And Can It Be

lyrics by charles wesley, music by thomas campbell

And Can It Be Lyrics

 

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?

 

’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.

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!

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for 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.

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

 

Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

 

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.

Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

 


 

And Can It Be Guitar Chords

 

G                  Am D     G 

And can it be that I should gain

   C   D    G      D   A7   D   

An interest in the Savior's blood?

D           G/D D7     G          D

Died He for me,    who caused His pain,

    C       G      G/D   D7 G 

For me, who Him to death pursued?

G D     G         C   A  D  

Amazing love! How can it be?

     G       C          D       G   

That Thou my God should die for me

G       D         D7     G  

Amazing love! How can it be?

     C       G/B C      G/D D7  G

That Thou my God should die for me

 

Scripture References

  • Isaiah 53:1-6 - Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
  • Isaiah 61:10 - I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothedme with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
  • Acts 12:7 - Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

The Story

 

When Charles Wesley and his older brother John were studying in Oxford, they formed a group called the "Holy Club" which met weekly and made it their aim to put their faith into action and systematically live holy lives, setting aside time for prayer, examining their spiritual lives, and studying the Bible. Because their approach was extremely methodical, their classmates mocked them. They began to be known as "Methodists".

 

Well, you can probably guess the rest of the story. John Wesley went on to be the founder of Methodism, initially meant to be a reform movement within the Anglican church (The Church of England), but eventually becoming a separate denomination of its own after John Wesley's death in 1791. Among the adherents and early leaders of Methodism was George Whitefield, who went on to become the best known preacher in the 18th century and a huge spiritual influence to early America, including many founding fathers.

 

Charles Wesley provided the hymnody for this growing movement, writing over 6500 hymns through his lifetime, many of which we still sing today, including Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Hark! The Herald Angels Sing; Love Divine, all Loves Excelling; Jesus, Lover of My Soul; O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing; and many more. His hymns reflect the tenets of his and his brother's ministry, which was to shun apathetic, lifeless worship of God that had pervaded the church, and to help faith come alive. In his lyrics, you can see emphasis on salvation and a personal Christian experience, and the emotion of some of his lyrics were unprecedented for his times.

 

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