This month, I decided to feature two hymns instead of one. While, at first, they might seem a bit unrelated to each other, you might be surprised when you learn the connection between them. “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness” was written by Count von Zinzedorf, a man famous for his generosity and support of mission work. “I Gave My Life for Thee” was written by Frances Havergal, a poet and hymn-writer.

Both of these hymns are beautiful in their own way. “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness” is a solid, doctrinal song, full of rich truths. “I Gave My Life for Thee” is a call for the believer to live their lives for God.

Here is the story behind these hymns:

In the year 1700, Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf was born into a wealthy, noble family in Germany. As the only son, he was the heir to his family’s riches. While Zinzendorf was known for his love for Christ from a young age, something happened to him when he was nineteen that would deeply impress him.

After studying law at the University of Wittenburg, Zinzendorf and his half-brother embarked on a tour of some of the great learning centers in Europe. During their travels, they visited an art museum in Dusseldorf, Germany. Here, Zinzedorf came face to face with a painting by Domenico Feti called Ecce Homo (“Behold, the man).

The painting depicted Jesus, having been scourged and beaten, standing before Pilate with a crown of thorns on His head. Underneath the painting was an inscription, which read, “All this have I done for thee; what doest thou for Me?” Zinzedorf was so moved by these words that he thought to himself, “I have loved Him for a long time, but I have never actually done anything for Him. From now on I will do whatever He leads me to do.”

After this experience, Count von Zinzendorf devoted much of his time and money to the work of the Lord. During his lifetime, he also wrote many hymns, one of the most well-known being “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness.”

More than one hundred years later, a young woman named Frances Havergal was also visiting the art museum at Dusseldorf. Frances was a poet and had a deep love for God from her youth. Having grown up in a musical family, she was both a brilliant pianist and singer.

There at the art museum, Frances, too, encountered the Ecce Homo painting. And it had the same effect on the young woman that it had had on Zinzendorf over a century earlier. Reading the inscription beneath the painting, she immediately found a scrap of paper and pencil and began to write. The words that she scribbled down would later become known as the hymn, “I Gave My Life for Thee.”

I hope this story will inspire you to use your talents and gifts for the Lord, whatever they are. The gospel should transform not only our hearts, but our lives, and should compel us to give more to the One who gave His life for us.

You can find the tune for “Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness” here, and the tune for “I Gave My Life for Thee” here. And, now, here are the lyrics to both hymns:

Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness

Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
‘Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.

Bold shall I stand in thy great day;
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully absolved through these I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.

When from the dust of death I rise
To claim my mansion in the skies,
Ev’n then this shall be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.

Jesus, be endless praise to thee,
Whose boundless mercy hath for me—
For me a full atonement made,
An everlasting ransom paid.

O let the dead now hear thy voice;
Now bid thy banished ones rejoice;
Their beauty this, their glorious dress,
Jesus, thy blood and righteousness.

I Gave My Life for Thee

Verse 1:

 I gave My life for thee,
My precious blood I shed,
That thou mightst ransomed be,
And quickened from the dead;

I gave, I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou done for Me?
I gave, I gave My life for thee,
What hast thou done for Me?

Verse 2:

My Father’s house of light,
My glory-circled throne
I left for earthly night,
For wanderings sad and lone;

I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for Me?
I left, I left it all for thee,
Hast thou left aught for Me?

Verse 3:

I suffered much for thee,
More than thy tongue can tell,
Of bitterest agony,
To rescue thee from hell;

I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?
I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee,
What hast thou borne for Me?

Verse 4:

And I have brought to thee,
Down from My home above,
Salvation full and free,
My pardon and My love;

I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,
What hast thou brought to Me?
I bring, I bring rich gifts to thee,
What hast thou brought to Me?

Comment below if you have a Hymn of the Month suggestion!