The words to the original 1755 hymn called ‘O Happy Day’ by clergyman Philip Doddridge are as follows:
1) O happy day that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Savior and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.
Refrain:
Happy Day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray,
And live rejoicing every day;
Happy day, happy day,
When Jesus washed my sins away!
2) O happy bond, that seals my vows
To Him who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems fill His house,
While to that sacred shrine I move.
Refrain:
3) ‘Tis done, the great transaction’s done;
I am my Lord’s and He is mine;
He drew me and I followed on,
Rejoiced to own the call divine.
Refrain:
4) Now rest, my long-divided heart,
Fixed on this blissful center rest;
Here have I found a nobler part,
Here heavenly pleasures fill my breast.
Refrain:
5) High heaven that hears the solemn vow,
That vow renewed shall daily hear;
Till in life’s latest hour I bow,
And bless, in death, a bond so dear.
Refrain:
Philip Doddridge was born in London, England in 1702 and he died in Lisbon, Portugal in 1751.
In 1967 ‘Oh Happy Day’ was made in to a gospel music arrangement by songwriter Edwin Hawkins. Here are the words to his arrangement. These words are repeated throughout the hymn:
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed)
When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed)
He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day)
Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
He taught me how (He taught me how)
To watch and fight and pray
Watch and pray
And live rejoicing every day
Every day
Edwin Reuben Hawkins was born in Oakland, California, United States in 1943 and he died in Pleasanton, California, United States in 2018.
The words to this hymn tell of, when a sinner repents and comes to Jesus and is born again. Once a sinner repents (and we are all born a sinner) and believes in God and asks God’s forgiveness for their sins, and believes in Jesus Christ that He died on the cross for your sins, and believes that God raised Him from the dead on the third day, you are washed clean from your sins by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for you on the cross. Once you are born again you are a new person, the old has died.
John 3:3 (CSB)
Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 3:5 (CSB)
Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
Romans 10:9-10 (CSB)
If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
1 Peter 1:3 (CSB)
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!
Acts 2:38 (CSB)
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Time as we know it is running out. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and been born again? If not, I strongly urge you to before it’s too late.
John 14:6 (CSB)
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Onward Christian Soldiers 