In Christ alone
Wednesday, 12 May 2010
18:12
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Story behind the song
18
In November 2000 I was at a worship conference in Eastbourne, and introduced through a mutual friend to Keith Getty, who I had heard was a terrific melody writer. We met up for a coffee, and he promised to send me a CD of song ideas.
I didn’t really think any more about it. Then a CD arrived in the post containing three song ideas played on a piano. I didn’t get past the first melody, because I was so taken with it – it was quite hymn-like, but with a beautiful celtic lilt - I immediately started writing down some lines on the life of Christ.
Often lyrics come in quite a haphazard way. You write loads of couplets, then re-write some, then gradually piece it together to give it continuity and shape. The process for “In Christ alone” was much more linear. Once I’d worked out the rhyming structure (it felt like the song had better shape if lines 1 and 3 rhymed as well as the more usual 2 and 4), I started working on the first verse, setting the scene with a fairly subjective exploration of what Christ means to the Christian. Then I as I worked through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, I was getting more and more excited and emotional, and verse 4 kind of spilled out as a declaration of the impact of these amazing events in our lives.
Within a couple of days I had the whole lyric, sent it to Keith, he suggested a couple of changes, and “In Christ alone” was finished.
I think maybe one of the reasons the song is so popular is that it can stir up our emotions (I still often cry like an old softie when I sing it) – but the emotion is not the central feature of the song. Because the lyrics stay fixed on the unchanging truths of our salvation, it not only provokes emotion, but engenders faith, strengthening our spirits, not just stirring our souls.
I didn’t really think any more about it. Then a CD arrived in the post containing three song ideas played on a piano. I didn’t get past the first melody, because I was so taken with it – it was quite hymn-like, but with a beautiful celtic lilt - I immediately started writing down some lines on the life of Christ.
Often lyrics come in quite a haphazard way. You write loads of couplets, then re-write some, then gradually piece it together to give it continuity and shape. The process for “In Christ alone” was much more linear. Once I’d worked out the rhyming structure (it felt like the song had better shape if lines 1 and 3 rhymed as well as the more usual 2 and 4), I started working on the first verse, setting the scene with a fairly subjective exploration of what Christ means to the Christian. Then I as I worked through the life, death and resurrection of Christ, I was getting more and more excited and emotional, and verse 4 kind of spilled out as a declaration of the impact of these amazing events in our lives.
Within a couple of days I had the whole lyric, sent it to Keith, he suggested a couple of changes, and “In Christ alone” was finished.
I think maybe one of the reasons the song is so popular is that it can stir up our emotions (I still often cry like an old softie when I sing it) – but the emotion is not the central feature of the song. Because the lyrics stay fixed on the unchanging truths of our salvation, it not only provokes emotion, but engenders faith, strengthening our spirits, not just stirring our souls.
Stuart, I am keyboardist at two London prisons. The Chaplain at Brixton Prison has chosen "In Christ Alone" next Sunday morning at chapel. I have to tell you the men just love singing this. As the Chaplain would say they give it "welly". I am sure you would be proud of hearing and seeing how much this hymn/song means to many of them. It really soars in their singing. If it were ever possible in coming years for you to visit then you would be very welcome. The men also love Beautiful Saviour. Both these hymns I give a little twist to in the accompaniment, "In Christ Alone" I play two punchy chords on the syllable "lone" in christ a-lone. (Yea I'm dreadful). Stuart I find your songs (and many with Keith) so inspiring and have only recently discovered "Oh to see the Dawn" and "There is a Hope" ... so very powerful. I shall be writing more on other posts of yours.
I love this song - maybe the best new hymn of the past decade.
BUT . . .
and someone's gonna say it . . .
so it might as well be me . . .
"And on that cross as Jesus died / The wrath of God was satisfied" is not really biblical.
Laid aside? Better. Neutralised? Ditto
Christ bears our sin (this I know, for the Bible tells me so); he does / did not bear the wrath of God.
The cross is the place of supreme, unique, divine justice and mercy: justice in that the cost of sin is paid by Christ (the economic metaphors of debt / ransom / redemption etc are perhaps the main way that the cross is explained/described in the Bible). The price to is nothing - it is a free gift, but a very expensive free gift. The cost of that was borne by Jesus, who took all our sin and its consequences (death, separation from God). It cost him everything. What a sacrifice!
