Blessed Assurance

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! O what a foretaste of glory divine

A hymn of personal assurance of salvation, celebrating the believer's possession of Christ and the Spirit's witness. The three stanzas celebrate the assurance of being God's own, the peace of full surrender, and the ongoing echo of praise that fills the believing heart. It is one of the great hymns of subjective experience of grace.

History & Background

Written by Fanny Crosby (1820-1915) in 1873 after her friend Phoebe Knapp played a tune and asked what words it suggested. The tune ASSURANCE was composed by Phoebe Palmer Knapp (1839-1908).

Hymnal Appearances

Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 699
Lutheran Service Book — 689

Bulletin Note

Blessed Assurance — Fanny Crosby, 1873

Preaching Connection

The assurance of salvation — the Spirit's witness to the believer's heart.

Stanza Arc

The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From initial certainty of salvation through deepening submission and joy, culminating in personal testimony of Christ's transformative power

Themes

Assurance Salvation Peace Surrender