Jesus Your Boundless Love so True
Jesus your boundless love so true
This hymn exemplifies Lutheran emphasis on the centrality of Christ's love as the foundation of Christian faith and obedience, resonating with the Reformation's recovery of justification by faith. It balances forensic and relational categories of salvation, presenting Christ's love as both the source of forgiveness and the motivation for faithful discipleship.
History & Background
Originally composed by Paul Gerhardt as "O Jesus, deine Tiefe Wunden" in the 1653 Praxis Pietatis Melica. John Wesley translated this German hymn into English in 1739, adapting it for Methodist and subsequently Lutheran hymnals.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 647
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 336
- Lutheran Service Book — 683
- Lutheran Worship — 280
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 349
Translation
Bulletin Note
Paul Gerhardt (1653) offers this profound meditation on Christ's sacrificial love. Written during religious upheaval, it anchors Lutheran faith in grace alone and models the evangelical response: gratitude that overflows in love for God and neighbor.
Preaching Connection
This hymn embodies the Reformation's recovery of justification by faith: Christ's love precedes and enables our obedience, making our grateful response the true fruit of Gospel rather than the futile demand of the Law.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- Of Justification Augsburg Confession
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From the proclamation of Christ's boundless love (stanza 1), through the believer's total consecration and response (stanza 2), to the sufficiency of Christ for all conditions of life (stanza 3), and finally to faith's perseverance through suffering and earthly loss (stanza 4). The arc moves from gift received to gift lived out in all circumstances.
Themes
Love of Christ Devotion and loyalty Personal faith response Grace and mercy Christian discipleship