GOSPEL >> REPENTANCE
SDAH 295
Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed His blood for me;
Died that I might live on high,
Died that I might never die;
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For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: Chief of Sinners
William McComb’s hymn, originally titled “Christ All in All,” confesses the sinner’s deep need and Christ’s abundant sufficiency. A humble bookseller from Northern Ireland, McComb wrote with heartfelt honesty, and his words point clearly to Jesus as the answer to every soul’s longing. The tune SPANISH HYMN, arranged by Benjamin Carr, provides a warm, reverent frame for the text. Its musical repetition gently presses home the central message: that even the chief of sinners may find grace, forgiveness, and transformation in Christ.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
The Holy Spirit assures us that we are forgiven and saved. Jesus came into this world to give all of us hope and free us from the fear of death and shame of our past. (Lesson 12, 1st Quarter 2021 -Monday, Who is Forgiven?, 3/15/2021)
“If sin has affected, our whole system, so does grace.” Jesus shed His blood for us to save us from our sinful condition. No matter how great our sin is, His blood is sufficient to cleanse us and make us whole in the sight of God. (Lesson 5, 2nd Quarter 2021, Tuesday, The Messianic Promise, 4/27/2021)
These words were written by William McComb under the title “Christ All in All,” an expression used in the last stanza of the hymn. It was first printed in Christ in Song, 1869, in New York City. McComb was born in Coleraine, County of Londonderry, Northern Ireland, in 1793; he moved to Belfast, where he became a bookseller. His writings are published in his Poetical Works, 1864. He died about 1870.
SPANISH HYMN is an arrangement published in 1826 by Benjamin Carr (1769-1831), an Englishman who emigrated to the United States and became a music dealer and music printer. Carr was an organist in Philadephia, and helped to introduce both operatic and classical music to America. Notice that the third score is an exact repetition of the first score and the second score has two musical phrases exactly alike. (See SDAH 10, MADRED, for a modification of the tune.)
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Chief of sinners though I be,
Jesus shed His blood for me;
Died that I might live on high,
Died that I might never die;
As the branch is to the vine,
I am His, and He is mine.
2
O the height of Jesus’ love!
Higher than the heaven above,
Deeper than the deepest sea,
Lasting as eternity;
Love that found me-wondrous thought!
Found me when I sought Him not!
3
Chief of sinners though I be,
Christ is all in all to me;
All my wants to Him are known,
All my sorrows are His own;
Safe with Him from earthly strife,
He sustains the hidden life.
Hymn Info
Biblical Information
(a) 1 Tim 1:15; Mark 14:24; John 15:5 (b) Eph 3:18, 19 (c) Col 3:11
Author
William McComb (1793-1870)
Hymn Tune
SPANISH HYMN
Metrical Number
7.7.7.7.7.7.
Arranger
Benjamin Carr (1769-1831)
Tune Source
1826
