I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy đ. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the old hymns.
Today’s song is There is a Green Hill from 1848.
1 There is a green hill far away,
outside a city wall,
where the dear Lord was crucified,
who died to save us all.
2 We may not know, we cannot tell
what pains He had to bear,
but we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.
3 He died that we might be forgiv'n,
He died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heav'n,
saved by His precious blood.
4 There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
of heav'n, and let us in.
5 O dearly, dearly has He loved,
and we must love Him too,
and trust in His redeeming blood,
and try His works to do.
It began as a children’s hymn, written by Cecil Frances Alexander, an Irish hymn writer from County Tyrone. She also wrote âOnce in Royal Davidâs Cityâ and âAll Things Bright and Beautiful.â
I love the lyrics because they’re simple enough for a child to understand but also serve as an excellent summary of the Christian message. The cross is at the very heart of Christian teaching. I grew up hearing that Jesus died for me, but I never really understood it until I started attending evangelical churches as an 18-year-old.
What does it mean when it says, “He died to make us good”? I don’t consider myself particularly good. But the key thing is that when we trust in Him, we are treated as if we were good. We get to heaven on the merit of Jesus. And we do genuinely grow in holiness. But my progress is a little like my progress at playing the guitar. I play everyday, but I’m still not great. And I engage with God everyday, but I still fall short of even my own standards, let alone God’s standards. But God simply wants us to learn from Him. No-one will ever merit a place in heaven, apart from Jesus, who’ll bring millions with him. And we will be good when we get to heaven because all sin and suffering will be eradicated.
The one thing that puzzles me about the hymn is the green hill. I don’t think of Calvary as green. Maybe the writer just needed an extra word for the first line. Some say that she was inspired by a green hill outside Derry/Londonderry.
John 19:17-19
Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two othersâone on each side and Jesus in the middle.
Interestingly, in Luke’s gospel, it speaks of one of those thieves who were crucified with Him, putting their trust in him. And Jesus said “truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”.
1 Peter 2:24
âHe himself bore our sinsâ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; âby his wounds you have been healed.â
Hebrews 9:27-28
27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Here are some other versions of the song:
Hibernia Gospel 