A Hymn Of Grace: Grace Greater Than Our Sin

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the Refuge, the mighty Cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide,
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! there is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe;
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?

Refrain:

Grace, grace,
God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.

—Julia H. Johnston

Each stanza of this hymn highlights a sparkling facet of the doctrine of grace. Stanza one points out that God’s grace exceeds man’s sin and guilt, a teaching of Rom 5:20b: “But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.”

The second stanza proclaims that the Cross of Christ is our only refuge from sin and its accompanying despair. This echoes Col 1:20, which states that by Him (Christ) peace has been made, “by the blood of His cross.”

The third stanza parallels the teaching of 1 John 1:7b: “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” We cannot cleanse ourselves-remove the stain-of any of our sin. But through Christ’s blood we can be cleansed of all sin.

The last stanza declares that this saving grace is “freely bestowed on all who believe,” a teaching in total agreement with numerous Bible passages, including Eph 2:8: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

“Grace Greater Than Our Sin” was copyrighted in 1910. The lyrics were written by Julia H. Johnston (1849–1919). The tune was composed by Daniel B. Towner, who was born in 1850 in Rome, Pennsylvania. In addition to serving as musical director at various Methodist churches, Towner served as head of Moody Bible Institute’s musical department from 1893 until his death in 1919. [1]

—Frances A. Mosher (Pianist, Christ Congregation, Dallas, Texas)

Notes

1. Phil Kerr, Music in Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962), 181.