I am coming to the cross
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I am coming to the cross; I am poor, and weak, and blind; I am counting all but dross; I shall full salvation find. |
| I am trusting, Lord, in Thee, Blessed Lamb of Calvary; Humbly at Thy cross I bow, Save me, Jesus, save me now. |
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Long my heart has sighed for Thee; Long has evil dwelt within; Jesus sweetly speaks to me, "I will cleanse you from all sin. |
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Here I give my all to Thee— Friends and time and earthly store, Soul and body Thine to be— Wholly Thine forevermore. |
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In the promises I trust; Now I feel the blood applied; I am prostrate in the dust; I with Christ am crucified. |
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Nairobi, Kenya
What an awesome song.
Lusaka, Zambia
Indeed am going to the cross... dear Lord please help my life to grow higher and higher in You God.
Praise the Lord! Today I can say: I am on the cross! "I am crucified with Christ"! No more working, willing, or trying! For "it is Christ who lives in me"! Amen! Hallelujah!
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Great gospel song. I just learnt it and now can't stop singing it. I like it how it puts together salvation and consecration, as they should not be separate events. When we see how sinful we are and experience the Lord's forgiveness, we should treasure His salvation and there should be such a response in us: "Here I give my all to Thee".
Detroit, MI, United States
"The hymn was written in 1870 in the city of Brooklyn, New York, while I was pastor in that city. I had felt the need of a hymn to aid seekers of heart purity while at the altar. I had desired something, simple in expression, true to experience, and ending in the fullness of love. The tune composed by Mr. Fischer, with the first two lines of the chorus, I had seen, and was much pleased with their simplicity. And as I was sitting in my study one day, the line of thought came rushing into my mind, and I began to write, and in a few minutes the hymn was on paper. It was first sung at a National Campmeeting, being held at Hamilton, Mass., June 22, 1870. It has been translated into many languages, and sung all round the globe." - William McDonald
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McDonald, Rev. William. (Belmont, Maine, March 1, 1820--September 11, 1901, Monrovia, California). Becoming a local preacher in the Methodist Episcopal Church at age 19, he was admitted to the Maine Conference in 1843, being transferred to that of Wisconsin in 1855 and of New England in 1859. For a number of years he was editor of the "Advocate of Christian Holiness". In addition to being a writer of biographies and religious books, he compiled, or assisted in compiling, a number of song books of the gospel song type, among them being the Western Minstrel (1840), Wesleyan Minstrel (1853), Beulah Songs (1870), Tribute of Praise (1874). From 1870 he spent many years in evangelistic work before his retirement to Monrovia. - DNAH Archives by Robert G. McCutchan
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In the 2nd stanza line 2, "evil dwelt" is usually changed to "evil reigned" because evil still is in us. McDonald's "The Tribute of Praise" 1874 says "dwelt", but "Precious Hymns" 1870 says "reigned". It seems that McDonald originally wrote "reigned" and later changed it to "dwelt".
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There is an additional last stanza which is sometimes omitted because it may reflect a Wesleyan perfectionism:
Jesus comes! He fills my soul!
Perfected in Him I am;
I am every whit made whole:
Glory, glory to the Lamb!
Chicago, Illinois, United States
There is so much stuff that keeps a person away from coming to God. The pleasures of sin, a scientific argument, or a religious profession all seem to create such a resistance to hear and receive what the Savior has done. The God of this age has blinded the thoughts of those who have not yet believed. It was so hard for me to make my first decision to come to Christ, yet when I look back He would not let me go! His Word finally made it through that I could see Him as my Savior! May the Lord of the harvest send us forth in love to bring release to the captives around us.