Lord of Glory Who hast Bought Us
Lord of glory, who hast bought us
Lord of Glory Who hast Bought Us is a hymn text by Elvina Margaret Hall (1865) in 7.7.7.7 meter. Found in elw 712, lbw 424, lsb 851, lw 402. Sung to HYFRYDOL.
The hymn reflects Lutheran understanding of the Christian's grateful response to redemption, emphasizing that Christ's sacrificial purchase obligates believers to lives of service and stewardship. It combines forensic atonement theology with practical ethics, demonstrating how Gospel grace motivates sanctified living.
History & Background
Written by Elvina Margaret Hall in 1865, this American hymn emphasizes stewardship and sacrificial service as a response to Christ's redemption. It was first published in hymnals in the late 19th century and has remained a standard stewardship hymn in Lutheran hymnody.
Hymnal Appearances
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 712
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 424
- Lutheran Service Book — 851
- Lutheran Worship — 402
- Trinity Hymnal — 534
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 442
- With One Voice — 740
Bulletin Note
Written by Elvina Margaret Hall in 1865, this hymn embodies Lutheran theology by coupling forensic atonement—Christ's purchased redemption—with practical ethics, showing how grace compels grateful sacrifice.
Preaching Connection
This hymn powerfully demonstrates how the Gospel of Christ's costliest sacrifice becomes the motivating force for the Law's demand: that we deny ourselves and take up our cross in faithful stewardship.
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)
Overview
A hymn on Christian giving, by the sister of hymn composer John B. Dykes. It grounds generosity in Christ's sacrifice and his generosity to the undeserving (st. 1), prays for hearts melted to give (st. 2), presents giving to the poor as giving to Christ (st. 3), calls offerings for the suffering a debt owed to him (st. 4), and ends by praying for faith, hope, and above all love (st. 5).
Central theme: Christian generosity as the response to Christ's costly self-giving
Structure
Christ's gift (1); prayer for generous hearts (2); Christ in the poor (3); offerings as due (4); faith, hope, love (5).
Law & Gospel Shape
Gospel (Christ's blood and unsparing gifts) grounds the call to give; st. 4 has a sobering Law note ('Lest that face… turn from us').
Confessional Connections
Good works as fruits of faith (AC VI, XX); Christ in the neighbor; stewardship. St. 4's warning should be read as third-use exhortation, not as works earning favor.
Liturgical Use (Study Notes)
Stewardship; offertory; social ministry; Matt 25 Sundays.
Historical Notes
Alderson (1818-1889) wrote it in 1864; her brother John B. Dykes is the composer of NICAEA and many Victorian tunes.
About the Tune
HYFRYDOL (Rowland H. Prichard, c. 1830).
Scripture References
1 Pet 1:18-19 Rom 8:32 Luke 6:35 Ezek 36:26 Acts 20:35 Matt 25:40 Prov 19:17 1 Cor 13:13
Stanza by Stanza
Lord of Glory, you bought us with your lifeblood, never grudging that enormous sacrifice for the lost, and with it freely gave countless blessings to the ungrateful and evil with an unsparing hand.
The ground of giving is Christ's giving. 'Bought us / With Thy life-blood as the price' (1 Pet 1:18-19; 1 Cor 6:20). 'Lord of Glory' (1 Cor 2:8) is the one who was crucified. 'Never grudging' — his sacrifice was willing and generous (2 Cor 8:9). 'To the unthankful and the evil' quotes Luke 6:35 ('he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil'). 'With that hast freely given' — Rom 8:32 ('how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?'). The stanza is a single sentence that continues into st. 2, so the petition rests entirely on Christ's prior gift.
- Scripture
- 1 Pet 1:18-19, 1 Cor 6:20, 1 Cor 2:8, 2 Cor 8:9, Luke 6:35, Rom 8:32
- Imagery & language
- Price of blood; countless blessings like sand.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — Christ's costly and generous gift.
- Connection to previous
- The ground of giving.
Give us hearts that gladly return to you what is already yours; melt our ungrateful stony hearts with the warmth of your goodness until our cold, selfish natures believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive.
We give God 'of Thine own' — 1 Chron 29:14 ('all things come from you, and of your own have we given you'). The problem is the heart: 'thankless hearts of stone' (Ezek 36:26) and 'cold and selfish natures' — a frank confession of sin. The remedy is God's goodness melting them, not law compelling them (2 Cor 9:7, 'not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver'). 'At length believe' — generosity is a matter of faith: believing Jesus' words 'It is more blessed to give than to receive' (Acts 20:35, TLH's reference).
- Scripture
- 1 Chron 29:14, Ezek 36:26, 2 Cor 9:7, Acts 20:35, Rom 2:4
- Imagery & language
- Hearts of stone melted by sunshine.
- Law / Gospel
- Law (thankless hearts) and Gospel (goodness that melts).
- Connection to previous
- Prayer for generous hearts.
You have given wonderful honor to our humblest charity by saying 'You have done it to me'; can it be, gracious Master, that you ask for alms through your poor and needy, saying, 'Give as I have given to you'?
Matt 25:40 — Christ identifies with the poor. The 'wondrous honor' is that even small acts of charity are received as done to Christ himself. The astonishing image: Christ 'deigns for alms to sue' — the Lord of Glory becomes a beggar in the person of the needy (Prov 19:17, 'whoever is generous to the poor lends to the LORD'). 'Give as I have given' — the measure of our giving is his (Matt 10:8).
- Scripture
- Matt 25:35-40, Prov 19:17, Matt 10:8, 2 Cor 8:9
- Imagery & language
- Humble charity; Christ begging alms through the poor.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — Christ hidden in the neighbor.
- Connection to previous
- Christ in the poor.
The sorrow and suffering we see everywhere are channels for tithes and offerings that rightfully belong to you — a right we may not steal and a debt we must pay, lest your face of love and pity turn from us one day.
Human need is the channel through which offerings reach God. 'Right of which we may not rob Thee' alludes to Mal 3:8 ('Will man rob God?… In your tithes and contributions'). The final warning ('Lest that face… / Turn from us') echoes Matt 25:41-46. A Lutheran reading takes this as a serious third-use exhortation — faith that refuses love shows itself dead (Jas 2:14-17) — not as earning favor by giving. The 'debt' is the debt of love (Rom 13:8).
- Scripture
- Mal 3:8-10, Matt 25:41-46, Jas 2:14-17, Rom 13:8, 1 John 3:17
- Imagery & language
- Channels; tithes; debt; turning face.
- Law / Gospel
- Third-use Law with a warning.
- Connection to previous
- Offerings as due.
Lord of Glory who bought us with your lifeblood, never grudging the sacrifice: give us faith to trust you boldly, hope to keep our souls fixed on you, and best of all, your own love.
The first half repeats st. 1 (inclusio). The prayer is for the three theological virtues (1 Cor 13:13). 'Faith to trust Thee boldly' comes first — the root. 'Thine own charity' — the love we need is Christ's own love given to us (Rom 5:5; 1 John 4:19), not self-made. 'Best of all' echoes 'the greatest of these is love.'
- Scripture
- 1 Cor 13:13, Rom 5:5, 1 John 4:19, Heb 10:35, 1 Pet 1:21
- Imagery & language
- Faith, hope, charity.
- Law / Gospel
- Gospel — prayer for faith, hope, and Christ's love.
- Connection to previous
- Returns to st. 1 and prays for love.
Themes
Redemption and sacrifice Christian stewardship Love of Christ Self-denial and service Gospel proclamation