Christ Je­sus my Lord from Hea­ven came,
To save me from guilt and sin and shame;
His death on the cross of Cal­va­ry
Brought par­don and gave me li­ber­ty.

Refrain

I love Him be­cause He first loved me,
He first loved me, He first loved me;
I love Him because He first loved me,
And died on the cross of Cal­va­ry.

He sweat drops of blood in pray­er for me,
Heartbroken in dark Geth­se­ma­ne.
While an­gels from bless­èd realms of light
Gave strength to His ach­ing heart that night.

Refrain

Up Cal­va­ry’s hill the cross He bore,
And for me a crown of thorns He wore;
They nailed Him up­on the tree to die,
Then dark­ness came ov­er earth and sky.

Refrain

My Lord who was slain by sin­ful man,
A won­der­ful friend to me has been;
He rose from the tomb with vic­to­ry,
And now I love Him who first loved me.

Refrain