On the morning of Sunday, June 5, 1864, Charles Spurgeon ascended the pulpit to ship a sermon that he anticipated would value him dearly. Mates may flip away; his affect may take a extreme blow; his sermons may 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; actually, 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, value what it’d, for the burden of the Lord lay heavy upon me, and I need to ship my soul. I intentionally counted the price, and reckoned upon the lack of many an ardent buddy and helper, and I anticipated the assaults of intelligent and indignant foes.1
The textual content of the sermon was Mark 16:15–16: “And he stated 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 instructing of baptismal regeneration, a instructing that yokes the act of baptism with religious regeneration. His protest was not towards 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 in regards to the ordinance of baptism and extra about baptismal regeneration and doctrinal and sensible integrity. Spurgeon’s problem was towards baptismal regeneration, formalism, and sacramentalism within the Church of England, a part of which was drifting again towards Roman Catholicism by way of the Tractarian motion.4 Spurgeon was a real Nonconformist (or Dissenter), an Unbiased 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 outdoors 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 compelled to it by an terrible and overwhelming sense of solemn responsibility.”5 He contended that the Anglican rubric for toddler baptism supplied an express declaration that baptism saves, particularly by promising that by way of baptism “this Little one 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 mistaken, damningly mistaken, we should communicate.”
This perception, he asserted, was not one thing that any true evangelical might or did preserve. “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 excellent males attaching themselves to recognized falsehood. For males “to swear or say that they provide their solemn assent and consent to what they don’t imagine is among 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 not see any connection which might 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 every one who get religiously damp are saved, although they need to reside 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 article 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 expensive Son; now contact the hem of his garment; now look into that expensive face, as soon as marred with sorrows for you; look into these eyes, as soon as shedding tears for you. Belief him, and in case you discover him false, then you have 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 important, important religion, with out which there is no such thing as a 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 widespread truths of Christianity;” he saith to the onlooker, “No matter it’s possible you’ll 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 will not 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 desires the folks of God to know what they imagine and to talk and reside accordingly.
Gospel Points
For all its preening pomposity, our age typically lacks the sort of straightforwardness that Spurgeon championed and displayed. Sniping from cowl is extra the order of the day. Comparable to that posture is a vindictiveness towards these with whom we disagree or who disagree with us. It’s laborious for us right this moment (and was not simple in Spurgeon’s day) to reconcile robust opposition with affection and respect for some who maintain to what we oppose. I can, and do, admire and respect males whom I’m persuaded are mistaken, typically badly mistaken, on sure points. I’m grateful for what I understand to be the glad inconsistencies that preserve my brothers from wandering too removed from the best highway. I believe that they entertain the identical ideas of me; if not, they should sharpen up!
For Spurgeon, each scriptural reality was essential. 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. However, he was involved that males ought to take God at his phrase and never fake 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 religious life and loss of life 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 not and dare not; and having quickly to render an account earlier than my God, whose servant I hope I’m, I need to free myself from this evil in addition to from each different, or else on my head stands out as the doom of souls.”12 The place errors have the capability to be dangerously mistaken, damningly mistaken, we should communicate.
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’d like not assault everybody and all the things with which we disagree, and we will entertain real affection for some with whom we’ve got real distinction of conviction. Nonetheless, we should be clear the place the glory of God within the salvation of souls is at stake, and we can not condone — both by speech or silence — these errors that rob us of the gospel. Do we’ve got the discernment, honesty, and integrity to like these with whom we’d disagree in some issues, however to come back away from those that preserve and declare damning error?
Such conviction requires sacrifice. As we noticed earlier, Spurgeon anticipated this deal with, when printed, to value him financially and reputationally. However, he asserted,
No reality is extra positive than this, that the trail of responsibility is to be adopted totally 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 issues of affect and public estimation are to be mild as feathers within the scale. In minor issues in addition to extra essential issues 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 previously. I might scorn to retain a single adherent by such silence as would go away him below 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, whilst they referred to 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 could 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 more likely to be assaulted. Nonetheless, 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’d like not counsel that Spurgeon will get all the things proper right here or on a regular basis. However, we discover on this an instance of conviction and braveness that we might do effectively to observe.
