Hymn Desk
Hymn Texts /

Church of God, Elect and Glorious

Church of God, elect and glorious

The hymn emphasizes the Lutheran understanding of the church as the communion of saints, the body of Christ constituted by God's election and redemption. It reflects the forensic and relational dimensions of justification and sanctification central to Lutheran theology.

History & Background

Written by English Congregationalist minister James Chadwick in 1864, this hymn celebrates the church as the elect and redeemed people of God. It was first published in Chadwick's collection and has been widely adopted in Lutheran hymnals.

Written by James E. Seddon , this text is based on the Scripture References well-known passage in 1 Peter 2:9-12 where Peter calls the all st. - 1 Pet. 2:9-12 church “a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (v. 9). Each stanza of the text begins with one or more of these memorable phrases and then, following Peter’s pattern, explains why the church should be such a holy people. Because it is the recipient of God’s mercy, the church must be consecrated to holy living as a testimony of praise to God and as a convincing witness to the unsaved. The text was first published in Hymns for Today’s Church (1982).

Hymnal Appearances

  • Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 714
  • Lutheran Service Book — 646
  • Lift Up Your Hearts — 256
  • Psalter Hymnal — 533

Liturgical Use

Regular Sunday worship; special occasions in the life of the church: anniversaries, dedications, ordinations; with confessional preaching on the doctrine of election; baptism; profession of faith; missions services.

Bulletin Note

Composed by James Chadwick in 1864, this hymn articulates the Lutheran vision of the church as God's elect body, united in redemption and called to faithful witness. Its tune, HYFRYDOL, carries the Welsh hymnic tradition into congregational song.

Preaching Connection

This hymn amplifies the Gospel's proclamation of election and grace by moving the hearer from the indicative joy of justification to the imperative urgency of sanctified living as Christ's witness.

Catechism & Confessional Connections

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Christological anticipation (St. 1-2) → Incarnational paradox (St. 3) → Pneumatological reign (St. 4)

Themes

Church as God's chosen people Redemption and grace Christian identity and purpose Living as witnesses

Look Further