Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Blog
    • Grace in Focus International Blogs
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Seminary
    • Seminary Info
    • Fall 2023 Classes
    • GES Seminary Curriculum
    • GES Seminary Faculty
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
Home
→
Journal Articles
→
A Hymn of Grace: I’m a Child of the King

A Hymn of Grace: I’m a Child of the King

September 1, 1999 by GES Webmaster in Journal Articles

Frances Mosher

Pianist
Christ Congregation
Dallas, TX

My Father is rich in houses and lands;

He holdeth the wealth of the world in His hands!

Of rubies and diamonds, of silver and gold,

His coffers are full-He has riches untold.

My Father’s own Son, the Savior of men,

Once wandered o’er earth as the poorest of them;

But now He is reigning forever on high,

And will give me a home in heav’n by and by.

I once was an outcast stranger on earth,

A sinner by choice and an alien by birth;

But I’ve been adopted; my name’s written down-

An heir to a mansion, a robe, and a crown.

A tent or a cottage, why should I care?

They’re building a palace for me over there!

Though exiled from home, yet still I may sing:

All glory to God, I’m a child of the King.

Chorus:

I’m a child of the King, a child of the King!

With Jesus my Savior, I’m a child of the King!

-Harriett E. Buell (1834-1910)

“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13).

Our Lord’s sacrificial death covers the full penalty our sin deserves and allows Him to bestow the gift of eternal life on all who simply believe in Him. In an act of remarkable grace, the King of the universe raises believers-formerly vile sinners and rebels against His rule and kingdom-to the privileged status of His royal children.

Meditating on this evidence of God’s grace, Harriett Buell, a native of New York state, wrote the words for “I’m A Child of the King” as she walked home from church one Sunday.1 The lyrics were published in the Northern Christian Advocate in February 1877, and were noticed by John Sumner, a music teacher.2 He composed music for the lyrics without Mrs. Buell’s knowledge, so we can imagine her surprise at hearing her poem sung publicly when she attended a Sunday night service in Manlius, New York!3

The believer’s position as a “child of the King” is solely a result of God’s absolute grace. That position is neither initiated nor kept because of any action by the believer. However, in gratitude for our gracious adoption into the King’s family, we should with the hymn writer sing, “All glory to God, I’m a child of the King!”

1Phil Kerr, Music in Evangelism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962), 91-92.

2Kenneth W. Osbeck, Amazing Grace (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1990), 221.

3Kerr, Music, 91-92.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Cart

Recently Added

October 3, 2023

Are You Wheat or Tares?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Bob Wilkin and Steve Elkins are continuing the current series about kingdom parables. What meaning was Jesus wanting...
October 3, 2023

Do You Need to Know that His Name Is Jesus to Be Saved?

Matt asks a challenging question: While Jesus was telling the Jews to believe in Him for everlasting life, some people were fixated on earning their...
October 2, 2023

What Is the Purpose of the Parables?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Bob Wilkin and Steve Elkins are continuing a short series about kingdom parables. Why did Jesus speak in...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen on Google Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Paperback) $6.95 $3.00
  • Tough Texts: Did Jesus Teach Salvation by Works? $15.00 $10.00
  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Hardcover) $13.95 $5.00
  • The Gospel Under Siege: Faith and Works in Tension $15.00 $10.00
  • Elisabeth: Christ's Medal of Honor Recipient $11.95 $10.00
Grace Evangelical Society

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube