Sermon Of The Week: “A Lecture for Little-Faith”

By / Jan 20

Do you struggle with little faith in the Christian life? Do you sometimes fear that the Lord’s grace is not sufficient for your doubts and sins? In this week’s sermon, Charles Spurgeon delivers helpful insight and instruction for those of little faith. Utilizing imagery from Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, this sermon helps us understand the nature of one’s faith, and the means by which it can be grown and strengthened.

He further emphasizes the reality that those of little faith are not abnormalities. Doubts and unbelief are real battles that must be faced by every Christian. But God’s grace is sufficient for those of little faith, even if we struggle to believe it. Our faith – looking and coming to Christ – must be strengthened and accordingly turned into thankful praise to the Lord. “Faith is a feeding grace” and must be sustained through God’s promises. Spurgeon provides encouragement for the doubting believer by pointing us to God’s sufficient grace, sovereignty, and role in our salvation.

Excerpt:

“When faith grows a little, it rises from looking to Christ to coming to Christ. He who stood afar off and looked to the cross by-and-bye plucks up courage, and getting heart to himself, he runneth up to the cross. or perhaps he doth not run. but hath to be drawn before he can so much as creep thither, and even then it is with a limping gait that he draweth nigh to Christ the Saviour. But that done, faith goeth a little farther: it layeth hold on Christ; it begins to see him in his excellency, and appropriates him in some degree, conceives him to be a real Christ and a real Saviour, and is convinced of his suitability. And when it hath done as much as that, it goeth further; it leaneth on Christ. it leaneth on its Beloved; casteth all the burden of its cares, sorrows, and griefs upon that blessed shoulder, and permitteth all its sins to he swallowed up in the great red sea of the Saviour’s blood. And faith can then go further still; for having seen and ran towards him and laid hold upon him, and having leaned upon him, faith in the next place puts in a humble, but a sure and certain claim to all that Christ is and all that he has wrought; and then, trusting alone in this, appropriating all this to itself, faith mounteth to full assurance; and out of heaven there is no state more rapturous and blessed. But, as I have observed at the beginning, faith is but very small, and there are some Christians who never get out of little faith all the while they are here.”

A Lecture for Little-Faith


The Service in the Snowstorm

By / Jan 2

A snowstorm is forecasted to hit Kansas City over the weekend, and I’m reminded of one of my favorite stories from Charles Spurgeon’s life: the story of his conversion. As churches ponder whether they should cancel services, here’s an encouragement not to underestimate how God might work even through a snowstorm and a simple worship service.

Spurgeon’s Conversion

From an early age, God gave him a sensitivity towards his sinfulness. He was never outwardly rebellious. But he knew the sinfulness of his heart. He knew his pride, his envy, his coveting, his impatience. He wrestled with doubts about the gospel and the existence of God. But in all this, he wasn’t sure what it meant to be a Christian. All he heard was more about what he had to do to be a Christian or to prove he was a Christian rather than what Christ had done for him. So from ages 10-15, Spurgeon wrestled with this sense of lostness, helplessness, and conviction.

But the answer finally came on a snowy winter morning. January 6, 1850, Spurgeon was back home in Colchester on winter break. His school had gotten out early because of an outbreak of fever. He decided that, during that holiday, he would visit every chapel in town, hoping that someone would show him the way of salvation. And on that Sunday morning, he was walking towards the city, on the way to another church, when a snowstorm suddenly blew in. Spurgeon was forced into a sidestreet, where he found refuge in a Primitive Methodist chapel.

There were just a handful of people there. He said the Primitive Methodists sang so loud it made his head ache. Then after the singing, an uneducated lay preacher got up and delivered the sermon.

The minister did not come that morning; he was snowed up, I suppose. At last, a very thin-looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach. Now, it is well that preachers should be instructed; but this man was really stupid. He was obliged to stick to his text, for the simple reason that he had little else to say. The text was, — “LOOK UNTO ME, AND BE YE SAVED, ALL THE ENDS OF THE EARTH.” (Isa 45:22)

He did not even pronounce the words rightly, but that did not matter. There was, I thought, a glimpse of hope for me in that text. The preacher began thus: — “My dear friends, this is a very simple text indeed. It says, ‘Look.’ Now lookin’ don’t take a deal of pains. It ain’t liftin’ your foot or your finger; it is just, ‘Look.’ Well, a man needn’t go to College to learn to look. You may be the biggest fool, and yet you can look. A man needn’t be worth a thousand a year to be able to look. Anyone can look; even a child can look. But then the text says, ‘Look unto Me.’ Ay!” said he, in broad Essex, “many on ye are lookin’ to yourselves, but it’s no use lookin’ there. You’ll never find any comfort in yourselves. Some look to God the Father. No, look to Him by-and-by. Jesus Christ says, ‘Look unto Me.’ Some on ye say, ‘We must wait for the Spirit’s workin’.’ You have no business with that just now. Look to Christ. The text says, ‘Look unto Me.’ … Look unto Me; I am sweatin’ great drops of blood. Look unto Me; I am hangin’ on the cross. Look unto Me; I am dead and buried. Look unto Me; I rise again. Look unto Me; I ascend to Heaven. Look unto Me; I am sittin’ at the Father’s right hand. O poor sinner, look unto Me! look unto Me!”

As Spurgeon sat there dripping wet, it all became clear to him. This is what he records:

“I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, ‘Look!’ what a charming word it seemed to me! Oh! I looked until I could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which looks alone to Him.”

That Sunday morning, Spurgeon was radically converted. And this would change the course of his life forever. For the first time, he understood that faith in Christ was not about doing something for God. It was about receiving, about trusting in what Christ had done for him.

The Lesson of the Snowstorm

Have you ever been discouraged when you go to church on a Sunday morning after a snowstorm and only a handful of people are here? Don’t underestimate what God can do. You never know who’s there. You never know who will show up. There may very well be a young man or woman who has been wrestling with their sin and has finally come hoping that someone will show them the way of salvation.

Don’t underestimate what God can do through another time of family worship, through another Sunday School class, through another personal quiet time, through another Bible study, through another Sunday gathering. These are all very ordinary things. But God can use these very ordinary means to accomplish His miracles, through the proclamation of the gospel. Spurgeon came to believe this about preaching. He was converted under the preaching of an uneducated, inexperienced lay preacher. And he never got over that fact.

Personally, I have to bless God for many good books… ; but my gratitude most of all is due to God… for the preached Word, — and that too addressed to me by a poor, uneducated man, a man who had never received any training for the ministry, and probably will never be heard of in this life, a man engaged in business, no doubt of a humble kind, during the week, but who had just enough of grace to say on the Sabbath, “Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” The books were good, but the man was better. The revealed Word awakened me; but it was the preached Word that saved me.

