Though Christ a Thousand Times
Transformative Journey: Embracing the Cross Within for Divine Life
Lyrics
Though Christ a thousand times
Despite Christ being born a thousand times in Bethlehem,
In Bethlehem be born
If Christ is not born within you,
If He's not born in thee
Your soul remains in a state of abandonment and despair.
Thy soul is still forlorn
The significance of Christ's birth within is essential for salvation.
The Cross on Golgotha
The crucifixion on Golgotha alone cannot redeem your soul.
Will never save thy soul
True salvation comes from the internal experience of the Cross in your heart.
The Cross in thine own heart
It is this internal spiritual transformation that can make you complete.
Alone can make thee whole
Emphasizes the necessity of personal spiritual growth and inner change.
O, Cross of Christ, I take thee
The speaker accepts the transformative power of the Cross of Christ.
Into this heart of mine
The Cross is invited into the speaker's heart, symbolizing surrender.
That I to my own self may die
Expresses a desire for self-renunciation and a rebirth into divine life.
And rise to thy life Divine
The goal is to die to self and embrace the divine life offered by the Cross.
What e'er thou lovest, man
Whatever you love, you become, urging self-awareness and conscious choices.
That too become thou must
The call to transform oneself in alignment with one's deepest affections.
God, if thou lovest God
Loving God leads to a spiritual existence, while worldly love leads to insignificance.
Dust, if thou lovest dust
Highlighting the transformative power of the nature of one's love.
Go out, God will come in
Encouragement to detach from worldly concerns to allow God's presence.
Die thou and let Him live
Symbolic death to self allows God's life to manifest within.
Be not and He will be
The paradoxical notion of non-existence leading to God's presence.
Wait and He'll all things give
Patience is urged, promising fulfillment when surrendered to divine timing.
O, Cross of Christ, I take thee
A repetition of the acceptance of the transformative power of the Cross.
Into this heart of mine
Inviting the Cross into the heart for a profound inner change.
That I to my own self may die
A continuation of the desire for self-death and rebirth in divine life.
And rise to thy life Divine
The ultimate goal is to rise into a life aligned with the divine.
To bring thee to thy God
Love is portrayed as the direct route to union with God.
Love takes the shortest route
The efficacy of love compared to the indirect path of knowledge.
The way which knowledge leads
Knowledge is acknowledged but considered a longer, indirect path.
Is but a roundabout
Emphasizes the importance of the simplicity and directness of love.
Drive out from thee the world
A call to detach from worldly influences for spiritual purification.
And then thy heart shall be
Emptying oneself of worldly attachments leads to divine love filling the heart.
Filled with the love of God
Completion comes through being filled with the love of God.
And holy like as He
As one becomes filled with God's love, they become holy and God-like.
O, Cross of Christ, I take thee
The reiterated acceptance of the transformative power of the Cross.
Into this heart of mine
The speaker renews the invitation for the Cross to transform their heart.
That I to my own self may die
The ongoing aspiration for self-renunciation and rebirth in divine life.
And rise to thy life Divine
Reiterates the ultimate goal of rising into a life aligned with the divine.
Comment