When Moody and Sankey were in Paris, holding meetings in the old church, which in the earlier century, Napoleon had placed at the disposal of Evangelicals, Mr. Sankey frequently sang this hymn as a solo, asking his French congregation to join in the single phrase, “Hallelujah! what a Savior!” which they did with remarkable enthusiasm. An interesting fact is that the word “Hallelujah” is the same in almost every language all over the world.

This hymn was written by P. P. Bliss in 1876, at a Gospel meeting in Farwell Hall, Chicago, conducted by Henry Moorehouse, the renowned evangelist. Among early writers in Sankey’s “Sacred Songs and Solos,” Bliss takes a prominent place. He was both a poet and a musician, and practically all his hymns were set to music by himself. These quickly became popular, and at the commencement of the great Moody and Sankey mission, which brought songs from continent to continent, at once established them in the hearts and homes of many-a-believer.

When Bliss was thirty years old, an event occurred which he regarded as one of the most important of his life; it was when he met D. L. Moody, who was at the time holding Gospel services in Chicago. P. P. Bliss had a splendid bass voice with an outstanding tone and quality, his powerful singing attracted the attention of Mr. Moody. This meeting had long lasting effects; it began a movement that was among the most blessed and remarkable during the last half of the 19C.

Mr. Bliss wrote many hymns. To him, writing was a spontaneous out-flow of the emotion and melody with which his soul was filled. His hymns breathed a spirit of devotion. With him the “Coming of the Lord” was a Scripture truth so vivid that his life felt the inspiration of it in everything he said or did. This is exemplified in the last verse of “Man of Sorrows,” where the writer uses words of exultation:

“When He comes our glorious King,

All the ransomed home to bring,

Then anew this song to sing:

Hallelujah! What a Savior!”

Often he would come to his wife with the theme of a hymn, with his face shining and his eyes with tears, and would ask for prayers that God would bless the hymn. At other times, when he found that God was using his songs to bring some precious truth of the Gospel, or the exaltation of the Lord Jesus, his heart would overflow with joy.

D. L. Moody wrote about his singing: “As a writer and singer of Gospel songs he was, in my estimate, the most highly honored of God of any man of his time; and with all his gifts, he was among the most humble man I ever knew.”

“I will sing of my Redeemer,

And his wondrous love for me:

On the cruel cross He suffered,

From the curse He set me free.”

This was his last composition.

There is a sad event attached to this hymn, having been written a few days before his tragic death. The manuscript was discovered by Mr. James McGranahan among his friend’s belongings, and he wrote for it the beautiful tune to which it is still sung today.

Phillip Paul Bliss was called home on December 29, 1876. He and his wife were traveling together toward Chicago, when at Ashtabula, Ohio, a railway bridge collapsed and the train was thrown into the stream below. Mr. Bliss initially escaped but died in an attempt to save his wife from the burning carriage. He was thirty eight years of age.

Mark 15:16 tells us that “the soldiers led Him away within the courtyard, that is, the praetorium, and called together the whole cohort. ”

The number of Roman soldiers in a cohort is about 500 men or a tenth of a legion ( approx. 5000) Knowing that, reread Mark 15 and consider how He suffered (not only upon the cross) for us.

For example, how would we feel if only one person were to mock us, spit upon us, beat us, slap us? What about 500?

And He, the spotless Lamb of God, suffered and died, shedding His sinless blood for all of those Roman soldiers.

“But God commends His own love to us in that WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS, Christ died for us. ”

Romans 5:8

Much better than hillsongs version

The compassion He had for a miserable man like myself rather made him a man of sorrow having took my sin upon himself to Calvary.

What a Saviour indeed!!!!

You took away death that was ours and you gave us your life.

What manner of love this is.

Hallelujah to your name.

Unworthy as we are you had so much compassion on us. That you gave your only son as a ransom for our lives.

What can say???

What can sing????

Praise be your Holy name.

I worship you all the days of my life.

Amen

Beautiful song and inspiring

Very powerful song. God bless the writer 🙏

Whenever I listen to this song, Isaiah 53 comes to my remembrance and I see myself operating in the realm of love. The world would have become a place of hopelessness as the lake of fire would be a constant in humanity but here comes the greatest gift ever (THE GIFT OF FULL REDEMPTION)

Woke up this morning with this song on my mind and I just had to look for it and sing. “Lord, I thank you for the cross; that you didn’t shy away from suffering such shame for my sake. Help me to live daily for you”

This song puts me in a state of contrition each time I sing or hear others sing it. I imagine what it was like at that very moment on the cross... all that He went through... And I gives me this joy and a feeling of assurance. To God be the glory... What a Saviour!