So as the snowstorm approaches, if even just a few people can safely gather for worship, don’t cancel the service! You don’t have to have all the production that you might normally have on a Sunday. Sing from the hymnal. Have an elder or another qualified brother lead in prayer and the preaching of the Word. And celebrate the risen Christ together. The preacher may not preach like Spurgeon but don’t underestimate what God can do through a plain, simple, clear proclamation of the gospel. God uses our efforts and talents, but the power lies not in us but in God and His Word.



The Father’s Role in the Incarnation

By / Dec 18

With the Christmas season upon us, we are reminded of God’s plan of salvation for His people; a plan which centered on the incarnation, death, and resurrection of His only begotten Son. We naturally meditate upon the reality of Christ’s work on behalf of sinners; a truth which ought to be on the forefront of our minds. Inseparably tied to this truth, however, is the Father’s divine, sovereign ordination of this salvation plan.

In a sermon discussing Christ’s incarnation and birth, Spurgeon helps us understand God the Father’s sovereign role in sending the Son.

The Father sent him! Contemplate that subject. Let your soul get hold of it, and in every period of his life think that he suffered what the Father willed; that every step of his life was marked with the approval of the great I AM. Let every thought that you have of Jesus be also connected with the eternal, ever-blessed God; for “he,” saith Jehovah, “shall come forth unto me.” Who sent him, then? The answer is, his Father.[1]

The Lord’s ultimate sovereignty is displayed through Christ’s incarnation, and Spurgeon helps us shift our focus to again gaze at the divine author of all things: the “great I AM.” Why is it important for us to behold God’s role here? Because it is the great proof of the Father’s love. It was the Father’s plan to send His Son among men to die in their stead, thus bringing both redemption and reconciliation to earth. Unpacking this truth still further, Spurgeon remarks:

Who sent Jesus Christ?… “Out of thee” saith Jehovah, speaking by the mouth of Micah, “Out of thee shall he come forth unto me.” It is a sweet thought that Jesus Christ, did not come forth without his Father’s permission, authority, consent, and assistance. He was sent of the Father, that he might be the Saviour of men… What if Jesus came? Did not his Father send him? If he was made a child did not the Holy Ghost beget him? If he spake wondrously, did not his Father pour grace into his lips, that he might be an able minister of the new covenant? If his Father did forsake him when he drank the bitter cup of gall, did he not love him still? and did he not, by-and by, after three days, raise him from the dead, and at last receive him up on high, leading captivity captive?[2]

The work which the Father initiated through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son is the story of God’s love. It is good news. In this Christmas season, while the incarnation and earthly work of Christ are remembered more intentionally, let us not lose sight of the Father’s goodwill in sending forth His Son. We would do well to pay heed to the truth of which Spurgeon reminds us; this season points us back to God’s sovereign love.

Let our hearts take eternal courage and comfort in the truth that the Father brought about salvation for His people – despite the evil intentions of sinful man. In this season, whatever circumstances you may find yourself in – whether grieving, fighting illness, striving for familial peace – in all things, the Father’s goodwill is forever triumphant. As we ponder the incarnate, infant Christ in the manger, and reflect upon the Lord’s redemption in this humble child, let us look to Him for the peace which His divine sovereignty brings. Spurgeon leaves us with comforting and perfectly fitting Christmas-time truth to dwell on:

…for Jesus Christ did not die to make God loving, but he died because God was loving… Christ was sent into the world by his Father, as the consequence of the Father’s affection for his people. Yea, he “so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”[3]

     [1] Charles Spurgeon, “The Incarnation and Birth of Christ”, 49.

     [2] Ibid, 48.

     [3] Ibid, 66.



Three Ways to Celebrate Christmas

By / Dec 11

To most modern Western Christians, it might be a surprise to discover that Spurgeon did not celebrate Christmas with the lights, bells, wreaths, and festivities that many of us enjoy today. Newspapers in the late 1800s show that the Metropolitan Tabernacle had no Christmas decorations and showed no signs of the holiday. In contrast to the lack of merriment, a popular quote from Spurgeon says that he wished there were “ten or twelve Christmases,” which dispels the “Bah humbug” spirit that one might read into the lack of seasonal participation.

Was Spurgeon inconsistent then? Absolutely not. He saw the Christmas season as a time to reflect on the incarnation of Christ, spend time with family, and thank God for the wonderful gift of his Son. He did not care if you celebrated Christmas, but he did care why and what you focused on during the season. A curious reader of Spurgeon’s views on Christmas might ask: How would Spurgeon advise someone to spend Christmas day? Does he think Christmas is good, or rather, popish? What if someone struggles with or chooses not to celebrate Christmas, how should they spend the holiday? Here are three ways Spurgeon encouraged his congregants to celebrate Christmas Day.

Christmas can be used as a day for family and rest

First, Spurgeon assured his congregation that it is fine not to observe Christmas as a holiday because an argument can be made for its popish origin or superstition.

“I hold it to be one of the greatest absurdities under heaven to think that there is any religion in keeping Christmas-day. There are no probabilities whatever that our Savior Jesus Christ was born on that day and the observance of it is purely of Popish origin.”[1]

While this quote is quite opinionated and can be jarring to some, in the same sermon Spurgeon affirms that it is good to spend this day off with family and enjoy rest.  He says:

“However, I wish there were ten or a dozen Christmas-days in the year; for there is work enough in the world, and a little more rest would not hurt laboring people. Christmas-day is really a boon to us, particularly as it enables us to assemble round the family hearth and meet our friends once more.”[2]

Spurgeon would rather there be ten or twelve (in a later sermon he increases this number to twenty) Christmas days if it meant that men were allowed more time to spend with their families.

But what if you do not celebrate Christmas? Can you feel right about setting this day aside as so many others around do? Is that not still effectually observing Christmas? Spurgeon has an answer for this.

“The old Puritans made a parade of work on Christmas-day, just to show that they protested against the observance of it. But we believe they entered that protest so completely, that we are willing, as their descendants, to take the good accidentally conferred by the day, and leave its superstitions to the superstitious.”[3]

Spurgeon urged his congregants that no matter their conviction on the holiday, they should use the time given to them as an opportunity to rest and enjoy being with family. Whether you partake in the festivities or not, God has gifted you a precious day to love and invest in your family and loved ones. This is always a gift from God, no matter what day it comes on. The following quote sums up Spurgeon’s views on Christmas Day quite well:

“For my part, I wish there were twenty Christmas days in the year. It is seldom that young men can meet with their friends; it is rarely they can all be united as happy families; and though I have no respect to the religious observance of the day, yet I love it as a family institution, as one of England’s brightest days, the great Sabbath of the year, when the plough rests in its furrow, when the din of business is hushed, when the mechanic and the working man go out to refresh themselves upon the green sward of the glad earth.”[4]

Christmas is a time to share the Gospel with others

Second, Spurgeon urged his congregation to share their gospel story with their loved ones.

“Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.” You are not to repair to your houses and forthwith begin to preach that you are not commanded to do. You are not to begin to take up doctrinal subjects and expatiate on them, and endeavor to bring persons to your peculiar views and sentiments. You are not to go home with sundry doctrines you have lately learned, and try to teach these. At least you are not commanded so to do; you may, if you please and none shall hinder you; but you are to go home and tell not what you have believed, but what you have felt — what you really know to be your own; not what great things you have read, but what great things the Lord hath done for you; not alone what you have seen done in the great congregation, and how great sinners have turned to God, but what the Lord has done for you.”[5]

Whether we have believing families or not, we should spend the holiday with our loved ones by talking about the goodness of God and the freedom we have through the death and resurrection of Christ. For those of us with unbelieving families, this will be an evangelistic effort. Others who find themselves surrounded by believers will be sharpened by the stories of God’s work of salvation in our lives. For all that we see, we want to show something of the grace we have received through our acts of love and generosity. After all, when it comes to the salvation story, Spurgeon reminds us:

“…it must be a story of free grace. It is not, “Tell thy friends how great things thou hast done thyself,” but “how great things the Lord hath done for thee.”[6]

Christmas should be spent with Christ first

Lastly, Spurgeon directed his congregation to spend Christmas by making Christ the first one who “saw” them that day.

“Do not try to tell your tale to man till you have told it first to God. When you are at home on Christmas-day, let no one see your face till God has seen it. Be up in the morning, wrestle with God; and if your friends are not converted, wrestle with God for them, and then you will find it easy work to wrestle with them for God.”[7]

Spurgeon made the point that we should wrestle over the salvation of our family and friends. As pointed out earlier, Christmas is an opportune time to share the gospel with our families and friends, but the battle for their souls starts in prayer. Ask God to rescue their souls because he is the only one who has the power and authority to do so.

Most importantly, Spurgeon urges us to start Christmas day by reflecting on who Christ is and why he came to us. On any other day of the year, we should reflect on the coming and incarnation of Christ, but Spurgeon saw no issue with a day that allows us to reflect specifically on the incarnation. Spurgeon once said regarding Christmas, “I see no harm in thinking of the incarnation and birth of the Lord Jesus.”[8] One can never dwell too much on the incarnation of Christ because it is a pillar of Christian doctrine. Spurgeon reminds us of the essential truth of the incarnation of the Son saying,

“But as Jesus Christ is God’s Son, he is not born; but given, begotten of his Father from before all worlds, begotten — not made, being of the same substance with the Father. The doctrine of the eternal affiliation of Christ is to be received as an undoubted truth of our holy religion.”[9]

Conclusion

Spurgeon helps us navigate the Christmas holiday, whether we choose to participate in the festivities or not, by encouraging us that there are various reasons to gather on this day outside of tradition or superstition. He urges us that while this day is set aside already, we should spend the free time by first thanking the Lord for sending His Son to be born as a baby, live a sinless life, take the punishment for our sins upon Himself, and rise again in victory for our salvation through faith. He also encourages us to spend this time in rest with those we love, sharing with them the good news about the Christ who came to offer us salvation so long ago.

[1] The Incarnation And Birth Of Christ No. 57

[2] The Incarnation And Birth Of Christ No. 57

[3] The Incarnation And Birth Of Christ No. 57

[4] Going Home – A Christmas Sermon. No. 109

[5] Going Home – A Christmas Sermon. No. 109

[6] Going Home – A Christmas Sermon. No. 109

[7] Going Home – A Christmas Sermon. No. 109

[8] The Incarnation And Birth Of Christ No. 57

[9] A Christmas Question. No. 291



“For Such There Is Great Need”: The Ministry of Mrs. Bartlett

By / Dec 3

Just as Paul found allies and serious ministry partners in a few key women, Spurgeon found a special ministry partner in one woman whom he and others lovingly referred to as “his favorite deacon,” Mrs. Lavinia Strickland Bartlett.[1] Mrs. Bartlett is one of the Church’s and Charles Spurgeon’s lesser-known heroes of the faith who warrants further study even though she, like Spurgeon, would have protested any personal attention. She dedicated her life to prayer and to seeing others profess Christ as Lord and Savior.

A Fruitful Sunday School

As the oldest of three children, Lavinia taught her younger siblings to pray while kneeling at an old trunk before she put them to bed “in a very staid and motherly way.”[2] Mothering, prayer, and even the trunk followed her throughout her life.[3] Spurgeon referred to her often as “a mother in Israel,” having “an intense force of character.” In the preface for her biography, her son Edward describes his mother as someone who “believed with all her heart, and therefore acted with decision and power.”[4] Upon hearing about all of the fruits of her labor, one would never imagine that she was considered an invalid, often weak and ill.

Of all of her fruits, Mrs. Bartlett became known best for the classes she held at the Metropolitan Tabernacle. She originally agreed to be a substitute teacher for one month at a New Park Street Chapel Sunday school, but when she showed up to teach on that first Sunday, she was asked to teach a different class. What started out with only three ladies grew to include thousands. Estimates are that between nine hundred and one thousand members were added to the Metropolitan Tabernacle’s membership from Mrs. Bartlett’s class, and Spurgeon was a frequent visitor. On several occasions, he found it difficult to enter the room where Mrs. Bartlett was teaching, leading him to find her more comfortable spaces. The class that started in a regular Sunday school room at the New Park Street Chapel was relocated a number of times, but eventually settled in at the lecture hall of the Metropolitan Tabernacle. With a motto of “My class for Jesus,” she regularly had between six and seven hundred students.[5] Spiritual fruit abounded.

A Fruitful Evangelist and Discipler

Her son, Edward Bartlett, writes, “Among her papers there is an abundance of material, sufficient to occupy a volume, showing how greatly her labors among the young were blessed in the bringing of hundreds to a knowledge of the Savior.”[6] From her very first trip to London and on each trip thereafter, she used the travel time for witnessing. During that first trip, she made a convert and a connection to the business world that would provide for herself and her two sons after her husband died from cholera. Eventually, she would focus all of her time on her ministry. While her teaching goal was to bring many souls to Christ, she also discipled the members of her class, praying with them, walking alongside them in their struggles, and encouraging their own fruitfulness.

In the letters she wrote to her class Mrs. Bartlett provided encouragement in their personal walks as well as their ministry endeavors. In one letter she wrote: “Oh, my beloved class, how it cheers my heart to know that so many of you love and serve the bleeding, dying Lord. My heart’s desire and prayer to God for you is that you may be able to comprehend with all saints the height and breadth of the love of God in Christ Jesus. Drink deep into His love and live near to His blessed side.”[7] Her letters also promised prayer, further updates, and her love to them all.

