Amazing Love; How Can It Be?
Today is Good Friday. What makes it good? Simply put: God’s love. For more, see Good Friday.
“This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us,we also ought to love one another.”
1 John 4:10-11
Charles Wesley wrote today’s much-loved hymn over 250 years ago. This Anglican minister had just recently accepted Christ into his heart.
And what an encounter it was! Finally, Wesley felt forgiven by the Holy God. He’d been a minister for some years. But this? This was different!
Lightness, peace, and a pervading joy filled his being. And so (prolific poet that he was) he had to write about it!
“And, can it be, that I should gain and interest in the Savior’s love?”
Wesley was overcome with the reality of God’s Amazing Love.
It is believed that the hymn is based on the account in Acts which finds Paul and Silas praising God, despite their flogging, chains, and nasty imprisonment in Philippi. God responded to their worship with–catch it!– a mighty earthquake!
The chains fell off from Paul and Silas’s feet, (they had been put into the stocks) and Paul and Silas were quite suddenly free! It’s an amazing account; you might want to take a look for yourself. (You’ll find it in Acts 16.)
Wesley, stirred by his own conversion, wrote:
And can it be that I should gain
An int’rest 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, should die for me?Refrain:
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!2 ‘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. [Refrain]3 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. [Refrain]4 Long my imprisoned spirit lay
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quick’ning ray,
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free;
I rose, went forth and followed Thee. [Refrain]5 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. [Refrain]Charles Welsey
You can find lots of renditions of this prized hymn, but I think you will enjoy the treat below.
In my searching, I found this singularly meaningful expression of worship. Let’s sing it with him!
