Charles's experience took place on 21 May 1738 (the feast of Pentecost), and it inspired him to write two new hymns, "And Can It Be that I Should Gain" and "Where Shall My Wondering Soul Begin?".

The hymn makes reference to several biblical events, and each verse returns to the individual's experience of faith and personal salvation.

[10] With the line "Thine eye diffused a quickening ray", Wesley describes the liberating power of God descending on the captive soul using words closely based on a line from Alexander Pope's 1717 poem Eloisa to Abelard:[9] Thy eyes diffus'd a reconciling ray, And gleams of glory brighten'd all the day.

The fifth verse uses words from Romans 8:1 to describe the doctrine of Justification by faith — "No condemnation now I dread" — and looks forward to the believer receiving a crown in heaven after death.

[8] In Britain the hymn is most commonly sung to the tune Sagina (Pearlwort), which was composed by Yorkshireman Thomas Campbell (1800–1876).

Musicologist Percy Scholes characterises this type of tune as "Old Methodist" and considers that its style may have been influenced by the popular choruses of George Frideric Handel.