By Grace Alone, Through Rhyme Alone
I trusted not in self or deed,
But Christ alone to meet my need.
Predestined long before my birth,
He chose this clay, this speck of earth.1
No altar call, no aisle walk,
No whisper sweet or seeker talk—
Just Spirit, Word, and sovereign plan,
To raise a corpse and call a man.2
The law, it thundered Sinai loud,
It cracked the stiff-necked, stubborn crowd.
But grace, like rain, did soft descend,
And broke my will to condescend.3
So now I strive, though not to earn,
For works don’t save, but faith must turn
To action, fruit, and daily fight—
Obedience flows from gospel light.4
Not legal chains, nor license wild,
But discipline—the Father’s child!
I follow Him, though oft I fail,
His mercy sails my tattered sail.5
When tempted sore or ego swells,
I hear the truth the Spirit tells:
“You are not yours, bought with a price—
Now live like Christ, and not like mice.”6
I laugh at pride, I mock my fear,
The Judge is just, the King is near.
So Calvin’s ink and Luther’s pen
Still shepherd wayward sheep like men.
O Bride of Christ, walk in His Word,
Your Shepherd’s voice is always heard.
Not perfect steps, but honest pace—
Obedience born from chosen grace.7
Footnotes
- Ephesians 1:4–5 (ESV), “…he chose us in him before the foundation of the world… he predestined us for adoption…”
- Ephesians 2:8–9 (ESV), “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works…”
- Hebrews 12:6 (ESV), “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves…”
- James 2:17 (ESV), “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
- Philippians 2:12–13 (ESV), “Work out your own salvation… for it is God who works in you…”
- 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (ESV), “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price…”
- John 14:15 (ESV), “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
R-Rated Religion 