Text: Philippians 2:5-8, Acts 12:6-8, Acts 16:25-26, Romans 8:1-4, Hebrews 4:14-16
In 1738, Charles Wesley was struggling to find peace with God. He had served as a missionary to Georgia, but that had turned out disastrously bad. Peter Bohler, the leader of the London Moravians, asked Charles if he hoped to be saved. Charles replied that he did. Bohler pressed, “Upon what basis do you hope to be saved?” Wesley said, “Because I have used my best endeavors to serve God.” Bohler shook his head sadly and walked away.
Wesley recorded his reaction in his journal: “What, are not my endeavors a sufficient ground of hope? Would he rob me of my endeavors? I have nothing else to trust to.”
Wesley was stuck in the tension that many raised in church have experienced. It is all too common to confuse the fruits of the gospel at work in our lives (good endeavors) with the root of spiritual life (the gospel promise believed).
The problem with trusting our good works is that they are not perfect works. Jesus said that we are to love Him with all our heart, all our mind, and all our strength, and this is a considerably higher bar than just offering Him our best endeavors.
God requires that we love Him perfectly from the moment we are born until the moment we die, with no lapses. Faced with this impossible requirement, many religious people attempt to take solace in such empty hopes as our best, though imperfect, endeavors. But this hymn points us to a higher ground of hope—the power of the gospel.
Later in 1738, Wesley’s friend, John Bray, discovered Martin Luther’s Commentary on Galatians and brought it to Wesley, who was sick in bed. Luther had famously once said that the whole of the gospel was found in the personal pronouns, and Wesley found peace as the Lord gave him faith to believe that Jesus had died for him. Wesley wrote in his journal, “I spent some hours this evening in private with Martin Luther, who was greatly blessed to me, especially his conclusion of the second chapter. I labored, waited, and prayed to feel ‘Who loved me and gave Himself up for me.’”
It is sometimes said that “And Can It Be” was Wesley’s first hymn, written soon after his conversion. Hymn scholars are now convinced that “Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin?” was actually his first hymn. But “And Can It Be” was written soon after and expresses beautifully and powerfully the converting power of the gospel that he had experienced.
Wesley is one of our most skilled hymn writers. He begins with a piercing question to which no real answer can be given: “How can it be, that thou my God, shoulds’t die for me?” If we ever get to the point where God’s grace seems deserved or expected, we are in deep trouble.
We see Wesley’s grasp of Luther’s point in his use of personal pronouns: “my God,” “for me.” But it is in the last verse where Wesley reveals the heart of his new-found hope. “Alive in Him, my living head, and clothed in righteousness divine.”
Wesley had come to understand that the gospel Christ gives us what God requires—His perfect righteousness through our union with Him. What Christ does, we get credit for; what He deserves, we get!
Rather than trusting in our best endeavors, Wesley gives us words to praise God for our only true hope, the righteousness of Christ imputed to His people through faith. This brings us not only hope, but boldness to claim the crown—not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done in our place.
Rev. Kevin Twit is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and Covenant Theological Seminary who has served 20 years as the RUF Campus Minister at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1999, Kevin and some of his students began Indelible Grace Music, a group of musicians and songwriters at the heart of the hymn movement. Indelible Grace has recorded 9 albums as well as a documentary film, “Roots And Wings: The Story Of Indelible Grace And The RUF Hymns.” Kevin is married to Wendy and they have 3 children.
And Can It Be That I Should Gain?
Charles Wesley, 1738
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
For an added layer of worship during reading plan, we’ve created a Spotify playlist for Hymns V! You can find the complete SRT/HRT Hymns V Playlist here, or listen to the first track on the player below. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply
37 thoughts on "And Can It Be?"
Dear God, thank you for dying for me and for all you do for ME. You are so good! Help me to love you with all that I am, to praise you with all that I am, to honor you with all that I am, and to trust you with all that I am. I love you, Jesus! You are so good! amen!
