"Also hat Gott die Welt gel." (#125)

This is the first hymn in a new section:  Pfingst-Lieder oder Lieder von der Ausgießung des Heiligen Geistes  (Pentecost Songs or Songs for the Pouring Out of the Holy Ghost)

German text in the Gesangbuch:

1 Also hat Gott von Ewigkeit

die Welt herzlich geliebet,

die doch durch Satans List und Neid

mit Abfall ihn betrübet.

Dennoch ließ seine Lieb nicht ab,

so gar, daß er das Best ihr gab,

das im Himmel zu finden.

2 Dies war sein eingeborner Sohn,

sein allerliebstes Erbe,

den sandt er von des Himmels Thron,

für diese Welt zu sterben,

auf daß ich, du und jedermann,

der ihn im Glauben siehet an,

nicht möcht verloren werden.

3 Besondern, daß nach dieser Zeit

er mit ihm ewig lebe,

wie andre auserwählte Leut,

in lauter Freuden schwebe;

denn Gott hat darum nicht gesandt

sein Sohn, den einigen Heiland,

daß er die Welt soll richten.

4 Wer sich zur Buße zu ihm kehrt,

beständig an ihn gläubet,

dem wird zu Theil, was er begehrt,

das Himmelreich ihm bleibet;

er wird nicht kommen ins Gericht,

den ewgen Tod auch schmecken nicht,

sondern ins Leben gehen.

5 Wer aber an ihn gläubet nicht,

derselb wird gehen müssen

an jenem Tage vor Gericht

und ewig müssen büßen,

was er hie Böses hat vollbracht,

Gott und sein heilig Wort veracht,

welchs ihn zur Höll verdammet.

6 O Jesu Christe, Gottes Sohn,

wir danken dir von Herzen

für deine Pein und Marterkron,

für deine Todesschmerzen,

dadurch du uns erlöset hast

vons Teufels G'walt und schwerer Last

des Todes und der Sünden.

7 Ein starken Glauben uns verleih,

den schwachen in uns mehre;

hilf, daß niemand ungläubig sei,

die Irrenden bekehre.

Gib Gnad, daß wir von deim Gericht

bestehen und dein Angesicht

ohn Unterlaß anschauen.

My prose translation:

1 From eternity God has

So sincerely loved the world,

Which yet through Satan's cunning and envy

Grieved Him with rubbish.

Nevertheless, He did not cease His love,

[But] He even gave to it the best

That was to be found in Heaven.

2 This was His only-begotten Son,

His dearest Heir,

Whom He sent from the throne of Heaven

To die for this world

So that I, you, and everyone

Who looks on Him in faith

May not be lost.

3 Especially that after this time

He lives with Him eternally,

Like other chosen people,

[And] soars in loud joy;

For it was not for the purpose that He should judge the world

That God has sent His Son,

The only Savior.

4 Who turns to Him in repentance,

Believes in Him continually,

Will have a share of what he desires;

The kingdom of Heaven remains his;

He will not go on trial,

Nor taste eternal death,

But rather go into life.

5 Who, however, does not believe in Him

Will have to go

To trial on that day

And must eternally pay for

What evil he has done here;

God and His holy word despises

That which condemned him to hell.

6 O Jesus Christ, God's Son,

We thank You from the heart

For Your suffering and the torturing crown,

For Your pains of death,

By which You have redeemed us

From the power of the devil and the heavy burden

Of death and of sins.

7 Give us a strong faith;

Augment the weak in us;

Help that no one would be unbelieving;

Reclaim the wandering ones.

Grant mercy that we pass

Before Your trial and

Look at Your face without ceasing.

My translation of the second half of the third verse is a bit unwieldy (and I shuffled some of the lines), but I wanted to make sure I had an accurate rendering, specifically that I negated the purpose clause ("That He should judge the world") and not the main verb ("God has sent His Son"), which is an error I frequently see.

As far as I can tell, this hymn isn't in The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship, or The Lutheran Service Book.  According to the Gesangbuch, the text is sung to the tune "Nun freut euch, lieben Chr[isten]."  Here's the arrangement from TLH:

And here's an arrangement from Telemann's Fast allgemeines Evangelisch-Musicalisches Lieder-Buch: