GRACE ALONE: A MODERN HYMN WITH ANCIENT SOUND, CONFIGURATION, AND THEOLOGY
Photo by John Salzarulo on Unsplash.
“Grace Alone” (or, in Latin, sola gratia) is both an essential slogan of the Protestant Reformation and also a modern hymn written by Dustin Kensrue. Frontman and co-founder of rock band Thrice, Kensrue started a new music project in 2012, a worship band formed at his church named The Modern Post. This hymn, “Grace Alone,” was originally recorded as part of the band’s first EP, fittingly, also titled, Grace Alone. Various other musical artists have covered this carol of praise, probably most notably the band Kings Kaleidoscope, who popularized it in 2014 by including it in their first album, Becoming Who We Are.
Despite being a modern piece of music, many, including myself, presumed it was simply another revamped version of an older classic hymn. Upon initially hearing Kings Kaleidoscope’s version of “Grace Alone” around 2017, I assumed it was like their cover version of “All Creatures of Our God and King” or their re-imagined version of “Light After Darkness.” It seemed like a song that had existed longer than a meager three years. I attribute this to Kensrue's intentional lyrical and musical composition. He explained that these songs were specifically meant to be easily singable by groups and sung together in gathered worship. (1) They were not envisioned to be songs merely performed in front of an audience, as many contemporary Christian songs are. Because it seemed to follow a typical hymn structure and simply sounded like a truly great hymn, I almost imagined that I had sung it in church before.
“Grace Alone” is structured in trinitarian style. Each verse, followed by a corresponding chorus, emphasizes and addresses a different person of the Trinity. The first verse and chorus explore our relationship with the Father, the first person of the Trinity, with the second and third verses and choruses, respectively, exploring our relationship with the second and third persons of the Trinity, Christ and the Spirit. When we sing each stanza, we acknowledge and confess our faults and shortcomings. Then, in response, we proclaim the good news of what God has done for us. We disclose to the Father that we are lost in unrighteousness and continue to run away from God’s call, all while singing, “Father, you worked your will” and “Father, you loved me still.” To Christ, we admit that despite our continued attempts, we are unable to save ourselves or atone by our own works, all while chanting to Jesus, “You left your home to seek out the lost” and “You knew the great and terrible cost.” We profess to the Spirit our callousness and lack of awareness, that our heads are full of rocks and hearts are made of stone, all while praising, “Spirit, you made me see” and “Spirit, you moved in me.”
This canticle is bursting with biblical imagery and references. It is theologically rich with lyrical themes rooted in the centrality of the Protestant Reformation’s theology of sola gratia. The first lines, identifying us with Adam and Eve, read, “I was an orphan lost at the fall, running away when I’d hear you call.” This reminds me not only of the fall story from Genesis 3 but also that the fall story continues to play itself out in my and all of our lives. We fall again and again. Still, God does not leave us fallen but “adopts [us] as [God’s] own” (Ephesians 1:4-6). Continuing to emphasize this, the first chorus concludes with a sola gratia statement, “I’m a child of God by grace and grace alone.”
The second verse begins with the lyric, “You left your home to seek out the lost,” calling to mind the three parables from Luke 15. Here, we are identified with the lost things of these parables (sheep, coin, and son). Though we once were lost, Christ has found us. The theme of Christ’s saving deeds continues as we shout that by Christ’s blood, “I have redemption and salvation” (Ephesians 1:7), and by Christ’s resurrection, “I might be a new creation” (1 Corinthians 5:17). Again, this second chorus concludes with another sola gratia statement, “I am born again by grace and grace alone.”
The third verse starts with, “I was in darkness all of my life. I never knew the day from the night” (1 Thessalonians 5:5). Still, amid our unknowing and ignorance, the Spirit moves. In this movement, we can claim, “On my darkened heart the light of Christ has shone” (Colossians 1:13). The chorus concludes, once more in sola gratia fashion, “Called into a kingdom that cannot be shaken, heaven’s citizen by grace alone.”
