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.

Salt that Walked Past the Rot

 

Salts Standing Order

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

The Value of Salt

When Jesus tells His followers, "Ye are the salt of the earth," He isn’t issuing a command to strive for; He is making a definitive statement about their identity. Salt was a necessary for survival, it is a sacred element of sacrifice and was a currency of trade. As salt it is in your nature to have the ability to preserve food, bringing out flavor, and purifying.

You are not meant to be a bland background Christian. You are called to the risky, costly work of keeping the world from decay and making the salvation of God visible. Lose your savour, and you are no longer the help you were made to be; keep it, and your modest presence will stop rot and purify those wounds that may have become infected. Choose, then, to be salt: preserve what is precious, remedy those who have become ill and stand steady to resist the wash from the world. Refuse to become dust underfoot—let your life be a saving taste the world cannot avoid.

Function	Natural Effect	Spiritual Application
Retain	Stops meat from rotting.	Your presence holds back the "decay" of hopelessness, cruelty, and moral compromise in your community.
Raptures	Brings out the best flavor.	You are meant to bring out the "flavor" of life—joy, beauty, and meaning—in a world that often feels bland or bitter.
Remedies	Cleanses wounds (though it stings).	Truth often stings, but like salt in a wound, the "salty" life promotes actual healing rather than just covering up the infection.

When Salt is No Longer Salty

Salt that is no salt is useless and should be "cast out" and "trodden under foot" the image evokes a vivid sense of neglect and abandonment. It serves as a stark warning: when you fail to live like a Christian, you risk being disregarded and overlooked…the bible in one passage says, “shipwreck.” This should resonate deeply for many Christians and maybe even you who feel unseen or unworthy, you may have lost your savour.

The tragedy is not only is that salt is attacked but it is ignored.
“Good for nothing… cast out… trodden under foot.”
What once preserved life becomes part of the road people walk over without noticing. The image highlights and should remind you that embracing your roles as a witness of Jesus Christ is essential not only for your personal joy but also for the glory of God.

And here is the weight of the passage: the world does not need salt that tastes like earth. It needs salt that resists. The value of salt lies precisely in its difference. When you lose your courage, your passion, your meek spirit—when you trade depth for acceptance—you do not merely fail yourself; you fail the God give purpose he has for you.

Salts Question

This saying leaves us with a question that refuses to be theoretical: What has the world lost because I have gone bland?Somewhere, something is decaying that might have been preserved. Somewhere, truth is muted that might have been spoken. Somewhere, pain is unhealed because the salt feared the sting.

You are the salt—not to be admired, not to be displayed, but to be spent. Salt fulfills its purpose by disappearing into what it saves. And if that costs you comfort, approval, or ease, remember this: salt that keeps its savour may be crushed, but it is never useless. Better to be ground into the wounds of the world and heal it, than to lie safely untouched and be trodden under foot.

The Enduring Truth Is On The Paper

Your Checklist

God’s ministry lives in both spoken word and written text. The preacher’s parting request for “the papers” echoes Paul’s appeal for “the parchments”—especially the parchments. Recognizing that he had fought the good fight and finished his course (2 Timothy 4:7), Paul understood that preserving truth and imparting knowledge depended on tangible, written materials. This highlights that true ministry thrives through passionate preaching, effective instruction, and reverent stewardship of God’s written Word

2 Peter 1:19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.