a great song because of great lyrics

I have thought for a while that it would be great to go through some great songs and deal with the powerful theologically packed statements in them, and that if Christians today knew and understood half of what the hymns mean, our churches might be on a deeper and more wholesome level in our relationship with Christ. But, before I pull out some of my favorites and list the lyrics and add my commentary to the great truths that are shown in them, I thought I’d start out simple, but yet wonderful.

Jesus loves me is a great song that most of us have sung or have had it sung to us. The one (main) verse never was super complete in my mind, so when I heard another popular one (verse three in my compilation) I became emboldened to create other verses that expounded on some of the truth of the scripture to this simple and lovely tune.

I compiled the verses in this order because it seemed to be the most natural flow (theologically) with the preeminence given to the main verse because it is the one that everyone knows.


Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but He is strong

Jesus loves us, one and all
He came to save us from the fall
He died and He rose on the third day
So that He could wash all of our sins away¹

Jesus loves me, He who died
Heaven’s gates to open wide
He will wash away my sin
And let the Holy Spirit come in

Jesus loves me, there’s no doubt
‘cause the Spirit pours it out
Little ones to Him belong
We are weak, but He is strong²

Jesus loves you, yes He does
Because the Bible says He does
He came to earth so that you could go
Up to heaven and this I know³

Jesus loves me when I’m good
When I do the things I should
Jesus loves me when I’m bad
Though it makes him very sad⁴

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¹ I came up with this verse myself (if someone else wrote it earlier, I can’t say that I’d ever heard it before I was singing to my son when he was little).

² John Piper came up with this one and shared it with his congregation in a sermon.

³ Similarly to the third verse, I came up with this one while singing to Micah.

⁴ I personally struggle whether or not to use sad here. I tend to want to say “mad” instead of “sad” because sin makes Him genuinely wrathful, even though, as believers, we will not feel the weight of that ourselves because Christ already bore it for us.