A Generous Fundraiser

Mrs. Bartlett took a special interest in the Pastor’s College, encouraging and pleading with her class to give to that work, even becoming physically ill when donations decreased. The ladies in Lavinia’s class donated £1,346 over twelve years, equivalent to more than $200,000 today.[8] Mrs. Bartlett and her class helped each of the Metropolitan Tabernacle ministries in some manner, including the Stockwell Orphanage, but the Pastor’s College was the main project addressed during the class’s bi-annual meeting. During these meetings, Lavinia would whole-heartedly encourage her students to give sacrificially, begging and pleading with them to the point of tears, all the while reminding them of the reason why the college was important: “My own beloved children–you whom God has given me in spiritual birth–to you I speak with all the love of a mother’s heart. ‘Be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.’”[9]

Mr. Spurgeon and Mrs. Bartlett

Spurgeon often wrote to this sister in the faith to let her know when he could use her help and to offer his thanks for the work and support that Lavinia and her class provided. “With constant thanksgiving I remember your work of faith and labor of love, and I pray the Lord to sustain you and make you still a joyful mother in Israel.”[10] Without the help of Mrs. Bartlett and others who were willing to serve alongside him, Spurgeon would not have been able to accomplish the mighty works that God set before him. Both Spurgeon and Mrs. Bartlett were quick to give credit to those who labored in the Lord with them, not wanting any credit for themselves.

Visitors to the class came from around the globe, and notes about what was happening there often appeared in newspapers and lectures. Lavinia’s son Edward says that she was quick to destroy the papers when she found them. Many wrote letters, inquiring as to the methods she used to gain success. Her son responded to one such letter: “Unfortunately, many workers for the Lord now-a-days- trust too much to the outward auxiliaries, and not sufficiently to the teaching of God’s Holy Spirit; and consequently many fail because they do not speak from the fullness of heart, but more from head knowledge.”[11] His mother’s lessons could be considered Scripture-filled pleadings to turn away from sin and toward Christ. In many instances, she was granted her wish by both men and women. Even during the last six days of her life, as she lay partially conscious, she continued to pray for particular souls among her class to find salvation in the Lord.

Her Heavenly Reward

Lavinia Bartlett received her heavenly reward on a Monday morning in 1875. Her son says, “As she lived, so she died, in the very atmosphere of praise and prayer, for I believe in her lifetime she literally prayed without ceasing.”[12] Charles Spurgeon delivered the funeral service at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, and his brother led a time of prayer. The funeral process was five miles long and lined with thousands who wished to pay their respects. Spurgeon writes, “Her departure was the death of a mother to many, and her grave is a hallowed spot. The loss to us is gain to her; the battle is fought and the victory is won forever…May the Lord inspire many Christian women with the high ambition to be useful, direct them in the right way, and give them success therein. For such there is great need.”[13]

[1] Edward Bartlett, Mrs. Bartlett and Her Class at the Metropolitan Tabernacle (Cannon Beach: Move to Assurance, 2018), 143.

[2] Ibid., 9.

[3] Her son mentions that it was kneeling at the trunk where a number of souls placed their faith in the Lord. Ibid., 42.

[4] Ibid., 8.

[5] Ibid., 55.

[6] Ibid., 59.

[7] Ibid., 82.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid., 69.

[10] Ibid., 121.

[11] Ibid., 116.

[12] Ibid., 132.

[13] Ibid., 14.



Thanksgiving: Always and for All Things

By / Nov 22

As we enter the Thanksgiving season, many of us would recount the countless blessings the Lord has bestowed upon us. We recall how the good Lord has provided for us a roof above our heads, food on our tables, family that supports us, and friends that care for us. Yet, beyond these foundational blessings, how often do we forget to thank God in our day-to-day lives? Spurgeon’s encouragement for Christians is not only to occasionally give thanks but to make it our motto. It should be a part of the Christian life. We should say of our Lord, “Let him do what seemeth him good; if he will give us health we will thank him, if he will send us sickness we will thank him. If he indulges us with prosperity or if he tries us with affliction, if the Holy Spirit will but enable us, we will never cease to praise the Lord as long as we live.”[1]

Duty of a Christian

In his sermon on Ephesians 5:20, “Always, and For All Things,” Spurgeon makes it clear that it is the duty and privilege of believers to give thanks. One cannot give thanks to God, who is not yet a follower of God because he does not know God. They might try their best, but they will never know the true object of thanksgiving. To give thanks to God one must first believe there to be a God, and that God is the Author of all good things we receive. We are called to give thanks in all circumstances because all things come from God the Father (Eph 5:20).

Our duty to give thanks makes sense in light of the saving grace we have received. We ought to look back to the day when we were called out from the world into the arms of the Father. To believe in Christ is to be reconciled with God, and we must give thanks for our salvation above all things. A Christian understands that God has not simply forgotten his sin, but He has brought about a full reconciliation. His sins are blotted out. He has experienced the joy of full forgiveness, and he comes to God with a joyful heart for the graces and mercies that he received. Only a true Christian understands this.

Beloved, after all it is but a light thing to render to our heavenly Father our poor thanks, after he has given us our lives, maintained us in being, saved us our souls through the precious redemption of Jesus Christ, given us to be his children, and made us heirs of eternal glory. What are our thanks in the presence of all these priceless favors? Why, if we gave our God a thousand lives, and could spend each one of these in a perpetual martyrdom, it were a small return for what he has bestowed upon us; but to give him thanks is the least we can do, and shall we be slack in that? He gives us breath, shall we not breathe out his praise? He fills our mouth with good things, shall we not speak well of his name?

Mercies That We Do Not See

It is easy for Christians to give thanks for mercies that are plain in sight: a new job, a loving spouse, a happy home. But how often do we sit back and ponder upon the mercies of God that we do not see? To illustrate this point, Spurgeon told the story of a father and his son.

You have heard, perhaps, of a Puritan who met his son, each one of them travelling some ten or twelve miles to meet the other; and the son said to his father, “Father, I am thankful to God for a very remarkable providence which I have had on my journey here. My horse has stumbled three times with me, and yet I am unhurt.” The Puritan replied, “My dear son, I have to thank God for an equally remarkable providence on my way to you, for my horse did not once stumble all the way.” … Bless God for his unknown benefits; extol him for favors which you do not see, always giving thanks to God for all things.  

We see and recognize the blessings which God has bestowed upon us, but we forget the blessings that we already have. Living in an abundant society, our tendency is to overlook the goodness of God in supplying all our physical needs. And yet, everyday, God mercifully provides and preserves our lives.

