Last Sunday being Reformation Day, I preached on the gospel text "If the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed." During the service I thought of the H. A. Brorson hymn "God's Son Has Made Me Free," which was arranged beautifully by Edvard Grieg and is a favorite of many Lutheran college choirs. But has the hymn ever made it into an American Lutheran hymnal? I can't seem to find it in any of mine.
God's Son has made me free from Satan's tyranny;
from fear of death and bonds of sin,
from all that plagues my soul within.
The Holy One divine, became a friend of mine.
From heaven high, from starry sky,
he came to live, to die.
O boundless love, he came, he died,
he rose forever glorified!
He came to give, to die that I might live on high
with him eternally. God's Son has made me free.
Or, a more extensive translation of the actual hymn:
God's son has made me free
from Satan's tyranny,
from sin and shame, from earthly blame,
from death's domain and hellish flame.
My Savior, it was he
who stood 'twixt God and me,
who pardon gave to sin's poor slave
by painful death and grave.
Thus was his love bestowed on me
and all mankind eternally.
The fate I await
is not the sinful state
where nought there is to pleasure me
save fruit from Eden's apple tree,
and mouth and hand
cannot withstand
the Devil's vile command.
Now God is by my side,
the serpent is defied!
I'll ne'er take fright whilst in his sight
in freedom's purple raiment bright.
It makes my heart rejoice
to answer Jesu's voice,
His path is clear, no sorrow's here -
it leads to heav'nly cheer!
The world of sin I now remind
that ne'er to truth shall I be blind.
Nay, nay! God's way,
no more from it I'll stray!
No more shall I now tempted be
to try the devil's lottery!
My trump I'll raise in heav'nly praise;
farewell to earthly days!
Now God is by my side.
With laughter bold, my heart with laughter bold
the grave can now behold.
No flow'ry combe, no princely room
gives sweeter rest than stony tomb.
Kind Death will ferry me
across oblivion's sea;
Thus God above to me will prove
his everlasting love.
He'll make to blow his cleansing winds
to purge my blood of all its sins.
This cure makes sure
my being shall be pure,
so, happy as the hind and roe,
I'll cease to suffer earthly woe.
Yea, I am thine, the Cross my sign,
Salvation shall be mine!
God's son has made me free!