But it is wrong to say that Jesus bore the wrath of God. Why? Well, firstly it ain’t what the Bible says, anywhere, period. (Oh you can translate hilasmos to mean propitiation but there so many other uses of it where it simply can’t mean that – e.g. Luke 18:183 – that it can only mean it *sometimes* if at all, and I believe not all.)
The cross is the place of justice and mercy; punishing the innocent in place of the guilty is neither justice nor mercy, but a travesty of both. Besides, the Bible forbids the practise (Proverbs 27:26a).
OK, what about Isaiah 53. Well, that’s another easy one to deal with. So much of Is. 53 is quoted in the New Testament that is it worth asking what parts of that much-cited chapter are not present in the NT.
The NT writers clearly knew the "punishment" parts of Isaiah 53 (verses 4b, 5, & 6), AND they knew of the crucifixion and yet no connection is ever made between the two: in fact, those verses are danced around, with the verses either side of them being quoted in full. (Isaiah 53:1 in John 12:38 and Romans 10:16; Isaiah 53:4a in Matthew 8:17; Isaiah 53:7-8 in Acts 8:32; Isaiah 53:9 in 1 Peter 2:22). So the Suffering Servant seems to be partly identifiable with Christ but there is a marked refusal to cite the verses about him being punished by God for us.
Being generous, Isaiah 53:6 is strongly alluded to in 1 Peter 2: 24-25 but without the bit about the Lord laying on him the iniquity of us all – i.e. without any hint of punishment. Rather, it is reworked as Christ taking upon himself the iniquity of us all. No-one lays anything on him; he takes it upon himself. (24”He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”)
All the NT’s use of Isaiah 53 stops short of God punishing Christ. It is quoted in a way that excludes those verses whilst retaining the sense of sacrifice.
cont./
part 2
It is also worth reminding ourselves that, er, Christ is God. Jesus is just as angered and offended by sin as his Father; the wrath of God is the (also) the wrath of Jesus (cf. Matt 21:12 / Mk 11:15 / Lk 19:45 / Jn 2:15; Rev 6:16). Jesus is not the scapegoat, whipping boy or lightning conductor on whom God vents his anger; he is God, as much as the Father and Spirit.
It is easy to see where the faulty logic occurs. Here’s an example of the syllogism:
a. God is holy and righteous and is therefore good and justly wrathful toward sin.
b. Christ became sin for us (2 Cor 5:21)
c. therefore God was wrathful towards Christ.
This completely fails to take the Trinity in account: Christ is (also) God.
(Try singing: “And on that cross as God died / The wrath of God was satisfied” or “And on that cross as Christ died / The wrath of Christ was satisfied” and you see the problem.)
Finally, there’s the problem of the resurrection. If Jesus took the punishment for our sins (from God and/or the Father and/or himself), and the punishment for sin is eternity in hell, how did Jesus rise and return? Surely he should still be dead; worse, he should be in hell forever. Tricky, eh? One can but conclude that he wasn’t in fact being punished. (And remember: the Bible *never* says that he was.)
Yes indeed, the Bible doesn't say Jesus was punished for our sins. It would be a simple enough statement: very clear, clean, and quick. And it would radically alter the nature of God and the text of the Bible and the church's theology and all human ethics. Hurrah that it doesn't or both justice and mercy as we know them would be dead.
God is love, Jesus pays our debt (to use that Biblical metaphor) - but "debt" not "fine": there is nothing penal or punishing about it. The cross makes good our shortfall, closes the gap ("hamartia") at Christ's ultimate and supreme expense; it restores, redeems (there's that financial metaphor again), reconciles and it costs Christ everything to do so. Grace is free but not cheap: it is expensive to the one who pays and free to the one who receives. Try forgiving someone a sin or a debt and you will pay the price, bear the cost yourself. This is not transferred punishment but self-sacrifice.
