Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ
Thy Works, Not Mine, O Christ
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 pains, not mine, O Christ,
Upon the shameful tree,
Have paid the law’s full price
And purchased peace for me.
Thy cross, not mine, O Christ,
Has borne the awful load
Of sins that none in heav’n
Or earth could bear but God.
Thy righteousness, O Christ,
Alone can cover me:
No righteousness avails
Save that which is of Thee.
THERE IS RELIGION, and then there is faith. Religion is humanity reaching for God. Different religions in their different ways try to reach their God or gods. Rituals, lifestyles, philosophies are all aimed at attaining the favor of deity.
Faith, by contrast, is merely taking the hand of God, who is reaching out to us. We enter into a relationship that is His doing, not ours. This is the Good News of Christianity. Some people take the elements of Christianity and try to make a religion out of them, but it is, pure and simple, a matter of faith—receiving what God has done.
That’s why we need strong and simple songs like this one. Bonar echoes a recurring strain in Scripture. “No righteousness avails save that which is of Thee.”
When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.
Titus 3:4-7
From the book