Bitter Things That We Are Given

When God took everything from Job, he cried out, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Many of us are personally familiar with the story of Job. And yet, there is the need for thanksgiving even in the worst of our circumstances. When we are faced with the bitter providence of God, we find it hard to give thanks. Spurgeon himself confessed that this was hard for him.

We must bless him in success, and also in disaster… It is easy to stand here and tell you this, but I have not always found it easy to practice the duty, this I confess to my shame. When suffering extreme pain some time ago, a brother in Christ said to me, “Have you thanked God for this?” I replied that I desired to be patient, and would be thankful to recover. “Ah, but,” said he, “‘in everything give thanks,’ not after it is over, but while you are still in it, and, perhaps, when you are enabled to give thanks for the severe pain, it will cease.” I believe that there was much force in that good advice.

Spurgeon would reorientate us and help us to see that bitter providence could be a “disguised blessing.” The problem of a bitter providence is never in the issue itself, but in the heart of the believer who is blinded by his circumstances to see the goodness of God in his acts. Just as the servant of Elijah could not recognize the providential hand of God when he first looked towards the sea (1 Kings 18:41-46), we also often fail to see God at work in our pain. But in faith, Christians ought to bring themselves to look beyond their current circumstance to the sovereign goodness of God and give thanks to Him in all circumstances.

So, we can say with Spurgeon, “Let him do what seemeth him good; if he will give us health we will thank him, if he will send us sickness we will thank him. If he indulges us with prosperity or if he tries us with affliction, if the Holy Spirit will buy enable us, we will never cease to praise the Lord as long as we live.” We are to give thanks for all that God has given to us; the good and the bad. Just as how we promise our spouses to love each other “in plenty and in want”, we should vow to give thanks to God in a similar fashion.

Give thanks to God for he is good, and doeth good. Give thanks to God; let not your gratitude stop short of the source from which the streams of mercy come.

Closing

Thanksgiving should not correspond with the feast that we have once a year. It should be our daily sustenance. Thanksgiving is not an optional activity, but it flows from a heart of gratitude towards God for saving us. It should not be circumstantial, where we only give thanks when we receive good from the Lord. Rather, the fire of thanksgiving should warm us through the coldest and darkest winters. And thanksgiving will be our joy for all eternity.

The day will come, when we shall fulfill our text in the widest sense, for then we shall give thanks to God, at the winding up of the drama of human history, for everything that has happened, from the fall even to the destruction of the wicked… We shall trace the line of perfection along the course of the divine decrees and workings, and though the way of the Lord may have seemed to us to be inscrutable, we shall then adore him for that wondrous display of all his attributes—his justice, his love, his truth, his faithfulness, his omnipotence—which shall blaze forth with tenfold splendor. In heaven we shall give thanks unto God always for all things, without exception, and throughout eternity we shall magnify his holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us do it as best we can today, God’s Spirit helping us.

[1] All quotes are from the sermon “Always, and For All Things,” from MTP Vol. 19.



A Wondrous Mystery: An Interview

By / Nov 5

Charles H. Spurgeon was considered by many to be the greatest preacher of his generation and lived during the nineteenth-century revival of the celebration of Christmas in the US and England. He loved Christmas and welcomed the holiday season as an opportunity for reflection, rest, and being reunited with friends and family.

In A Wondrous Mystery: Daily Advent Devotionals, Geoffrey Chang, curator of the Spurgeon Library at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has complied thirty daily devotions from the sermons of Spurgeon to help readers keep their hearts focused on Christ during the busy holiday season. Readers will be filled with the wonder of Christmas as the words of Spurgeon remind them of the incarnation to be marveled at all year round.

Q: Introduce us to the daily advent devotional, A Wondrous Mystery.

This work exists to help Christians meditate on the wonder of the incarnation by taking excerpts from Spurgeon’s Christmas sermons that were preached during his 38-year ministry in London. In these sermons, Spurgeon meditates on the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah and on the New Testament accounts of the birth of Christ and the significance of the incarnation. This was at the heart of Spurgeon’s celebration of Christmas: the promised Savior has come! This was the joy that he wanted to pass on to his hearers, and this joy is what we hope to convey in A Wondrous Mystery.

Q: Can you tell us about the revival of the celebration of Christmas that was going at the time that Spurgeon was preaching? Why do you believe that Spurgeon loved Christmas?

The celebration was revived in Victorian England in part due to the marriage of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. Albert brought from Germany the Christmas customs of gifts and Christmas trees, and those traditions captured the public imagination. This was also the time when Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol was written, and it was an instant success.

In all this, Christmas became not so much a religious holiday but a cultural celebration. Spurgeon was a Victorian, so he naturally loved Christmas. He appreciated the opportunity for rest (especially for the working class) and for family reunions. He loved giving gifts to his children and the orphans under his care. But most of all, he loved the opportunity to reflect on the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is where the wonder of Christmas was to be found.

Q: You share in the introduction that while Spurgeon loved Christmas, he taught his people not to treat Christmas in any way as “sacred.” What would Spurgeon say is the best way to celebrate Christmas?

Spurgeon, like the Puritans before him, understood that the Christian calendar was an invention that arose out of tradition. We have to be careful not to treat holidays as if they carry the weight of biblical command. At the same time, there certainly is nothing wrong with celebrating the birth of Christ! So, when it came to the gatherings of the church, Spurgeon celebrated Christmas not through any outward adornments or innovative rituals but simply by focusing on the theological significance of the incarnation. Beyond the gathering of the church, Spurgeon would encourage a celebration of Christmas to be marked, yes by food and gifts and ornaments, but even more importantly, by love, generosity, and service to your fellow man.

Q: Are there any devotions from A Wondrous Mystery that you would consider favorites? Why do those stand out to you?

Yes, there are several. I’ll mention two. One is titled “Laid in the Manger,” which is a meditation on Luke 2:7 and Jesus being placed in a manger. This is a reminder of the humility of the Savior. Spurgeon writes,

“In thus being laid in a manger, he did, as it were, give an invitation to the most humble to come to him. We might tremble to approach a throne, but we cannot fear to approach a manger…. Never could there be a being more approachable than Christ. No rough guards pushed poor petitioners away; no array of officious friends were allowed to keep off the importunate widow or the man who clamored that his son might be made whole; the hem of his garment was always trailing where sick folk could reach it, and he himself had a hand always ready to touch the disease, an ear to catch the faintest accents of misery, a soul going forth everywhere in rays of mercy, even as the light of the sun streams on every side beyond that orb itself.”

What an encouraging reminder!

