This hymn by Charles Wesley retells the Gospel in vivid language, calling us to glorious praise for Christ’s wondrous work of salvation. And Can It Be? captures the staggering sense of who me? that we should feel at Christ’s love for us like almost no other hymn does.

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?

The hymn opens by questioning Christ’s mercy with open-mouthed wonder. It invites us to ask, “Really?! Me?!” when confronted with our standing in Christ. How is it that Christ died for me? Me, whose sin caused the pain of the cross. Me, whose disobedience and rejection of God required Christ to die. Truly this is amazing love! So the hymn rightly calls us to wonder at God’s love for us.

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.

Now the hymn begins to retell the story of redemption, starting in Heaven with Christ coming to us with infinite and free grace. The word free here doesn’t refer to grace being cheap, but rather that Christ did this of His own accord and of His own will.

Referencing Philippians 2:7, the hymn calls us to wonder that Christ emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant. It points out that we were helpless and Christ’s death for us is entirely an act of His mercy, mercy that is immense and free. And then it calls us to make this personal, praising God that it found out me—that is, this salvation has reached me and is for me.

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.

Here the hymn poetically expounds on Colossians 1:13, dramatically relating how we were imprisoned in the dark dungeon of sin, bound up in sin and nature’s night—that is, our sin nature that we could not escape. But then! Christ’s eye turned upon us with a quickening ray. Like the sun shining through a window, the gaze of Christ upon our dungeon filled it with glorious light, broke the chains of sin and death, and freed our hearts to follow him.

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.

Finally, in a glorious crescendo, the hymn refers to Romans 8:1, declaring that in Christ we fear no condemnation, but why? Because Jesus, and everything in Him is ours! We are alive in Him, even has He is alive and the Head of the Church. We have been clothed in the righteousness of Christ, making us able to approach the throne with boldness and confidence (Hebrews 4:16, 10:19; Ephesians 3:12) and claim the crown through Christ who is now our own.

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Hopefully, walking through this great hymn gives you a new appreciation for what you are singing. This hymn especially gives good reason to sing out, sing boldly, and sing to one another in praise to Jesus.