Am I A Soldier Of The Cross?
Am I a Soldier of the Cross?
Am I a soldier of the cross?
A foll’wer of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause
Or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies
On flow’ry beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
Sure I must fight if I would reign—
Increase my courage, Lord!
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
IN THE EARLY eighteenth century, when Isaac Watts was preaching in England, he frequently would write a hymn to illustrate his sermon. After preaching the sermon, he (or a clerk in the church) would teach the congregation the hymn.
One Sunday in 1727, Watts was preaching a sermon entitled “Holy Fortitude, or Remedies against Fear.” The text was 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith.” At that time many Nonconformist believers were imprisoned for their views, even as Watts’s own father had been. In his sermon, Watts urged his congregation to “practice unfashionable virtues, plead the cause of the oppressed, be courageous before infidels and scoffers.” Then, as he closed the sermon, he began the hymn, “Am I a Soldier of the Cross?”
Endure suffering along with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. Soldiers don’t get tied up in the affairs of civilian life, for then they cannot please the officer who enlisted them.
2 Timothy 2:3-4
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