GHS 77 : I Have Decided To Follow Jesus Lyrics
GHS 77, “I Have Decided To Follow Jesus,” carries one of the most remarkable origin stories in Christian hymnody. It is believed to trace back to the testimony of a man in Assam, India, in the nineteenth century who, when pressured by his village chief to renounce Christianity under threat of death, sang words that became this hymn: I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back. When his wife was killed and he was told again to recant, he responded: the world behind me, the cross before me. He died for his faith, and his testimony converted the very chief who had threatened him.
The hymn’s three stanzas trace the full shape of Christian resolve: the initial decision, the willingness to follow alone if necessary, and the world placed firmly behind while the cross takes its place ahead. This hymn appears as number 77 in the Gospel Hymns and Songs (GHS) collection, used in Deeper Life Bible Church and related assemblies across West Africa.
Hymn Lyrics – GHS 77: I Have Decided To Follow Jesus
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I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus — No turning back, No turning back!
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Tho’ no one joins me, still I will follow, Tho’ no one joins me, still I will follow, Tho’ no one joins me, still I will follow — No turning back, No turning back!
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The world behind me, the cross before me, The world behind me, the cross before me, The world behind me, the cross before me — No turning back, No turning back!
