I admit there’s hyperbole in that headline. It’s hard to imagine any modern-day hymn matching the influence of Stuart Townend and Keith Getty’s “In Christ Alone,” which in the past 25 years has inspired translations and countless covers, uniting believers worldwide in a song that tells the gospel story. Keith has often joked about that early collaboration being their greatest, with self-deprecating comments like “It’s all downhill from here!”
But recently, there’s been a big bump on that “downhill” journey, and it’s called “Christus Victor (Amen).” This song, introduced in September at the 2024 Sing! Conference, strikes a powerful chord. I first encountered it in South Korea, when the Gettys led worship at the Fourth Lausanne Congress, introducing it to a gathering of 5,000 representatives from over 220 nations.
I was impressed by the song’s power and the seemingly magical way the Gettys in just moments had everyone united in worship—most of whom didn’t speak English as their first language, singing at the top of their lungs with passion and confidence. (Interestingly, the Third Lausanne Congress in Cape Town in 2010 closed with “In Christ Alone,” and the intent was to have the Fourth Congress finish the same way. But once the conference organizers saw how participants responded to “Christus Victor (Amen),” they opted for the newer song to be the benediction.)
The singability of the Gettys’ catalog sets their work apart. I’ve long been thankful for their goal in fulfilling what should be the desire of every worship leader—to enable and enhance the congregation’s singing, not to show off one’s own talents or vocal ability. “Christus Victor (Amen)” shares this quality. I can see this song becoming one of the most influential of their later career. Now that the Sing! Conference version has been released, my assessment stands: This song is among the greatest the church has received in recent years.
The verses are the result of years of collaboration between the Gettys, Matt Papa, Bryan Fowler, and Matt Boswell. Keith shared that the chorus melody came suddenly during a drive in Nashville while chatting with Kristyn. The “Amen” bridge recalls the classic tradition of harmonizing together as a local congregation.
What makes “Christus Victor (Amen)” remarkable is its unique blend of melody and biblically rich lyrics, focused on Jesus’s triumph (the “Christus Victor” theme), while emphasizing his substitutionary atonement as the means of that triumph. It reminds me of Jeremy Treat’s excellent work, in both The Crucified King and The Atonement, which holds together what too many theologians would rather separate.
Take a look at the song’s first verse:
O Most High, King of the ages
Great I AM, God of wonders
By the blood You have redeemed us
Led us through mighty waters
Our strength, our song, our sure salvation
Here, we’re in Exodus. We sing to the Lord as “the Great I AM,” the “God of wonders” whose power was demonstrated in the plagues that came on Egypt. “By the blood” refers to the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, and being led “through mighty waters” imagines us walking through the Red Sea and straight into Miriam’s song of deliverance and the later Song of Moses, praising the Lord “our strength, our song, our sure salvation.”
The chorus then lifts our gaze from one of the first songs of the Bible and carries us to one of the last, in Revelation—one of the throne-room songs.
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing, honor, glory, power
For the battle You have won
Hallelujah! Amen
We’re back in the biblical storyline for verse 2, picking up with the Gospels.
O Most High, dwelling among us
Son of man sent for sinners
By Your blood You have redeemed us
Spotless Lamb, mighty Savior
Who lived, who died, who rose victorious
Here, the focus is on the incarnation and ministry of Jesus in bringing about the new exodus. The most high God of verse 1 is now “dwelling among us.” We see the “Son of man sent for sinners.” There’s a subtle shift from gratitude for the blood of the Passover Lamb as a prototype to the deeply personal, from the to Your—Christ’s blood, shed for us, as the “spotless Lamb” and “mighty Savior” whose life, death, and victorious resurrection accomplishes our salvation.
For the second chorus, we flash forward again to Revelation’s throne room, but this time with additional lines that widen the frame so we see people from “every tribe and every tongue” as well as the angels, all celebrating “the triumph of the Son.”
Now to the Lamb upon the throne
Be blessing, honor, glory, power
For the battle You have won
Hallеlujah! Amen
With every tribе and every tongue
We join the anthem of the angels
In the triumph of the Son
Hallelujah! Amen
The final verse looks forward, placing us in the throne room once more but with a view of the future.
O Most High, King of the nations
Robed in praise, crowned with splendor
On that day who will not tremble?
When You stand Christ the Victor
Who was, and is, and is forever
Now we’re looking ahead to the day when Christ will make all things new. The “King of the nations,” acknowledged by people from every tribe, is “robed in praise” and “crowned with splendor.” A line from the Apostles’ Creed, “He will return to judge the living and the dead,” is in view here, as the hymn calls us to ponder “that day,” asking “who will not tremble” when the Lamb upon the throne stands as “Christ the Victor”—the same Jesus “who was, and is and is forever” (evoking verse 1’s description of the Great I AM).
If you’re a worship leader or a pastor, I encourage you to listen to “Christus Victor (Amen)” and consider adding it to your worship services. (Here are some suggestions.) The combination of singability, biblical depth, and theological richness will ground your congregation in gospel truths while uniting them with the church around the world. (If the congregational harmonizing on the “Amen” portion seems too complicated, the song works fine without it!) This hymn has the potential to join the ranks of “In Christ Alone” as an anthem that inspires us for generations. Christ is Victor!
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