Lyrics
Verse 1
My Jesus I love thee, I know thou art mine
For thee all the follies of sin I resign
My gracious redeemer my savior art thou
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus 'tis now
Verse 2
I love thee because thou hast first loved me
And purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree
I love thee for wearing the thorns on thy brow
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus 'tis now
Chorus
I'll love you in life, I'll love you in death
With every beat of my heart
With every breath
Verse 3
In mansions of glory in endless delight
I'll ever adore thee in heaven so bright
I'll sing with a glittering crown on my brow
If ever I loved thee, my Jesus 'tis now
Chorus (Repeat x4)
Tag
With every beat of my heart
With every breath
With every beat of my heart
With every breath
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
"My Jesus I Love Thee" opens with a direct declaration of belonging, knowing Christ as personally one's own before naming the specific cost of that relationship, resigning every folly of sin. That immediate exchange, sin resigned for belonging claimed, frames the entire hymn around love as response to redemption already accomplished.
Its second verse grounds that love in a specific reason, loving because loved first, naming Calvary directly as the place where pardon was purchased and thorns were worn. That sequence, Christ's love preceding the singer's own, keeps the hymn's affection grounded in gratitude rather than independent devotion.
Rooted in nineteenth-century hymn tradition, the hymn functions as an escalating declaration of love through life, death, and eternity, its closing verse looking toward heaven's mansions and a crown worn there, extending present devotion into an unbroken, everlasting adoration that continues with every heartbeat and breath.
Related Scripture
- 1 John 4:19 Describes loving because God first loved, directly echoed in the hymn's second verse.
- John 14:2 Describes many mansions prepared in God's house, directly echoed in the hymn's third verse.