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!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus,
Going on before.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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Detroit, MI, United States
Sabine Baring-Gould wrote 85 books in areas as diverse as religion, travel, folklore, mythology, history, fiction, biography, sermons, and popular theology. He wrote a 15-volume "Lives of the Saints". He edited a quarterly review of ecclesiastical art and literature. But he loved children, and we remember him best for his children's hymns: "Onward Christian Soldiers" and "Now the Day is Over".
After graduating from Cambridge, Baring-Gould started a church in his tiny 2-floor apartment. Soon, he said, "the congregation filled the room and the stairs and the kitchen. ... The singing had to bump down the stairs, fill the kitchen, and one strain of the tune after another came up irregularly through the chinks of the floor." - Great Songs of Faith by Brown & Norton
Lagos, Nigeria
I so much love this music... Whenever the boko haram strike and the soldiers are going to take attack, I always remember this hymn
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!
Detroit, MI, United States
This hymn was sung at the funeral of American president Dwight Eisenhower at the National Cathedral, Washington, DC, March 1969.
"Whit-Monday is a great day for school festivals in Yorkshire. One Whit-Monday, thirty years ago, 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, resolved that I would write something myself. “Onward, Christian Soldiers” was the result. It was written in great haste, and I am afraid some of the rhymes are faulty. Certainly nothing has surprised me more than its popularity. I don’t remember how it got printed first, but I know that very soon it found its way into several collections. I have written a few other hymns since then, but only two or three have become at all well-known." - Sabine Baring-Gould
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The 2nd stanza, 1st line was improved from "at the sign of triumph" to "at the name of Jesus".
3rd stanza, last 2 lines, originally said, "One in hope and doctrine, one in charity."
4th stanza originally said "'gainst that church" instead of "'gainst the church". I prefer the original in this instance. Same meaning, but more emphatic.
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
The chorus last lines are "looking unto Jesus, who is gone before"
church of Christ, wherever we are , we are ONE, One in His spirit, One in His Name, scattered physically though we be , we are UNITED IN THE NAME OF JESUS. Wherever and whenever you pray always agree with the true Body of Christ, His believers, His real church. Maranatha Lord, Maranatha!
United States
My Dad's favorite! He's in heaven now. This song brings back memories of standing by him in church, singing with all his might!
Jakarta, Indonesia
I like this song because of the motivating words and music.