Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus
Stand up, stand up for Jesus
The hymn embodies a robust Lutheran understanding of the Christian life as one of discipleship requiring confession, sacrifice, and active witness to Christ. It reflects the dialectic between the Old Adam's natural timidity and the New Man's courageous faith empowered by the Holy Spirit.
History & Background
Written in 1858 by American Presbyterian pastor George Duffield Jr. following a sermon on Luke 9:23, the hymn was first published in The Presbyterian Hymnal. It became widely adopted across Protestant denominations and gained prominence during the nineteenth-century evangelical movement.
George Duffield, Jr. (b. Carlisle, PA, 1818; d. Bloomfield, NJ, Scripture References 1888), was inspired to write this text after hearing the dying st. 1 = 2 Tim. 2:3 words of a Presbyterian colleague, Dudley A. Tyng. Ousted from st. 2 = 1 Cor. 16:13 his own congregation for his strong anti-slavery stance, Tyng st. 3 = Eph. 6:10-17 preached to large crowds in weekday meetings sponsored by the st. 4 = Rev. 2:10 YMCA. His work spearheaded an evangelical revival in 2 Tim. 4:7-8 Philadelphia early in 1858. At Tyng’s deathbed, caused by a farm accident in which he lost an arm, Duffield and others asked if he had any final message. Tyng replied, “Tell them to stand up for Jesus! ” At Tyng’s memorial service on April 25, 1858, Duffield preached on Ephesians 6:14 and concluded his sermon by reading his new hymn text, “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” Several lines in that original text referred to Tyng’s words and ministry. The six-stanza text was first distributed in leaflet form and then was published in The Church Psalmist (1859). The Psalter Hymnal follows 733 THE PSALMS, BIBLE SONGS, AND HYMNS the custom of most hymnals of including the original stanzas 1, 3,4, and 6 with updated language. The challenge of “Stand Up for Jesus” is proclaimed through the military metaphors Paul uses in Ephesians 6:10-18. Although some decry the warlike imagery, the spiritual battle that Christians must fight is very real. Christ’s victory is assured even if we do not always move “from victory unto victory” in our earthly lives. A graduate of Yale College and Union Theological Seminary, Duffield served eight Presbyterian churches in New York, NewJersey, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Michigan. He was a regent for the University of Michigan for seven years, served as editor of the Presbyterian paper Christian Observer, and promoted evangelistic work with his personal wealth. Duffield’s interest in hymnody influenced his son, Samuel W. Duffield, to publish English Hymns, Their Authors and History (1886).
Hymnal Appearances
- Baptist Hymnal — 590
- Chalice Hymnal — 613
- Evangelical Lutheran Worship — 664
- Lutheran Book of Worship — 389
- Lutheran Service Book — 660
- Lift Up Your Hearts — 492
- Lutheran Worship — 305
- Psalter Hymnal — 559
- Trinity Hymnal — 594
- The Lutheran Hymnal — 451
- United Methodist Hymnal — 514
Liturgical Use
Profession of faith; adult baptism; ordination and commissioning services; various other times of worship. 734
Bulletin Note
Composed by George Duffield Jr. in 1858, this hymn became an anthem of Protestant witness and moral courage. Its martial meter and clarion tune embody the Reformation call to bold confession of Christ before the world.
Preaching Connection
This hymn crystallizes the Law's exposure of our natural cowardice and the Gospel's gift of Spirit-empowered boldness, making it ideal for sermons on confession, discipleship, or the paschal mystery.
Catechism & Confessional Connections
- The Daily Purpose of Baptism Small Catechism — Holy Baptism
Stanza Arc
The narrative or theological arc traced by this tune's stanzas: From Christological invitation (Star guides us to Christ) → Incarnational humility (divine majesty in poverty) → human presumption of earning grace through material offerings → reformation of true worship: interior devotion surpasses external oblation
Themes
Christian witness and testimony Militant discipleship Cross-bearing and suffering Confession of faith Spiritual warfare