Lyrics
The church's one foundation,
Is Jesus Christ her Lord;
She is His new creation
By water and the Word.
From heaven He came and sought her
To be His holy bride;
With His own blood He bought her
And for her life He died.
Elect from every nation,
Yet one o'er all the earth;
Her charter of salvation,
One Lord, one faith, one birth;
One holy Name she blesses,
Partakes one holy food,
And to one hope she presses,
With every grace endued.
The Church shall never perish!
Her dear Lord to defend,
To guide, sustain, and cherish,
Is with her to the end:
Though there be those who hate her,
And false sons in her pale,
Against or foe or traitor
She ever shall prevail.
Though with a scornful wonder
Men see her sore oppressed,
By schisms rent asunder,
By heresies distressed:
Yet saints their watch are keeping,
Their cry goes up, "How long?"
And soon the night of weeping
Shall be the morn of song!
'Mid toil and tribulation,
and tumult of her war,
She waits the consummation
Of peace forevermore;
Till, with the vision glorious,
Her longing eyes are blest,
And the great Church victorious
Shall be the Church at rest.
Yet she on earth hath union
With God the Three in One,
And mystic sweet communion
With those whose rest is won,
O happy ones and holy!
Lord, give us grace that we
Like them, the meek and lowly,
On high may dwell…
That we may dwell…
That we will dwell with Thee.
Song History & Meaning
Composer / Hymnodist: Samuel J. Stone
When the world around us feels unpredictable, "The Church's One Foundation" anchors our hearts in the unwavering truth of who Jesus is. Christ did not merely establish the Church; He gave His very life to redeem her, uniting believers across every nation into one holy family. As you sing these words, remember that your identity is securely rooted in His sacrificial love. May this hymn remind you that you belong to a global body held together by the Savior who will never let you go.
📖 Related Scripture Passages:
- Ephesians 5:25-27: “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly, and gave himself up for it; that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the assembly to himself a glorious assembly, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and blameless.”
- 1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:”
- 1 Corinthians 3:11: “For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.”