On the morning of Sunday, June 5, 1864, Charles Spurgeon ascended the pulpit to ship a sermon that he anticipated would price him dearly. Associates would possibly flip away; his affect would possibly take a extreme blow; his sermons would possibly not be printed. Ought to he preach it? Ought to he publish it?
Spurgeon later recounted,
It was delivered with the total expectation that the sale of the sermons would obtain very critical damage; in truth, I discussed to one of many publishers that I used to be about to destroy it at a single blow, however that the blow should be struck, price what it would, for the burden of the Lord lay heavy upon me, and I have to ship my soul. I intentionally counted the fee, and reckoned upon the lack of many an ardent buddy and helper, and I anticipated the assaults of intelligent and offended foes.1
The textual content of the sermon was Mark 16:15–16: “And he mentioned unto them, Go ye into all of the world, and preach the gospel to each creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; however he that believeth not shall be damned.”2 The subject of this sermon was baptismal regeneration.
Spurgeon’s Problem
That morning, Spurgeon challenged the Church of England’s educating of baptismal regeneration, a educating that yokes the act of baptism with non secular regeneration. His protest was not in opposition to paedobaptism as such. Spurgeon entertained heat and affectionate respect for a lot of paedobaptists, together with males such because the Congregationalist George Rogers, whom he appointed the primary principal of the Pastor’s School. Anglican evangelicals confused him, however he liked them in Christ.
Spurgeon is unmistakably clear about his views of baptism, together with his opposition to toddler sprinkling. Numerous sermons present express and incidental arguments for the baptism of believers solely.3 The purpose on this sermon on baptismal regeneration is much less concerning the ordinance of baptism and extra about baptismal regeneration and doctrinal and sensible integrity. Spurgeon’s problem was in opposition to baptismal regeneration, formalism, and sacramentalism within the Church of England, a part of which was drifting again towards Roman Catholicism by the Tractarian motion.4 Spurgeon was a real Nonconformist (or Dissenter), an Impartial churchman, and a Baptist. He shared the British Dissenter’s horror of and opposition to Roman Catholicism. By conviction in addition to state of affairs, he existed exterior the pale of the Anglican communion and was able to problem their formalism and nationwide churchmanship.
Spurgeon preached the sermon that morning feeling that “I’ve been loath sufficient to undertake the work, however I’m pressured to it by an terrible and overwhelming sense of solemn obligation.”5 He contended that the Anglican rubric for toddler baptism supplied an express declaration that baptism saves, particularly by promising that by baptism “this Youngster is regenerate and grafted into the physique of Christ’s Church,” and — addressing God — that “it hath happy thee to regenerate this toddler with thy Holy Spirit, to obtain him for thine personal little one by adoption, and to include him into thy holy Church.”
“The place errors have the capability to be dangerously unsuitable, damningly unsuitable, we should converse.”
This perception, he asserted, was not one thing that any true evangelical might or did keep. “Why then,” he requested, “do they belong to a Church which teaches that doctrine within the plainest phrases?”6 He might honor the integrity of a daring heretic, however he was troubled by the dishonesty of fine males attaching themselves to identified falsehood. For males “to swear or say that they provide their solemn assent and consent to what they don’t imagine is without doubt one of the grossest items of immorality perpetrated,” breeding an environment of lies.7
In opposition to Damning Error
The faith of Scripture is a faith of religion: “I can’t see any connection which may exist between sprinkling, or immersion, and regeneration, in order that the one shall essentially be tied to the opposite within the absence of religion.”8 Baptismal regeneration encourages hypocrisy of the worst type and results in damnation by assuring that each one who get religiously damp are saved, although they need to stay godlessly. It was the facet door by which popery strolled again into the Anglican communion. Spurgeon was equally cruel in his condemnation of Dissenting superstition — venerating locations, folks, or rituals. Christ and Christ alone should be the item of our religion:
Lay maintain on Jesus Christ. That is the muse: construct on it. That is the rock of refuge: fly to it. I pray you fly to it now. Life is brief: time speeds with eagle’s-wing. Swift because the dove pursued by the hawk, fly, fly poor sinner, to God’s pricey Son; now contact the hem of his garment; now look into that pricey face, as soon as marred with sorrows for you; look into these eyes, as soon as shedding tears for you. Belief him, and if you happen to discover him false, then you need to perish; however false you by no means will discover him whereas this phrase standeth true, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; however he that believeth not shall be damned.” God give us this very important, important religion, with out which there isn’t any salvation. Baptized, re-baptized, circumcised, confirmed, fed upon sacraments, and buried in consecrated floor — ye shall all perish besides ye imagine in him.9
For Spurgeon, baptism — the baptism of his Scripture textual content — should observe after religion within the Jesus of the Bible:
Baptism is the avowal of religion; the person was Christ’s soldier, however now in baptism he places on his regimentals. The person believed in Christ, however his religion remained between God and his personal soul. In baptism he says to the baptizer, “I imagine in Jesus Christ;” he says to the Church, “I unite with you as a believer within the frequent truths of Christianity;” he saith to the onlooker, “No matter you might do, as for me, I’ll serve the Lord.” It’s the avowal of his religion.10
The falsehood of baptismal regeneration introduces a deadly frailty into any church: “Out of any system which teaches salvation by baptism should spring infidelity, an infidelity which the false Church already appears keen to nourish and foster beneath her wing.”11 The sermon shouldn’t be bitter in tone, but it surely potently manifests the spirit of a person who’s deeply persuaded of the hazard of the lie he exposes, and determined that sinners ought to understand that solely religion alone in Christ alone can save. He needs the folks of God to know what they imagine and to talk and stay accordingly.
