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When Christians get together for worship, and their music director is perhaps out of town, they typically say, “Well, let’s at least sing Amazing Grace.” Why? Everybody knows it. Even non-Christians know it. It is one of the most recognizable tunes through the course of human history. It seems almost everyone knows the whole first verse.

God has used this hymn to catechize millions of people in the basics of the goodness of God’s grace. And the author, John Newton, personally knew the grace of God, and was driven by it. One of the reasons the hymn has had such staying power, is because of Newton’s incredible change of life, from being a miserable slave-trader, to a Gospel-focused pastor.

I encourage you to read (or listen to) John Piper’s analysis of Newton’s life called The Tough Roots of His Habitual Tenderness.

The song has been adapted to every conceivable musical style. In more recent days, contemporary Christian musician Chris Tomlin has added a moving chorus to the song, which has come to be known My Chains Are Gone. The version provided below by Tomlin includes this chorus.

Here are the best known verses:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now am found
Was blind, but now I see

T’was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace my fears relieved
How precious did that Grace appear
the hour I first believed

Through many dangers, toils and snares
We have already come
T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far
And Grace will lead us home

Some of the lesser known verses penned by Newton include:

The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease
I shall possess within the veil
A life of joy and peace

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, who called me here below
Shall be forever mine

Tomlin’s chorus:

My chains are gone
I’ve been set free
My God my Savior
Has ransomed me
And like a flood
His mercy rains
Unending love
Amazing grace

One other popular verse the Newton did not write, which came through the African tradition, and which is usually sung today:

When we’ve been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise
Then when we first begun

What is a thrill? It is something that gets the heart pumping, like a roller coaster ride, or skydiving with a burning parachute, or riding on a bull named Fu Man Chu.

It seem like most people are thrill-seekers of one kind or another. We all want our lives to have exciting moments.

Thoro Harris, who penned the words to All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus, has really hit a nerve. Though Jesus Christ is a thrilling person, who does thrilling things, like saving sinners by dying on a cross and rising from the dead, we don’t usually think of Him as bringing excitement to life. But we need to learn to think otherwise. This song helps catechize God’s people in realizing that only Christ can truly thrill the soul.

I love this old hymn because it has a flavor of what John Piper has termed “Christian Hedonism.” Nobody thrills me like Christ! As Psalm 63:3 implies, “He is more than life to me.” I found next to nothing about the writer, Thoro Harris (1874-1955), other than he wrote many other hymns. Here the lyrics and a recording of a church singing the song together:

Who can cheer the heart like Jesus
By His presence all diving
True and tender, pure and precious
O, how blest to call Him mine

Chorus) All that thrills my soul is Jesus
He is more than life to me
And the fairest of ten thousand
In my blessed Lord I see

Love of Christ so freely given
Grace of God beyond degree
Mercy higher than the heavens
Deeper than the deepest sea

What a wonderful redemption
Never can a mortal know
Ho my sin, though red like crimson
Can be whiter than the snow

Every need His hand supplying
Every good in Him I see
On His strength divine relying
He is all in all to me

By the crystal flowing river
With the ransomed I will sing
And forever and forever
Praise and glorify the King?

Here is a classic hymn of the Church, with deeply meaningful lyrics, and a memorable melody line. The words were written in 1780 by Edward Perronet, who was a friend and co-minister with John and Charles Wesley.

Perronet, who was the son of an Anglican priest, was himself a capable preacher as well as hymnist and poet.

The lyrics of All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name are spelled out below. In recent days, Chris Tomlin has produced an updated version of the great hymn. You can listen to this version at the bottom of the page.

All hail the power of Jesus’ name! 
Let angels prostrate fall;
bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all. 
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him Lord of all. 

2. Ye chosen seed of Israel’s race,
ye ransomed from the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all.
Hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him Lord of all.

3. Sinners, whose love can ne’er forget
the wormwood and the gall,
go spread your trophies at his feet,
and crown him Lord of all. 
Go spread your trophies at his feet,
and crown him Lord of all. 

4. Let every kindred, every tribe
on this terrestrial ball,
to him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all. 
To him all majesty ascribe,
and crown him Lord of all. 

