I Love as You Have Promised Lord
I love as you have promised, Lord
This hymn expresses the Lutheran understanding of justification by faith, celebrating God's covenant promises fulfilled in Christ as experienced by the believer's heart. It reflects Grundtvig's emphasis on personal faith response to God's Word and grace revealed historically in the Incarnation.
History & Background
Grundtvig wrote this hymn in 1836 as a paraphrase of Simeon's canticle (Nunc Dimittis) from Luke 2. It was first published in his Sang-Værk til Kirken (Songs for the Church) and has become a beloved Danish and Lutheran hymn celebrating God's faithful love.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 308
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 349
- Lutheran Service Book — 938
- Lutheran Worship — 185
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 137
Translation
Bulletin Note
Grundtvig (1783–1872), Danish pastor and hymnologist, wrote this hymn in 1836 during the folk church renewal. It exemplifies his conviction that authentic faith springs from hearing God's Word and encountering Christ's living presence in Church and Scripture.
Preaching Connection
This Grundtvig hymn embodies the Lutheran dialectic: the Gospel's proclamation of God's unwavering covenant promise (heard in the Incarnation) awakens the believer's heart to respond in loving obedience—faith active in love, not separated from it.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- Of Justification Augsburg Confession
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: Proclamation of Christ's Church as eternally founded on the Rock (Matthew 16:18), immovable amid historical upheaval, sustained by grace rather than human institutions, demanding faithful living in confidence of salvation
Themes
God's covenant love Simeon's song of praise Salvation in Christ Light to the nations Response to grace