Charles Wesley - Be It According To Thy Word Lyrics
Lyrics
1 BE it according to thy word;
This moment let it be!
O that I now, my gracious Lord,
Might lose my life for thee!
2 Now, Jesus, let thy powerful death
Into my being come;
Slay the old Adam with thy breath;
The man of sin consume.
3 My old affections mortify,
Nail to the cross my will;
Daily and hourly bid me die,
Or altogether kill.
4 Jesus, my life, appear within,
And bruise the serpent's head;
Enter my soul, extirpate sin,
Cast out the cursed seed.
5 Hast thou not made me willing, Lord?
Would I not die this hour?
Then speak the killing, quickening word;
Slay, raise me, by thy power.
6 Slay me, and I in thee shall trust,
With thy dead men arise,
Awake, and sing out of the dust,
Soon as this nature dies.
7 O let it now make haste to die,
The mortal wound receive!
So shall I live; and yet not I,
But Christ in me shall live.
8 Be it according to thy word!
This moment let it be!
The life I lose for thee, my Lord,
I find again in thee.
Video
Charles Wesley Music Worship
Meaning & Inspiration
The hymn "Be It According To Thy Word" by Charles Wesley, as presented in its 2012 release by Charles Wesley Music Worship, stands as a profound declaration of radical Christian discipleship, inviting each of us to a transformative encounter with divine grace. This particular rendition, while making the timeless words accessible to a contemporary audience, preserves the raw, urgent spiritual longing embedded in Wesley’s original text. Its power lies not in any specific melody – though countless melodies have carried these words through generations – but in the unwavering focus of its lyrical message, which champions a complete surrender to God's will and a zealous pursuit of Christ-likeness.
Penned by one of the most prolific hymn writers in history, this text embodies the very heart of Wesleyan theology, particularly its emphasis on Christian perfection or entire sanctification. For Wesley, this wasn't an abstract concept but a deeply personal, experiential reality – a spiritual journey towards a life where Christ's love reigns supreme, and the "old self" is truly put to death. The hymn is a prayer for this very transformation, echoing Mary’s humble submission, "Be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38), but applying it to the believer’s yearning for daily spiritual renewal and ultimate sanctification.
The initial plea, "Be it according to thy word; This moment let it be! O that I now, my gracious Lord, Might lose my life for thee!" immediately sets a tone of urgent, complete surrender. It is an echo of Mary’s submission to the divine will, but here, the desire is for a profound spiritual death to self, aligning with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 16:25: "For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it." This is not a hesitant request but an impassioned cry for immediate, radical change.
The hymn plunges deeper with the request, "Now, Jesus, let thy powerful death Into my being come; Slay the old Adam with thy breath; The man of sin consume." This vivid imagery calls upon the very power of Christ’s crucifixion to eradicate the fallen nature within. The "old Adam" refers to the inherited sinful disposition from Adam's transgression (Romans 5:12), and the "man of sin" encapsulates the corrupted self. The prayer is for the death of Christ to be so intimately applied that it utterly destroys this inherent sinfulness, mirroring Paul’s declaration in Romans 6:6: "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin."
Continuing the theme of eradication, the hymn asks, "My old affections mortify, Nail to the cross my will; Daily and hourly bid me die, Or altogether kill." "Mortify" means to put to death, and here it’s directed at one's desires and will. This is a deliberate, conscious act of surrender, a daily crucifixion of the self, as exhorted in Colossians 3:5, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature." The prayer is for a continuous, even instantaneous, killing of self-centeredness, so that individual will is fully subjected to Christ’s lordship, a spiritual reality beautifully expressed in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."
A shift occurs from the negative (slaying sin) to the positive (Christ's indwelling) with the lines, "Jesus, my life, appear within, And bruise the serpent's head; Enter my soul, extirpate sin, Cast out the cursed seed." This is a fervent plea for Christ to actively manifest His presence within the believer, not just as a guest but as the very life force. By asking Him to "bruise the serpent’s head," the hymn invokes the ancient promise of Genesis 3:15 and the ultimate victory of Christ over Satan and sin (Romans 16:20, 1 John 3:8). To "extirpate sin" is to root it out completely, ensuring no remnant of the "cursed seed" (the inclination to sin) remains.
The hymn then acknowledges divine enablement, "Hast thou not made me willing, Lord? Would I not die this hour? Then speak the killing, quickening word; Slay, raise me, by thy power." This is a powerful testament to God’s grace, recognizing that even the desire for sanctification comes from Him (Philippians 2:13). It appeals to Christ's life-giving word, the same word that brought creation into being and raises the dead, to perform this profound spiritual surgery. It's a paradoxical request: to be "slain" by divine power, yet simultaneously "raised" into new life, echoing John 12:24 where a seed must die to produce much fruit.
This spiritual death is clearly linked to a glorious resurrection: "Slay me, and I in thee shall trust, With thy dead men arise, Awake, and sing out of the dust, Soon as this nature dies." The expectation is not merely annihilation but transformation. Just as Christ rose from the dead, those who die to self in Him will also experience a spiritual awakening, rising with the power of His resurrection (Romans 8:11, Ephesians 2:5-6). The imagery of singing out of the dust evokes prophetic hope for renewal and triumph over spiritual decay, similar to the psalmist's plea in Psalm 30:9, "Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness?"
The urgency intensifies with, "O let it now make haste to die, The mortal wound receive! So shall I live; and yet not I, But Christ in me shall live." This stanza is a direct and passionate application of the transformative truth found in Galatians 2:20. The petitioner yearns for the immediate and decisive end of the old nature, understanding that true life begins only when self-life ends and Christ takes full residency and control. This is the core of the Christian experience: a life exchanged for His.
The hymn concludes by circling back to its opening invocation: "Be it according to thy word! This moment let it be! The life I lose for thee, my Lord, I find again in thee." This resolute reiteration underscores the believer’s complete consent and fervent desire for this immediate and total transformation. The paradox of losing life to gain it (Matthew 16:25) finds its ultimate expression here, revealing that the surrender of self is not a sacrifice but an exchange for a far richer, eternal life found solely in Christ.
In its entirety, "Be It According To Thy Word" is more than a hymn; it is a profound spiritual exercise, a template for prayer that invites believers to yearn for total sanctification. It challenges us to embrace a death to self, not as an act of asceticism, but as the very gateway to abundant life in Christ. Its message remains eternally relevant, inspiring us to actively seek the complete indwelling of Jesus, trusting that His powerful word will indeed slay the old and raise the new, making us living testaments to His transformative grace.