“And Can It Be”: Charles Wesley’s hymn of chains that fell off

Some hymns are calm and reflective. “And Can It Be” is full of astonishment. From its first line, the singer seems unable to believe what has happened: “And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Saviour’s blood?” Charles Wesley wrote it in 1738, around the time of his own conversion, and it carries the excitement of a man who has just found what he was looking for. Its refrain, “Amazing love! How can it be, that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?”, is sung with full voice in churches around the world.

Wesley in 1738

In May 1738, both John and Charles Wesley experienced what they described as an assurance of faith, days apart. Charles had been ill and depressed. Afterwards, he poured his experience into hymns, and “And Can It Be” is often linked to that period. The hymn opens with questions. How could Christ die for the one who caused his pain? Wesley calls it “mystery all” and says that even angels cannot fully understand it. The questions are not doubts but wonder.

Emptied himself and the dungeon

The third verse speaks of Christ leaving “his Father’s throne above” and emptying himself “of all but love.” The phrase echoes Philippians 2, where Paul describes Christ taking the form of a servant.

The fourth verse is the most famous: “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.” The image recalls Peter’s release from prison in Acts 12.

No condemnation and Sagina

The final verse begins “No condemnation now I dread,” drawing on Romans 8:1. It ends with confidence: the singer approaches “the eternal throne” and claims “the crown, through Christ my own.” The hymn is usually sung to Sagina, written by Thomas Campbell in the 1820s. Its repeated final lines build to a climax, giving congregations a chance to sing the refrain twice with growing strength.

A favourite across traditions

Although it is a Methodist hymn, “And Can It Be” is loved by Baptists, Anglicans, Pentecostals and others. It is often chosen for conversions, baptisms and services of renewal. The hymn asks singers to see themselves in the dungeon and then in the light. For many, it puts into words an experience they find hard to describe.

Charles Wesley described his chains falling off in a single line of verse. Choirs still slow down to sing that line, as if to give the chains time to drop.