IN CHRIST ALONE
THE HYMN STORY
This recent hymn is not only “on its way to being this generation’s ‘Amazing Grace,’” as one observer commented, but it has already withstood a theological attempt to dilute its message.
Keith Getty and Stuart Townend are worship leaders and song writers who have together produced some of the most well-known and vibrant hymns of this era. This song was the first collaboration by Getty with Townend, and, in fact with any other writer. The two met during a conference through the connection of a mutual friend. Getty later sent Townend a CD with this music. It was a melody he had worked on for quite awhile with a desire for it to be a vehicle to share the gospel story in one song. When Stuart heard it he was snagged immediately, considering it a profound melody. They talked it over in a subsequent call and Stuart came to look at it as “a song about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and what that means for us.” After writing the lyrics, Stuart adopted Keith’s suggestion that the opening phrase, ‘My hope is found in Christ alone’, be switched around. Thus it is that we have come to know this modern hymn as ‘In Christ Alone My Hope is Found’. Stuart feels that people consider the song powerful because it points to what Jesus went through. “We get to stand before him not because of our great faith or because doing well as a Christian, but purely and simply because of what he has done.”
Stuart Townend grew up as the youngest of four children in a Christian family living in West Yorkshire, England. His roots are in the Anglican Church where his father served as vicar at Christ Church, Sowerby Bridge. His family always enjoyed music, and young Stuart began his musical studies with piano at age seven. He began writing songs at age 22, studying literature at the University of Sussex.
The uniqueness of Townend’s writing lies partly in its lyrical content. There is both a theological depth and poetic expression that some say is rare in today’s worship writing. And not surprisingly, it’s an emphasis that Townend and Getty both maintained within the composition of this song in particular.
“I think content is vitally important to our corporate worship,” Townend shares. “Sometimes great melodies are let down by indifferent or clichéd words. It’s the writer’s job to dig deep into the meaning of Scripture and express in poetic and memorable ways the truth he or she finds there. Knowing the truth about God and who we are in Him is central to our lives as believers. Songs remain in the mind in a way sermons do not, so songwriters have an important role and a huge responsibility.”
Keith Getty, a native of Northern Ireland, had his upbringing in the Presbyterian Church, where his father was a pastor in Belfast, a heritage that influenced his appreciation for metrical psalms. Keith often performs with his wife Kristyn who is frequently featured as a soloist or lead singer on albums. His musical education began with classical guitar lessons at age eleven and flute lessons at age twelve. He graduated in 1995 with a B.A. at St. Chad’s College, Durham University, where he studied music. Getty’s background in flute led to study with the renowned flautist James Galway, who also facilitated Getty’s development as conductor and orchestrator. His musical influences include classical music, Irish music, and a wide range of church music.
In taking its place with other great hymns about the substitutionary atonement of Christ, this song stirred up a rather notable controversy. In the summer of 2012 the hymn committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) wanted to add the song to their new hymnal, Glory to God, following the action of a group who published a changed version in a previous hymnal, although without permission. The committee requested permission from Townend and Getty to print a similarly altered version of the hymn’s lyrics, changing “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the wrath of God was satisfied” to “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the love of God was magnified.” The Presbyterians objected to the idea of the wrath of God being ‘satisfied’ by the death of Jesus, a view they considered to align with Anselm’s concept of the atonement and portraying God as killing Jesus on the cross. The songwriters rejected the proposed change, and as a result the hymn committee voted to bar the hymn.
The following is a summary of this issue taken substantially from an article interviewing Keith Getty by Collin Hansen in thegospelcoalition.org blog.
The hymn writers believed that altering the lyrics would remove an essential part of the gospel story as explained throughout Scripture. The main thread of what we see revealed throughout the Old and New Testament is the need for man to be made right with God. The provided path toward reconciliation came through Christ’s predetermined and perfect sacrifice on the cross, satisfying God’s wrath once and for all. The two hymnal committees wanted to change the lyrics to focus on how Christ’s death on the cross magnifies God’s love for the world. And indeed, God’s love was magnified on Calvary’s hill. Yet the way this occurred was through Christ doing for us what we could not do for ourselves—shedding his own perfect blood to atone for our sins.