Christians don't (or at least shouldn't) believe in transferred punishment; we believe that God is just and merciful (in that order because mercy is contingent upon justice) and that the cross of Christ satisfies God's justice and makes his mercy available. Hence we are called to imitate and participate in Christ's suffering and death - something that would be impossible if it were penal. Finally, the question remains: if Christ is punished then by whom? God? The Father? That's neither justice nor mercy.
Thank-you Lord: you saved us from a problem that we humans made and that we humans suffered from, but you made good our loss and shortfall at your own great expense by your obedient life and sin-bearing death.
Stuart, I use many of your songs in worship on a regular basis;they're great and very much appreciated. I'm a dedicated fan! It's troubled me recently, though, to read some comments in the Methodist Recorder questioning your theology in the song In Christ Alone - God's wrath having to be satisfied by the suffering of Jesus. I know a few people who struggle with these lines. (I notice that the same theme is in the refrain of Oh,To See The Dawn.) In Christ Alone is such a powerful song, it seems a shame that some would reject it because of those two lines. Any amendment possible?!
I know N. T. Wright had a similar critique, calling the song "in other respects one of the very few really solid recent additions to our repertoire". He recommended changing the line to "the love of God was satisfied". Theologically, one might also say as well that the "law" of God was satisfied, or even if you want to go Anselm's route, the "honor" of God is satisfied. But a good many Christians would point out that God's "wrath" is not really "satisfied" as much as it is turned away or escaped, because the cause for wrath is removed. Or in other words, the problem isn't that God needs an outlet to get his wrath out somewhere, but rather that we are in a position warranting such holy wrath to begin with.
Hi Sturt, I have been singing a few of your songs at our church and all of them were very well received even though I am by no means a professional singer. But I think the words and the melody not only "stir up" emotions, but also speak profundly the gospel message. Even though they might not be perfect (as some pointed out) in every line by critical thinking, but they are all very well written and are above many comtemporary gospel songs. They will last and become classics. I believe this is the gift of the Holy Spirit betowed unto you. In Christ Alone and There is a Hope are two of my favorites. It brought tears to my eyes almost everytime I heard or sing them. Thank you and PRAISE HIM!
Hi Stuart, This song has been a great help to our congregation in East London - helping us to "speak to one another" in song our experience and knowledge of God in Christ. Please do not change that line about God's wrath being satisfied. It is one of the great themes of Romans and Psalm 90 and most songs don't touch that crucial area. So much painful human experience is the taste of that wrath and we need to KNOW Christ's sufferings have dealt with it truly and fully. N.T. Wright is great on most things but just wrong on this. Poets sometimes have better reflexes than theologians.
Hi Stuart,
I guess I echo the comments of so many others when I say "Thank you" for encapsulating the centrality of Christ in verse. This song is a firm favourite at our church (Trinity Church, Brentwood, Essex)
Not sure if anyone else has mentioned this to you, but when I first heard the song, not only did I find the words captivating, but the fact that they had been set to a pentatonic melody somehow allowed the words to etch themselves on my mind (John Newton's "Amazing Grace" has the same effect).
Taking this idea one step further, have you considered getting a Scottish pipe band to play this? I think having "In Christ Alone" arranged for bagpipes (with harmony!) would be so powerful through its anthemic simplicity.
Thanks again!
Chris W
Hi Stuart,
Just remembered another comment I should have made...
As a drummer, rather than simply playing a back beat all through "In Christ Alone", I often start by using the snare figure from Ravel's Bolero. This allows me to build the song through the verses, and then switch to a back beat later on.
Just another idea
Chris W
Glad to hear that it still brings tears to your eyes when you sing it yourself. I can never get through it dry eyed.
In Christ Alone is such a powerful marriage of moving musical setting and beautiful lyrics grounded in strong Biblical truth and presented in such a deeply moving way. It is almost, we might say, a fusion of the modern worship song with scriptural lyrics without the triteness and repetition that one often sees today; there is a real gravitas to these lines that hearkens back to contributions of earlier times and other Church traditions, in fact, this song crosses Church traditions. I think that more collaboration like this between musicians and writers, each working in their special gifting, and motivated by their love for the Lord, will produce other works that will then become the lasting contribution of this generation to the canon of Christian hymns. It is this exact formula, writers and musicians collaborating, that has resulted in the success of so many hymns that have stood the test of time. I expect that In Christ Alone will be sung a hundred years from now, and longer. I hope and pray for more works like this, produced in these times, of which the same could be said.
