1
Grace! ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heav’n with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
Harmonious to the ear;
Heav’n with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
All sufficient grace!
Never powerless!
It is Christ who lives in me,
In His exhaustlessness.
Never powerless!
It is Christ who lives in me,
In His exhaustlessness.
2
’Twas grace that wrote my name
In life’s eternal book;
’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.
In life’s eternal book;
’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.
3
Grace taught my wandering feet
To tread the pilgrim road;
And new supplies each hour I meet
While pressing on to God.
To tread the pilgrim road;
And new supplies each hour I meet
While pressing on to God.
4
Grace taught my heart to pray,
And made my eyes o’erflow;
’Tis grace which kept me to this day,
And will not let me go.
And made my eyes o’erflow;
’Tis grace which kept me to this day,
And will not let me go.
5
Grace all the work shall crown
Through everlasting days;
It lays in love the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.
Through everlasting days;
It lays in love the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.
6
Oh, let that grace inspire
My heart with strength divine;
May all my powers to Thee aspire,
And all my days be Thine.
My heart with strength divine;
May all my powers to Thee aspire,
And all my days be Thine.
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Newton, MA, United States
All sufficient grace! Never powerless! Lord, keep us growing in grace!
Yucaipa, California, United States
For of His fullness we have all received and grace upon grace. John 1:16
Waukegan, Illinois, United States
Hidden in the far reaches of misty memory, "grace 'tis a charming sound, melodious to the ear", surfaced one day "out of the blue." I hadn't sung this hymn for many years. It occurred to me just when I needed it. Hymns, full of the Spirit of Truth, are charming indeed... and sweet.. and melodious... like a soothing balm, reassuring us of "all sufficient grace, never powerless... it is Christ who lives in [us], in His exhaustlessness."
Storrs, Connecticut, United States
Philip Doddridge D. D. , was born in London, June 26, 1702. Educated at Kingston, Grammar School, and Kibworth Academy, he became a renowned scholar having numerous attainments and was ordained to the Non-conformist ministry. He was pastor of the Congregational Church at North Hampton, from 1729 until his death, as well as being the acting principal of the theological school in that place. In 1749 he stopped preaching, and went to Lisbon for his health, but died there about two years later of tuberculosis, October 26, 1752.
One day, as he was preparing for a sermon, he was strongly impressed by what he wrote. While his heart was still touched by the contents of the sermon that had inspired him, he decided to put thoughts into meter, and write a hymn for the conclusion of the sermon. The hymn was written to be sung after a sermon from Romans 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? “
Jesus I love that charming name,
‘Tis music to mine ear,
Fain would I sound it out so loud
The earth and heaven to hear.
************
I’ll speak the honor of Thy name
With my last laboring breath,
Then speechless, clasp Thee I’m my arms,
The conqueror of death.
Meriden, KS, United States
Psalm 112:6–8 (ESV): 6 For the righteous will never be moved;
he will be remembered forever.
7 He is not afraid of bad news;
his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.
8 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid,
Stockton, CA, United States
"And He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore I will rather boast in my weaknesses that the power of Christ might tabernacle over me." (2 Corinthians 12:9) Recovery Version
“His grace is sufficient for us”
"I am crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me." (Galatians 2:20) Recovery Version
“no longer I who live, Christ lives in me”. “ l live in faith, the faith of the Son of God”. Not my faith but the Son of God’s faith.
"But by the grace of God I am what I am; and His grace unto me did not turn out to be in vain, but, on the contrary, I labored more abundantly than all of them, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me." (1 Corinthians 15:10) Recovery Version
“Not my trying, struggling, but by the grace of God I am what I am. ”
“His grace unto was not in vain”
“I labor more abundantly, yet not I but the grace of God which is with me. ”
Hallelujah! Christ is our all-sufficient grace. Christ lives in us. Christ is our faith. Christ our living, our grace, grace!
Norwich, United Kingdom
"Grace is the manifestation of the Triune God in His embodiment in three aspects—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Regardless of what subject the Bible touches, it is concerned with the Triune God in His embodiment in three aspects—the Father, the Son, and the Spirit—being manifested as grace consummating in the New Jerusalem. This is the highest and central revelation shown to us in the entire New Testament." (The Experience of God's Organic Salvation Equaling Reigning in Christ's Life, Chapter 5, LSM)
As to this hymn #248 (English #312) in the Chinese hymnal (which has only three verses), brother Witness Lee described as "... This hymn concerning grace contains expressions that cannot be found in ordinary Christian books. What is grace? Grace is actually God Himself." (The Experience of God's Organic Salvation Equaling Reigning in Christ's Life, Chapter 5, LSM) Here is an unofficial singable version (near literal translation from Chinese) which I hope could help us appreciate grace even more:
1. Grace came in place of sin,
In my spirit to reign,
Delivering me from pow'r of sin,
From corrupt nature freed.
(Chorus)
All sufficient grace!
Never powerless!
'Tis Christ in my spirit lives,
His grace I thus receive.
2. Grace enables my feet,
To tread the heav'nly path;
His grace is timely, bountiful,
And never failing thus.
3. O what a grace is this!
God incarnate is He,
God manifested in the flesh,
God who is now in me.
(Chorus)
By Thy grace, O God,
I am what I am!
Grace manifested in me,
Eternal portion be.
Columbus, Ohio, United States
I used to think that grace was something that we only took in time of need or trouble. But this is not the case. Grace is God coming into us, adding Himself into us to be our supply and that this supply becomes the very element by which we live day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute. This is what it means to walk before God in perfection and to experience God as El-shaddai
California, United States
All-sufficient grace, Christ who lives in us!
London, United Kingdom
Thank God for leading me to this blessed website; and thank God for the Godly wisdom given to the brethren who came up with this inspired idea. This is my first requested song and what a blessing to my soul! Thank God for saving and keeping me only by HIS GRACE.