According to Getty, the writers wanted to explore the scope of the gospel message in one song. As people in the pew sing “In Christ Alone,” we pray they understand the many attributes of God. His sovereign power, grace, love, justice and wrath all are intertwined. And we shouldn’t turn away from exploring his wrath, because through understanding God’s righteous anger toward sin, we understand his desire for justice and peace. As J. I. Packer so clearly explains in Knowing God, God is not just unless he inflicts upon all sin and wrongdoing the penalty it deserves. While we may think it severe, we desperately need God’s wrath—a holy and just response to evil—to restore the broken world in which we live.
I (Keith) understand some people take issue with the theological perspective that God’s wrath was satisfied through Christ’s death on the cross. Part of this debate centers on whether the cross became the object of God’s wrath. When couched in those terms, God’s anger can sound harsh and perhaps confusing.
Yet I believe this view stems from an inadequate understanding of how God’s wrath differs from our own. Each of us faces the temptation to fashion God out of our own image. And a picture of God formed through our experiences of hurt, anger, injustice, or rage is a sad and vindictive one indeed. But this is not the infinite, good God we serve. God’s wrath is not like our wrath, and his ways are not like our own. Throughout Scripture, the need for atonement to be made is likened to a cup of wrath the sinner must consume. As we know, Jesus drank this cup for us. The cross was a remedy, providing for each of us a way to be saved. It may not be easy to fully comprehend. But we must tread carefully, echoing the thought of Isaiah 45:9: “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?”
Stuart Townend and I believe the doctrine of propitiation plays a vital role in how we understand Christ’s saving work as explained in Scripture. Consequently, the language used throughout “In Christ Alone” is a natural expression of our theological view on this subject.
HYMN LYRICS
In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all--
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid--
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine--
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death--
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home--
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand
SOURCES:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/keith-getty-on-what-makes-in-christ-alone-beloved-and-contested/
https://store.gettymusic.com/us/song/in-christ-alone/
https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/in-christ-alone-lyrics-story-behind-hymn/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/in-christ-alone-dropped_n_3719253
https://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/song-story-in-christ-alone-1275127.html
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-in-christ-alone-my-hope-is-found
https://www.weareworship.com/us/songs/shoulve-been-mine/the-story-behind-the-song-in-christ-alone/
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This recent hymn is not only “on its way to being this generation’s ‘Amazing Grace,’” as one observer commented, but it has already withstood a theological attempt to dilute its message.
Keith Getty and Stuart Townend are worship leaders and song writers who have together produced some of the most well-known and vibrant hymns of this era. This song was the first collaboration by Getty with Townend, and, in fact with any other writer. The two met during a conference through the connection of a mutual friend. Getty later sent Townend a CD with this music. It was a melody he had worked on for quite awhile with a desire for it to be a vehicle to share the gospel story in one song. When Stuart heard it he was snagged immediately, considering it a profound melody. They talked it over in a subsequent call and Stuart came to look at it as “a song about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection and what that means for us.” After writing the lyrics, Stuart adopted Keith’s suggestion that the opening phrase, ‘My hope is found in Christ alone’, be switched around. Thus it is that we have come to know this modern hymn as ‘In Christ Alone My Hope is Found’. Stuart feels that people consider the song powerful because it points to what Jesus went through. “We get to stand before him not because of our great faith or because doing well as a Christian, but purely and simply because of what he has done.”
Stuart Townend grew up as the youngest of four children in a Christian family living in West Yorkshire, England. His roots are in the Anglican Church where his father served as vicar at Christ Church, Sowerby Bridge. His family always enjoyed music, and young Stuart began his musical studies with piano at age seven. He began writing songs at age 22, studying literature at the University of Sussex.
The uniqueness of Townend’s writing lies partly in its lyrical content. There is both a theological depth and poetic expression that some say is rare in today’s worship writing. And not surprisingly, it’s an emphasis that Townend and Getty both maintained within the composition of this song in particular.
“I think content is vitally important to our corporate worship,” Townend shares. “Sometimes great melodies are let down by indifferent or clichéd words. It’s the writer’s job to dig deep into the meaning of Scripture and express in poetic and memorable ways the truth he or she finds there. Knowing the truth about God and who we are in Him is central to our lives as believers. Songs remain in the mind in a way sermons do not, so songwriters have an important role and a huge responsibility.”
Keith Getty, a native of Northern Ireland, had his upbringing in the Presbyterian Church, where his father was a pastor in Belfast, a heritage that influenced his appreciation for metrical psalms. Keith often performs with his wife Kristyn who is frequently featured as a soloist or lead singer on albums. His musical education began with classical guitar lessons at age eleven and flute lessons at age twelve. He graduated in 1995 with a B.A. at St. Chad’s College, Durham University, where he studied music. Getty’s background in flute led to study with the renowned flautist James Galway, who also facilitated Getty’s development as conductor and orchestrator. His musical influences include classical music, Irish music, and a wide range of church music.
