Why I Love the Hymn "In Christ Alone"

I still remember being a preteen when my dad introduced the modern hymn “In Christ Alone” to our congregation of First Baptist Church Cuero, Texas. I had a sense that this hymn was special. Now, having spent almost 25 years singing it and the past couple of years researching Getty and Townend modern hymns, I would call it the most significant Christian hymn composed in the past 125 years.

To be fair, I am biased. It is probably my favorite hymn! Yet it is my favorite because it not only resonates with me, but it has resonated broadly with so many other people for over two decades. I want to share four reasons why I love this hymn.

The first reason I love “In Christ Alone” is because it narrates the gospel story. James K. A. Smith says, “We need stories like we need food and water: we’re built for narrative.” The most important story we need to hear and remind ourselves of is the good news of Jesus’ birth, life, death, resurrection, and imminent return. Keith Getty sent Stuart Townend the melody for this hymn with the title “In Christ Alone,” and then Stuart crafted the lyrics based on the narrative arc of Philippians 2:5-11 and the Apostles’ Creed. Townend narrates the gospel in stanzas two and three of the hymn. Then in stanza four, Townend gives worshipers some of the amazing implications of the gospel. The last stanza mirrors many themes of the final stanza of “And Can It Be?” by Charles Wesley.

1 Overview- all the hope of Christ for me

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

2 Incarnation-rejection-death-atonement

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 every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live

3 Burial-Resurrection-Reign

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

4 Confident rejoicing in the power of Christ/Life now and Eternity to come

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand

Charles Wesley: “And Can It Be?” final stanza and Keith Getty and Stuart Townend: “In Christ Alone” stanzas 3 and 4

Wesley: “No condemnation now I dread” (Romans 8:1)

Getty/Townend: “No guilt in life, no fear in death” (Romans 8:1-2) “No power of hell, no scheme of man” (Romans 8:38-39)

Wesley: “Jesus and all in Him is mine”

Getty/Townend: “For I am His and He is mine”

Wesley: “Bold I approach the eternal throne” (Hebrews 4:16, Matthew 25:31)

Getty/Townend: “Till He returns or calls me home” (Matthew 25:31)

The second reason I love “In Christ Alone” is because it is masterfully fashioned. Not only is the whole hymn’s structure masterfully designed, but so many phrases are poetically rich. You could monogram, tattoo, paint, etc. any number of lines because they are just that good:

“fullness of God in helpless babe”

“as He stands in victory, sin’s curse has lost its grip on me”

“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”

Also, though this was one of Keith Getty’s first hymn melodies, he may never top it. It is a folk-inspired melody which exhibits the golden mean, rising to its peak in the third phrase before settling back down in the final phrase. It is quite singable even though the notes cover the range of an octave and a fourth. Furthermore, it is in the unique meter of Long Meter Double (LMD, which is 8.8.8.8. 8.8.8.8.). Hymnologist Austin C. Lovelace wrote in 1965, “It is virtually impossible to get a really good congregational LMD tune." Well, Lovelace was correct about LMD tunes until Getty wrote this tune in 2001!

The third reason I love “In Christ Alone” is because it opened the doorway for a new genre of congregational song at a time when it was desperately needed. Getty told me in an interview that things were so “binary” in worship song lyrics at the end of the twentieth century. It seemed like churches either sang theologically dense didactic hymns or more repetitive praise and worship choruses. The musical styles were disjointed too. In fact, this era is known as the era of the “worship wars.” Getty and Townend started writing modern hymns to bridge the gap. They did a wonderful job, and I am very thankful things are not so divided anymore.

The fourth reason I love “In Christ Alone” is because its musical flexibility has allowed it to be sung and arranged in a wide variety of ways. Getty approached composing the tune more from a classical background, and Townend looked at arranging the hymn more from a contemporary background. The tune is so flexible it can be arranged in four-part harmony accompanied by a symphony orchestra and organ, or it can also be re-harmonized or simplified and played with a guitar or modern worship band. It has been covered from artists ranging from The Booth Brothers (Southern Gospel) to Passion (Modern/Contemporary Worship Big 4 artist) to King’s Kaleidoscope (Reformed Alternative/Post-Punk Rock).

Here is the hymn recorded in 2012 with a gigantic congregation and symphony orchestra at Royal Albert Hall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnXv2gAfPpE

For the High Church organ/choir lovers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k68SnKPDpBE

King’s Kaleidoscope version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4FBLH5n6IU

Here is one of my favorites right now, the Anchor Hymns arrangement, recorded in Nashville in 2024. It’s a soulful, gospel/R&B/blues rock inspired rendition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuBuJNUprtI

These are just four brief reasons why I love “In Christ Alone.” This hymn is such an enriching song. I hope you’ll memorize “In Christ Alone” and sing it frequently privately, with your family, and corporately!

Resources for further reading:

1.       A helpful overview and background on the hymn: Hymnology Archive: “In Christ Alone” https://www.hymnologyarchive.com/in-christ-alone

2. A journal article I wrote about the atonement theology in the hymn: Wrath in Worship?: An Analysis of the “Wrath of God” Controversy Surrounding Getty and Townend’s “In Christ Alone” https://equipthecalled.com/at-journal-article/wrath-in-worship-an-analysis-of-the-wrath-of-god-controversy-surrounding-getty-and-townends-in-christ-alone/

3. An academic paper I presented for the Society of Christian Scholarship in Music in 2023: “From Life’s First Cry to Final Breath”: Examining How the Narrative Hymns of Getty and Townend Captured the Church’s Attention in the New Millennium: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0LOLCvT2UY