Jesus Paid It All

This page includes a lyric video, history, sheet music, and other resources for the classic hymn “Jesus Paid It All.” Enjoy!

Enjoy this You Tube video, performed by Fernando Ortega, with lyrics for “Jesus Paid It All.” For more upbeat versions, you might enjoy David Crowder Band or Newsboys.

History of “Jesus Paid It All”

Words by Elvina Mable Hall (1822-1889), Published in 1865

One Sunday morning in 1865, during the opening service at the Monument Street Church in Baltimore, Elvina Mable Hall (a member of the choir) knelt as the pastor prayed. Hymnologist Edwin Long records Elvina’s account of what happened next:

“Feeling her own weakness and unworthiness, she says she inwardly exclaimed, ‘O Lord, I am so poor and helpless, what have I to bring to Thee,’ when there seemed to flow into my soul a sweet echo of the words of my hymn:

‘I hear the Saviour say, Thy strength indeed is small;
Child of weakness, watch and pray. Find in me thine all in all.’

‘That these heaven-born thoughts might not escape, I took my pencil and commenced writing them down . . . . so rapidly did words pour into the heart that before the prayer was ended, I had completed the hymn, and as I rose from my knees, the chorus words rose jubilantly to my lips:

‘Jesus paid it all, All to him I owe,
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.’”¹

Elvina later showed the words to a pastor who passed them on to John Thomas Grape, the composer of the tune.²

Tune “All to Christ I Owe” by John Thomas Grape (1835-1915), Published in 1868

John was a successful businessman who, as he said, “dabbled in music for his own amusement.”³ He directed the choir at Monument Street Church in Baltimore and gives an account of the how the tune was composed:

“Our church was undergoing repairs, and the cabinet organ was placed in my care. Thus afforded a pleasure not before enjoyed, I delighted myself in playing over some of our Sunday school hymns. I determined to give tangible shape to a theme that had been running in my mind for some time, to write, if possible, an answer to Bradbury’s beautiful piece, ‘Jesus Paid It All’ [this hymn can be found in the Golden Censer, 1964 and is different than the hymn Elvira wrote — though she may have been familiar with it].

“I made it a matter of prayer and study and gave to the public the music now known as ‘All to Christ I Owe.’ It was pronounced very poor by my choir and friends, but my dear wife persistently declared that it was a good piece of music and would live. Time has proved the correctness of her judgment.

“Soon after, the Rev. George W. Schreck called on me to select anything new that I had to offer. On hearing this piece he expressed his pleasure with it and stated that Mrs. Elvina M. Hall had written some words that would just suit the music. I gave him a copy of it and it was soon sung in several churches here in Baltimore [Maryland] and well received. At the suggestion of friends I sent a copy to Professor Theodor Perkins and it was published in Sabbath Carols. Under the providence of God it has been going ever since. I trust that it has not failed to accomplish some good to my fellow-men for the glory of God.”

Additional Resources for “Jesus Paid It All”:

Sheet Music (PDF Compliments of Hymnary.org)

Guitar Chords (Links to Ultimate Guitar)

Visit Hymnary.org or Hymn Time.com for more on this hymn.

See our Hymn of the Week page for a list of the hymns that are included on this site.

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Sources:

¹ Long, Edwin McKean. Illustrated History of Hymns and Their Authors. Ziegler, 1876, p. 62 in the appendix of Illustrated History of Sunday School Song.
² Hustad, Donald P. Dictionary Handbook to Hymns for the Living Church. Hope Publishing Company, 1978, p. 89.
³ Ibid, p. 248.
⁴ “Jesus Paid It All,” Hymn Time.