CHRISTIAN LIFE >> JOY & PEACE
SDAH 462
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
This hymn appears in:
For Worship Leaders
Make each hymn more meaningful with these helpful tools: Short, ready-to-use hymn introductions for church bulletins, multiple ways to introduce a hymn based on your worship theme and in-depth history and insights to enrich your song service.
Hymn Spotlight: Blessed Assurance, Jesus Is Mine
In 1873, composer Mrs. Joseph F. Knapp played a new melody for her friend, Fanny Crosby. After hearing it a few times, Crosby knelt in prayer, then began dictating the now-familiar words inspired by John 3:2: “Beloved, now are we the sons of God.” Published that same year in Gems of Praise, the hymn quickly became beloved for its confident expression of salvation and hope in Christ. The tune, aptly named ASSURANCE, pairs perfectly with Crosby’s testimony of faith, inviting believers to rejoice in the certainty of their relationship with Jesus and the promise of eternal life.
📖 Reference: Feel free to share but please cite hymnsforworship.org when reproducing.
Introductions for Sabbath School Song Service (based on specific lesson quarterlies):
Mrs. Joseph Fairchild Knapp (1839-1909; see SDAH 332) composed a hymn tune in 1873. Visiting Frances Jane Crosby (1820-1915), she played the tune for her. Finding that it pleased the blind author very much indeed, Mrs. Knapp asked her to write some words for it. She played it over the second time and noticed that Fanny Crosby was kneeling in prayer. After the third playing, Fanny began dictating rapidly the words of the hymn that we now have. The hymn is based on John 3:2, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God,” as is evident in the words “heir of salvation.”
“Blessed Assurance” appeared first in Gems of Praise, 1873, a collection by John Robson Sweeney, with the tune named ASSURANCE, because of its association with the words. Mrs. Knapp also composed the tune for SDAH 332, sometimes called CLEANSING WAVE.
📖 Reference: Companion to the Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal by Wayne Hooper and Edward E. White. Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1988.
Text
1
Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O 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 submission, perfect delight,
visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love.
3
Perfect submission, all is at rest;
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with his goodness, lost in his love.
Hymn Info
Biblical Reference
(a) Heb 1:14; Rom 8:16; Rev 1:5 (b) John 1:51 (c) Matt 24:42 (r) Ps 104:33
Author
Fanny J. Crosby (1820-1915)
Year Published
1873
Metrical Number
9.10.9.9.Ref.
Composer
Mrs. Joseph F. Knapp (1839-1908)
Year Composed
1873
