By Guest Writer
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.
Written by Kevin Twit
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. You can find the complete HRT Hymns Playlist here, or listen to the first track on the player below. Enjoy!
81 thoughts on "And Can It Be?"
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Steve says:
God is ever faithful.
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The good news is Jesus is sufficient. I do not have to work for salvation. Upon the gift of salvation I work naturally for his glory.
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Lord. Take my will.
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I must hand over my will to him.
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Matt Rouse says:
God is staggeringly merciful! Though I deserve hell and destruction he gives me a place as his son. He gives me credit for righteousness that was not my own! Amazing love indeed.
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We are bold in Christ! I love the idea of coming boldly to the throne to claim our crown. Our salvation is secure the moment we trust Jesus to save us!
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I don’t have to change myself or strive any longer. The power of love will bring about that change in me. The more I try to force my faith, the farther I will be from God. The more I rest in Jesus the closer I am to God. His righteousness is now my own!!
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Luke McCall says:
God does not base his grace off of our works but our spirit
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Isaac Jones says:
God saved a sinner. He took a guy who was irreverent, ungracious, hypocritical, angry, rude, vulgar, greedy, idolatrous, adulterous, slanderous, and unclean. With that man He covered him in the blood of the sin offering; covered in the blood he put His living water inside him.
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This is real. God is real, and He saves sinners. I know because I look at my own life and He saved me; He is calling to save you too.
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I will pray to Him prayers of regret asking for forgiveness and my repentance. I will pray prayers of confidence in the truthfulness of His existence and mature. I will pray praises about all the things we take for granted or even deny God does, because I know He really is the one who’s works all things out for the good of those who love Him.
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I was a bedpan and filled with refuge. God took me and scoured me clean, then he reformed me around a center of gold and played me in gold. I am redeemed.
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God,
you are enthroned in Haven; your victory is won.
You have promised deliverance and you have fulfilled your promise. You promised to your son will come back, and He will; father forgive me for my sin; i have not been pressing into your truth and you know.i pray that you open up my heart to obedience, faith and love. Please allow me to repent and turn from my sim. You are great and mighty , and your mercy rains upon us,Amen.
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Braden Mcalister says:
God loves us no matter what we do. He will always love us all the same as the guy next to you. He sent his son to die for us but God was his son so God sent himself to die for your sins.
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This preaches the gospel on how our God sent himself to save us for our sins. But it shows us that God did this because he loves us. And it troubles me how he could love us that much.
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This teaches me that man can’t be close to God without faith, works can not alone get you to God. This always shows me that despite our faults man still has a chance to with God.
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I will try to love like God loves us, because it is love that brings others to Christ.
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I will pray for the mindset to love all and be joyful when needed and there for everyone.
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andrew says:
our good works are hopeless endeavors and should not be considered worthy of even mentioning. we do not deserve the grace we receive. we hate Jesus’ very name from birth. and we cannot claim our love for Him came from ourselves.
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Lord, i pray i will not take for granted my very breath. i pray that You will show me more of You, and that i will not grow tired of hearing Your name. Jesus, thank You for the sacrifice You made Yourself. thank You for your grace being sufficient enough to blot out my transgressions against you.
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