Lyrics
How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory
Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished
I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom
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Meaning & Inspiration
Stuart Townend wrote this modern hymn for congregational singing. It appears on his album Jesus Lover of My Soul.
One line stops me every time: “It was my sin that held Him there / Until it was accomplished.” Not the Roman soldiers. Not the nails. My sin. That’s hard to sit with. The cross wasn’t an accident or a tragedy that got away from God. It was a deliberate, painful completion. The next line says it was finished—tetelestai, the Greek word for a debt paid in full.
Scripture backs this up. Romans 5:8 says Christ died for us while we were still sinners. He didn’t wait until we got better. Paul also says in Galatians 6:14 that he boasts only in the cross. The song’s final verse echoes that: no boasting in gifts or wisdom, only in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
There’s a tension here—my sin held Him, yet His love held me. I don’t fully understand why He did it. The song admits that too: “Why should I gain from His reward? / I cannot give an answer.” Faith doesn’t require full explanation. Just trust.