Secure By The Faith of Jesus Christ

I Will Sing the Wondrous Story

He will keep me till the river Rolls its waters at my feet;

Then He'll bear me safely over, Where the loved ones I shall meet.

Yes, I'll sing the wondrous story Of the Christ who died for me,

Sing it with the saints in glory, Gathered by the crystal sea

Francis H. Rowley (1886)

The Transition Into Eternity

The hymn I Will Sing the Wondrous Story expresses, in these simple but profound words, a confidence that every believer longs to possess: “He will keep me till the river rolls its waters at my feet.” The “river” is a beautiful picture of the final boundary of earthly life, the moment when you come to the end of your journey and stand at the threshold of eternity. Yet the great emphasis of the line is not upon the river, but upon the One who keeps you until you reach it.

The Bible repeatedly teaches that salvation is not merely something God begins in you and then leaves you to preserve by your own strength. The God who saves you is also the God who keeps you. Jude describes believers as those who are “sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ”. Your security rests ultimately not in the strength of your grip upon Christ, but in the strength of Christ's grip upon you.

Jesus gave one of the clearest promises of this keeping power when He said:

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”—John 10:28, KJV

Jesus Christ’s Faithful Words

Notice the certainty of Christ's words. He does not say that His sheep might perish if circumstances become difficult. He says, “they shall never perish.” He does not merely promise to help you hold on to Him; He declares that no one can pluck you out of His hand. The assurance of salvation therefore rests upon the finished work and preserving power of Jesus Christ.

Your Salvation Is Secure in Christ

Notice that the hymn does not say we must swim the river by our own strength. Jesus does not lead you to the edge of death and leave you to navigate the current alone. He bears you over.

• Victory Over Death: Just as the Priests bearing the Ark of the Covenant stood firm in the midst of Jordan until all the people passed over clean, Jesus Christ, our high priest, has already conquered death.
• Absorbed in Victory: Because He lives, the sting of death is removed: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?". The very moment the waters touch your feet, His divine hand carries you across into eternal glory.

When the shadows lengthen and you look toward that final, uncertain river, do not let your heart be troubled.

Your salvation does not rest upon the weakness of your resolve, but upon the eternal strength of the Savior who bought you. He who began a good work in you will surely complete it. When you reach the very edge of mortality, you will not sink beneath the waves; you will find Him there, bearing you safely across.

Holding Fast To The Word of God

 How Christ Holds Us When We Cannot Hold Ourselves

2 Timothy 1:13 Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

You Have Not Been Given The Order to Quit

The wartime directive, To "hold fast" is a command of endurance, suggesting that there are powerful, opposing forces attempting to pry those words from your grasp.  It is the act of gripping something with deliberate strength, refusing to release it even when pressure mounts. The “form of sound words” refers to the pattern of truth you have received, the gospel message, the teaching of service, sacrifice and substitution, the faithful instruction that had been entrusted to you. These words are not merely ideas to be admired; they were the structure of your and faith.

• Faith provides the strength of the grip (conviction).
• Love provides the resolve of the grip (compassion).
• Without faith, the words become hollow; without love, they become a weapon rather than a remedy.

Biblical Wisdom

In Christ Jesus, we discover a model for this intertwined existence of faith and love. The teachings of Jesus Christ resonate through time and space, a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the wisdom that emerges from sacrifice. Holding fast to these ideals offers solace and inspiration to navigate the complexities of human experience.

Why This Matters

Consider the cost of letting go. When you release our grip on truth, we don't drift into neutral territory—you drift into darkness. When you abandon the sound words you’ve been given, we become vulnerable to every wind of doctrine, every false promise, every half-truth dressed up as enlightenment. You become people without moorings, tossed about by the currents of the age, never quite certain of anything, never quite at home anywhere.

But there's something else to consider: the power of holding fast is not solitary. When you grip tightly to these truths—to the reality of God's love, to Christ's redemption, to the gospel's transforming power—you're not just saving yourself. You're a witness to others. Your steadfastness becomes a beacon. In a world of compromise and capitulation, a life lived in unwavering faith and genuine love becomes a radical act of hope.

Hold fast. Not with white knuckles and a bitter heart, but with the quiet confidence of someone who has found something real, something true, something, or rather, Someone—worth every ounce of devotion. Hold fast in faith, knowing that you are held even more securely by the One who never lets go. Hold fast in love, becoming a living testimony to the transforming power of truth embraced not as law but as grace.

This is the invitation: to be the kind of person whose grip on what matters never weakens, whose heart never hardens, and whose life becomes a quiet, powerful declaration that Jesus Christ and the Word of God is worth holding on to now and forever.