“To God Be The Glory” | Hymnstudiesblog

"TO GOD BE THE GLORY" "Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name" (Ps. 29.1, 2)

INTRO.: A hymn which both expresses glory unto the Lord and likewise encourages us to give glory to His name is "To God Be The Glory" (#44 in Hymns for Worship Revised). The text was written by Mrs. Frances Jane VanAlstyne, better known by her maiden name which she used for her hymns, Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915). The tune (Be the Glory) was composed by her frequent collaborator, William Howard Doane (1832-1915). The song was first published in the 1875 collection Brightest and Best compiled by Doane and Robert Lowry (1826-1899). Also included in that collection were "All the Way My Savior Leads Me," "I Am Thine, O Lord," "Savior, More Than Life to Me," and "Christ Arose," all of which were also used in many of the six volumes of Gospel Hymns by Ira D. Sankey (1840-1908). As a result they became extremely popular. "To God Be the Glory" was not included in any of the Gospel Hymns series and was almost totally unknown in American until recently. However, Sankey did include it in his Sacred Songs and Solos which was published in England and is still in use there today.

In 1952 Cliff Barrows, music director of the Billy Graham Crusade team, was in England for crusades. Frank Colquhoun suggested that the song be included in their London Crusade Song Book. Upon returning to the United States, Barrows searched through some old song books and found that it had been used several years ago but had been omitted in more recent books. He began using it around 1954 and it has become popular since then. It is interesting that this long-forgotten American gospel song should have to be imported from England. William J. Reynolds noted, "An examination of Fanny J. Crosby’s text reveals an expression of objectivity not usually found in gospel hymnody. Here is a straight-forward voicing of praise to God, not simply personal testimony nor sharing some subjective aspect of Christian experience" (Hymns of Our Faith, p. 217).

Among hymnbooks published by members of the Lord’s church during the twentieth century for use in churches of Christ, the song appeared in the 1975 supplement to the 1937 Great Songs of the Church No. 2 originally edited by E. L. Jorgenson; the 1978 Hymns of Praise edited by Reuel Lemmons; and the 1980 Majestic Praise edited by D. Norman Henderson. Today it may be found in the 1975 edition of the 1971 Songs of the Church, the 1990 Songs of the Church 21st C. Ed., and the 1994 Songs of Faith and Praise all edited by Alton H. Howard; the 1977 Special Sacred Selections edited by Ellis J. Crum; the 1978/1983 (Church) Gospel Songs and Hymns edited by V. E. Howard; the 1986 Great Songs Revised edited by Forrest M. McCann; and the 1992 Praise for the Lord edited by John P. Wiegand; in addition to Hymns for Worship and the 2007 Sacred Songs of the Church edited by William D. Jeffcoat.

This songs tells us several reasons why we should give glory to God.

I. Stanza 1 says that we should give Him glory for what He has done "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." A. He has done "great things": Deut. 10.21 B. One of these "great things" is that He loved the whole world that He gave us His Son: Jn. 3.16 C. The reason why He did this was so that He could make an atonement for sin: Rom. 5.11

II. Stanza 2 says that we should give Him glory for our great salvation that we can have now "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." A. Because He sent Jesus to make atonement for our sins, He has made redemption available to sinful mankind: Eph. 1.3-7 B. And this redemption is the result of the purchase of Christ’s blood: Heb. 9.12-15 C. The consequence of this redemption is that even the vilest offender can receive pardon: 1 Tim. 1.12-16. The original last two lines of stanza 2 read: "The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives." One could sing this with the understanding that the phrase "truly believes" includes our obedience to the gospel of Christ. However, to many it may sound like "salvation at the moment of faith only," so most books used among churches of Christ alter it. Alton Howard’s Songs of the Church changed it to "The vilest offenderS who truly obey That moment may enter the heavenly way" (along with other changes in the rhythm and harmony, evidently to be able to copyright it as his own "arrangement;" this wording has been used in subsequent books published by him and by others, such as Hymns of Praise, Church Gospel Songs and Hymns, and Sacred Songs of the Church). The Supplement to Great Songs of the Church had, "The vilest offender who truly believes Will surely from Jesus a pardon receive," and this is continued in Great Songs Revised. Ellis J. Crum in Special Sacred Selections made it read, "The vilest offender who truly believes, When buried with Jesus, a pardon receives" (and Hymns for Worship follows that change). In Majestic Praise, D. Norman Henderson changed it to, "The vilest offender who truly believes, In faithful obedience, a pardon receives." Praise for the Lord, edited in 1990 by John P. Wiegand, avoids the problem entirely by just omitting stanza 2! If I felt that it were necessary to make a change here, I would have it simply read, "The vilest offender who truly believes, Obedient, from Jesus a pardon receives."

III. Stanza 3 says that we should give Him glory for the hope that He offers us in the future "Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done, And great our rejoicing in Jesus the Son; But purer and higher and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see." A. Great things He has taught us in His word so that we might prepare our souls for our eternal destiny: 2 Tim. 3.16-17 B. Also, because of this, great is our rejoicing through Jesus the Son as a foretaste of our eternal home: Phil. 4.4 C. But even greater will be our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we shall see on that day when He returns: 1 Jn. 3:1-3

CONCL.: The chorus continues the expression of praise to the Lord, while encouraging all the earth to hear His voice, rejoice and come to the Father through Jesus the Son to give Him the glory. "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 through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He hath done." Both in the praise that we ascribe to God, and in our lives of faithful obedience to Him, may we always be saying, "To God Be The Glory."

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