Charles Wesley - Let Him To Whom We Now Belong Lyrics
Lyrics
1 LET Him to whom we now belong
His sovereign right assert,
And take up every thankful song,
And every loving heart.
2 He justly claims us for his own,
Who bought us with a price;
The Christian lives to Christ alone,
To Christ alone he dies.
3 Jesus, thine own at last receive!
Fulfil our hearts' desire,
And let us to thy glory live,
And in thy cause expire.
4 Our souls and bodies we resign;
With joy we render thee
Our all, no longer ours, but thine
To all eternity.
Video
Let Him to Whom We Now Belong (Singing the Faith 557 / StF557)
Meaning & Inspiration
"Let Him to Whom We Now Belong," found in the collection *Singing the Faith* (StF557), offers a profound and deeply personal articulation of Christian devotion, released on January 2, 2022. At its core, this hymn, penned by Charles Wesley, is a powerful declaration of surrender and belonging, rooted in the foundational belief of Christ's redemptive work. The song immediately establishes a plea for Christ to "assert His sovereign right," a concept echoing throughout Scripture, particularly in passages that speak of God's ultimate authority and ownership over His creation, such as Deuteronomy 32:39, "See now that I, even I, am he; and there is no god beside me." The opening stanza implores for our entire being – our songs of gratitude and our hearts – to be wholly dedicated to Him who justly claims us. This notion of rightful possession is further solidified in the second stanza, which explicitly states Christ "bought us with a price." This is a direct reference to the sacrificial atonement of Jesus, as described in 1 Corinthians 6:20: "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s." The lyric, "The Christian lives to Christ alone, to Christ alone he dies," encapsulates a radical commitment, a singular focus on Christ that defines the entirety of a believer's existence, mirroring the Apostle Paul's declaration in Philippians 1:21, "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The third stanza moves into a prayerful request, asking Jesus to "receive His own" and to fulfill the deep desire of our hearts: to live for His glory and to "expire in Thy cause." This yearning for a life lived entirely for God's purposes is beautifully aligned with the prayer in John 17:1, where Jesus prays, "Father, the hour is come; glorify thy son, that thy son also may glorify thee." The final stanza solidifies this complete offering with the poignant words, "Our souls and bodies we resign; with joy we render thee our all, no longer ours, but Thine to all eternity." This act of joyful resignation and unconditional surrender is the ultimate expression of faith, recognizing that true ownership of our lives lies not with ourselves, but with the One who has purchased us with His own blood, as echoed in Romans 12:1: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." The hymn, therefore, serves as a potent reminder of the transformative power of Christ's love and the joyous freedom found in acknowledging Him as our sovereign Lord and Redeemer, leading to an eternal belonging found only in Him.