A work of heart and art that must have been Spirit breathe--- leave as is!!!!
Faye, The Bahamas
In Christ Alone was one of our wedding hymns ,in December 2009, totally inspirational for us as a couple. Bev, my husband had produced a powerpoint/moviemaker for The Power of the Cross , accessible on our church website www.settlechristianfellowship.com
We had the opportunity to hear you leading worship at Keswick in 2010 just after our move to Yorkshire. Sadly Bev died in December and we used Lou Fellingham's song "There is a Day" at the Celebration of his life, as Lou and Phatfish were also at Keswick last year. Continue to inspire us with your amazing and powerful words, you are truly speaking to a whole new generation. God bless and thank you. Joy Orwell
Dear Stuart, I'm a big fan of yours from Singapore. My church sings many of your songs on a weekly basis! In Christ alone is truly my favourite. The richness of the theology juxtaposed with brilliant selection of words. I've instructed my three year old son to learn the song, as I've selected it as one of my four funeral songs, and I've told him to sing it then (eventually). So far he has the first verse going - three more to go! Thanks for your gift to the church.
Hello, we just haad a licensing service for a new vicar who changed the words about God's wrath being satisfied to God's love being glorified. It didn't spell out the same meaning that Jesus took the punishment for my sin - and the sin of the whole world. I sang out the original words with gusto. Please pray for our church and the gospel we proclaim.
Thanks,
Vincent
from Hadfield
Hi all. Thanks for all your comments so far on the song. I have no problem with this blog being a place for people to air their theological viewpoints,by the way, including the ongoing debate about penal substitution! I'm afraid I cannot respond to all your comments directly, and I will be posting my position on this in an article at some point in the future. Suffice to say for now, I have no intention of rewriting the line on the wrath of God, and see penal substitution as an integral and indispensable part of our understanding of the cross, as expressed throughout thew Old and New Testaments.
Regarding the changing of words for congregational use, this is a breach of copyright and must not be done. Better to not use the song at all than change it. I have no problem with individuals in conscience choosing not to sing that particular line when it comes round, but it must not be altered.
I have just looked at this website for the first time today and am interested by the above discussion. This is indeed an excellent hymn set to a great tune(and I'm from a Psalm singing church!). I have no problem with the Biblical concepts of the wrath of God and penal substitution. I also respect Stuart's reminder that to alter the words for singing would be a breach of copyright. I offer the following as a contribution to the discussion.
The problems I find with the verse in question are with the concept of God's wrath being satisfied and also with "for every sin on him was laid", which might seem to mean a universal atonement. I prefer to speak of God's wrath being turned aside from us onto the sin bearer where it was appeased and God's justice being satisfied. So the line could read 'God's wrath from us was turned aside' or 'God's just demands were satisfied'. In the next line I would prefer 'for all our sins', or 'my every sin', or 'our every sin', or even 'for the world's sins'. The last line could be 'and full atonement he has made'. I recognise that none of these is as poetic as the original!
Keep up the good work, Stuart, and may God continue to bless your ministry!
Donald M MacDonald
how do you play it on an alto recorder flute
Great Hymn! Thank you for letting God use you to write it. I am glad you're holding to your theological point. You did not write that Jesus bore the wrath of God first of all. Secondly, Jesus said in John 3:36 (in context with with the famous 'As the Son is lifted up' and 3:16) that 'whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." Romans 5:9 tells us, 'Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!'
My simple mind tells me that apart from Christ I deserve God's wrath but because Jesus shed His blood and died on that cross that God is satisfied with those who accept Christ's death and life as theirs from His wrath. It was my punishment, Jesus took it for me, and because He is the eternal Son of God that 'brief' time on the cross was as valid as eternal hell. All in our place. His death is ours, His life is ours.
So that, as expressed in your hymn, makes me want to rejoice and dance with a grateful heart for what Jesus did for me.
I'm glad I didn't need 14 paragraphs to say all that! :o)
Tim