Lamb of God, Pure and Holy

“Lamb of God, Pure and Holy” is the English rendering of O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig, one of the earliest and most enduring hymns of the Protestant Reformation. Written by Nicolaus Decius in the early sixteenth century, this hymn is a metrical paraphrase of the Agnus Dei from the Latin Mass. Its purpose was not to discard historic Christian worship, but to place it into the living language of the people, allowing the congregation to confess Christ together with understanding and faith. In doing so, Decius helped anchor Reformation worship in Scripture while retaining reverence and theological depth.

The hymn centers unmistakably on Christ as the sacrificial Lamb. Drawing directly from John the Baptist’s declaration, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29, KJV), the text proclaims the innocence, meekness, and substitutionary suffering of Jesus Christ. The imagery echoes Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant, who was led as a lamb to the slaughter and bore the iniquity of many (Isaiah 53:5-7, KJV). The hymn does not speak in vague symbolism, but in clear gospel terms, pointing to the cross as the place where God’s wrath against sin was satisfied.

Doctrinally, the hymn emphasizes justification grounded in Christ alone. The repeated cry for mercy and peace does not arise from human merit or ritual performance, but from the finished work of the Lamb who was slain. This aligns closely with the apostolic teaching that “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Corinthians 5:7, KJV) and that redemption comes through His precious blood (1 Peter 1:18-19, KJV). The hymn’s structure invites worshipers to rest their conscience not in themselves, but in the atoning death of Christ.

Across centuries, “Lamb of God, Pure and Holy” has remained a powerful confession of faith within Lutheran and broader Protestant worship. Its enduring use testifies to the timeless truth it proclaims, that peace with God is found only in the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, now exalted and worthy of all praise (Revelation 5:6-13, KJV).