Lyrics
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
On Christ the solid Rock I stand by Edward Mote grounds assurance outside the self. The opening locates hope in Jesus’ blood and righteousness, not in emotional frames or subjective stability. The refrain draws a contrast between Christ as rock and every other ground as sinking sand. Later verses depict spiritual distress: darkness, storms, flood, even the soul giving way. The anchor holds within the veil, a phrase suggestive of sanctuary imagery in Hebrews, where Christ’s priestly work secures believers. The middle stanza turns to God’s oath, covenant, and blood as supports. The final stanza faces the last day: being found in Christ, dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless before the throne. That confidence rests on divine action rather than human performance. Mote’s text presents a theology of assurance centered on Christ’s finished work, not on changing perception. The repeated refrain reinforces that every alternative foundation fails, while Christ remains reliable.