This article is part of our Hymn Series, releasing throughout the month of June leading up to the launch of our new Be Still collection. Rooted in praise to the Lord, hymns have a way of helping us slow down to really reflect on and appreciate truths about God and the gospel as we sing the lyrics and meditate on their meaning. It is our prayer that the new resources in the Be Still collection would do the same. The Be Still collection features a hymn-themed stationery set, a brand new Be Still & Know study on the Christ hymns of Colossians and Philippians, and updated versions of our Be Still & Know: Romans 12:9–21 and Be Still & Know: Ephesians 4:17–32 studies. Find these products in the Well-Watered Co. beginning on Wednesday, June 16th!

I was a middle school rebel. I remember hitting rock bottom and yelling, “God, why do you exist? If you didn’t, I could do whatever I wanted without feeling bad about it.” I was raised in a Christian home, attending church where I heard the gospel every Sunday. Even still, my heart was hard. I wanted to do whatever I wanted without consequences or guilt. I wanted to be my own god, and recognizing God’s kingship and authority didn’t allow me to live the way I wanted. 

But through my rebellion, God didn’t leave me. On the contrary, he continued to call me. After God had convicted me of my sin and led me to repentance, I couldn’t understand how I could come before God with all I had said and done. I continued to walk in the shame of my past and believed that because of my sin, I was disqualified from serving God in a manner worthy of his name.

Letting Go of Shame

Most of us can identify a pattern of sin that we didn’t want to give up and continued to struggle with, or that left us with shame about our past at some point in our lives. It’s easy to believe that we will never be able to break the stronghold of sin in our lives and if by some miracle we do, we would be disqualified from serving God forever. We walk in the shame of our past, bound to lies about who we are.

But the Word of God tells us differently. The Word of God tells us that at the cross, Jesus paid it all! He paid for each of our sins—past, present, and future. Not only that, but he washed our sins away; sins that were red as scarlet he has made white as snow (Isa. 1:18)! Psalm 103:12 tells us that “as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.” Therefore, you and I can sing:

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Sister, you no longer have to walk in shame. Jesus has paid it all! All your sins are forgiven. Everything done in secret. All that you don’t want anyone else to know about. The memories that haunt you at night. The lies you have told and believed. All of it has been paid for, covered, washed away. You can now live in the freedom that only Jesus gives! 

The Promise of Transformation

The Bible says that when we believe in Jesus, we are a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17), but it’s not easy dying to ourselves and the patterns of sin in our lives. We struggle with our sin daily, and as we fight to defeat these strongholds, we feel weak doing so. We find comfort only in remembering that in our weakness, his strength is displayed (2 Cor. 12:9). As I fought my own personal patterns of sin, these words hung near the light switch by my front door so that as I went into the world and fought sin to honor God, I would be reminded that his grace would be sufficient. 

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small.
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

Lord, now indeed I find
Thy pow’r, and Thine alone,
Can change the leper’s spots
And melt the heart of stone.

Sister, if you feel like you are failing in the process of sanctification, always falling into the same old patterns of sin and finding yourself discouraged, rest in this promise: he who began a good work in you will carry it to completion (Phil. 1:6). 

Your Helper

You may feel unequipped to fight your sin day in and day out. But we are not meant to walk alone in this fight. God promised that he would be with us to transform us and sanctify us. He has given us the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. The Holy Spirit equips us, enables us, sustains us, and empowers us to say no to sin and yes to the things of God. In addition, God has given us the body of Christ, his church, to walk alongside us in our struggles. It may seem like a slow process, but day by day, you will become more like Christ! 

Then one glorious day, the work will be complete! The fight against our sin will be over. You and I will stand before the throne, joining the heavenly hosts in singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Rev. 4:8). Meanwhile, we remind ourselves that it is only because of his shed blood on the cross that you and I can draw near. 

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.

Through the years, this hymn has brought comfort to my soul and reminded me that it is only because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross that I can enter God’s presence and draw near. The sin of my life was washed white because of Jesus’ blood. The sins and the shame of my past have been wiped away, and I am able to live in the freedom that only Christ gives. As I continue to fight sin in my life, I rest assured that he who began the work in me will carry it to completion. Hallelujah! 

Hope for Today

Sister, if you feel discouraged and burdened by the weight of your sin, I pray that today you may find freedom in the blood of Christ, that you may delight that his shed blood on the cross is enough to wipe away the sins of your past. Believe that he has freed you from your sins and redeemed you and that he will sanctify you and make you more like him. The Holy Spirit is with you and will help you fight the sin in your life. He will transform you. And because of his great mercy, he will use you for his glory. Rest in the finished work of Christ! As you reflect on the words of this classic hymn, may you be reminded of his love for you and rejoice that Jesus has indeed paid it all. Jesus, thank you! 

Jesus Paid It All
Lyrics: Elvina M. Hall (1865)

I hear the Savior say,
“Thy strength indeed is small.
Child of weakness, watch and pray,
Find in Me thine all in all.”

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.

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.

Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed 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 washed it white as snow.

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