The Hymn of the Legalist

by Stephen Altrogge on September 8, 2010

Jesus Paid It Some

I hear the Savior say,
“You’re not doing enough;
Work your fingers to the bone,
I will save those who are tough.”

Jesus paid it some
I will do the rest
Sin had left a crimson stain
Now I will give my best

For now indeed I’ll try
To earn your love and grace
I’ll add the works I have
To complete the price you paid.

REFRAIN

And when before the throne
I’ll give my deeds to you,
I’ll hope I’ve done enough
To make you let me through.

REFRAIN (3x just to be sure)

{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }

Dave Wilson September 8, 2010 at 6:15 pm

Stephen,

This is as powerful a sermon on legalism as I've ever heard preached. Well done.

Dave

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@stephenaltrogge September 9, 2010 at 9:13 am

Thanks Dave. Glad you found it helpful.

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yellerdaisiez September 9, 2010 at 9:50 am

Stephen,

Wow. This is really good. A powerful reminder of how terrible my legalism truly is. So grateful that my attempts to earn God's favor are covered by His blood! What an awesome God we serve!

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StephenAltrogge September 9, 2010 at 2:17 pm

Yeah I\’m so grateful that I don\’t have to earn my way to God. There is simply no way I could do it! How could I possibly stand before a holy God? Only because Jesus paid it all!

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yellerdaisiez September 10, 2010 at 9:48 am

It constantly amazes me how I forget that legalism is a sin. So in my attempt to earn God's favor for my sin, I'm just sinning more. And then I remember that I'm sinning and I'm freshly aware of how AWESOME and free His grace is! What a merciful and gracious God.

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Petra Hefner September 9, 2010 at 1:11 pm

Refrain 3x, just to be sure. LOL! And yet, how sad!

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StephenAltrogge September 9, 2010 at 2:16 pm

Yeah, it is kind of funny, which is how I mean it. But it is true of legalism, isn\’t it? There\’s always the element of feeling like I need to do more.

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Petra Hefner September 9, 2010 at 3:24 pm

Yep, sneaky legalism. :(
How easily we tend to forget how great God's grace really is. It's all sufficient! I do love your 'meaningful' humor though! Thanks!

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Steve September 9, 2010 at 1:54 pm

Well spoken, sir!

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Quena September 10, 2010 at 1:27 pm

Thank you for the reminder to put legalism to death! I'll try harder, I promise.

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MaM September 19, 2010 at 9:08 am

What is sad is the entire Catholic church lives by this song. Salvation is by Grace Alone, in Christ Alone, and there is nothing left for me to pay!

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