The song ends with an outro of how grace affects us. We sing that we will “stand in faith,” “run the race,” “slay my sin,” and “reach the end” by “grace and grace alone.” (recalling Romans 5:1-2, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27, Hebrews 12:1, 2 Timothy 4:7, and Romans 8:13). The first and last declarations strike me hard in particular. In my experiences, faith was always presented in ways that, for me, turned it into a work. It was always something I needed to do or have. However, I have come to view faith as a gift. This pronouncement exemplifies that I have faith only by God’s grace. Similarly, whether my faith is in a season of wavering or strength, it bears no weight on whether I reach the end because I only do so by God’s grace.
Grace has always played an essential role in theology. In particular, it was emphasized by Martin Luther, who believed “everything depends on God’s grace.” (2) Luther’s stress that God’s grace is an unearned gift that undergirds all aspects of the way God deals with us, especially concerning salvation, came through in his various writings and has continued to be a cornerstone of Lutheran and Reformed theology to today. As exemplified throughout this hymn, grace has been a key part of God’s story with and for us since the beginning, as seen in the Old Testament, the New Testament, and today.
In addition to the Reformation theme of sola gratia, we hear an allusion to what some call the “happy exchange” in the line, “Lord, you died that I might reap what you have sown.” As Luther put it, “Lord Jesus, you are my righteousness, just as I am your sin. You have taken upon yourself what is mine and have given to me what is yours. You have taken upon yourself what you were not and have given to me what I was not.” (3) Like a marriage, where what belongs to one spouse becomes the others’, so too what belongs to us becomes God’s, and what belongs to God becomes ours. We don’t bring anything good to this exchange. In fact, we bring bad things. Nonetheless, God gladfully takes our sin, guilt, and death and, in return, gives us salvation, peace, and life free of charge. What a deal!
“Grace Alone” has had such a personal impact on me that I plan on inking my body with an image referring to the lyrics, “I swore I knew the way on my own, a head full of rocks, a heart made of stone.” These lyrics remind me of the doctrine of simul justus et peccator (“simultaneously justified and a sinner”). Luther coined this phrase after reflecting upon Romans 7:15, which essentially says that we do what we don’t want to do and don’t do what we want to do. Despite our justification, we remain sinners. I do not imagine I am alone in sympathizing with Luther. I know from my own experiences of hard-heartedness and dumb decisions that brokenness and depravity affect both heart and mind. Still, we hold fast to the promise God makes in Ezekiel 11:19 and 36:26: although our hearts are cold as stone, God is always working and will eventually melt our frozen hearts, giving us hearts for love alone. A tattoo signifying these lyrics will constantly remind me of our gracious and faithful God’s gospel promise whenever I find myself once more with a cold, stony heart and a stubborn, ignorant mind, thinking I know more than God.
As a Lutheran, I cannot proclaim enough that grace alone is the core of God’s relationship with us, the world, and all creation. Thus, I joyfully sing this song loud and proud! Kensrue struck gospel gold when he penned this musical piece of theological prose. As we sing along together, we both confess the sinful reality of ourselves while receiving and announcing the assurance of God’s loving and gracious gospel to all who hear. This modern hymn would be an excellent resource for any worshiping community, especially for a Reformation Day celebration. “Grace Alone” is an example par excellence of the call in Ephesians 5:19-20 to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, which give thanks to God for everything in the name of Christ.
Jacob Tender, "Dustin Kensrue Explains His New Band, The Modern Post," Under The Gun Review, 2012, https://underthegunreview.net/2012/08/15/dustin-kensrue/.
Volker Leppin, Sola: Christ, Grace, Faith, and Scripture Alone in Martin Luther’s Theology, trans. Samuel Brandt (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2024), 12.
Martin Luther, “To George Spenlein (April 8, 1516),” in Letters I, ed. Gottfried G. Krodel and Helmut T. Lehmann, Luther’s Works, vol. 48, (Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1963), 13.
