Exploring Redemption & Sacrifice in Easter Hymns

Hi, friends. Every Easter and Christmas, I introduce a theme related to the holiday and post the stories behind three hymns that reflect that theme. This Easter, our theme is a blend of redemption and sacrifice.

Last Easter, I used blood as the theme for exploration. The first post introduced the topic, explaining animal sacrifices of the Old Testament and relating the significance of Jesus’s blood sacrifice. We looked at the songs “There Is Power in the Blood,” “Nothing But the Blood,” and “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power.”

Before moving on to completely different themes (the cross, the resurrection itself, Jesus being alive, God’s love, etc.), I’d like to spend another year in this general area. Our hymns this year all refer to blood and how it symbolically cleanses us; however, I want to shift the focus from the literal significance of blood in Christianity to the relationship between sacrifice and redemption that undergirds the references to blood.

Redemption & Sacrifice in Three Hymns

This year, we will look at the songs “Jesus Paid It All,” “Whiter Than Snow,” and “Victory in Jesus.” Each song refers to the symbolic cleansing of our sins by Jesus’s blood shed on the cross.

These songs speak more specifically about the sacrifice required from Jesus, which we’ll see further down. “Jesus Paid It All” and “Victory in Jesus” even use language evocative of a financial exchange (“paid it all,” “sought me and bought me”). This language recalls some of the Apostle Paul’s imagery.

“You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of human beings.” -1 Cor 7:23 (NIV)

The lyrics of each song speak of the sacrifice required by Jesus that enabled redemption, but they also acknowledge a sacrifice required on OUR parts in return for that redemption. The blending of redemption and sacrifice–a sacrifice (from Jesus) that enabled redemption, a sacrifice (from us) required BECAUSE of redemption–underscores these hymns.

Note that lyrics from each hymn acknowledge Jesus’s sacrifice (through blood symbolism) AND allude to a sacrifice we give in return. We observe that part of the “return sacrifice” involves allowing the Lord to mold our hearts, as “heart” and/or “love” appears in all three hymns.

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed 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

He loved me ere I knew Him
And all my love is due Him

I heard about His groaning
Of His precious blood’s atoning
Then I repented of my sins
And won the victory

Lord Jesus, Thou seest I patiently wait
Come now and within me a new heart create

The blessing by faith, I receive from above
O glory! My soul is made perfect in love
My prayer has prevailed, and this moment I know
The blood is applied, I am whiter than snow

As Easter approaches, I hope you join me in pondering the redemption we are offered due to Jesus’s sacrifice along with what God is asking of us in return. The “Story Behind” posts will be published 4/12, 4/16, and 4/19. [Easter Sunday is 4/21.]

Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” -Matthew 16:24, (ESV)

God is faithful, and you were called by Him to partnership with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. -1 Cor 1:9, (CEB)

Thanks for reading! Do you enjoy these hymns? Do you have something to say about redemption and sacrifice? Let me know in the comments.

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