He died for us without hesitation, it’s amazing how great our God is. He loves without end and holds us through the challenges and happy times of life. Lord, you are my strength❤️
What Jesus did for me ♥️
I can approach the throne boldly because of Jesus. That just blows my mind! Boldly!!
❤️
So powerful!
my God, theming and creator of this universe and me, died for me!!!! that’s love. amazing love.
❤️❤️❤️
One of my favorite hymns! I am so grateful for this reading to help add the layers of scripture and history to accompany these great hymns. Thanks SRT!
Jesus and all in Him is mine! Thank you Jesus!
Double amen to the last paragraph! Such amazing love!
He paid the ultimate price so that I may live BUT I’m not living, I’m existing and waiting out my time until I go to sleep and not wake up. I’ve pushed God away as I don’t feel worthy of his undying love. Thank you for being here SRT so I can pull myself back into him.
Thank you Jesus for saving me!
One of my favorites. I needed to sing this today!
Thank you Lord for your incredible, everlasting love for me!
Love this hymn! How can it be that God would save wretched sinners like us?!? Thank you Lord!
My very favorite hymn of all time. The 3rd stanza always makes me weep with the most heart-swelling lyrics – a beautiful summation of regeneration, authored and instigated by God, while I was imprisoned without hope of opening the dungeon door by myself.
WOW! What a beautiful and spiritual hymn!
I did not recognize this hymn and I luv learning new ones. This is such a good lesson forgot me
Awsome
Amen!!!
I loved reading this today and learning some history Wesley , thank you .
Divine words for me. Yesterday my devotion was about this particular topic. We serve a Faithful God.
So good. Today’s reading and song spoke to my heart. We have a wonderful God!
Loved how he said the personal pronouns make it real…it’s so good to read scripture and insert your own name. Even if I was the only person on earth, Jesus still loves me that much. Still would’ve died for just me! It’s humbling and almost too much to grasp.
Yes! I loved that part too.
*such a unbelievable price
So many times I heard preachers saying that Jesus death in the cross was to satisfy the wrath of God towards sin. Nevertheless, this devotional has helped me to understand and confirm that it was/ it is /it will always be all about love. A loving God sending his only son to fulfill the “righteousness requirement” we were incapable to meet through the law in order to come back to Him. Praise God for his steadfast love for us, Jesus for his willingness to pay such a unbelievable praise to come back home and the Holy Spirit for teaching us today what this is all about!
Lord, this grace, — the power to be free from condemnation in Christ Jesus is wholly undeserved and only through your miraculous love. Lord, never let me take this love for granted and may I be quick to recall time and time again that only in Jesus am I free. I am free in the Spirit of Life from the power and curse of the law of sin and death. May this truth penetrate my heart and mind.
Have a wonderful Thursday, ladies.
Just tears! Thank you
I constantly ask myself this question, and this post really brings to light the truth of the Gospel. God died for ME because He loved ME that much to sacrifice His Son for my sake!! Amen!!
My husband graduated from Asbury Thelogical Seminary a few years ago – this hymn is basically their “fight song”. The “My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose went forth and followed Thee” verse always brought the house down at convocations, graduations, etc. I still get chills just thinking about it!
There’s just about nothing better than singing this hymn in Estes Chapel, is there? It’s a glimpse of heavenly worship to me!
Convicted again this morning. I can completely identify with Wesley- I’ve been working hard for Jesus, He must love me. Every once in a while I need a reality check that God doesn’t love me because of what I do for him, he loves me regardless. My service should come as a response to how much God loves me, rather than be the reason why (in my own mind). Thanks for this reminder again this morning, SRT!
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
This says it all. Sometimes I scratch my head and wonder why God loves me…sinful me. His Amazing love for us all is the salve that soothes my soul. Dearest Father, thank you for this amazing love and the sacrifice of your Son.
Wow. So touched and moved by the Spirit throughout this devotional. From the reading of the passages of scripture, through the listening of the song, the Truth shared and expressed ministered to me greatly! So grateful this morning that I’m alive in Him, my living Head, and that I’m clothed in righteousness divine…through Christ my own!!!
Amen, amen, amen…