Jesus Paid It All
Recently, I was searching for songs to add to my playlist. There is one we sing in both the first and second service. The song is a version of a hymn from the 1800's titled "Jesus Paid it All." The Passion conference worship team did a rendition of it 6-7 years ago and I quite enjoy it. Anyway, in the search for the song, I got to reading about the lyrics. I have always been drawn to the refrain because it is a reminder of Jesus' incredible gift to us.
It goes:
"Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow."
The images portrayed by the comparison between a crimson stain and white snow are vivid. Dark red stains are the type of stains that just don't come out. The pure white of the fresh snow is perfect. There isn't a blemish on it. That imagery is a powerful picture of our finite ability as opposed to God's infinite ability.
Then it really sinks in. The "it" that is white as snow is me and it's you. Insert "me" in the verse instead of "it". "He washed me white as snow." No longer do I wear the scarlet badge of shame from my sin. No longer am I blemished. He did it for me!
The first verse of the hymn hammers home my fallibility. I admit I've sung this hymn a thousand times. Yet I've never really paid attention to the first verse. Amazing how I can sing something and not pay attention to the meaning of the words. The verse says:
" I hear the Savior say,
'Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.'"
Jesus has paid my price to do what I am unable. I could scrub and scrub, but that stain would remain. I am not strong enough, I don't have the power to make myself clean. On my own, that crimson stain isn't going anywhere. It's there for the world to see and more importantly for me to see.
Then along comes Jesus. He says "watch this weakling." In Him we are washed clean. In His strength we find power, His power. In Jesus we are complete.
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.” - Galatians 3:13-15 HCSB
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
It goes:
"Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow."
The images portrayed by the comparison between a crimson stain and white snow are vivid. Dark red stains are the type of stains that just don't come out. The pure white of the fresh snow is perfect. There isn't a blemish on it. That imagery is a powerful picture of our finite ability as opposed to God's infinite ability.
Then it really sinks in. The "it" that is white as snow is me and it's you. Insert "me" in the verse instead of "it". "He washed me white as snow." No longer do I wear the scarlet badge of shame from my sin. No longer am I blemished. He did it for me!
The first verse of the hymn hammers home my fallibility. I admit I've sung this hymn a thousand times. Yet I've never really paid attention to the first verse. Amazing how I can sing something and not pay attention to the meaning of the words. The verse says:
" I hear the Savior say,
'Thy strength indeed is small,
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.'"
Jesus has paid my price to do what I am unable. I could scrub and scrub, but that stain would remain. I am not strong enough, I don't have the power to make myself clean. On my own, that crimson stain isn't going anywhere. It's there for the world to see and more importantly for me to see.
Then along comes Jesus. He says "watch this weakling." In Him we are washed clean. In His strength we find power, His power. In Jesus we are complete.
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written: Everyone who is hung on a tree is cursed. The purpose was that the blessing of Abraham would come to the Gentiles by Christ Jesus, so that we could receive the promised Spirit through faith.” - Galatians 3:13-15 HCSB
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
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