The other is “The Empty Place.” For many, Christmas can be a sad and lonely time, as we remember loved ones who are no longer with us. For these people, Spurgeon says,

“When you get to your family gathering, perhaps you will have to remember that your mother has died this year, or it may be that your father has gone home, or perhaps it was the eldest son, or that sweet curly-headed child. Perhaps, tomorrow, you will be merry; and I do not say to you, ‘Be not so,’ but let these memories come over you, let them direct your thoughts upward, let them remind you that family gatherings are only for a time, and that the great gathering is above. There the immortals meet, there the feast never ends.”

These reflections are good to have not only when we’re grieving but also during years when we’re rejoicing.

Q: Why is it important for us to be familiar with church history and the teachings and writings of preachers from the past?

Hebrews 13:7-8 says, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” This was true in the 1st century, how much more so here in the 21st century! In all these many centuries of church history, we have many more leaders and teachers “who spoke to us the word of God.” We have not only the teaching of their words but also the example of their life and faith as they held on to the unchanging gospel and passed it on to the next generation. Church history, then, is a gift to the church today. Just as we are thankful for pastors and teachers who bring us God’s Word today, we can also benefit from pastors and teachers of the past and learn from them through their works.

Q: When did you first become interested in the work of Spurgeon?

I first became interested in his work as a pastor. As one who was preaching through Scripture, particularly the Psalms, I found his sermons and his commentary on the Psalms (The Treasury of David) so helpful in both understanding the text and explaining it. This was many years ago! I’ve been walking with Spurgeon for at least two decades, and he has become a friend and companion to me in the ministry.

Q: Please tell us more about the Spurgeon Library and your position as curator there.

The Spurgeon Library has the privilege of housing 6,000 volumes of Spurgeon’s own pastoral library, along with many, many other interesting artifacts, manuscripts, letters, and more. In addition to being a research center for Spurgeon scholarship, we are also a kind of museum and seek to tell the story of his life and ministry to encourage the church today. As a curator, I have the privilege of overseeing our collection, our research efforts, and thinking of new ways to tell Spurgeon’s story.

Q: What other devotionals are planned for the Old Made New series in the future?

Lord willing, we will have three more devotionals from Spurgeon in the future: one on the topic of suffering, one for Easter on the resurrection, and one on prayer. All should be really encouraging!

Learn more about A Wondrous Mystery here. It is available for purchase wherever good books are sold.



Why Spurgeon Refused to Name Names in the Downgrade Controversy

By / Oct 31

In early 1887, C. H. Spurgeon published a paper in The Sword and the Trowel that, unbeknownst to him, would kindle a flame in the Baptist Union. This flame grew into the fiery debate, known as the Downgrade Controversy, that engulfed Baptists for the coming years. The altercation sent Spurgeon and the Baptist Union careening towards a dramatic outcome: separation. Spurgeon refused to continue to exist in association with ministers and churches that had left biblical truth for the “New Theology” of theological liberalism.

In response to these charges, the leaders of the Baptist Union insisted that Spurgeon should produce evidence of this theological drift by naming names. Who were these unorthodox ministers with whom Spurgeon refused to associate? Until he produced evidence of his claims, the Union refused to acknowledge his claims that theological liberalism had begun to infect the Baptists. All this put Spurgeon in a difficult position. He refused to name names. At the same time, he stood by his claims and his decision to secede from the Union. Many pastors and churches joined him and also left the Union, even as many more denounced Spurgeon’s condemnation.

The Downgrade Controversy inflicted deep wounds among Spurgeon, his contemporaries, and the Baptist Union. Anyone studying this controversy might ask the same question that many asked in Spurgeon’s day: Why didn’t he name names, thereby vindicating himself and possibly purifying the Baptist Union? If there were false teachers among the ranks of the Baptist Union, it would be logical that Spurgeon should produce evidence so that they could be removed. But it was not so simple. He never provided the names of these teachers for at least three reasons.

The main problem of theological downgrade

The first was that Spurgeon was mainly concerned with the issue of theological downgrade and the dangers that it posed. The original articles never sought to implicate the Baptist Union specifically. From the outset, Spurgeon’s intent was never to attack any one person or denomination but to warn all evangelicals of the growing danger of heterodoxy. After the publication of the articles, people asked if he was issuing his warning for any particular denomination. Spurgeon responded, “It is not intended to be an attack on any one, but to be a warning to all.”

Some wondered if this was an attack on Arminian denominations, like the Methodists. Spurgeon responded, “[Our] warfare is with men who are giving up the atoning sacrifice, denying the inspiration of Holy Scripture, and casting slurs upon justification by faith. The present struggle is not a debate upon the question of Calvinism or Arminianism, but of the truth of God versus the inventions of men.” This was a trend that Spurgeon was beginning to see even in the Baptist Union. Some called for unity even with those who were departing from these core evangelical truths. To this notion of unity, Spurgeon responded, “That union which is not based upon the truth of God is rather a conspiracy than a communion.”

It is clear from the inaugural article that Spurgeon’s intent was not to single out individuals or any one denomination but to warn all believers against the looming specter of unbelief. Therefore, he refused to name names because this was not just a problem facing a few individuals but a growing spirit of theological decline affecting all evangelicals.

There was no doctrinal accountability

The second reason Spurgeon would not name names was practical: there was no doctrinal standard that members of the Baptist Union had to adhere to other than believer’s baptism. If Spurgeon had given the Council names of ministers who departed from the orthodox faith, by what standard could the Council have held them accountable? A hallmark of theological liberalism is the loose definition of terms. Spurgeon knew this. Those who embraced the New Theology would use the language of Christianity, but they would import different meanings to those terms. Some people accused Spurgeon of trying to promote his own unique theology, but Spurgeon understood that his understanding of inspiration, sin, atonement, resurrection, and eternal punishment was in line with historic Christianity. Writing to The Baptist, Spurgeon claimed,

I believe these doctrines, so far as I know, in the common and usual sense attached to them by the general usage of Christendom. Theological terms ought to be understood and used only in their general and usual meaning. If I have any crotchets, or attach exaggerated meanings to these terms, I do not desire any living soul to be bound by my eccentricities. It is not Spurgeon’s sense, or John Smith’s sense, but the common and accepted meaning, which should be understood by doctrinal expressions.

Whatever the Council does, let it above all things avoid the use of language which could legitimately have two meanings contrary to each other. Let us be plain and outspoken. There are grave differences—let them be avowed honestly. Why should any man be ashamed to do so?

Without a clear Statement of Faith to counter this new modern theology, Spurgeon knew that these ministers would be able to double-speak their way into an agreement with the Council’s questioning. And even if the Council was successful in removing some who departed from the truth, there was nothing to keep it from happening again. This would result in conservative evangelicals needing to become a sort of Baptist Inquisition, spending their time separating the wheat from tares rather than promoting true unity in Christ and tending to their churches. Spurgeon had no desire to do this. Rather, he believed these issues could be alleviated by simply adopting an evangelical Statement of Faith that would hold the Union’s members accountable. This, the Union would not do. In the spring of 1888, they passed a statement of their historical beliefs. But these were merely historical beliefs. It did not hold its members accountable to it.

