Inn Jhesus namen heben wir an
The Gift of Faith and Salvation
Salvation is received through faith in Jesus Christ, as promised in Scripture and exemplified by Abraham.
In Jesus’ name we now begin to sing the best of what we’ve learned from God’s word. Listen, women and men, and hear how salvation may be gained. Faith does this above all: the Holy Spirit is given to those who believe God’s word, as Saint Peter says in the tenth chapter of the Book of the Twelve Apostles. John chapter three also tells us: God loved the world so much that he gave it his Son; whoever believes in Jesus Christ receives eternal life. Listen to what Romans chapter three tells us: no one is saved by the old law; it only makes sin known. Faith brings us home to the Father, as Saint Paul has often taught us. God’s righteousness comes through Jesus Christ. Anyone who has given up hope in themselves should trust in him alone; that person’s sins are covered through Jesus Christ, the Lamb. He died for our sins and won salvation for us. If he hadn't been born, we would all have been lost. This is what God chose for him. Abraham honored God greatly by believing what God had taught him. As Romans chapter four says, God himself had promised it to him, and his faith was credited to him as righteousness. Faith is God's work, as we read clearly in the sixth chapter of John: God has promised us everything in the one born of Mary, the pure virgin.
Faith Expressed in Love for the Neighbor
Genuine faith manifests itself in practical love, generosity toward the poor, and the rejection of usury.
So if your faith is genuine, you’ll show yourself to be God’s servant through love for your neighbor. Just as God has shown himself to you, serve your neighbor with all the strength you have.1 Now listen to what God commanded through Moses: if anyone in your town is poor, open your hands to them. Make their need your own, and show your faith by how you treat them. If anyone cries out to me in heaven, it will be counted as a sin against you. Keep yourself free from charging interest; be certain that this is what God wants, just as Scripture warns you.2 As we read in Matthew chapter five, this command is given to you and me: if anyone wants to borrow from you, don't refuse them, even if they happen to be your enemy. The kingdom of heaven belongs to the poor—this you should all believe. Don’t spend any more money on indulgences. If the loving God gives you anything, let the poor receive it from you.✦
Living in God’s Commandments
Believers are called to keep God’s word constantly before them and teach it to their children.
Now listen, men and young boys: we should always keep God before our eyes and faithfully follow his commandments. And our children should learn them and carry them in their hands as well. Whether you're standing still or walking through a field, as God declared through Moses, you should reflect on the love he has shown you through Jesus Christ, who sets you free from the law.✦
The Suffering Knight and the Comfort of Christ
Christians must endure worldly hardship with the assurance that Christ has already conquered all evil.
One more thing I want to tell you: Christ’s soldiers must suffer greatly—hardship, disgrace, and mockery throughout the world—and put their bodies on the line, according to whatever pleases God. Don't lose heart; become a faithful knight. God himself keeps you in his care, for he has overcome death, sin, hell, and every trouble, and has won a crown for you. Let's pause here for now and cry out to Jesus Christ, who alone is our comforter. He has redeemed us from every evil. Praise and thanks be yours, our sweet comfort. And share your daily bread with us.3 I mean only the divine Word, the one true food of our soul. Then no misfortune can harm us, and God alone remains our salvation. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Inn Jhesus namen heben wir an / das best das wir gelernet han / von gottes wort zu syngen / hört zu yr frawen vnd yr man / wie man die selikeit sol gewinnen
Der glaub thut sölchs allermeist / darynnen wirt geben der heilig geyst / wer gottes wort thut glauben / wie ynn der zwelffbotten Buch geschrieben stat / Sant Peter am zehenden thut sagen.
Johannis am dritten ist auch gemelt / also hat got geliebet dy welt / sein son hat er yhr geben / wer glauben thut an Jhesum Crist / der erlangt das ewig leben
Zun Römern am dritten höret mer / nymantz wirt selig durch dy alte Er / dy sund wirt allein dadurch erkant / der glaub farer vns zum vater land / als vns sant paulus hat oft bekant.
Dy gerechtikeyt gottes durch Jesum christ / wer an ym selber verzaget ist / thut sych allein der trösten / dem synd bedeckt dy sunde seyn / durch Jhesum Christ das Lemleyn.