Gospel Points
For all its preening pomposity, our age usually lacks the type of straightforwardness that Spurgeon championed and displayed. Sniping from cowl is extra the order of the day. Equivalent to that posture is a vindictiveness towards these with whom we disagree or who disagree with us. It’s arduous for us at the moment (and was not simple in Spurgeon’s day) to reconcile sturdy opposition with affection and respect for some who maintain to what we oppose. I can, and do, respect and respect males whom I’m persuaded are unsuitable, typically badly unsuitable, on sure points. I’m grateful for what I understand to be the completely satisfied inconsistencies that maintain my brothers from wandering too removed from the suitable street. I believe that they entertain the identical ideas of me; if not, they should sharpen up!
For Spurgeon, each scriptural reality was necessary. If God has spoken, males ought to hear and obey. Spurgeon was not suggesting that salvation hinges upon the embrace of each reality that God has revealed. He entertained heat and affectionate relationships with males who didn’t see eye to eye with him on each matter. Nonetheless, he was involved that males ought to take God at his phrase and never faux that something God has spoken is insignificant. Spurgeon was not ready to deal with any level of revelation as if it have been unimportant.
Alongside of that, Spurgeon acknowledged that not all points have been gospel points — hinges upon which non secular life and dying hung. A matter like baptismal regeneration, nevertheless, was (and nonetheless is) a gospel subject. It supplied what it couldn’t ship within the sphere of salvation, and — for the glory of God and the great of males — it should be withstood and uncovered. It was not sufficient to disagree with it; it should be addressed: “I is perhaps silent right here, however, loving England, I can’t and dare not; and having quickly to render an account earlier than my God, whose servant I hope I’m, I have to free myself from this evil in addition to from each different, or else on my head will be the doom of souls.”12 The place errors have the capability to be dangerously unsuitable, damningly unsuitable, we should converse.
Price of Conviction
Will we, with Spurgeon, imagine what we are saying and say what we imagine, appropriately and clearly and humbly, following the phrase of God the place it takes us? We want not assault everybody and every thing with which we disagree, and we are able to entertain real affection for some with whom we’ve real distinction of conviction. Nevertheless, we should be clear the place the glory of God within the salvation of souls is at stake, and we can’t condone — both by speech or silence — these errors that rob us of the gospel. Do we’ve the discernment, honesty, and integrity to like these with whom we’d disagree in some issues, however to come back away from those that keep and declare damning error?
Such conviction requires sacrifice. As we noticed earlier, Spurgeon anticipated this tackle, when printed, to price him financially and reputationally. However, he asserted,
No reality is extra certain than this, that the trail of obligation is to be adopted completely if peace of thoughts is to be loved. Outcomes are to not be checked out, we’re to maintain our conscience clear, come what could, and all concerns of affect and public estimation are to be gentle as feathers within the scale. In minor issues in addition to extra necessary considerations I’ve spoken my thoughts fearlessly, and introduced down objurgations and anathemas innumerable, however I in nowise remorse it, and shall not swerve from using outspoken speech sooner or later any greater than prior to now. I might scorn to retain a single adherent by such silence as would depart him beneath misapprehension. In spite of everything, males love plain speech.13
You have no idea what the Lord will do along with your honesty. Each this sermon and its controversial successors have been runaway bestsellers, at the same time as they known as forth actual vitriol from opponents. Removed from destroying Spurgeon’s repute, although, they enhanced it amongst those that valued “plain speech,” even after they disagreed with its content material. Do not forget that Spurgeon didn’t know what the outcomes can be when he first wrote and spoke, however he wrote and spoke nonetheless.
The person of conviction goes to be criticized. The person who speaks his thoughts, even with humility and love, is prone to be assaulted. Nevertheless, we should be involved first to honor God by faithfulness to all his revealed reality, in its correct place, perspective, and proportion, and to serve males by talking that reality in love — a love extra involved for his or her souls than for our reputations. We want not counsel that Spurgeon will get every thing proper right here or on a regular basis. Nonetheless, we discover on this an instance of conviction and braveness that we’d do nicely to observe.