He did not want to make it about himself

The third and likely most important reason Spurgeon would not name names was because he did not want to make this fight about himself. The encroaching downgrade and modernist theologies were not an offense against Spurgeon personally. Rather, they were an offense against God. Spurgeon was “extremely anxious to avoid personalities,” because he had no desire to make the controversy about himself, as if he had taken personal offense against anyone in particular. In February of 1888, Spurgeon said in his article on the censure imposed on him by the Baptist Union,

Let no man imagine that I shall cease from my protests against false doctrine, or lay down the sword of which I have thrown away the scabbard. However much invited to do so, I shall not commence personalities, nor disclose the wretched facts in all their details; but with confirmatory evidence perpetually pouring in upon me, and a solemn conviction that the dark conspiracy to overthrow the truth must be dragged to light, I shall not cease to expose doctrinal declension wherever I see it.

To Spurgeon, this was not an issue of personal offense over differing tertiary doctrinal opinions. Rather, he was calling out the degradation of core Christian doctrines. What was passing as acceptable faith among the Baptist Union had no communion with the Word of God. To name names would have been an easy way to vindicate himself. But Spurgeon continued in the fight for the sake of the truth, not his own reputation.

Susannah Spurgeon wrote at the end of her husband’s autobiography, “The ultimate results of the whole matter must be left in the hands of Him who never makes a mistake, and who will, in His own right way, vindicate His obedient and faithful servant from the ‘censure’ so unjustly passed upon him.” Throughout the turmoil of controversy, Spurgeon did not name names because he understood that he did not need to vindicate himself. He was attacked because of his stand for God’s Word. Therefore, the Lord would vindicate Him in the end.

Conclusion

Charles Spurgeon was a great warrior for the truth of God. He planted his flag on the hill of truth, drew his sword, threw away the scabbard, and through the power of God, he valiantly defended orthodoxy. He refused to name individuals because his primary concern was to combat the unbelief that constantly seeks to ravage the Christian church. Most importantly, Spurgeon understood that the battle he was engaged in was not his. He was fighting for the all-powerful King who will vindicate Himself in the end, thereby vindicating all his faithful soldiers who can do no other than stand for the truth of God’s Word.



His Wondrous Sacrifice: Spurgeon’s Explanation of the Atonement

By / Oct 18

Every Christian should have a thorough grasp of the doctrine of Christ’s atonement. This doctrine presents Christians with the bedrock of assurance which can enable us to persevere through the often-unrelenting trials of life. Oftentimes, however, this doctrine is more assumed than understood. For his congregation, Spurgeon wanted to present a clear explanation of this reality in order to establish their faith and understanding in the truth of Christ’s work.

The Necessity

To understand Christ’s atonement, we must first begin with the absolute inability on the part of sinners to cleanse themselves before God. Hear Spurgeon, as he thoughtfully explains:

The gospel comes to deal with sin; and if a man has but one sin, he cannot get rid of that one sin apart from the atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ. But all men have not merely one sin, but many sins; they may not all be equally clear and manifest, some of them may be secret sins, but the secrecy of sin does not render it less sinful in the sight of God… it needs the atoning sacrifice of Christ to remove it…All men have evil hearts… and, to get this out of the heart, requires a divine operation in every case. No man can make his own heart clean. If it were possible for a man to change his arm or his foot, yet it would be clearly impossible for him to change his heart.[1]

Even the existence of one sin in a person makes them entirely unfit for the glory and presence of God. But notice, mankind not only has sin (or sins), but “all men have evil hearts.” Our sins flow from corrupt hearts which only love what is selfish and evil. Our hearts are evil, and thus so too are our very natures. And we are helpless in this sinful condition. Spurgeon highlights here that “No man can make his own heart clean.” Only a complete atonement and the “divine operation” of God can bring one into God’s kingdom. Spurgeon helps us see that if we are to understand Christ’s atonement, this is our dark condition that we must first realize.

Substitution

If this is the condition of man, then what does the atonement accomplish? Having established the sinfulness of man and the need for salvation, Spurgeon provides this explanation of Christ’s atoning work:

I will not say that the sins of God’s people were imputed to Christ, though I believe they were; but it seems to me that in a way more mysterious than that which imputation would express, the sins of God’s people were actually laid upon Jesus Christ ; that in the view of God, not only was Christ treated as if he had been guilty, but the very sin itself was, I know not how, but according to the text it was somehow laid upon the head of Christ Jesus… Is it not written, “He shall bear,” not merely the punishment of their sin, nor the imputation of their sin, but “He shall bear their iniquities”? Our sin is laid on Jesus in even a deeper and truer sense than is expressed by the term imputation… yet the sin of his people was literally and truly laid upon him.[2]

Spurgeon conveys here that the sins of God’s elect were laid upon Christ in a very tangible and literal sense. Reflecting on Isaiah 53:6, he emphasizes the remarkable idea that our sins were “laid” on Jesus. He points out that the sins of God’s people, not merely their punishment, were laid upon Christ. While sins are not physical objects that can be measured by weight, mass, or size, Spurgeon focuses on the Lord’s use of the word “laid” to convey the truth that the sins of His people were transferred onto Christ in a very real manner. This is a profound point. So many are wrestling with the reality of their sins, and Spurgeon wants his audience to meditate upon the fact that those sins are actually removed from us and placed upon Christ in a real way. Christ did not merely die for the principle of sinfulness; He truly took the sins of His people upon Himself.

Atonement

Going further, Spurgeon explains how this atoning work was accomplished. He links this work to Christ’s incarnation and sacrifice, where Christ becomes a curse to ransom His people.

He himself came hither in the person of his dear Son; he himself became man, and dwelt among us; he himself took the load of his people’s sin; he bare the sin of many, and was made a curse for us. He put away both sin and the curse by his wondrous sacrifice. The marvel of heaven and earth, of time and eternity, is the atoning death of Jesus Christ. This is the mystery that brings more glory to God than all creation, and all providence. How could it be that he should be slain for sinners, the just for the unjust, to bring us to God? To finish transgression, and make an end of sin, was a labour worthy of his Godhead, and Christ has perfectly achieved it by his sufferings and death.[3]

Here, Spurgeon delineates Christ’s substitutionary death in place of sinners, reminding Christians of their salvation through Christ. In taking our sins upon himself, Jesus Christ was “slain for sinners, the just for the unjust;” “was made a curse for us,” meaning he bore not only our sin but also the judgment and curse that those sins deserved. Why? “To bring us to God,” to “finish transgression, and make an end of sin,” that is, by his sacrifice, sinners can have all their sins paid for, enabling God to uphold His perfect justice and to forgive and be reconciled to sinners. This is the Good News of Christianity which, as Spurgeon states, “is the mystery that brings more glory to God than all creation and all providence.” This is the glory of the cross, by which Jesus Christ has made perfect, complete atonement.

