“Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” (Hebrews 6:1)

Many of the grand old hymns of the faith are still treasured even today. Their strength and enduring popularity lie in their use of music to teach scriptural truth, many times weaving in phrases from various scriptural passages to make a doctrinal point.

Such is the case with the hymn (of unknown authorship) normally entitled “How Firm a Foundation.” Each verse contains unusually rich scriptural insights, using the words of Scripture, primarily built around the theme of the security of the believer.

The first verse is quite familiar:

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Each Christian’s pilgrimage begins at salvation. There at the cross, through the foundational instruction of the Word of God, we find everlasting life. We “have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil” (Hebrews 6:18-19).

Once founded and anchored, we march on to maturity as stated in our text, using the “word of God” (Hebrews 6:5) as our all-sufficient guide. He has told us therein all that we need to know to guide us through the days ahead, including the various perils and persecutions illumined in subsequent verses, all the while resting in Him for security and ultimately realizing the “hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:18). JDM

Click here for the sheet music for this hymn.