The opening hymn this Sunday is “Seek Where You May to Find a Way,” written by Georg Weissel, a 17th-century Prussian pastor. Though the hymn begins as though it advocates self-justification (“Seek where you may to find a way that leads to your salvation”), it becomes clear immediately that we are to look to Christ alone for our salvation: “My heart is stilled, on Christ I build, He is the one foundation.” The righteousness that merits salvation is an alien righteousness; that is, it comes to us from an outside source: Christ, as the hymn says: “Seek Him alone Who did atone, Who did your souls deliver.” We cannot seek our own righteousness through the works of the Law (intrinsic righteousness). Christ’s salvation is applied to us in the waters of Holy Baptism, and thus we can sing with Pastor Weissel, “We’re justified because He died, the guilty being guiltless.”
