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The hymn, “Onward, Christian soldiers,” Methodist hymn 822 (GBH 114) was written by Sabine Baring-Gould.

Sabine Baring-Gould was born in 1834 and died in 1924. He was curate of a mission church at Horbury Bridge, England. He was educated at Clare College, Cambridge; and got Bachelor of Arts in 1857, and a Master of Arts in 1860.

He wrote the text of this song in 1864 for a children’s Pentecost Sunday procession. Baring-Gould said the following about his writing of this text:

“For a Whitsuntide [Pentecost] procession it was arranged that our school should join forces with that of a neighboring village. I wanted the children to sing when marching from one village to another, but couldn’t think of anything quite suitable, so I sat up at night and resolved to write something myself. “Onward, Christian Soldiers” was the result. It was written in great haste. I am certain that nothing surprised me more than its popularity.”

Entitled “Hymn for Procession with Cross and Banners,” the text was published in The Church Times in Oct. 15, 1864 in six stanzas and refrain.

As indicated in the refrain, “Onward, Christian Soldiers” is a processional hymn with a cross as the head of the procession. It is also a children’s hymn; the line in stanza 2 “We are not divided; all one body we” initially referred simply to the children from the several villages. Many of his hymns were written for the children of his congregations.

Please find 5 stanzas of “Onward Christian Soldiers,” below.

1. Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
leads against the foe;
Forward into battle,
see his banner go!

Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!

2. At the sign of triumph
Satan’s host doth flee;
On, then, Christian soldiers,
on to victory!
Hell’s foundations quiver
at the shout of praise;
Brothers, lift your voices,
loud your anthems raise! [Refrain]

3. Like a mighty army
moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
where the saints have trod;
We are not divided;
all one body we,
One in hope and doctrine,
one in charity. [Refrain]

4. Crowns and thrones may perish
Kingdoms rise and wane
But the church of Jesus
constant will remain
Gates of hell can never
gainst that church prevai
We have Christs own promise,
and that cannot fail. [Refrain]

5. Onward, then, ye people,
join our happy throng,
Blend with ours your voices
in the triumph song;
Glory, laud, and honor,
unto Christ the King;
This thro’ countless ages
men and angels sing. [Refrain]

Onward Christian soldiers was based, among other scriptures, on Ephesians 6:10-20.

READ Ephesians 6:10-20

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.

(Ephesians 6:10-20 NRSV)

This letter to the church in Ephesus is believed to have been written by Paul while in prison in Rome. As a gallant soldier of the cross himself, Paul understood the nature of the warfare.

He started by first identifying the power the Ephesians had at their disposal (vv. 10); and the foe they were up against (vv. 12). He then went on to outline the equipment they needed (vv.14-18); and concluded by asking that they also pray for him (vv. 19-20). While I would not go into the details of the equipment outlined in the text,  suffice it to say that we need every one of them: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of readiness to proclaim the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and prayer.

Combat language has been used several times in the Bible. In Exodus 14, we are told that when Pharaoh realized the Israelites had left, he pursued them with chariots, and the Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord. Instead of God doing something drastic, He simply told Moses:

“Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.” (Exodus 14:15)

In the Commentary on Parashat Beshalach (literally meaning “When He Let Go”)  on the My Jewish Learning website,  this text is quoted as

“YHWH said to Moses: Why do you cry out to me? Speak to the Children of Israel, and let-them-march-forward!”

By the time we get to verse 24 of the same chapter of Exodus, God had started His deliverance; and by verse 31, we are told:

“So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

The battle is never ours to fight. Our duty is to take up the whole armor of God, and march on in obedience! The Lord is the one who fights the battle, and as Moses said earlier:

“The Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again.  The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.” (Exodus 14:13-14)

Which “Egyptians” are you facing today; and which “Egyptians” have you faced in 2020? “Egyptians” of business loss, job loss, lockdowns, loss of dear ones and the so-called “new normal”? The LORD is telling you:

            “March on!”

Just obey, and you will see His deliverance.

QUESTIONS

What is threatening your walk with God ?

Why don’t you march on in His full armour, and see his deliverance?

PRAYER TIP

Father, please give us the faith 
to keep marching on, and the 
eyes to see Your deliverance.

TWO RENDITIONS ( BILL & GLORIA GAITHER, and a SING-ALONG with lyrics)

CREDITS

• HYMNARY.ORG, “Onward Christian Soldiers,” https://hymnary.org/text/onward_christian_soldiers_marching_as
• MY JEWISH LEARNING, “Commentary on Parashat Beshalach,”https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/what-are-you-yelling-at-me-for/

URGENT CALL

By nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God. We ultimately face the wrath of God!

But God in His mercy and love gives us a chance to reverse this trend, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.

The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved. 

Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.

It is a very personal decision. No one can make that decision for you.

If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God!

Do you want to make that decision today?

Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer” for 
guidance if you want to 
make that decision.

We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page.

God richly bless you.

SPECIAL GRATITUDE

Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website. 

We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled.

We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission; and we thank you for sticking with us through this journey.

God richly bless you.

The Testimony Devotional website addresses are:

https://testimonydevotional.org/

https://testimonydevotional.com/

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