Jesus Paid It All

Jesus Paid It All

By: Elvina Mabel Hall

I hear the Savior say "Thy strength indeed is small, child of weakness, watch and pray, find in me thine all in all."

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Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, he wash'd it white as snow.

Lord, now indeed I find thy pow'r, and thine alone, can change the leper's spots and melt the heart of stone. 

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Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, he wash'd it white as snow. 

For nothing good have I whereby thy grace to claim; I'll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary's Lamb.

~~~

Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, he wash'd it white as snow.  

And when, before the throne, I stand in him complete, "Jesus died my soul to save," my lips shall still repeat.

~~~

Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain, he wash'd it white as snow. 

This hymn was the result of some very interesting coincidences that took place in the Monument St. Methodist Church of Baltimore, Maryland, in the spring of 1865. The church's cabinet organ had been moved to the home of the organist, Thomas Grape, while the church was undergoing some remodeling. Thomas Grape spent many hours practicing and composing, since he had access to the organ all the time. He was trying to write a tune for a hymn composted by William Bradbury and finally came up with one that satisfied him. He entitled the melody "All to Christ I Owe" and gave it to the pastor of the Monument St. Church, Rev. George Schrick. Rev. Schrick didn't feel that Grape's music was quite right for Bradbury's poem, so he tucked it away in his files.  

Elvina Mabel Hall was a member of the choir at the same church where Thomas Grape was organist. She and her husband had been faithful members there for many years and she loved being part of the choir and singing the lovely hymns every week. One Sunday morning, Elvina's attention drifted from the sermon Reverend Schrick was preaching. She thought about the pastor's words regarding God's forgiveness and all that Christ has done to provide redemption for mankind, but specifically for her. As she meditated on this, she became filled with gratitude. She felt a compulsion to write her thoughts on paper. Since she was sitting in the choir loft, she had no paper. Then she spied a hymn book, and opening to the blank flyleaf, she began writing the verses of an original poem. 

By the time Rev. Schrick finished his sermon, Elvina Hall had completed all four verses of the hymn-poem. Elvina waited until everyone had left at the end of the service, and then approached her pastor. She handed him the hymnal with her poem written on the flyleaf and explained why she had written it. After Reverend Schrick read Mrs. Hall's poem, he quickly located the paper with Thomas Grape's melody on it and found the words and the music matched beautifully! Three years later, in 1868, Rev. Schrick had the hymn published in a collection entitled Sabbath Chords. Since that time, "Jesus Paid It All" has been included in gospel songbooks and hymnals around the world. It's really interesting that God could move in the heart of an amateur church organists to write a melody for a hymn not yet composed. Then, He inspired an unsuspecting choir member to scribble in the flyleaf of her hymnal the words that would match that melody perfectly. And finally, He would lead both the author and composer to give their work to their pastor, who would bring the two together to produce a beautiful musical tribute to God's redemptive work. It is fitting that the chorus reminds the singer of the true author by affirming, "All to Him I owe."

 

I hope you all enjoyed learning about this hymn. Have a joyous week, friends.

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Joyfully in the Lord,

Ashley

 Titus 3:5-7

 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.