Your Savior yields His breath" (stanza 1), "To shame and blows and bitter death" (stanza 1), "Blood streams from each pore" (stanza 2), "From His great heart came flowing sighs welling from its deepest core" (stanza 2), "Your head with thorns surrounded" (stanza 5).

The saving power of the cross restores, guides, and sustains each Christian, even in the test of life (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). And even when life is ending, Jesus has led the way to God's great eternal rest (1 Corinthians 15:20-23).

Today, we remember what is so good about Good Friday.

1 Upon the cross extended
See, world, your Lord suspended.
Your Savior yields His breath.
The Prince of Life from heaven
Himself has freely given
To shame and blows and bitter death.

2 Come, see these things and ponder,
Your soul will fill with wonder
As blood streams from each pore.
Through grief beyond all knowing
From His great heart came flowing
Sighs welling from its deepest core.

3 Who is it, Lord, that bruised You?
Who has so sore abused You
And caused You all Your woe?
We all must make confession
Of sin and dire transgression
While You no ways of evil know.

4 I caused Your grief and sighing
By evils multiplying
As countless as the sands.
I caused the woes unnumbered
With which Your soul is cumbered,
Your sorrows raised by wicked hands.

5 Your soul in griefs unbounded,
Your head with thorns surrounded,
You died to ransom me.
The cross for me enduring,
The crown for me securing,
You healed my wounds and set me free.

6 Your cords of love, my Savior,
Bind me to You forever,
I am no longer mine.
To You I gladly tender
All that my life can render
And all I have to You resign.

7 Your cross I place before me;
Its saving pow’r restore me,
Sustain me in the test.
It will, when life is ending,
Be guiding and attending
My way to Your eternal rest.

Text: Public domain

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded

"O Sacred Head, Now Wounded" (LSB 449/450) is actually one of five hymns. While this hymn focuses on the head of Jesus, the earliest source contains five hymns, each consisting of five stanzas of ten lines each: to the feet, knees, hands, side, and face. 

During the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648), Lutheran pastor and hymn writer Paul Gerhardt translated this hymn into German. It is his German text that was later translated into English.

Throughout the hymn, a close relationship is fostered between the Savior and the saved. Faith looks to the despised and suffering Christ and declares, "I joy to call Thee mine."

1 O sacred Head, now wounded,
With grief and shame weighed down,
Now scornfully surrounded
With thorns, Thine only crown.
O sacred Head, what glory,
What bliss, till now was Thine!
Yet, though despised and gory,
I joy to call Thee mine.

2 How pale Thou art with anguish,
With sore abuse and scorn!
How doth Thy face now languish
That once was bright as morn!
Grim death, with cruel rigor,
Hath robbed Thee of Thy life;
Thus Thou hast lost Thy vigor,
Thy strength, in this sad strife.

3 What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered
Was all for sinners’ gain;
Mine, mine was the transgression,
But Thine the deadly pain.
Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
’Tis I deserve Thy place;
Look on me with Thy favor,
And grant to me Thy grace.

4 My Shepherd, now receive me;
My Guardian, own me Thine.
Great blessings Thou didst give me,
O Source of gifts divine.
Thy lips have often fed me
With words of truth and love;
Thy Spirit oft hath led me
To heav’nly joys above.

5 What language shall I borrow
To thank Thee, dearest Friend,
For this Thy dying sorrow,
Thy pity without end?
O make me Thine forever!
And should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never,
Outlive my love for Thee.

6 My Savior, be Thou near me
When death is at my door;
Then let Thy presence cheer me,
Forsake me nevermore!
When soul and body languish,
O leave me not alone,
But take away mine anguish
By virtue of Thine own!

7 Be Thou my consolation,
My shield, when I must die;
Remind me of Thy passion
When my last hour draws nigh.
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee,
Upon Thy cross shall dwell,
My heart by faith enfold Thee.
Who dieth thus dies well.

Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000

A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth

The hymn "A Lamb Goes Uncomplaining Forth" (LSB 438) is true Gospel comfort. This hymn by Paul Gerhardt, originally 10 stanzas, tells of the love of God in offering His Son for our salvation. The four stanzas in the Lutheran Service Book tell of a dialogue between the Father and the Son that determines the final obedient sacrifice of the Son because of divine love. Beyond all sin, suffering, pain or sorrow in this life, the Christian can anticipate salvation in Christ, leading to eternal joy in heaven.