In taking its place with other great hymns about the substitutionary atonement of Christ, this song stirred up a rather notable controversy. In the summer of 2012 the hymn committee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) wanted to add the song to their new hymnal, Glory to God, following the action of a group who published a changed version in a previous hymnal, although without permission. The committee requested permission from Townend and Getty to print a similarly altered version of the hymn’s lyrics, changing “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the wrath of God was satisfied” to “Till on that cross as Jesus died/the love of God was magnified.” The Presbyterians objected to the idea of the wrath of God being ‘satisfied’ by the death of Jesus, a view they considered to align with Anselm’s concept of the atonement and portraying God as killing Jesus on the cross. The songwriters rejected the proposed change, and as a result the hymn committee voted to bar the hymn.
The following is a summary of this issue taken substantially from an article interviewing Keith Getty by Collin Hansen in thegospelcoalition.org blog.
The hymn writers believed that altering the lyrics would remove an essential part of the gospel story as explained throughout Scripture. The main thread of what we see revealed throughout the Old and New Testament is the need for man to be made right with God. The provided path toward reconciliation came through Christ’s predetermined and perfect sacrifice on the cross, satisfying God’s wrath once and for all. The two hymnal committees wanted to change the lyrics to focus on how Christ’s death on the cross magnifies God’s love for the world. And indeed, God’s love was magnified on Calvary’s hill. Yet the way this occurred was through Christ doing for us what we could not do for ourselves—shedding his own perfect blood to atone for our sins.
According to Getty, the writers wanted to explore the scope of the gospel message in one song. As people in the pew sing “In Christ Alone,” we pray they understand the many attributes of God. His sovereign power, grace, love, justice and wrath all are intertwined. And we shouldn’t turn away from exploring his wrath, because through understanding God’s righteous anger toward sin, we understand his desire for justice and peace. As J. I. Packer so clearly explains in Knowing God, God is not just unless he inflicts upon all sin and wrongdoing the penalty it deserves. While we may think it severe, we desperately need God’s wrath—a holy and just response to evil—to restore the broken world in which we live.
I (Keith) understand some people take issue with the theological perspective that God’s wrath was satisfied through Christ’s death on the cross. Part of this debate centers on whether the cross became the object of God’s wrath. When couched in those terms, God’s anger can sound harsh and perhaps confusing.
Yet I believe this view stems from an inadequate understanding of how God’s wrath differs from our own. Each of us faces the temptation to fashion God out of our own image. And a picture of God formed through our experiences of hurt, anger, injustice, or rage is a sad and vindictive one indeed. But this is not the infinite, good God we serve. God’s wrath is not like our wrath, and his ways are not like our own. Throughout Scripture, the need for atonement to be made is likened to a cup of wrath the sinner must consume. As we know, Jesus drank this cup for us. The cross was a remedy, providing for each of us a way to be saved. It may not be easy to fully comprehend. But we must tread carefully, echoing the thought of Isaiah 45:9: “Woe to him who strives with him who formed him, a pot among earthen pots! Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’ or ‘Your work has no handles’?”
Stuart Townend and I believe the doctrine of propitiation plays a vital role in how we understand Christ’s saving work as explained in Scripture. Consequently, the language used throughout “In Christ Alone” is a natural expression of our theological view on this subject.
HYMN LYRICS
In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all--
Here in the love of Christ I stand.
In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev’ry sin on Him was laid--
Here in the death of Christ I live.
There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine--
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.
No guilt in life, no fear in death--
This is the pow’r of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow’r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home--
Here in the pow’r of Christ I’ll stand
SOURCES:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/keith-getty-on-what-makes-in-christ-alone-beloved-and-contested/
https://store.gettymusic.com/us/song/in-christ-alone/
https://www.godtube.com/popular-hymns/in-christ-alone-lyrics-story-behind-hymn/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/in-christ-alone-dropped_n_3719253
https://www.crosswalk.com/church/worship/song-story-in-christ-alone-1275127.html
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/articles/history-of-hymns-in-christ-alone-my-hope-is-found
https://www.weareworship.com/us/songs/shoulve-been-mine/the-story-behind-the-song-in-christ-alone/
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