Victory in Jesus
One of the 94 hymns we sing together at Cornerstone Reformed Baptist Church on the Gold Coast. Browse the full hymnbook.
Lyrics
Verse 1
I heard an old, old story how a Saviour came
from glory,
How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me;
I heard about His groaning, of His precious
blood’s atoning,
Then I repented of my sins and won the victory
Chorus
O victory in Jesus, my Saviour, forever!
He sought me and bought me with His
redeeming blood;
He loved me ere I knew Him, and all my love
is due Him.
He plunged me to victory beneath the cleansing flood
Verse 2
I heard about His healing, of His cleansing
pow’r revealing
How He made the lame to walk again and
caused the blind to see;
And then I cried, “Dear Jesus, come and heal
my broken spirit,”
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the
song of victory.
Verse 3
I heard about a mansion He has built for me
in glory,
And I heard about the streets of gold beyond
the crystal sea;
About the angels singing and the old
redemption story,
And some sweet day I’ll sing up there the
song of victory.
Behind the Hymn
"Victory in Jesus" was written by Eugene Monroe Bartlett Sr. in 1939, and it was the last hymn he ever wrote. Bartlett had been a prominent figure in Southern gospel music — he founded the Hartford Music Company in Hartford, Arkansas, and ran one of the most successful gospel music publishing businesses in the South. By 1939, he had suffered a debilitating stroke that left him partially paralyzed and bedridden, and he knew he was near the end of his life. From his sickbed, he composed this triumphant song about hearing the old, old story of Jesus' love and claiming victory through His blood. The hymn's joyful, almost defiant tone — declaring victory even in the face of physical defeat — makes it all the more powerful when you know it was written by a dying man. Bartlett passed away later that year, but "Victory in Jesus" went on to become one of the most beloved gospel songs in American Christianity, particularly in Baptist and Pentecostal churches throughout the South.