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To God Be The Glory
Romans 16:27
TO GOD BE THE GLORY | Hymn History | Bible Passage
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Author: |  |
Fanny J. Crosby, 1820-1915 |
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Musician: | |
William H. Doane, 1832-1915 |
To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the lifegate that all may go in.
Refrain:
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice!
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father thro' Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory, great things He hath done.
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To ev'ry believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing thro' Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
To God be the glory, the vict'ry is won;
Our praise to the Saviour has only begun;
In heav'n's radiant splendor we'll join with the throng
And praise Him forever in jubilant song.
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HYMN HISTORY:
If a hymn can die, can it live again? The life story of "To God Be The Glory" proves that the answer is 'yes!' Originally composed in America sometime before 1875, it was almost immediately forgotten in its native land. In 1954, however, "To God Be The Glory" was rediscovered and claimed as a new favourite.
Cliff Barrows, Billy Graham's song leader explains: 'It was suggested that we include "To God Be The Glory" in a song-book we were compiling for the London crusade of 1954. Because of its strong text of praise and its attractive melody, I agreed. We introduced the hymn during the early days of those meetings in Harringay Arena. As a result, Billy Graham asked that we repeat it often because he was impressed with the enthusiastic participation of the audience. In the closing weeks of the crusade it became our theme hymn, repeated almost every night. The words well expressed our praise to God, who was doing wondrous things in Britain.'
Returning to America, we brought the hymn with us and used it first in Nashville, Tennessee crusade of August, 1954. It was quickly adopted by many church groups and has recently been included in several new hymnals.
Why "To God Be The Glory" was so late in achieving recognition in its homeland may always remain a mystery. It is not mentioned in the writings of either Fanny Crosby, author of the words, or W. H. Doane, composer of the music. Evidently the songleader Ira D. Sankey took it to Great Britain when he went there with evangelist D. L. Moody in 1873. Sankey included it in his "Sacred Songs and Solos" a hymnbook first published in England in 1874 and still in use today.
For some unknown reason, the song did not appear in the important "Gospel Hymns" series of books which Sankey published in America after his retuning from Britain in 1875. Through the years, "To God Be The Glory" has been included in several American hymnals. But until 1954 it failed to find its rightful place in the singing of our congregations.
To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son.
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the Lifegate that all may go in.
O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.
Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing thro' Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see.
BIBLE PASSAGE:
27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
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