Posted on 07/23/2002 6:49:27 PM PDT by sola gracia
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ARE YOU SURE YOU LIKE SPURGEON? "The doctrine of justification itself, as preached by an Arminian, is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works..." -- C.H. Spurgeon Praised by many evangelicals as a great preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon is considered a successful and "safe" example of a "non-theological" ministry. His works are recommended as a means to lead many aspiring pastors into developing their own successful ministries. His Lectures to My Students are often used for this purpose, emphasizing the "practical" aspects of evangelism. But while the form of Spurgeon's successful preaching is often studied by would-be pastors, the content of this Christian giant's preaching and teaching is often ignored. Rather Spurgeon is popularly thought to have heartily approved of the same theology that is presently dominating American culture: Arminianism. Many Christian leaders, for instance, like to point out Spurgeon as one who also had no formal college training. They ignore the fact that he had a personal library containing more that 10,000 books.1 It is further argued that the success of his ministry in the mid-to-late 19th century was due to his anti-intellectual piety, "his yieldedness to the Spirit," and his Arminianism. The fact is, Spurgeon was not anti-intellectual, nor did he entertain delusions of being so holy that he could allow God to work only if he was "yielded." Most importantly, he was not an Arminian. He was a staunch Calvinist who opposed the dominant religious view of his day (and of ours), Arminianism.2 Even toward the end of his life he could write, "From this doctrine I have not departed to this day." 3 He was grateful that he never wavered from his Calvinism.4 "There is no soul living who holds more firmly to the doctrine of grace than do I..."5 Reading Spurgeon's beliefs, one will see that this tremendously fruitful ministry was built upon the preaching of the biblical gospel. In his work, "A Defence of Calvinism," he states unequivocally: [T]here is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation Here Spurgeon affirms his agreement with what are usually called "The Five Points of Calvinism." Spurgeon's own summation was much shorter: A Calvinist believes that salvation is of the Lord.7 Selections from his sermons and writings on these subjects make his position clear. Regarding Total Depravity and Irresistible Grace: Regarding Unconditional Election: Regarding Particular Atonement: He has punished Christ, why should He punish twice for one offence? Christ has died for all His people's sins, and if thou art in the covenant, thou art one of Christ's people. Damned thou canst not be. Suffer for thy sins thou canst not. Until God can be unjust, and demand two payments for one debt, He cannot destroy the soul for whom Jesus died.12 Regarding the Perseverance of the Saints: Certain that the Cross was an offense and stumbling block, Spurgeon was unwilling to make the gospel more acceptable to the lost. "The old truth that Calvin preached, that Augustine preached, is the truth that I must preach today, or else be false to my conscience and to God. I cannot shape the truth; I know of no such thing as paring off the rough edges of a doctrine."14 Elsewhere he challenged "I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible....Tell me anything contrary to this truth, and it will be heresy..."15 Spurgeon believed that the price of ridicule and rejection was not counted so high that he should refuse to preach this gospel: "[W]e are reckoned the scum of creation; scarcely a minister looks on us or speaks favorable of us, because we hold strong vies upon the divine sovereignty of God, and his divine electings and special love towards His own people."16 Then, as now, the dominant objection to such preaching was that it would lead to licentious living. Since Christ "did it all," there was no need for them to obey the commands of Scripture. Aside from the fact that we should not let sinful people decide what kind of gospel we will preach, Spurgeon had his own rebuttals to this confusion: [I]t is often said that the doctrines we believe have a tendency to lead us to sin....I ask the man who dares to say that Calvinism is a licentious religion, what he thinks of the character of Augustine, or Calvin, or Whitefield, who in successive ages were the great exponents of the systems of grace; or what will he say of the Puritans, whose works are full of them? Had a man been an Arminian in those days, he would have been accounted the vilest heretic breathing, but now we are looked upon as the heretics, and they as orthodox. We have gone back to the old school; we can trace our descent from the apostles....We can run a golden line up to Jesus Christ Himself, through a holy succession of mighty fathers, who all held these glorious truths; and we can ask concerning them, "Where will you find holier and better men in the world?"17 His attitude toward those who would distort the gospel for their own ideas of "holiness" is clear from the following: No doctrine is so calculated to preserve a man from sin as the doctrine of the grace of God. Those who have called it 'a licentious doctrine' did not know anything at all about it. Poor ignorant things, they little knew that their own vile stuff was the most licentious doctrine under Heaven.18 According to Spurgeon (and Scripture as well), the response of gratitude is the motive for holy living, not the uncertain status of the believer under the influence of Arminianism and its accompanying legalism. "The tendency of Arminianism is towards legality; it is nothing but legality which lays at the root of Arminianism."19 He was very clear on the dangerous relationship of Arminianism to legalism: "Do you not see at once that this is legality--that this is hanging our salvation upon our work--that this is making our eternal life to depend upon something we do? Nay, the doctrine of justification itself, as preached by an Arminianism, is nothing but the doctrine of salvation by works...."20 A status before God based upon how we "use" Christ and the Spirit to feign righteousness was a legalism hated by Spurgeon. As in our day, Spurgeon saw that one of the strongholds of Arminianism included the independent churches.21 Arminianism was a natural, God-rejecting, self-exalting religion and heresy.22 As Spurgeon believed, we are born Arminians by nature.23 He saw this natural aversion to God as encouraged by believing self-centered, self-exalting fancies. "If you believe that everything turns upon the free-will of man, you will naturally have man as its principal figure in your landscape."24 And again he affirms the remedy for this confusion to be true doctrine. "I believe that very much of current Arminianism is simply ignorance of gospel doctrine."25 Further, "I do not serve the god of the Arminians at all; I have nothing to do with him, and I do not bow down before the Baal they have set up; he is not my God, nor shall he ever be; I fear him not, nor tremble at his presence...The God that saith today and denieth tomorrow, that justifieth today and condemns the next...is no relation to my God in the least degree. He may be a relation of Ashtaroth or Baal, but Jehovah never was or can be his name."26 Refusing to compromise the gospel in any way, he soundly refuted and rejected common attempts to unite Calvinism and Arminianism into a synthesized belief. Nor would he downplay the importance of the differences between the two systems: This may seem to you to be of little consequence, but it really is a matter of life and death. I would plead with every Christian--think it over, my dear brother. When some of us preach Calvinism, and some Arminianism, we cannot both be right; it is of not use trying to think we can be--'Yes,' and 'no,' cannot both be true.Truth does not vacillate like the pendulum which shakes backwards and forwards....One must be right; the other wrong.27 Alan Maben Notes 1. Walter A. Elwell, ed. Evangelical Dictonary of Theology (Grand Rapids, Recommended Works: Murray, Iain. The Forgotten Spurgeon, 2d ed. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1986; reprint. Spurgeon, Charles H. "A Defence of Calvinism" in C. H. Spurgeon Autobiography. Edited by S. Spurgeon and J. Harrald. Rev. ed. Vol I, The Early Years 1834-1859. Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 1976; reprint. Spurgeon, Charles H. New Park Street Pulpit. A collection of his sermons. Spurgeon, Charles H. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. A collection of his sermons. Alan Maben is a graduate of California State University, Long Beach and Simon Greenleaf School of Law |
It is almost as if the author of this piece has discovered "Spurgeon the Calvinist" by accident, substituting him for "Spurgeon the unknown".
As a result, this isn't a very important article. Sorry.
In a word, definately.
A month or so after I was saved in 1995 (February 25, to be exact; 12 Noon), I met a fellow employee at my former job. Meek, middle-aged white guy. Didn't look like he could hurt a flea! Anyhoo, he casually spoke as he passed by, and I spoke back in my "new" passionate salvation, "Today is the day the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." He then approached me and asked about the Lord.
I then witnessed what I had never seen before. He had a calm, gracious, appreciative, sanctified look that was puzzling to me. Nevertheless, I told him that I was newly saved and sought to grow in the Lord. He reached into his briefcase and pulled out a little blue booklet named "Studies in the Scriptures" and another one entitled "Free Grace Broadcaster." "Studies in the Scriptures" is an monthly A. W. Pink archive.
My new friend then told me that I would find these utilities helpful in my new walk. Boy was I in for a shock!
Reading these materials made me sleepless, literally! A new Believer reading Pink is both troublesome and adventurous. Pink has a way of writing that makes you think that you are lower than a snake's belly. But there's a purpose. His writings totally do away with your thoughts of your own righteousness, and force you to focus squarely on Christ and nothing else but Christ.
Every morning for the next two years, he and I would have "church" in the front lobby. I'd ask him about the Scriptures I'd read the night before, and he'd listen intently and answer my questions. He never once made me think that I was pestering him with oftentimes repeated questions. I'd ask him about what I read in the publishings he'd gave me (which he gave me every single month after that!). Again, he'd just graciously answer and constantly encourage me in the Lord.
