You Shall Live

I hung on the cross next to Jesus,
On the cross next to His on the hill;
I was paying for crimes I committed,
For things I had done of free will.

I deserved what I got so completely,
I was guilty just as they said.
So they beat me and whipped me and hung me
On the cross there to hang until dead.

Oh, the pain was so great, I remember;
I knew then that all hope was gone.
My body was racked with the torture,
The day seemed an eternity long,

When there to my left I saw Jesus
Upon an old cross just like mine.
But I knew that He had done nothing,
I knew that He was Divine.

But why was He bleeding and suff'ring
Like me, just a liar and thief;
Why was He hanging and dying
On a cross; why take on this grief?

In a flash, then, I knew in an instant
When I heard Him pray "Father, forgive,"
That He came down to earth for this moment -
To die so that others might live.

The sinless One, Jesus, was dying
On a cross next to mine on the hill;
He'd taken the sin and the sorrow
Of the whole human race as God's will.

Such love, oh, I never had known it,
Such love as was shown by Him there;
All my grief and my sorrow forgotten,
As I managed to cry out my prayer -

"Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus, remember
When into your Kingdom you come,
Remember this thief and this sinner,
Remember this Adam's lost son."

Then the words that He spoke I shall never
Forget, when He answered my prayer -
"Today, friend, today you'll be with me.
In Paradise - you shall be there."

There is pardon for all who will cry out
To Jesus, who's taken our place;
He's there! He's so close, right next to you,
Just turn now and look on His face.

You'll see there such grace and such mercy,
As only a Savior could give;
Cry out to Him just like I did -
You shall live, you'll not die, you shall live!