Onward Christian soldiers
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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 banners go! |
| Onward, Christian soldiers! Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus, Going on before. |
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At the name of Jesus 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! |
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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 faith and Spirit, One eternally. |
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Crowns and thrones may perish, Kingdoms rise and wane; But the Church of Jesus Constant will remain. Gates of hell can never ’Gainst the Church prevail; We have Christ’s own promise, Which can never fail. |
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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 through countless ages Men and angels sing. |
Paul continues, "To walk worthily of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing one another in love, being diligent to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace" (vv. 1b-3). Whenever we talk about the practice of the church life, we must remember that the first thing needed is to keep the oneness of the Spirit. This requires that we forget about everything else. The third stanza of the traditional hymn "Onward Christian Soldiers" says, "One in hope and doctrine, one in charity." This is not an accurate concept. Christians can never be one in doctrine. If someone has a certain understanding about a particular portion of the Bible, he may hold to that portion without caring for the oneness. Many Christians insist on baptism by sprinkling, some insist on a single immersion, and some insist on three immersions. Some immerse in warm water, others immerse in cold water, and still others baptize in other ways. In this one matter alone there are many opinions. In order to realize the church life we need to forget about doctrine. If we pay attention to doctrine, we may become a "three-immersions" church. Praise the Lord, the Spirit is in you and in me, so we all are one in the Spirit. Therefore, it is better to sing the above line as, "One in faith and Spirit, / One eternally" (Hymns, #871).
Leeds, United Kingdom
Have the lyrics have been changed, since I sang this as a child in the '80s; sure I've heard the same tune but different words? Shame they have to change things & that my kids don't even sing hymns at school now; no shared heritage with that - replaced by sickly soppy & ironic ditties about how wonderful & safe school is, when it's actually dangerously overcrowded & rife with bullying.
But when some feel a need to classify hymns with misogynist & bogus labels, 'manly' as positive & 'womanly' as negative, maybe you get what you deserve...
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Good gutsy, manly hymn, although I would amend the words 'with the cross of Jesus going on before' to 'looking unto Jesus who is gone before'. Better by far than the insipid and womanly lyrics of Doerksen's 'Faithful One' - 'you pick me up when I fall done' - how pathetic'! What is wrong with 21st Century evangelicals that they should want to sing such drivel every Sunday? - Isaiah 3:12.
Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Gets to my heart strings every time this is one of the best hymns we have.
Hayfork, California, United States
I learned this as a child and still remember the words, how mighty those words are today!
Kaduna, Nigeria
Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith. We are complete in Him. Christ our King is our hope of Glory.
My best!
I love it.
Boston, MA, United States
Thank you so much for this! I can remember when I was 4 and after my sisters had left for school, I would lay on the floor with my little record player and play this song over and over for as long as my Mom could stand hearing the same song over and over. When she could no longer stand it, she would remove the record and record player and offer a new activity for me. Then, the next morning it began again. I remember her telling me when I was older that I used to "drive her crazy" on school days! She loved it when the weekend arrived and my sisters were there to distract me for a couple of mornings. I think she dreaded weekdays and was happy when I was old enough to go to school!!
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Can someone tell me where I can get this song so I can use it as a ringtone for some of my brother knights I belong to in the Knights of Columbus as a ringtone or text tone.
Columbus, Ohio, United States
This is one hymn that always remind me of the mind set of a soldier that every believer should have; for we wrestle not against flesh and blood. The good news is that the captain of the army had said long ago that we should be of good cheer for He has conquered the world. Hallelujah!