Faith

If this is what Christ provides on the cross, then what is to be our response? How can one be saved and receive the work of Christ’s atonement? In this excerpt, Spurgeon explains the way of salvation in a helpful way which highlights the truth of Christ’s substitution.

…the Lord has put his dear Son into our place, has laid on him our sin, and smitten him with the strokes that ought to have fallen upon us; he, on his part, willingly becoming our Surety and Substitute. We must believe this if we would be saved. That being done, we must accept what Christ has endured as being borne for us, and trust in it with our whole hearts. We must, in fact, change places with Christ; — perfectly righteous and without sin. He clothes himself in our rags, and he puts on us his royal robes.[4]

“We must believe this if we would be saved.” What is “this”? That Christ’s substitution, the very literal reality of His sin-bearing life and death, took place for us. Through the atonement, Christ became “our Surety and Substitute.” Spurgeon describes it as so accepting and trusting what Christ has done for us that we “change places with Christ”: He stands in our place as a sinner, we stand in His place as righteous before God.

Here is the source of our hope and peace as a result of Christ’s cleansing work. Here is the security of our salvation. Spurgeon sheds clarifying light on this glorious truth, which ought to lead believers into thankful praise and a blessed sense of rest, knowing that Christ has accomplished what they never could: He has fully atoned for their sin and purchased their salvation. Spurgeon helps us see the marvelous effect this doctrine can have on our minds and hearts as we rejoice in the fact that Christ has born our sin and judgment in our place and clothed us in His righteousness.

[1] Charles Spurgeon, “There is No Difference”, 63-64.

[2] Charles Spurgeon, “Sin Laid on Jesus”, 315-316.

[3] Charles Spurgeon, “Life and Pardon”, 467.

[4] Charles Spurgeon, “There is No Difference”, 64.



Effectual Atonement and Eternal Assurance

By / Oct 4

Many Christians are happy to affirm Scripture’s teaching of eternal assurance, sometimes summarized as “once saved, always saved.” However, many are more hesitant when it comes to affirming the Reformed doctrine of effectual atonement or definite atonement, namely that by his death on the cross, Jesus not only made salvation possible, but He accomplished salvation for His elect, he actually saved them and purchased them by His blood. And yet, as Spurgeon points out in the sermon “The Death of Christ for His People,” on 1 John 3:16 (“He laid down his life for us.”), the logic of eternal security rests on a belief in the finished work of Christ. It is only because of our hope in an effectual atonement that we can have confidence in our eternal assurance. Listen, as Spurgeon explains the source of our security:

We, who know the gospel, see, in the fact of the death of Christ, a reason that no strength of logic can ever shake, and no power of unbelief can remove, why we should be saved.

There may be men, with minds so distorted that they can conceive it possible that Christ should die for a man who afterwards is lost; I say, there may be such. I am sorry to say that there are still to be found some such persons, whose brains have been so addled, in their childhood, that they cannot see that what they hold is both a preposterous falsehood and a blasphemous libel. Christ dies for a man, and then God punishes that man again; Christ suffers in a sinner’s stead, and then God condemns that sinner after all! Why, my friends, I feel quite shocked in only mentioning such an awful error; and were it not so current as it is, I should certainly pass it over with the contempt that it deserves. The doctrine of Holy Scripture is this, that God is just, that Christ died in the stead of his people, and that, as God is just, he will never punish one solitary soul of Adam’s race for whom the Savior did thus shed his blood. The Savior did, indeed, in a certain sense, die for all, all men receive many a mercy through his blood, but that he was the Substitute and Surety for all men, is so inconsistent, both with reason and Scripture, that we are obliged to reject the doctrine with abhorrence. No, my soul, how shalt thou be punished if thy Lord endured thy punishment for thee? Did he die for thee? O my soul, if Jesus was not thy Substitute, and did not die in thy very stead, then he is no Savior to thee! But, if he was thy Substitute, if he suffered as thy Surety, in thy stead, then, my soul, “Who is he that condemneth?” Christ hath died, yea, rather, hath risen again, and sitteth at the right hand of God, and maketh intercession for us. There stands the master-argument: Christ “laid down his life for us,” and “if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life? If the agonies of the Savior put our sins away, the everlasting life of the Savior, with the merits of his death added thereunto, must preserve his people, even unto the end.

This much I know—ye may hear men stammer when they say it—but what, I preach is the old Lutheran, Calvinistic, Augustinian, Pauline, Christian truth—there is not one sin in the Book of God against anyone that believeth. Our sins were numbered on the Scapegoat’s head, and there is not one sin that ever a believer did commit, that hath any power to damn him, for Christ hath taken the damning power out of sin, by allowing it, to speak by a bold metaphor, to damn himself, for sin did condemn him; and, inasmuch as sin condemned him, sin cannot, condemn us. O believer, this is thy security, that all thy sin and guilt, all thy transgressions and thine iniquities have been atoned for, and were atoned for before they were committed; so that thou mayest come with boldness, though red with all crimes, and black with every lust, and lay thine hand on that Scapegoat’s head, and when thou hast put thine hand there, and seen that Scapegoat driven into the wilderness, thou mayest clap thine, hands for joy, and say,

“It is finished, sin is pardoned.”

“Here’s pardon for transgressions past,
It matters not how black their cast;
And oh, my soul, with wonder view,
For sifts to come, here’s pardon too!”

This is all I want to know; did the Savior die for me? Then I will not continue in sin that grace may abound; but nothing shall stop me of thus glorying, in all the churches of the Lord Jesus, that my sins are entirely removed from me; and, in God’s sight, I may sing, as Hart did sing,—

“With Christ’s spotless vesture on,
Holy as the Holy One.”

O marvellous death of Christ, how securely dost thou set the feet of God’s people on the rocks of eternal love; and how securely dost thou keep them there! Come, dear brethren, let us suck a little honey out of this honeycomb. Was there ever anything so luscious and so sweet to the believer’s taste as this all-glorious truth that we are complete in him; that in and through his death and merits we, are accepted in the Beloved? Oh, was there ever anything more sublime than this the fact that he hath already raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, far above all principalities and powers; just where he sits? Surely there is nothing more sublime than that, except it be that a master-thought stamps all these things with more than their own value—that: masterthought that, though the mountains may depart and the hills; be removed, the covenant of his love shall never depart from us. “For,” saith Jehovah, “I will never forget thee, O Zion;” “I have graven thee, upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” O Christian, that is a firm foundation, cemented with blood, on which thou mayest build for eternity!