Keeping the Musician’s Conscience Clear

Keeping the Musician’s Conscience Clear

Nothing Between

By Charles A. Tindley, 1905 

Nothing between my soul and my Savior,

Naught of this world’s delusive dream;

I have renounced all this world’s delusive dream;

Jesus is mine, there’s nothing between.

Refrain:

Nothing between my soul and my Savior,

So that His blessed face may be seen;

Nothing preventing the least of His favor;

Keep the way clear! Let nothing between.

Nothing between, like worldly pleasure;

Habits of life, though harmless they seem,

Must not my heart from Him ever sever;

He is my all, there’s nothing between.

Nothing between, like pride or station;

Self or friends shall not intervene;

Though it may cost me much tribulation,

I am resolved, there’s nothing between.

Nothing between, e’en many hard trials,

Though the whole world against me convene;

Watching with prayer and much self-denial,

I’ll triumph at last, there’s nothing between.

            I know that talking or singing about the Christian musician’s conscious being free from any action or offence toward God will not make me popular.  However, this topic needs to be discussed.  The older I get the more I am aware that I am not going to live forever!  As a matter of fact I have lived long enough to experience my friends and professional acquaintances leave this present world suddenly.  What would make me believe that I will have time to make things right with God if I live with the consciousness that I continuously live with condemnation because I continuously do things that I know are an offence to my Savior.

            Although I am aware that no one is perfect, but I also know that James 4:17 teaches, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.”  Also, Romans 6:1 asks the important question, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”  It seems to me that the bible is clear that a Christian musician cannot live or continue in sin. 

            This song mentions several things that can bring a breach between a Christian’s soul and the Savior.  They include: this world’s delusive dream, worldly pleasure, habits of life, pride or station,  and self or friends.  Although the things mentioned in the list  above are capable of bringing condemnation upon the soul of the Christian the librettist reminds the Cristian that, “Though the whole world against me convene; Watching with prayer and much self-denial, I’ll triumph at last, there’s nothing between.”  The answer is, according to the writer, prayer and self-denial.