1 Onward, Christian soldiers,
marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
going on before!
Christ, the royal Master,
leads again 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. What the saints established
that I hold for true.
What the saints believèd,
that I believe too.
Long as earth endureth,
men the faith will hold,
Kingdoms, nations, empires,
in destruction rolled.(Refrain)
5 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 prevail;
we have Christ's own promise,
and that cannot fail. (Refrain)
6. 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]
This is verse that was new to me:
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]
Written by Rev. Sabine Baring-Gould as a children's marching song, in 1865 in Yorkshire. Rev. Baring-Gould recalls why he wrote it:
It was written in a very simple fashion … Whitmonday is a great day for school festivals in Yorkshire, and one Whitmonday it was arranged that our school should join its forces with that of a neighboring village. I wanted the children to sing when marching from one village to the other, but couldn’t think of anything quite suitable, so I sat up at night resolved to write something myself. “Onward, Christian Soldiers” was the result. It was written in great haste. (source)
Having written the song, the children needed to learn it before performing their march. Baring-Gould taught it to them in short order. He simply sang it and the children learned it. It was a lovely tune he used, but not the upbeat marching beat we use today, that was written 6 years later and is called "St. Gertrude".
In recent years, this hymn is facing some opposition due to it's military sound to it. But the opposition is not to man but to the forces of Satan. The call in this hymn is for the church to be united against the forces of Satan. Standing together as one body. Standing as the saints before us stood, and then at the end, rejoicing in the victory.
Hymnsite.
Salisbury PDF.
Gaffney Ledger.
Wiki.
Challies.
Hymnary.
Cyber Hymnal.
Homeschool Link In:
Pinterest has items to inspire further learning about Christian Soldiers.
Mission bible Class.