I NOTHING ADD, I NOTHING TAKE
I nothing add, I nothing take
From Christ, the perfect One.
Always and only I will make
My anthem “Christ alone!”
Might I earn Heav’n by my own hand
Through works that I have done?
No! I could never hope to stand
Outside of Christ alone.
Could I find faith in worldly thought,
Or in some secrets known?
I blush to think I could be taught
Except by Christ alone.
Would all my worthless blood be spilt
It still could not atone
For all my sin, for all my guilt—
That must be Christ alone!
So may this ever be my claim
When found before the Throne,
That my salvation’s in the name
Of Jesus Christ alone.
click above to download pdf
REFLECTION
This hymn was arose during a sermon series through the book of Colossians, when I came to chapter 2. There in verse 6 we read: “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” In other words, the Jesus that the Colossians believers received by faith is the same Jesus that they need for their life. Jesus is enough. Why? Verse 9 tells us: “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” Everything that is God is packed into the person of Christ. He is not deficient in anyway. He is entirely, completely, really and truly, the sum and substance of the Divine. What could we possibly want to change about that? And yet, as Colossians points out, we often do try to change this Christ. We want to add something to what He offers, or take something away from what He is demanding of us. We try to get him to fit into our categories or our conceptions. But Jesus is all. So the middle three verses of the hymn rebuke common ways we might try add to or supplant the finished work of the person of Christ, as listed by Paul in chapter 2 of Colossians. There is no personal righteousness that could be added to Christ (v. 11), no mystical knowledge we need to uncover (v. 8), and certainly nothing we could offer up as a sacrifice in his place (v. 18). I don’t want to claim to anything of mine when it comes to Judgment Day. I want to be found in Jesus Christ, the All in All.
Official permission to use the hymns posted at hymnsofdevotion.com is granted under the following conditions: (a) the hymns are not to be altered in any way, (b) the hymns are to be distributed free of charge, and (c) recognition is to be given to both the author and composer. If the hymns are to be used in a formal publication (i.e., anything that will be sold), please email your request below.