We have been singing Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me with our church recently. It is a really nice modern arrangement by Dustin Kensrue. The original hymn was written in 1763 by Augustus Toplady. Augustus' original hymn is packed full of beautiful theology that shows Christ as our covering and hiding place. One of the famous lines and also one of my favorite phrases is, "Be of sin the double cure...save from wrath and make me pure." This line poetically points out a double-sided truth: Christ shields of from the wrath of God that we, in our natural state, are running towards at full speed and at the same time changes us into a new creation. Kensrue gives this hymn new life with a great melody and then takes the idea of "Christ cleft for us" in a new direction with a fresh chorus. In the stanzas, Christ is seen as our cleft and hiding place. In the chorus, Krensrue focuses on Christ as cleft or "cutoff" for us. In other words, Christ was cleft so that he could be our cleft.
The fresh twist in the chorus has made this a perfect song to sing with our local gatherings. I encourage you to check it out. You can find some resources and chord sheets here.
Rock of Ages, cleft for me Let me hide myself in thee Let the water and the blood from thy wounded side which flowed Be of sin the double cure Save from wrath and make me pure
Not the labors of my hands Can fulfill the law's commands Should my passion never fade And my efforts all be weighed All for sin could not atone You must save and you alone
Nothing in my hand I bring Simply to the cross I cling Naked come to thee for dress Helpless look to thee for grace Wretched to the fount I fly Wash me, Savior, or I die
Rock of Ages No one takes your life Yet you died that I might live Costly grace you freely give Rock of Ages You have paid the price You were cleft to cover me Let my hide myself in thee
And while I draw my final breath I'll rest upon your grace And when I close my eyes in death I'll wake to see your face