Jesus Paid It All
GodTube Staff
I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”
Refrain:
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
For nothing good have I
Whereby Thy grace to claim;
I’ll wash my garments white
In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb.
And now complete in Him,
My robe, His righteousness,
Close sheltered ’neath His side,
I am divinely blest.
Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the *leper’s spots [*leopard’s]
And melt the heart of stone.
When from my dying bed
My ransomed soul shall rise,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
Shall rend the vaulted skies.
And when before the throne
I stand in Him complete,
I’ll lay my trophies down,
All down at Jesus’ feet.
Elvina M. Hall found the inspiration for “Jesus Paid It All” in a quiet and ordinary setting. While sitting in the choir loft of Monument Street Methodist Church in Baltimore, she listened as her pastor prayed. As he spoke, her thoughts turned to the weight of sin and the cost of redemption. Moved by the truth that salvation was fully purchased by Christ, she began jotting down lines in the margin of her hymnbook. What started as a personal meditation soon became the well-known hymn that has led generations to reflect on the sufficiency of the cross.
When Hall later shared her completed poem with her pastor, an unexpected providence unfolded. Around the same time, the church organist, John Grape, had composed a new melody and also presented it to the pastor. As the pastor reviewed both submissions, he recognized that the tune and the text fit together beautifully. The pairing was so natural that it seemed prepared in advance. In that simple union of lyric and melody, “Jesus Paid It All” was born.
The hymn’s message is unmistakably clear. We bring nothing to our salvation but our need, and Christ has paid the full debt we could never satisfy. Its lines confess human helplessness and exalt the cleansing power of Jesus’ sacrifice. From a quiet moment of reflection in a church balcony came a hymn that continues to call believers to humble gratitude, reminding us that our hope rests entirely in the finished work of Christ.
Popular Hymn Lyrics with Story and Meaning
Day by Day and With Each Passing Moment
Jesus Loves Me
What a Friend We Have in Jesus
Blessed Assurance
Nearer My God to Thee
Abide with Me
His Eye is On the Sparrow
Be Thou My Vision
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty
Amazing Grace
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