O SAVIOR OF OUR FALLEN RACE[1]
This original text of this hymn is an early medieval Latin carol. This version has been altered slightly from the translation by Gilbert E. Doan, Jr. “with the aim of shaping the song into more of a missional prayer that emphasizes Christ’s return.”[2]
As we consider the coming of Christ our Savior, his incarnation in human flesh, we first acknowledge that Jesus did not come into existence at his birth in Bethlehem, but was the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Triune Godhead, “who shared the Father’s might before the world knew day or night.”
O Savior of our fallen race,
O Brightness of the Father’s face;
O Son who shared the Father’s might
Before the world knew day or night.
O Jesus, very Light of Light
Our constant star in sin’s deep night:
Now hear the prayers your people pray
Throughout the world this holy day.
The Westminster Confession of Faith affirms the dual nature of our Lord Jesus Christ, fully divine and fully human. “The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity, being very and eternal God, of one substance and equal with the Father, did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon him man’s nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin; being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the virgin Mary, of her substance. So that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only Mediator between God and man.”[3] Of these truths it is important to be regularly reminded.
Remind us, Lord of life and grace,
How once, to save our fallen race,
You put our human vesture on
And came to us as Mary’s son.
Today, as year by year its light
Brings to our world a promise bright,
One precious truth outshines the sun:
Salvation comes from you alone.
It is often lost in our Christmas celebrations that the purpose of Christ’s coming was to bring salvation to lost humanity, to a world in rebellion against God, to atone for and cleanse away our sins, by the blood of his death on the cross. Christmas happened because we needed Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter. This hymn reminds us to relish the love of God in sending Jesus and to be “jubilant today, for you have washed our guilt away.”
For from the Father’s throne you came,
His banished children to reclaim;
And earth and sea and sky revere
The love of him who sent you here.
And we are jubilant today,
For you have washed our guilt away.
Oh, hear the glad new song we sing
On this, the birth of Christ our King!
The advent of our incarnate Savior is more than a celebration of Bethlehem. Our hope is also in the second advent, the second coming of Christ. In fact, “spanning the four weeks leading up to Christmas, Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation, inviting believers to reflect on the dual meaning of Christ’s coming: His humble birth in Bethlehem and His promised return as the eternal King and righteous Judge.”[4] While Jesus was born in obscurity in Bethlehem, upon his return one day, “the world will see [his] radiant face” as he makes all things new.
O Savior of our fallen race,
The world will see your radiant face,
For you who came to us before
Will come again and all restore.
Let songs of praise your name adorn,
O Christ, Redeemer, virgin born,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Holy Spirit evermore.
O Savior of Our Fallen Race
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Words: Christe, redemptor omnium; translated by Gilbert E. Doan, adapted by Kristyn Getty ©1978 Lutheran Book of Worship / Music: Keith Getty ©2011 Getty Music Publishing
[2] The Sing! Hymnal, p. 948.
[3] R. C. Sproul, Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 8, paragraph 2. Things We Confess, p. 189.
[4] The Seedbed Worship Planner, 2025-2026. Franklin, TN: Seedbed Publishing, 2025, p. 2.
