Xanthe Hancox

Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 2: 3-5

‘Onward, Christian Soldiers’ was written in 1865 with no intention of ever being published. Rev Sabine Baring-Gould, its author, was at that time the curate of a parish in Yorkshire county in the north of England, and his own account of how and why he wrote it still survives:

“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 neighbouring 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, and I am afraid some of the rhymes are faulty. Certainly nothing has surprised me more than its great popularity.”

The hymn has a militaristic theme and a rousing marching melody for which is has been criticised. Some church denominations have removed it from their hymn books entirely.

But are we not in a war? The words of the hymn make it clear that the focus is on this spiritual battle—that our foe is Satan, not men, and that our King and Commander-in-Chief is the eternal, omnipotent Christ whose kingdom cannot fail.

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!

The Bible teaches us that Satan has waged war against God and those who follow him. It may not be a physical war, but it is no less real, and there is no middle ground. All Christians are on a spiritual battlefield. In his letter to Timothy, Paul uses military language to describe the extent of our commitment to this spiritual battle. Once we’re enlisted, we must be willing to fully surrender our will – we must accept the given task and prepare for deployment. In Ephesians 6, he instructs the church to “put on the whole armour of God” because we wrestle against the spiritual forces of evil.

Many are willing to carry the banner, but not all are willing to make it their life’s pursuit. Are you in? Are you committed?  Are you willing to rise up and fight for Christ Jesus? Onward, Christian solider!

Prayer: Today, Lord, I am reminded that I am a soldier in a battle that is far greater, for more important, than any earthly war. I ask you to guard my thoughts and actions against the enemy’s lies that attempt to hinder my effectiveness for you. Thank you for the victory. Amen

You can listen to a recording of Onward, Christian Soldiers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mG78M7g9wRo