One by One

You can also view the video by clicking here.

One by One

Words by David A. Bednar

Music by Paul Cardall

1. One by one, one by one.
Jesus, the Fa-ther’s Beloved Son—
One by one, one by one—
From the beginning said, “Thy will be done.”
Jesus Christ came to earth to fulfill God’s plan,
For He alone could atone as Savior of man.
The Lord blessed and beckoned them, “Come unto me,”
And willingly sacrificed to set us free.
One by one, one by one.
He suffered for us and victory won.
One by one, one by one.
We marvel at all His love has done,
One by one.

2. One by one, one by one.
Multitudes gathered and saw Him come.
One by one, one by one.
Each heard a voice declare, “Behold My Son.”
Jesus Christ came and stood in the midst of them.
They fell to the earth in great rev’rence for Him.
The Lord bid, “Arise, and come forth unto me.”
With hands they did feel and with eyes they did see.
One by one, one by one.
Each knew and bore record, He is our Lord.
One by one, one by one.
They cried “Hosanna” with one accord,
One by one.

3. One by one, one by one.
Christ looked around Him and saw their tears.
One by one, one by one.
In His compassion, He calmed their fears.
Jesus Christ healed each one brought forth unto Him.
Then He blessed each precious child and prayed for them.
The angels descended from heaven above,
Encircling those little ones; each felt His love.
One by one, one by one.
He intercedes for each daughter and son.
One by one, one by one.
Strength from His grace gives us pow’r to become,
One by one.

This is what Elder Bednar said on his facebook page about writing the lyrics to the song:

Much of what we need to know about the character of Christ is embodied in the simple principle of “one by one.” This principle evidenced in the life of the Savior has been a focus of my study for a very long time. I am always touched to consider how much the Savior loves each one of us as individuals. I wrote the lyrics to a song about this principle of “one by one,” which Paul Cardall put to music. It was later beautifully performed by the One Voice Children’s Choir.

As you study the ministry of Jesus Christ and seek for eyes to see and ears to hear, you will find that He ministered to “ones.” He healed the leper, the centurion’s servant, the man with palsy, the woman who touched his garment—plus many more (see Matthew 8 and 9 in the New Testament).

In the New World, He invited the multitude gathered at the temple in the land of Bountiful to come forth one by one and witness for themselves that He had been slain for the sins of the world. The Savior invited the multitude to bring all who were afflicted in any manner, and He healed every one. Then He commanded that their little children be brought unto Him one by one, and He blessed them and prayed for them (see 3 Nephi 11 and 17 in the Book of Mormon).

Remember, the simple truth of “one by one” reveals not everything—but much of what we need to know about the character of the Savior. Similarly, each one of us in our service to others—in our families, among our friends, in our communities, or in our callings in the Church—has the opportunity and responsibility to minister to “ones.”

You can get the sheet music from the July 2016 New Era Magazine by clicking here.