The Precious Blood of Jesus
In this beautiful hymn, Robert Lowry focuses our attention on the one thing that can cleanse us from sin and make us right with God: the precious blood of Jesus. As a gifted preacher and hymnwriter, Lowry understood the centrality of the cross and the power of the blood in the Christian faith.
The opening question is one that haunts many hearts: “What can wash away my sin?” Lowry’s answer is simple yet profound: “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” No amount of good works, religious rituals, or self-improvement can cleanse the stain of sin. Only the blood of Christ, shed on the cross, has the power to make us clean.
Lowry goes on to marvel at the precious flow of Jesus’ blood, declaring that it “makes me white as snow.” This is a beautiful picture of the transforming power of God’s grace. Though our sins are like scarlet, the blood of Jesus washes us and makes us pure in God’s sight. No other fount or source of cleansing can compare.
In the following verses, Lowry emphasizes that the blood of Jesus is the only basis for our pardon, cleansing, and atonement. Our good deeds, as impressive as they may be, cannot earn us salvation. Lowry understood that we are justified by faith alone, through the finished work of Christ on the cross.
The final verse is a powerful declaration of the believer’s hope, peace, and righteousness. Lowry reminds us that our standing before God is not based on our own merits, but on the blood of Jesus. When we trust in Christ’s sacrifice, we are clothed in His perfect righteousness and can enjoy true peace with God.
As we sing this hymn, may we marvel at the precious blood of Jesus and the incredible grace it represents. May we, like Robert Lowry, find our hope, peace, and righteousness in Christ alone. And may we never cease to proclaim the power of the blood to a world in need of cleansing and redemption.
