19 of the Best Easter Hymns to Celebrate Redemption

18 of the Best Easter Hymns to Celebrate Redemption

Easter is probably the most important holiday in the Christian faith.  I’ve rounded up the best Easter hymns I could find to help you praise and worship your way into and through this important day.

Before finding the best Easter hymns and Easter Songs…

Before jumping into our list let’s discuss two questions.  Why is Easter important and why is a list of the best Easter hymns helpful?

First, Easter is celebrated as the day Jesus rose from the dead. That is the simple answer and I cannot in good conscience leave that there on its own.  You need a little back story and God’s triumph over death deserves to be center stage.

When God created the world, it was perfect.  Perfect, that is, until sin entered.  The consequence of sin is death and from that point on the entire earth has been plunged into existence of pain and suffering.

As if pain and suffering were not bad enough, we are also separated from God.  Our Lord is a holy and righteous God and cannot be in the presence of sin.  He could no longer “walk” with us as He did Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

This was not only miserable for us but painful for God.  After all, man was created in His own image, and meant to spend eternity with Him.  God needed to remedy the situation.

A system of blood sacrifices was initiated, but they were only temporary.  He had a long-term plan. 

His solution was to send His son, Jesus, to die on the cross as a final sacrifice for sin.  I’m not sure anyone really understood Jesus’s purpose here on earth and it was a very dark day for everyone when they buried Jesus in a tomb just before sundown.

Praise God, that is not the end of the story.  Jesus not only needed to be our sacrifice, but he needed to defeat and overcome sin.  He did this when on rose from the grave on what we celebrate on Easter Sunday!

Sin has been defeated, we are reconciled to God, what a beautiful thing to celebrate!

So, how does this list of best Easter hymns help you?  These songs a beautiful!  They are confessing and praising God for His goodness and grace.  They will help you meditate on what God did with you and fill your heart with thanksgiving.

Ok!  Enough chit-chat!  Let’s get to these Easter Sunday hymns.  My prayer for you is that you take the time to really listen to the words and allow your heart to absorb the beauty of the message and that they bring you closer to your savior than ever before!

I have divided these Easter Sunday hymns into three categories with the hopes of helping you find the one you are looking for easier, however, several of them fit into more than one category so be sure to keep scrolling if you don’t see what you need right away.  The categories are:

• Traditional Easter Sunday Hymns- and as it says, these are more of your tried and true, hundreds of years old hymns. I grew up with these songs and they will always hold a special place in my heart.
• Popular Easter Songs- these are more of your newer, more modern Easter songs.
• Hymns about Calvary- I’m not sure why I put these in their own category except that there are several especially beautiful hymns about Jesus dying on the cross that I wanted to be sure stood out. I think they will bless you.

Traditional Easter Sunday hymns

Like I said above, these traditional Easter Sunday hymns are your old-time hymns that are well, classic!  They were written from hearts filled with gratitude and awe over God’s grace and love and I’m so glad God moved them to write them down. 

All to Jesus I Surrender (Sung by Robin Mark)

Victory In Jesus (Sung by Gaithers)

Were You There (Sung by Selah)

Crown Him With Many Crowns (Sung by Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman)

Christ the Lord is Risen Today (Sung by Keith and Kristyn Getty)

Christ Arose (Sung by First Baptist Atlanta)

Popular Easter Songs

I am in love with some of these more modern hymns.  Not only are they sung beautifully but they capture the same heart-changing awe and gratitude of the older hymns.  With names like Matt Maher, Kari Jobi, Hillsong worship, etc. how could you go wrong with these popular Easter songs?

What a Beautiful Name it Is (Hillsong Worship)

Lion and the Lamb (Bethel Music)

Because He Lives (Matt Maher)

Forever (Kari Jobi)

Resurrecting (Elevation Worship)

Is He Worthy (Chris Tomlin)

Revelation (Chris Tomlin and Kari Jobi)

Forgiven (Crowder)

I Know My Redeemer Lives (Nicole Mullen)

Still Rolling Stones by Lauren Daigle

If you want to get your kids worshiping at well, check out these “20 Best Worship Songs for Kids”.

Hymns about Calvary

While most hymns have something or other to say about Calvary and Jesus’s work on the cross, these hymns make a point of it. It is a theme that should be running through our minds and hearts and out our mouths on a regular basis. 

May these songs touch your heart not just at Easter but all year long.

At the Cross (Chris Tomlin)

The Old Rugged Cross

When I Survey the Wonderous Cross (Keith and Kristyn Getty)

A Few Last Words on Redemption

I feel as if I need to end these words with scripture.  The New Testament authors are so open with their faith that it changed not only their lives but everyone around them as well.  May our faith spring forth like theirs.

If you are looking for great family devotions to emphasize Christ’s work on the cross to your kids, check out “Easter Bible Verses for Kids: Short Devotions for Resurrection Sunday”.

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Paul begins his letter to the church in Ephesus with these words.  Let us encourage one another with the same.

Colossians 1:19-22

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight

“Peace, reconciliation, holy, blameless, above reproach” such encouragement!

1 Peter 1:18-20

Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.

Christ died on the cross for YOU!!  He’s calling you!

Revelation 5:8-14

Scripture paints a beautiful picture of angels and men and women surrounding the throne, praising the lamb whose blood was shed to save us from our sins and eternal damnation.

This may be the most beautiful song included in this post.

“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll,

And to open its seals;

For You were slain,

And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

And have made us kings and priests to our God;

And we shall reign on the earth.”

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain

To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!”

And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power

Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!”

Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

Final Thoughts About the Best Easter Hymns

I hope separating Easter hymns into three categories helped you choose what songs would be best for you!

What are your thoughts on this round-up of the best Easter hymns?  Which ones touched your heart?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!