Hymn Story: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

Galatians 6:14  But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

 

Isaac Watts wrote "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross" in preparation for a communion service in 1707. Originally, the hymn was named "Crucifixion to the World by the Cross of Christ," following the practice of the day to summarize a hymn's theme in the title. It was first published in 1707 in Watt's collection Hymns and Spiritual Songs.

Watts wrote five stanzas for the original version of "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross." However, he put his fourth stanza in brackets, indicating it was the most likely one to be left out, if need be:

"His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o'er His body on the tree:
Then am I dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me."

 

Other alterations have been made to this hymn through the years. For example, line 2 originally read "Young Prince of Glory," but in the second edition of the hymnal, Watts changed it to "When God, the Mighty Maker, died." It has also been "When Christ, the Lord of Glory, died," "When Christ, the Great Redeemer, died," and "When Christ, the Great Creator, died." In the nineteenth century there were numerous collections with extensive alterations to the hymn.

"When I Survey The Wondrous Cross" is considered one of the finest hymns ever written. It's the first known hymn to be written in the first person, introducing a personal religious experience rather than limiting itself to doctrine.

In Watts' day such hymns were termed "hymns of human composure" and they stirred up great controversy. At the time, congregational singing was predominately ponderous repetitions of the Psalms. But this hymn gave Christians of Watts' day a way to express a deeply personal gratitude to their Saviour. The well-loved song continues to stir our hearts today.

Listen to it here: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross