Everyone familiar with the lyrics to “In Christ Alone” has a favorite line that swells the heart with joy, comfort, and, sometimes, conviction. I’m no exception. I’ve sat in conferences and watched people’s reactions when they sing their favorite words to this hymn—some weep, while others close their eyes in breathless wonder.
But there’s one stanza so compelling that it’s emotionally irresistible. It drives people to their feet, whether out of awestruck reverence or with effervescent joy, and I’ve watched as they jump from their seats, stretch their arms as if to touch heaven itself, and sing with abandon,
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.
I’d give anything to join my friends at that point. I’d love to rise from my wheelchair, stand on tiptoe, throw my head back, and cry and laugh at the same time.
Sin’s Curse Has Lost Its Grip
What is it about this stanza that breaks the human container, releasing both tears and joy? I can’t say for sure, but I have an idea.
Although other hymns beautifully convey that astounding moment when Christ conquered the grave, none matches the lyric-and-song chemistry of “In Christ Alone.” It’s the perfect blend of heart-stopping truth set to melody that inexorably stirs the human affections. The auditorium may be filled with thousands of people, yet everyone is thinking the same thing: As Christ stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me!
When I sing that line, a blur of former sorrows and transgressions shuffle through my mind like a deck of cards. But they have no sting. That’s because my past sins are now points of grace and redemption where Christ at his highest met me at my lowest.
My past sins are now points of grace and redemption where Christ at his highest met me at my lowest.
Yes, we all still deal with the presence of sin in our lives, but its sway over us has been destroyed. We no longer must sin. All because the Son of Man isn’t lying stone-cold dead on a gray slab behind a massive gravestone. Jesus Christ walked out of his sepulchre and now—infused with life and light—he stands in victory over the curse of death. Faith in him is my victory.
World’s Most Beloved Modern Hymn
No modern-day hymn has captured the heart of the global church quite like “In Christ Alone.” Every line has been doctrinally cut and carved, leaving not a hint of fluff or filler. It presents the full gospel from beginning to end, and perhaps that’s why its truths thoroughly resonate with our spirits.
You sing this hymn once, and you’re satisfied. Sing it twice, three times, or many times more and you’re still satisfied. Like the gospel, it never gets old. It seems the more you sing “In Christ Alone,” the more the good news in all its beauty and majesty unfolds before you, layer by layer. The song is that powerful, that unique.
I turn to this modern hymn when my soul feels dulled by the world, or when guilt warns me I’ve coddled a sinful habit. When I need hope and help, I default to singing “In Christ Alone” because I need . . . Christ alone. I have no hope apart from him. He is my rock, my strength, my song. And before I know it. I’m repeating the well-rehearsed, doctrinally rich stanzas that have been pressed, like a handprint, on my heart. I feel the pleasure of God at being so abundantly satisfied in him. So until he returns or calls me home, here in the power of Christ I stand.
Challenge to Memorize
This week, a new version of “In Christ Alone” released—a collaboration between Keith and Kristyn Getty and Australia’s CityAlight, recorded live at the Sydney Opera House. You can listen to it here or by clicking on the video embedded below.
As this “hymn of the century” receives a fresh arrangement and a new release for young ears, I challenge everyone to memorize the lyrics to “In Christ Alone.” You will, in a way, be memorizing the gospel that saves. And when you sing it afresh, perhaps you, too, will close your eyes in wonder and leap to your feet with arms spread wide.
