Glorying in the Cross of Christ

“Glorying in the Cross of Christ Jesus,” better known as “Jesus, and shall it ever be,” is a stirring hymn penned by Joseph Grigg, an English hymnwriter originally trained in mechanics who later entered pastoral ministry in London and Essex hymnstudiesblogHymnary. Written approximately in 1765. possibly as early as when he was ten, it became one of his two best-known hymns, alongside “Behold a Stranger at the Door.” 

The hymn’s structure is Long Metre (L.M., 8.8.8.8), and the powerful rhetorical question inviting introspection “A mortal man ashamed of Thee?” serves as its emotional and theological core. Across its stanzas, Grigg paints vivid contrasts: being ashamed of Christ is likened to evening blushing at a star or midnight ashamed of noon. He portrays Christ as both the Morning Star and his soul’s rescuer in darkness.

The hymn concludes with a heartfelt declaration: until “crimes are washed away, tears wiped, joys acquired,” the writer boasts in a Saviour slain and his glory shall be that “Christ is not ashamed of me”

Over time, editors and hymnbook compilers revised the original stanzas some omitted, others altered wording, but its message remained potent and deeply resonant. One version appeared in the Gospel Magazine in 1774 under the heading “Shame of Jesus conquer’d by Love,” and other versions followed in Baptist and Methodist hymn collections.

Its enduring popularity is evident in its inclusion in hundreds of hymnals (over 1,200 instances) from the African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal (#288) to countless denominational collections, spanning generations and geographies 

This hymn strikes at the heart of evangelical conviction: the fearless confession of Christ amid personal or social shame. It echoes biblical exhortations like, “If we deny Him before men, He also will deny us before His Father” (Luke 9:26), while affirming the believer’s longing that Christ never deny them. Its vivid imagery, scriptural resonance, and personal devotion make it a beloved choice for services on repentance, confession, consecration, and evangelism.