Er starb fur vnser missetat / das heyl er vns erworben hat / wo er nit wer geborn / so weren wir alle zumal verlorn / Gott hats yhm also ausserkoren
Abraham gab Got grosse eer / Ja do er glawbet seiner leer / zun Römern am vierden vnterscheit / got hats ym selber zugesagt / wart ym gezelt zur gerechtikeyt.
Gottes werck der glaube ist / als wy man in Johanne list / wol yn den sechsten vnterscheyt / Got hats vns alles zugesagt / den gebar Maria dy reyne magt.
So nun bey dir der glawb ist recht / so erzeygestu dich ein gottes knecht / durch lieb an deinem nechsten. Als sych Gott dir erzeyget hatt / mitt dienst nach allem vermugen.
Nun höre was got durch Mosen gebott / ist ymantz arm yn deiner stat / so thu ym auff dy hende dein / laß dir sein nott dein eigen sein / beweis an yhm den glauben deyn.
Wirt yemantz schreyen yn Hymel zu mir / zu eyner sunde sol es werden dir / vom wucher soltu freyen dich / Got wils also haben glaub sycherlich / wie dan die schrifft thut warnen dich.
Mathei am funfften als man lyst / wy dir vnd mir gebotten ist / wil ymant von dir borgen / versags ym nitt zu keinem frist ob er villeycht dein feynd ist.
Der armen ist das hymelreich / das soll yr glauben alle gleich / vmb Ablas kein gelt mehr geben / bescheret dir ychts der liebe got / dy arme sollens von dir nemen.
Nun höret yr man vnd yunge knaben / got sollen wir stetes fur augen haben / sein gebot wol an den wenden. vnd sollen sye lernen vnsere kindt / auch tragen yn den henden
Du stehest oder gehest vber feldt / wy got durch Mosen hat gemelt / sein liebe saltu betrachten / die er dir ertzeiget durch Jesum christ / der dich vom gesetz loß thut machen.
Noch eyns das ich dir sagen wil / Christi Ritter mussen leyden vil / not schand vnd spot yn aller welt / mit yhrem fleisch sich legen yns felt / nach dem vnd es Gott woll gefelt.
Vertzage nit werde Ritter gut / Got helt dich selber yn seyner huet / wann er die vberwunden hat / tod sunde hel vnd alle not / ein kron er dir erworben hat
Hie lassen vns bleiben zu dyser frist / vnd schreyen allezu Jhesu Christ / der allein vnser tröster ist / von allem vbel hat er vns erlost / hab lob vnnd danck du susser trost.
Vnd teyl vns mit dein teglich brot. Ich meyne alleyne das götlich wort / die eynige speys vnser seel / So schadt vns nicht keyn vngefel / vnd bleibet allein got vnser heyl. AMEN.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Matt.5.3;Luke.6.20 — Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Luke.6.20 — And he lifted up his eyes to his disciples and said: Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
- ↩Deut.6.6-Deut.6.7 — And these words that I am commanding you today shall be on your heart. Deut.6.7 — Teach them diligently to your children, and speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk along the road, and when you lie down, and when you rise up.
Notes
- 1 ↩The compressed wording literally indicates service according to one’s full ability; “your neighbor” is supplied from the preceding sentence.
- 2 ↩Here “Wucher” means lending money at interest or usury, especially exploiting someone in need.
- 3 ↩Literally “your daily bread”; the wording echoes the Lord’s Prayer but recasts its petition as a request that God share the bread with us.
Erfurt Enchiridion (Early Lutheran Hymns) companion
Never lose the rhythm again
Chosen Portion delivers your morning, midday and night office to your phone — the Hours, without the bells.
Chosen Portion is a modern Book of Hours: it turns the fixed-hour structure this collection preserves into scheduled, tappable daily prayer on your phone.
- Three daily prayer moments scheduled around your real calendar, not a monastery's
- Psalms and historic prayers sequenced for you — no page-flipping or decision fatigue
- A visible streak of completed offices, so the rhythm compounds instead of collapsing