5. Crown him, ye martyrs of your God,
who from his altar call;
extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,
and crown him Lord of all. 
Extol the Stem of Jesse’s Rod,
and crown him Lord of all. 

6. O that with yonder sacred throng
we at his feet may fall! 
We’ll join the everlasting song,
and crown him Lord of all. 
We’ll join the everlasting song,
and crown him Lord of all.

Dave Moody penned this famous praise chorus in 1977. It does have a sort of “Jesus People” feel to it, but it has endured through the years. The lyrics are not original, but simply a victorious chant in honor of our coming King, using several of Christ’s royal titles to focus the attention of worshippers upon His majesty and power.

I would love to see this simple chorus updated into maybe a David Crowder Band style, or Rush of Fools style, with a new verse or two to build up to the chorus. Here are the lyrics:

All hail King Jesus
All hail Emmanuel
King of Kings
Lord of Lords
Bright Morning Star
And throughout eternity
I’ll sing Your praises
And I’ll reign with You throughout eternity

Here is Covenant Fellowship, a church in TN, singing the song together to the Lord:

Poet and English Professor at Duke University, Reyonlds Price collaborated with the ever-captivating muscian James Taylor to write  New Hymn.

The poem appears in Price’s collection of poetry The Use of Fire (1990) and was recorded by Taylor on his Live album (1993). Apparently it was written to honor the retirement of Taylor’s friend and controversial clergyman Bishop Paul Moore.

The last stanza is striking for me as a person interested in worldviews and Christian apologetics, because it artfully lists the three major worldview options available to us, namely, Naturalism, Pantheism, and Theism. Here is the lyric:

‘Til our few atoms blow to dust
Or form again in wiser lives
Or find your face and hear our name
In your calm voice the end of night
If dark may end
Wellspring goal of Dark and Day

Be here
Be now

“‘Til our few atoms blow to dust,” is the view of the Naturalist. Humans creatures on this view are nothing more than the sum of their atoms, and upon the end of life, these atoms simply blow to dust. Reynolds and Taylor seem to consider this as a possible option, and indeed, many others do today including aggressive atheist Richard Dawkins.

“Or form again in wiser lifes,” depicts the view of the Pantheist, who holds to reincarnation as the natural course of life until an individual is finally absorbed into Nirvana / Brahman. At which point, he will cease to be an individual altogether, and in many forms of Pantheism, was never an individual at all, since everything is essentially the same divine thing. Reynolds and Taylor seem to consider this also as a viable worldview option.

“Or find your face and hear our name,” is the view of the Theist who believes God is a personal being who knows us by name. He is real (contra Naturalism) and He is not the same as us (contra Pantheism). He speaks our name, and knows who we are, and cares about us. For Reynolds and Taylor, Theism also seems to be a viable option.

But even though for the authors of New Hymn, all three choices seem to be viable wait-and-see options (a sort of cautious agnosticism), the task of Christian apologetics has made it plain that the last option is most plausible, answers more questions, and provides meaning and purpose to life. The resurrection of Jesus (demonstrated by many historical evidences), along with the authenticity of the Old and New Testaments, gives us abundant reason to believe not simply in a loose Theism, as lightly promoted in the song, but rather to give our lives to the cause of glorifying Jesus Christ.

I admit, the artsy side of me gets teary-eyed hearing the song. It comes across with an element of hope on the one hand, since one of three options must apparently and logically be true. But it also comes across with a sense of despair, assuming that we simply cannot know which worldview is true. I would argue strongly that we can know, especially since the Savior has instructed us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

Francis of Assisi (1182-1226) is a controversial figure in church history, but most streams of Christianity love this hymn which flowed from his pen. It has been updated recently by Fernando Ortega and the David Crowder Band.

All creatures of our God and King
Lift up your voice and with us sing
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia

Thou burning sun with golden beam
Thou silver moon with softer gleam
Oh, praise Him
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia

Thou rushing wind that art so strong
Ye clouds that sail in heav’n along
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia

Thou rising moon in praise rejoice
Ye lights of evening find a voice
Oh, praise Him
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia

Let all things their creator bless
And worship Him in humbleness
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia

Praise, praise the Father praise the Son
And praise the Spirit three in one
Oh, praise Him
Oh, praise Him
Alleluia
Alleluia
Alleluia