Are You Washed in the Blood?

"Are You Washed in the Blood?" was written by Elisha Albright Hoffman in 1878, one of the most prolific gospel songwriters of the nineteenth century, who penned over two thousand hymns during his lifetime. Hoffman was a Presbyterian minister from Pennsylvania who served as a pastor and later as an editor for the Evangelical Association's publishing house. The hymn's direct, pointed question — "Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?" — reflects the evangelistic urgency that characterized nineteenth-century American revival preaching. The imagery comes from Revelation 7:14, where the great multitude in heaven is described as having "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." The song's repetitive question format was designed for revival meetings and camp meetings, where the goal was to bring listeners to a point of personal decision about their relationship with Christ. Each verse addresses a different aspect of spiritual readiness — trusting in Christ, living under His cleansing, being prepared for His return — making it both an evangelistic appeal and a call to self-examination for believers.