I Have Decided To Follow Jesus

I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus.
I have decided to follow Jesus,
No turning back, no turning back.

Though none go with me, still I will follow.
Though none go with me, still I will follow.
Though none go with me, still I will follow,
No turning back, no turning back.

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.
 — Sadhu Sundar Singh | Simon Marak (Authorship Attributed To Both)

In 19th-century Assam, India, where many tribes lived in fierce isolation, American Baptist missionaries arrived with a message of peace, hope, and new life in Jesus Christ. They were not warmly received.

Yet one missionary reached a man named Nokseng of the Garo tribe. Nokseng, his wife, and their two children embraced the Christian faith—and soon, their conviction began to influence others in the village.

Furious at the growing movement, the village chief summoned the people and demanded that Nokseng’s family publicly renounce Christ or die.

Standing before the chief, Nokseng calmly answered, “I have decided to follow Jesus.”

Enraged, the chief ordered the couple’s two sons killed. Then he asked again whether Nokseng would deny his faith.

Nokseng replied, “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.”

The chief then ordered Nokseng’s wife killed. In the face of unbearable loss, Nokseng gave his final declaration, “The cross before me, the world behind me. No turning back.”

He, too, was executed.

According to the traditional account, the family’s unwavering faith deeply moved the chief and the villagers. The chief professed faith in Christ, and many in the village followed. Nokseng’s final words were later preserved and became the beloved hymn, I Have Decided to Follow Jesus.