Anatomy of a Song: "To God Be the Glory" Quiz

Answer: Done

Fanny Crosby, the writer of "To God Be The Glory" was born in 1820. As an infant she went blind. She lost her sight due to the family doctor using mustard poultices on her eyes to treat a cold. The poultices slipped and the mustard got in her eyes causing her blindness.

Her blindness did not stop her and she ended up writing over 7000 (some sources say over 9000) hymns and over 1000 secular songs.

Answer: Son

John 3:16 said that "For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son..." Fanny Crosby also wrote the hymn "Blessed Assurance".

Answer: Earth

At age 15, Crosby went to the school for the blind where she remained 35 years. She started out as a student and then became a teacher.

Answer: Rejoice

The people can rejoice because the Lord is accessible to them. At age 24, Crosby wrote, "A Blind Girl and Other Poems".

Answer: Father

Christians believe that God is the Father of Jesus. "To God Be the Glory" was written in 1872. The music was composed by William H. Doane (1832-1915).

Answer: Blood

"To God Be the Glory" was made famous in America after 1954 when Billy Graham's song leader Cliff Barrows used it. Christians believe that "without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin" (Hebrews 9:22). Without that there is no redemption.

Answer: Pardon

The Christian Bible teaches that all who believe in Jesus will be saved. "... that whosoever believeths in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16b). Because of her blindness, Crosby became very good at memorizing everything. By age ten, she memorized all of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers from the Bible.

Answer: Taught

Everything she learned, Crosby learned from having others read it to her. Braille had not yet been invented.

Answer: Be

Crosby told her mother once that if she could have her sight back she wouldn't want it. She said the first face she would ever see would be Jesus' when she got to Heaven.

Answer: See

The first poem Crosby ever wrote was at age eight. She wrote "O what a happy soul am I, although I cannot see, I am resolved that in this world, contented I will be." Crosby did not write a hymn until she was 40 years old. On February 12, 1915, Crosby died at age 95.

Here is the song "To God Be the Glory" in its entirety.

"To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life our redemption to win,
And opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.


Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.


Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord,
Let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, through Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done."