Whosoever Will

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

Whosoever Will (May Come) is another hymn from my earliest memory. The hymn was a favorite at the Highland Park Baptist Church in Chattanooga.

While I know some of you will not agree but I do believe Jesus died for the whole world (Luke 19:10) and the Bible is clear that whosoever places their faith in Jesus will be saved. And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:21).

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life (John 5:24).

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13).

How about you? Have you trusted in Jesus? The title verse is John 3:16 but please read John 3:17-18 too. If you do not call on Jesus to save you then you are already condemned: For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Philip P Bliss

Philip P. Bliss wrote the words and music to Whosoever Will May Come around 1869. The hymn was first published in 1870. HymnTime gives this account about the writing of Whosoever Will:

Whosoever Will may Come was wri­tten dur­ing the win­ter of 1869 and ’70, af­ter hear­ing Henry Moor­house, of Eng­land, preach from the text, John iii, 16.

Mr. Moor­house preached ev­ery night for a week from this same text, and the new views of the free­ness and full­ness of the in­vi­ta­tion of the Gos­pel to sin­ners that ma­ny Chris­tians in Chi­ca­go [Illinois] at that time re­ceived, are well ex­pressed in Mr. Bliss’ hymn.

HymnTime

“Whosoever heareth,” shout, shout the sound!
Spread the blessed tidings all the world around;
Spread the joyful news wherever man is found:
“Whosoever will may come.”

Refrain: “Whosoever will, whosoever will,”
Send the proclamation over vale and hill;
’Tis a loving Father calls the wand’rer home:
“Whosoever will may come.”

Whosoever cometh need not delay,
Now the door is open, enter while you may;
Jesus is the true, the only Living Way:
“Whosoever will may come.”

“Whosoever will,” the promise secure,
“Whosoever will,” forever must endure;
“Whosoever will,” ’tis life forevermore:
“Whosoever will may come.”

Sources: HymnTime, King James Bible