I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

"I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" is a Christian hymn that originated in Assam, India.

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus
by Based on an Indian folk song
GenreHymn
TextAssam
LanguageEnglish
Based onJohn 12:26
Meter10.10.10.8

According to P. Job, the lyrics are based on the last words of Nokseng, a Garo man, a tribe from Meghalaya which then was in Assam, who converted to Christianity in the middle of the 19th century through the efforts of an American Baptist missionary. He is said to have recited verses from the twelfth chapter of the book of John as he and his family were killed. An alternative tradition attributes the hymn to Simon K Marak, from Jorhat, Assam.[1]

The formation of these words into a hymn is attributed to the Indian missionary Sadhu Sundar Singh.[2] The melody is also Indian, and entitled "Assam" after the region where the text originated.[3]

An American hymn editor, William Jensen Reynolds, composed an arrangement which was included in the 1959 Assembly Songbook. His version became a regular feature of Billy Graham's evangelistic meetings in America and elsewhere, spreading its popularity.[4]

Due to the lyrics' explicit focus on the believer's own commitment, the hymn is cited as a prime example of decision theology, emphasizing the human response rather than the action of God in giving faith.[5] This has led to its exclusion from some hymnals.[5] A Lutheran writer noted, "It definitely has a different meaning when we sing it than it did for the person who composed it."[6]

Cultural references

The 2006 film Though None Go with Me uses a line from the song as its title.

References
  1. Hawn, C. Michael (11 June 2020). "History of Hymns: 'I Have Decided to Follow Jesus'". Discipleship Ministries. The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
  2. "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus", Timeless Truths Free Online Library. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  3. Assam (tune) at Hymnary.org
  4. Newsletter of CCEL, 3 October 2011.
  5. Adelle M. Banks, One Congregation's Hymnal Is Another's Blasphemy: Missoui Synod leaders go after the African-American Hymnal, beliefnet. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  6. David S. Payne, Dialing for Doctrine, Forward in Christ, May 1986, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Retrieved 2011-10-09.
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