Lord, 'Tis Not that I did Choose Thee

Lord, 'Tis Not that I did Choose Thee is a hymn text by Josiah Conder (1824) in C.M. meter. Found in elw 641, lsb 573, lw 378, tlh 37. Sung to ST. PETERSBURG.

The hymn expounds the Lutheran and Reformed doctrine of election, affirming God's sovereign choice of believers before the foundation of the world as the basis for assurance and perseverance in faith. It emphasizes the paradox of divine predestination and human will, central to Lutheran understanding of justification by grace through faith.

History & Background

Josiah Conder, an English Congregationalist minister and hymnodist, wrote this hymn in 1824 for his hymn collection. The text appears in various hymnals throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, becoming particularly valued in Lutheran hymnody for its clear exposition of election theology.

Hymnal Appearances

• Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 641
• Lutheran Service Book — 573
• Lutheran Worship — 378
• The Lutheran Hymnal — 37

Bulletin Note

Josiah Conder (1789–1855) wrote this hymn in 1824, drawing on Reformed theology of election while giving it warmth and pastoral comfort. It has anchored Protestant worship for two centuries.

Preaching Connection

This hymn powerfully articulates the Lutheran doctrine of election by grace alone, moving hearers from awareness of their own powerlessness (the Law) to the liberating certainty of God's predestined grace (the Gospel), making it an ideal response to proclamation of unconditional election.

Catechism & Confessional Connections

• The Second Article (Concerning Redemption) Small Catechism — The Apostles' Creed

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From conviction of sin and burden (Law) to confidence in Christ's hearing and answering (Gospel) to assurance of complete provision (Gospel) to commitment in pilgrimage (Gospel)

In the Church Year

Suggested in the one-year series

• Septuagesima (1×)
• St. Luke (1×)

Suggested in the three-year series

• Proper 13 (1×)

From LCMS Worship's published hymn suggestions, 2014–2026. The count is how many of those yearly lists suggested this hymn for that day.

Overview

Josiah Conder, an English Congregationalist editor and hymn writer, wrote this hymn on John 15:16: 'You did not choose me, but I chose you.' It confesses that the heart would still refuse God if grace had not chosen it first, and that grace washed and ordained it to live for God (st. 1); that grace in Christ called and enlightened a darkened mind, and that our love is only the answer to his prior love (st. 2); and it closes in praise of the Triune God (st. 3). It is a concise hymn of salvation by grace alone — monergism in verse.

Central theme: Salvation is wholly God's choosing and calling in Christ; our love for him is the fruit of his love for us

Structure

Three eight-line stanzas (8.7.8.7 D). God's choice (1) — God's call (2) — Trinitarian praise (3).

Law & Gospel Shape

Law: 'this heart would still refuse Thee'; 'my darkened heart and mind'; 'the world had yet enthralled me' (1-2). Gospel: 'Thy grace… chosen me'; 'washed and cleansed'; 'Thou… didst love me first' (1-2).

Confessional Connections

FC II (Free Will): by nature 'man's heart… is hostile to God' and cannot accept grace by its own powers; conversion is wholly the Spirit's work through the Word. FC XI (Election): God's eternal election in Christ is a cause of our salvation and a comfort; it is not to be investigated apart from Christ and the Gospel. Conder was a Calvinist, but this text affirms nothing Lutherans reject — it confesses election to salvation and is silent about any decree of reprobation (FC XI.5-6, 81-84). 'He first loved us' (1 John 4:19; AC XX on good works as fruits).

Liturgical Use (Study Notes)

Trinity season; Holy Baptism; confirmation; Reformation; general.

Historical Notes

Conder (1789-1855) edited The Congregational Hymn Book (1836).

About the Tune

O DU LIEBE MEINER LIEBE (Musikalischer Christenschatz, Basel, 1745).

Scripture References

John 15:16 Eph 1:4-5 Rom 8:7 1 Cor 2:14 Titus 3:5 1 Cor 6:11 Eph 2:10 2 Cor 5:15 2 Tim 1:9 Gal 1:15 2 Cor 4:4-6 Eph 2:1-5 Ps 73:25 1 John 4:10, 19 John 1:29 Heb 7:25-26 Rom 8:11

Stanza by Stanza

Themes

Divine election and grace Predestination The believer's assurance God's sovereign choice Christian perseverance

Look Further

• Search Hymnary.org for "Lord, 'Tis Not that I did Choose Thee" ↗
• Search IMSLP for public-domain scores of "ST. PETERSBURG" ↗