July 1, 2013
One of the major ways Christians have let the Word of God dwell in us richly throughout history has been through singing hymns in church gatherings. Hymns are beloved because they share the richness of the gospel and the beauty of Jesus Christ in a catchy and memorable way.
Hymns and other truth-filled songs have the habit of ministering to our hearts, giving us hope and faith. They teach us theology, help us minister to each other, unite us with Christians from the past centuries, and take our eyes off ourselves and put them on Jesus.
This purpose of this post is to encourage you by sharing classic and modern Christian hymns and their gospel-centered lyrics. The list includes some classic hymns and some modern/contemporary church hymns.
The 25 Most Popular Christian Hymns
1. Amazing Grace – John Newton, England (1779)
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.
2. How Great Thou Art – Carl Gustav Boberg, Sweden (1885)
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder / Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made / I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder / Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
3. Holy, Holy, Holy – Reginald Heiber, England (1826)
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! / Early in the morning our song shall rise to thee / Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty / God in three persons, blessed Trinity!”
4. It is Well – Horacio Spafford, written in the Atlantic Ocean (1873)
When peace like a river, attendeth my way / When sorrows like sea billows roll / Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know / It is well, it is well, with my soul.
5. Great Is Thy Faithfulness – Thomas Chisholm, Kansas, USA (1923)
Great is Thy faithfulness O God my Father / There is no shadow of turning with Thee / Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not / As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
6. Praise To the Lord The Almighty – Joachim Neander, Germany (1665)
Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation! / O my soul, praise Him, for He is thy health and salvation! / All ye who hear, now to His temple draw near / Sing now in glad adoration!
7. Be Thou My Vision – Dallán Forgaill, Ireland (6th Century)
Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart / Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art / Thou my best thought, by day or by night / Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.
8. All Creatures Of our God and King – St. Francis of Assisi, Italy (1225)
All creatures of our God and King / Lift up your voice and with us sing / Alleluia! Alleluia!…Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son / And praise the Spirit, Three in One!
9. All Hail The Power of Jesus Name – Edward Perronet, England (1779)
All hail the power of Jesus’ name! / Let angels prostrate fall / Bring forth the royal diadem / And crown him Lord of all.
10. Blessed Assurance – Fanny Crosby, New York City, USA (1873)
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! / Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine! / Heir of salvation, purchase of God / Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
11. To God Be The Glory – Fanny Crosby, New York City, USA (1872)
To God be the glory, great things He hath done / So loved He the world that He gave us His Son / Who yielded His life our redemption to win / And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
12. When I Survey The Wondrous Cross – Isaac Watts, England (1707)
When I survey the wondrous cross / On which the Prince of glory died / My richest gain I count but loss / And pour contempt on all my pride.
13. Jesus Paid it All – Elvina Hall, Maryland, USA (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.
14. A Mighty Fortress Is Our God – Martin Luther, Germany (somewhere between 1527 – 1529)
A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing / Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing / For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe / His craft and power are great, and, armed with cruel hate, On earth is not his equal.
15. How Firm A Foundation – John Rippon, England (1787)
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord / Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word! / What more can He say than to you He hath said / Who unto the Savior for refuge have fled?
16. Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing – Robert Robison, England (1757)
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing / Tune my heart to sing Thy grace / Streams of mercy, never ceasing / Call for songs of loudest praise.
17. Crown Him With Many Crowns – Matthew Bridges, England (1852)
Crown Him with many crowns, the Lamb upon His throne / Hark! How the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own / Awake, my soul, and sing of Him who died for thee / And hail Him as thy matchless King through all eternity.
18. At the Cross – Isaac Watts, England (1707)
At the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light / And the burden of my heart rolled away / It was there by faith I received my sight / And now I am happy all the day!
19. What a Friend We Have in Jesus – Joseph M. Scriven (words in 1855) and Charles Converse (music in 1868), Ireland
What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear! / What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer! / O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear / All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.
20. Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus – Helen Lemmel, England (1922)
Turn your eyes upon Jesus / Look full in His wonderful face / And the things of earth will grow strangely dim / In the light of His glory and grace.
Contemporary and Modern Hymns
21. In Christ Alone – Keith Getty and Stuart Townend, Northern Ireland/England (2001)
In Christ alone my hope is found / He is my light, my strength, my song / This Cornerstone, this solid ground / Firm through the fiercest drought and storm / What heights of love, what depths of peace / When fears are stilled, when strivings cease / My Comforter, my All in All / Here in the love of Christ I stand.
22. Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus) – Chris Rice, USA (2003)
Weak and wounded sinner / Lost and left to die / O, raise your head, for love is passing by / Come to Jesus / Come to Jesus / Come to Jesus and live!
23. 10,000 Reasons – Matt Redman, England (2011)
Bless the Lord, O my soul O my soul / Worship His holy name / Sing like never before, O my soul / I’ll worship Your holy name.
24. I Will Glory in My Redeemer – Steve and Vicki Cook, Louisville, Kentucky, USA (2000)
I will glory in my Redeemer / Whose priceless blood has ransomed me/ Mine was the sin that drove the bitter nails / And hung Him on that judgment tree / I will glory in my Redeemer / Who crushed the power of sin and death / My only Savior before the holy Judge / The Lamb who is my righteousness.
25. Jesus, Thank You – Pat Sczebel, Louisville, Kentucky, USA (2003)
The mystery of the cross I cannot comprehend / The agonies of Calvary / You the perfect Holy One, crushed Your Son / Who drank the bitter cup reserved for me / Your blood has washed away my sin / Jesus, thank You / The Father’s wrath completely satisfied / Jesus, thank You / Once Your enemy, now seated at Your table / Jesus, thank You.
What are your favorite Christian hymns and why?
[Photo Credit: Unsplash]
Topics: The Gospel
THE AUTHOR
Kevin Halloran
Kevin Halloran is a blogger and coffee aficionado. He serves with Leadership Resources International, training pastors to preach God’s Word with God’s heart. Follow Kevin on Twitter or visit his blog.