Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
Verse 1
Come behold the wondrous mystery
In the dawning of the King,
He, the theme of heaven’s praises,
Robed in frail humanity.
In our longing, in our darkness,
Now the Light of Life has come;
Look to Christ, Who condescended,
Took on flesh to ransom us!
Verse 2
Come behold the wondrous mystery:
He the perfect Son of Man,
In His living, in His suffering,
Never trace nor stain of sin
See the true and better Adam
Come to save the hell-bound man,
Christ, the great and sure fulfillment
Of the law, in Him we stand.
Verse 3
Come behold the wondrous mystery:
Christ the Lord upon the tree;
In the stead of ruined sinners
Hangs the Lamb in victory!
See the price of our redemption;
See the Father’s plan unfold,
Bringing many sons to glory,
Grace unmeasured, love untold!
Verse 4
Come behold the wondrous mystery:
Slain by death, the God of life;
But no grave could e'er restrain Him.
Praise the Lord, He is alive!
What a foretaste of deliverance;
How unwavering our hope:
Christ in power resurrected,
As we will be when He comes.
Behind the Hymn
"Come, Behold the Wondrous Mystery" was written in 2012 by Matt Papa, Matt Boswell, and Michael Bleecker, three pastor-songwriters who wanted to create a hymn that walked through the entire gospel narrative in four verses. Papa and Boswell, both pastors and worship leaders in the Southern Baptist tradition, have been at the forefront of a movement to write new hymns with the theological weight and poetic craft of classic hymnody. The hymn moves chronologically from the incarnation ("God the Son forsaking glory") through Christ's sinless life, His crucifixion, and finally His resurrection and the believer's future hope. Each verse begins with the invitation to "come, behold" — echoing the angelic invitation at the empty tomb and drawing the singer into the wonder of redemption. The melody is stately yet singable, designed to be accessible for congregational singing without requiring a worship band. It has been widely adopted in Reformed Baptist and Presbyterian churches and is frequently used during communion and Passion Week services.