Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)
1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.Refrain:
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.
This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior all the day long.2 Perfect communion, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight.
Angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. [Refrain]3 Perfect submission, all is at rest.
Fanny crosby
I in my Savior am happy and bless’d,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love. [Refrain]
The History Behind the Hymn
Fanny Crosby (1820-1915), blind at the age of six weeks, was a lifelong Methodist who began composing hymns at age six. She became a student at the New York Institute of the Blind at age 15 and joined the faculty of the Institute at 22, teaching rhetoric and history. In 1885, Crosby married Alexander Van Alstyne, also a student at the Institute and later a member of the faculty. He was a fine musician and, like Fanny, a lover of literature.
An author of more than 8,000 gospel hymn texts, she drew her inspiration from her own faith. Crosby published hymns under several pen names including “Ella Dale,” “Mrs. Kate Gringley,” and “Miss Viola V. A.” Her hymn texts were staples for the music of the most prominent gospel song writers of her day.
Frances Jane Crosby’s hymns have historically been among the most popular songs sung by Methodists. “Blessed Assurance” (1873) is one of the ten most popular hymns sung by United Methodists according to Carlton Young, and it is one of eight Crosby hymns in The United Methodist Hymnal.
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-blessed-assurance
A Lesson for Me
If there was ever a Gospel message to be penned, it was penned in this hymn! I love the hymns of old because they are centered around the Gospel: the birth, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ!
Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Rev 1:5 And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Fanny Crosby didn’t leave anything out in that very first verse! She speaks of our ability to have Jesus in our hearts – He is mine! His presence in our lives gives us a glimpse, if you will, into what lies in store for us when we reach glory! Oh Christian, can you just stop for a moment and think about what glory divine will be like? We will be in His presence forever more. No more sorrows, no more earthly problems; just a joyous presence and an endless time of worship and praise.
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
Message for today
The second part of that first verse gives us insight as to what happens when we place our faith and our trust in Jesus Christ for our salvation. Oh how my heart leaps with joy when I think back on the moment I was born again. I went from walking the path to damnation to walking toward the eternal street of gold mentioned in Revelation 21:21!
There is no other person or “god” under heaven that will give salvation and eternal life! NONE! Jesus Christ purchased us with His own blood in order to make us heirs of God through Him and Him alone. Just as Boaz paid the kinsmen redeemer’s price for Ruth, Christ paid for your sins as He shed His blood on the cross. A transfer from your account to His account, if you will.
Act 4:10-12 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. (11) This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. (12) Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Friend, if you are trusting in Allah or Buddha to save you, Jesus says He is the ONLY One who can save you. Allah died and so did the Buddha but neither can claim they rose from the dead and paid the penalty for your sins. Neither can give you the assurance of salvation! But Jesus can!
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
Joh 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
1Jn 5:11-12 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (12) He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Joh 10:28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
1Jn 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.
Do you have that blessed assurance in your heart today, Reader? If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!
