CityAlight - Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me Lyrics
Lyrics
Verse 1
What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace
Refrain 1
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
For my life is wholly bound to his
Oh how strange and divine, I can sing: all is mine!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
Verse2
The night is dark but I am not forsaken
For by my side, the Saviour He will stay
I labour on in weakness and rejoicing
For in my need, His power is displayed
To this I hold, my Shepherd will defend me
Through the deepest valley He will lead
Oh the night has been won, and I shall overcome!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
Verse 3
No fate I dread, I know I am forgiven
The future sure, the price it has been paid
For Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon
And He was raised to overthrow the grave
To this I hold, my sin has been defeated
Jesus now and ever is my plea
Oh the chains are released, I can sing: I am free!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me
Verse 4
With every breath I long to follow Jesus
For He has said that He will bring me home
And day by day I know He will renew me
Until I stand with joy before the throne
To this I hold, my hope is only Jesus
All the glory evermore to Him
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Tag
When the race is complete, still my lips shall repeat:
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Yet not I, but through Christ in me!
Video
CityAlight - Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me (Live)
Meaning & Inspiration
CityAlight hit a nerve with this one, giving us a modern hymn that feels like it could have been pulled straight from an old hymnal if not for the contemporary edge. Dropped on 22 Sep 2020 as the single Yet Not I but Through Christ in Me, the song wastes no time getting to the core of the gospel. It acts as a mirror to Galatians 2:20, where Paul strips away his own ego to let the reality of the indwelling Spirit take center stage. When we sing about Jesus being our righteousness, we are stepping into the scandalous grace of Philippians 3:9, where we finally stop trying to cobble together our own goodness and instead rely on the perfect record of the Son. The theology here is surgical, cutting through the fluff of modern self-help worship to focus on the objective work of the cross.
The lyrics pivot on the tension between our human weakness and the limitless power of God. By admitting, I labour on in weakness and rejoicing, the song anchors itself in 2 Corinthians 12:9. We are not just ignoring our struggles; we are acknowledging that our emptiness is the exact space where his strength is displayed. It is a bold, counter-cultural claim in a culture that demands we project total self-sufficiency at all times. By grounding the assurance of salvation in the physical reality of the resurrection, the song moves past emotionalism. Jesus bled and suffered for my pardon speaks to the legal necessity of the atonement, showing us that our peace is not found in our fleeting feelings but in the objective fact that the price has been paid.
What strikes me most is the refusal to claim any credit. When the refrain keeps coming back to, Yet not I, but through Christ in me, it acts as a constant guard against our natural inclination toward pride. We are essentially singing our own death certificate to our old, self-centered nature. Following Jesus is not a climb we make on our own terms, but a steady walk toward the throne, sustained by the one who promised to finish what he started in us according to Philippians 1:6. This is not just a song to enjoy on a Sunday; it is a confession to anchor your soul when the path gets narrow and the night gets dark. If you want a anthem that effectively silences the ego and keeps the focus strictly on the sufficiency of the Savior, stop looking for clever words and just let this truth settle in your bones.