To make a long story short (this is where I became convinced that what is called Calvinism is the absolute truth; which is the Word itself stripped of any pretense), I asked him about troubles I was having understanding the eternal security of the Saints. I had thought that one can lose his or her salvation. He kept telling me that for the truly born-again, that's impossible. I asked and asked about Spurgeon's sermons on this subject because he seemed so confident of it. I shied away from Pink because, at that time, I could only handle milk but Pink's works are nothing but Grade-A certified steak!
As we were talking, a small, tiny verse popped into my head, and I blurted it out: He must increase, but I must decrease.
That was it! My friend smiled a huge, beaming smile and hugged me right there in front of everybody! That verse, John 3:30, unlocked the "mystery," if you will. The truly born-again knows that he (his flesh, will, self-righteousness, and pride) MUST, decrease. And the Blessed Savior, our Lord Jesus, MUST increase in our own lives. You'd never guess that that one small verse, which was John the Baptist talking to his followers about Jesus after Christ's baptism, held so much meaning. Nine little words, yet a sermon in each.
The true Gospel was now understood. It was a struggle to understand it, but the Lord sent someone my way with the understanding I sought.
Spurgeon, Pink, Bunyan. These three, and their work in explaining the Gospel as it is written, along with the edification of the Spirit, changed my life forever.
Jesus! HE must increase. Do away with me, Lord.
This church which my friend gave me booklets from is online here. I'm sure you will all find them as edifying and refreshing as I do and have.
God is so gracious. He knows what we need long before we do.
Sorry this didn't measure up to your high standards Jerry. However, I have met many arminians who thought those very things about Spurgeon. In fact, John R. Rice use to edit Spurgeon's sermons to make them appeal to more arminians.
It proves to me that unless God gives you ears to hear you do not get the message
John R. Rice should be ashamed. That comes close to tampering with Holy writ.
All this time we've posted back and forth, yet you never said who your dad was? You knucklehead! ;-)
Mt. Zion was my first "church home," if you will. I've sent my tithes there, even. Those publications your dad's church issue are awesome! I like how your dad's church unapologetically sticks to the Word, the whole Word, and nothing but the Word.
Great institution!
Indeed. I couldn't stop typing! And I remembered it as if it happened 5 minutes ago.
And you, sola gracia, are still a knucklehead for not telling me before! ;-)
The Lord has tremendously blessed the ministry. Keep my dad in your prayers. He has recently stepped down as pastor because of health reasons. He will be 79 on the 21st of August and he and my mom celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on the 22nd. Our whole family will be down in Pensacola to help them celebrate over the Labor Day weekend.
The Lord has graciously raised up another man to keep the ministry moving. The Word will continue to be preached and reformed Truth will continue to be printed and distributed.
He was carrying a small commentary on the book of Job, and I remarked that I had read this same work stateside, and really enjoyed it. He then smiled, and stated that the author was his dad, a professor at Wheaton College.
Let this ministry keep preaching the undiluted Word of the Living God. It had better. . .
I'm watching! ;-)
Everyone, go on and check out Mt. Zion's site. There's a treasure trove of outstanding sermons and writings therein. These will help you keep a new song praising the Lord in your hearts, trust me!
Mt. Zion Online. If you have a pop-up killer like I do for my browser, turn it off. This link will open in a new window.
I read Spurgeons morning and evening for years without thinking anything about Calvinism..(but then you know how dumb I am)
This may be a surprise to our Religious forum posters ,but I bet 75% of the born again believers never think about doctrine
I tend to agree with you. The times in which we live are geared for the "senses" not the mind. Even in evangelical circles, emphasis seems to be put on the "experience" rather than the Biblical truth. While we have "experiences" as Christians, the Word must first come to us through the mind. Luke 24 is a prime example. When Christ met the two on the road to Emmaus, he chastised them because they were "slow of heart to believe all that the scriptures taught concerning Himself." So he began to open up the Scriptures of the Old Testamnet showing how He first had to suffer before He could enter into His glory. Later they talked among themselves about how their hearts "burned within them" as He taught. Emotion has it's place in Christianity. But it must be in it's place, subservient to the intellect. In other words, how can our hearts be warm about that which we do not understand?
Will do brother, will do!
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