This chorale prelude sets the Lutheran chorale "Es ist das Heil uns kommen her." The chorale originated in the 1520s and it clarifies the Lutheran doctrine of the relationship between faith and works in receiving forgiveness and salvation from Jesus Christ. The first verse reads as follows, "Salvation comes to us through mercy and true goodness; Works they don't really help us, they cannot protect us. Faith pulls in Jesus Christ, who has done enough for us already, he has become our mediator." The other verse of the hymn explain the Martin Luther's doctrine, that mankind cannot avoid sin, sin brings man under condemnation from God. Jesus Christ paid for this debt of sin, and mankind can receive forgiveness through faith in Jesus Christ. The chorale also posits that faith also lies at the root of all good works and encourages the believer to develop faith rather than obsessing about doing good deeds.

Buxtehude places the chorale melody in the soprano range, and uses some fairly elaborate ornamentation. The music of the first two phrases of the chorale is repeated with a different text, a common pattern in Lutheran chorales, and Buxtehude subjects the repeated music to more elaborate ornamentation the second time around.

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