Biography
Wintley Phipps, at an early age, family moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada where he was. He attended Kingsway College, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian Academy, and later Oakwood College in Huntsville, Alabama where he received a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Theology. Phipps would later go on and earned a Masters of Divinity Degree from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Mr. Phipps served as senior pastor to several churches in the Washington DC metropolitan area, including the Capitol Hill and Seabrook Seventh-Day Adventist Churches. He currently serves as Pastor of the Palm Bay Seventh-day Adventist Church in Palm Bay, Florida.
U.S. Dream Academy, Inc
In 1998, Phipps founded and created the U.S. Dream Academy, Inc, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a values-based, interactive, tutorial and remedial education program targeted to children and youth at risk through community Family Learning Centers located in various states. Seeing a need, Phipps wanted something help break the cycle he played out so many times in his own family. Wintley formed the U.S. Dream Academy to give children who've had a family member behind bars. The program provides mentoring, academic tutoring, and exposure to computers and the Internet. Wintley says, "Just the computers themselves are not going to transform the lives of these kids," and "The most important part of our program is really the caring, loving adults who surround them."
Awards
* Oprah's Angel Network $100,000 Use Your Life Award.
* Grammy Award Nominations in 1988 and 1989
* 2005 MMP Fall Leadership, $100,000
Albums
Studio albums
* Lord, You Are My Music 1984
* I Give You My Life 1984
* I Choose You Again 1984
* We Are One (Phipps) 1985
* The Great Controversy (album) 1985
* It's Christmas Time 1986
* Wintley Phipps 1987
* A Love Like This 1988
* Sun Will Shine Again 1990
* The Power Of A Dream 1995
* Favorite Hymns 1996
* Favorite Spirituals 1996
* Songs Of Christmas 2000
* Out Of The Night 2001
* Heal Our Land 2001
* Favorite Hymns of Billy Graham 2005
* Spirituals:A Syphonic Celebration ?
* No Need For Fear 2006
Live albums
* Wintley Phipps Live 2000
Compilations
* Christmas in Vienna (1993) - Diana Ross 1993
* Saviour: The Story Of God’s Passion For His People 1996
* Millennium Chorus: The Greatest Story Ever Sung 2000
* Gospel Gold (Bellmark) 2000
* Spirituals: Songs Of The Soul 2004
And Can It Be?
Wintley Phipps Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
An int′rest in the Savior's blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me?
Amazing love! how can it be
He left His Father′s throne above,
So free, so infinite His grace;
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam's helpless race;
'Tis mercy all, immense and free;
For, O my God, it found out me.
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!
(Amazing love! how can it be)
Amazing love! how can it be
That Thou, my God, should die for me!
That Thou, my God, should
Die for me!
(Amazing love!)
The lyrics to Wintley Phipps's "And Can It Be?" express the wonder and awe at the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the cross for the salvation of humanity. The first stanza reflects on the personal realization of the singer that they have gained an "interest," or a share or stake, in the Savior's blood through his death. The second line poses a question - did Jesus die for the very person who caused his pain? - which highlights the paradoxical nature of the concept of grace, that even those who cause harm and pain can find redemption and love through Christ. The stanza ends with a profound exclamation of amazement at the unfathomable love of God, that He would die for us.
The second stanza then delves deeper into the nature of this love, proclaiming that Jesus left his heavenly throne to come humbly to Earth and sacrifice himself for us, out of immense and free mercy. The line "emptied Himself of all but love" is a powerful symbol of the depth of Jesus's sacrifice, giving up everything he had except love for his people. The stanza concludes with gratitude and wonder that this love found the singer, an individual in Adam's helpless race.
Overall, the song is a deeply moving reflection on the beauty and meaning of Christ's sacrifice and the power of God's love. It encourages believers to contemplate and be humbled by the magnitude of this love, and to recognize their own unworthiness and need for grace.
Line by Line Meaning
And can it be that I should gain
Is it truly possible that I, an imperfect being, could attain salvation?
An int′rest in the Savior's blood?
That I could have a share in the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross?
Died He for me, who caused His pain?
Did Jesus die for me even though my sins were the reason for His suffering?
For me, who Him to death pursued?
For me, who rejected Him and mocked Him, He still chose to die?
Amazing love! how can it be
This love is truly mind-blowing and difficult to comprehend
That Thou, my God, should die for me?
That God, the creator of the universe, would die for me, a lowly human being?
(Amazing love! how can it be)
The singer repeats this line because the love he is describing is beyond words.
He left His Father′s throne above,
Jesus willingly gave up His place in heaven to come to earth and save us
So free, so infinite His grace;
His grace is given freely and is limitless
Emptied Himself of all but love,
Jesus came to earth with nothing but love in His heart for humankind
And bled for Adam's helpless race;
His sacrifice on the cross secured salvation for all of humanity
'Tis mercy all, immense and free;
It is only through God's mercy that we can attain salvation, and it is given freely to all who accept it
For, O my God, it found out me.
God's mercy found the singer and saved him despite his sins and shortcomings.
(Amazing love! how can it be)
The singer repeats this line yet again to emphasize the profound nature of God's love.
(Amazing love! how can it be)
The final repetition drives home the singer's awe at God's amazing love.
That Thou, my God, should
The singer is once again amazed and awed that God would sacrifice Himself for humanity.
Die for me!
The simple yet powerful statement expresses the significance of Jesus' sacrifice for the singer and for all of humanity.
(Amazing love!)
The final exclamation punctuates the song and expresses the singer's gratitude and wonder at God's love.
Contributed by Aria M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Eddie Williams
Amazing Wintley Phipps...Another one of those rare music maestros we've been blessed with. He's served us with great music and sermons for a long time; and he don't crack ! (Smile!)
merle dawn backler
May you, too, be filled with worshipful adoration at the unsearchable riches of God's goodness to us! This humility leads us to gratitude and peace which are undeservedly ours.
Tangie Rahming
My favorite😇
Alexa J
Amazing Love, how can it be?