1 A Lamb goes uncomplaining forth,
The guilt of sinners bearing
And, laden with the sins of earth,
None else the burden sharing;
Goes patient on, grows weak and faint,
To slaughter led without complaint,
That spotless life to offer,
He bears the stripes, the wounds, the lies,
The mockery, and yet replies,
“All this I gladly suffer.”

2 This Lamb is Christ, the soul’s great friend,
The Lamb of God, our Savior,
Whom God the Father chose to send
To gain for us His favor.
“Go forth, My Son,” the Father said,
“And free My children from their dread
Of guilt and condemnation.
The wrath and stripes are hard to bear,
But by Your passion they will share
The fruit of Your salvation.”

3 “Yes, Father, yes, most willingly
I’ll bear what You command Me.
My will conforms to Your decree,
I’ll do what You have asked Me.”
O wondrous Love, what have You done!
The Father offers up His Son,
Desiring our salvation.
O Love, how strong You are to save!
You lay the One into the grave
Who built the earth’s foundation.

4 Lord, when Your glory I shall see
And taste Your kingdom’s pleasure,
Your blood my royal robe shall be,
My joy beyond all measure!
When I appear before Your throne,
Your righteousness shall be my crown;
With these I need not hide me.
And there, in garments richly wrought,
As Your own bride shall we be brought
To stand in joy beside You.

Text: © 1941 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000

All Christians Who Have Been Baptized

Who is to give thanks for the gift of salvation? Not a select few, but "all Christians who have been baptized, who know the God of heaven," for they have "the name of Christ once given." The hymn "All Christians who have been Baptized" (LSB 596) reminds us that all people who have been Baptized receive the new birth by water and Spirit in Baptism and this brings the comfort of Christ's unlimited atonement to all who are Baptized. There is no excluding little children and no limited atonement, because everyone who is Baptized into Christ and come to faith in Jesus as Lord receive eternal life, salvation and forgiveness of sins!

1 All Christians who have been baptized,
Who know the God of heaven,
And in whose daily life is prized
The name of Christ once given:
Consider now what God has done,
The gifts He gives to ev’ryone
Baptized into Christ Jesus!

2 You were before your day of birth,
Indeed, from your conception,
Condemned and lost with all the earth,
None good, without exception.
For like your parents’ flesh and blood,
Turned inward from the highest good,
You constantly denied Him.

3 But all of that was washed away—
Immersed and drowned forever.
The water of your Baptism day
Restored again whatever
Old Adam and his sin destroyed
And all our sinful selves employed
According to our nature.

4 In Baptism we now put on Christ—
Our shame is fully covered
With all that He once sacrificed
And freely for us suffered.
For here the flood of His own blood
Now makes us holy, right, and good
Before our heav’nly Father.

5 O Christian, firmly hold this gift
And give God thanks forever!
It gives the power to uplift
In all that you endeavor.
When nothing else revives your soul,
Your Baptism stands and makes you whole
And then in death completes you.

6 So use it well! You are made new—
In Christ a new creation!
As faithful Christians, live and do
Within your own vocation,
Until that day when you possess
His glorious robe of righteousness
Bestowed on you forever!

Text: © 2004 Concordia Publishing House. Used by permission: CPH Limited Promotional License no. 119000000

Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me

Jesus continuously loves us. He loves us so much that He would die and rise for us, so that by grace through faith in Him alone, we would be justified before God the Father! The hymn by Lutheran pastor Paul Gerhardt (1607-1676) "Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" (LSB 683) expresses this love in hymnody. Jesus' boundless love is a divine one that human reason cannot describe and human praise cannot fully declare:

1 Jesus, Thy boundless love to me
No thought can reach, no tongue declare;
Unite my thankful heart to Thee,
And reign without a rival there!
Thine wholly, Thine alone I am;
Be Thou alone my constant flame.

2 O grant that nothing in my soul
May dwell, but Thy pure love alone;
Oh, may Thy love possess me whole,
My joy, my treasure, and my crown!
All coldness from my heart remove;
My ev’ry act, word, thought be love.

3 This love unwearied I pursue
And dauntlessly to Thee aspire.
Oh, may Thy love my hope renew,
Burn in my soul like heav’nly fire!
And day and night, be all my care
To guard this sacred treasure there.

4 In suff’ring be Thy love my peace,
In weakness be Thy love my pow’r;
And when the storms of life shall cease,
O Jesus, in that final hour,
Be Thou my rod and staff and guide,
And draw me safely to Thy side!

Text: Public domain