"I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" is a

Christian hymn A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...

that originated in

Assam Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...

, India. According to P. Job, the lyrics are based on the

last words Last words are the final utterances before death. The meaning is sometimes expanded to somewhat earlier utterances. Last words of famous or infamous people are sometimes recorded (although not always accurately) which became a historical and liter ...

of Nokseng, a

Garo Garo may refer to: People and languages * Garo people, a tribal people in India ** Garo language, the language spoken by the Garo tribe Places * Kingdom of Garo, a former kingdom in southern Ethiopia * Garo, Colorado * Garo Hills, part of the Ga ...

man, a tribe from

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and J ...

which then was in

, who

converted to Christianity Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to Christianity. Different Christian denominations may perform various different kinds of rituals or ceremonies initiation into their community of belie ...

in the middle of the 19th century through the efforts of an American Baptist

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

. He is said to have recited verses from the twelfth chapter of the

Gospel of John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

as he and his family were killed. The formation of the martyr's words into a hymn has been attributed to the Indian missionary

Sadhu Sundar Singh Sadhu Sundar Singh (3 September 1889 — ?) was an Indian Christian missionary. He is believed to have died in the foothills of the Himalayas in 1929. Biography Early years Sundar Singh was born into a Sikh family in the village of Rampur (n ...

. An alternative tradition attributes the hymn to pastor Simon K Marak from

Jorhat Jorhat ( ) is one of the important cities and a growing urban centre in the state of Assam in India. Etymology Jorhat ("jor" means twin and "hat" means market) means two hats or mandis - "Masorhaat" and "Sowkihat" which existed on the opposite ...

, Assam. The melody of the song is Indian, and was titled "Assam" after the region where the text originated. An American hymn editor, William Jensen Reynolds, composed an arrangement which was included in the 1959 ''Assembly Songbook''. His version became a regular feature of

Billy Graham William Franklin Graham Jr. (November 7, 1918 – February 21, 2018) was an American evangelist and an ordained Southern Baptist minister who became well known internationally in the late 1940s. He was a prominent evangelical Christi ...

's evangelistic meetings in America and elsewhere, spreading its popularity. Due to the lyrics' explicit focus on the believer's own commitment, the hymn is cited as a prime example of

decision theology Decision theology is the belief of some evangelical denominations of Christianity, such as the Baptist Churches and Methodist Churches, that individuals must make a ''conscious'' decision to "accept" and follow Christ (be " born again", also kn ...

, emphasizing the human response rather than the action of God in giving

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people ofte ...

.Adelle M. Banks
One Congregation's Hymnal Is Another's Blasphemy: Missoui Synod leaders go after the African-American Hymnal
beliefnet. Retrieved 2011-10-09. This has led to its exclusion from some

hymnal A hymnal or hymnary is a collection of hymns, usually in the form of a book, called a hymnbook (or hymn book). Hymnals are used in congregational singing. A hymnal may contain only hymn texts (normal for most hymnals for most centuries of Chr ...

s. A

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

writer noted, "It definitely has a different meaning when we sing it than it did for the person who composed it."David S. Payne
Dialing for Doctrine
''Forward in Christ'', May 1986, Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod. Retrieved 2011-10-09.

Cultural references

The 2006 film ''

Though None Go with Me ''Though None Go with Me'' is a 2006 American made-for-television drama film that premiered on Hallmark Channel. It is directed by Armand Mastroianni, and stars Cheryl Ladd. The film is based on the best-selling book by Jerry B. Jenkins. Plot ...

'' uses a line from the song as its title. Two lines of the hymn are used as a bridge in the worship song "Christ is enough" (from the album "

Glorious Ruins ''Glorious Ruins'' is the 22nd live worship album by Hillsong Church. It was recorded live in London, England, and Sydney, Australia by the Hillsong Worship team from around the world including Reuben Morgan, Joel Houston, Ben Fielding, Hillsong ...

" by Hillsong Church).

References

{{Reflist Indian songs Songs about Jesus Indian Christian hymns Persecution of Christians