Charles Spurgeon on
Calvinism — Unconditional Election
In Steven Lawson’s latest book, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon,
Lawson argues that Charles Spurgeon’s fervent commitment to the doctrines of
grace “sharpened” his “gospel focus.” So what exactly did Spurgeon believe
about the five points of Calvinism? Using excerpts from The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon,
we’ll answer that question in what will be a five part series on the blog. Our
prayer is that these truths will sharpen your gospel focus also.
Today we discover what Charles Spurgeon believed
about the doctrine of Unconditional Election.
Charles Spurgeon tenaciously held to the doctrine
of unconditional election. By necessity, this biblical truth flows from belief
in human depravity. Because the will of man is utterly dead and cannot choose
God, God must exercise His sovereign will to save. Out of the mass of fallen
humanity, God made an eternal, distinguishing choice. Before the foundation of
the world, He determined whom He would save. Spurgeon contended that were it
not for God’s choice of His elect, none would be saved.
Like all the doctrines that Spurgeon held, he
believed this truth because he was convinced it is rooted and grounded in the
Bible: “Whatever may be said about the doctrine of election, it is written in
the Word of God as with an iron pen, and there is no getting rid of it.” In his
sermon titled “Election,” preached on September 2, 1855, Spurgeon read many
passages that unmistakably teach this doctrinal truth. Among the texts he cited
and explained were Luke 18:7; John 15:16; 17:8–9; Acts 13:48; Romans 8:29, 33; 9:11–13; 11:7; 1 Corinthians 1:26–29; Ephesians 1:14; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14; Titus 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1–2; and 2 John 1. In this exposition,
Spurgeon stated:
In the very beginning, when this great universe lay
in the mind of God, like unborn forests in the acorn cup; long ere the echoes
awoke the solitudes; before the mountains were brought forth; and long ere the
light flashed through the sky, God loved His chosen creatures. Before there was
any created being—when the ether was not fanned by an angel’s wing, when space
itself had not an existence, when there was nothing save God alone—even then,
in that loneliness of Deity, and in that deep quiet and profundity, His bowels
moved with love for His chosen. Their names were written on His heart, and then
were they dear to His soul.
Spurgeon further asserted, “God from the beginning
chose His people; when the unnavigated ether was yet unfanned by the wing of a
single angel, when space was shoreless, or else unborn, when universal silence
reigned, and not a voice or whisper shocked the solemnity of silence, when
there was no being, and no motion, no time, and naught but God Himself, alone
in His eternity.” In eternity past, God sovereignly set His affections on a
particular people and predestined their salvation. Moreover, sovereign election,
Spurgeon affirmed, was based not on divine foresight but on divine
foreordination: “‘But,’ say others, ‘God elected them on the foresight of their
faith.’ Now, God gives faith, therefore He could not have elected them on
account of faith which He foresaw.”
Spurgeon further denied that election can be
dismissed as the choice of nations rather than individuals. He declared:
It is the most miserable shift on earth to make out
that God hath not chosen persons but nations… .If it were not just to choose a
person, it would be far more unjust to choose a nation, since nations are but
the union of multitudes of persons, and to chose a nation seems to be a more
gigantic crime—if election be a crime—than to chose one person. Surely, to
choose ten thousand would be considered to be worse than choosing one; to
distinguish a whole nation from the rest of mankind, does seem to be a greater
extravaganza in the acts of divine sovereignty than the election of one poor
mortal, and leaving out another.
Because God’s sovereign election of individual
sinners is clearly taught by Scripture, Spurgeon insisted that it must be
preached: “God gave me this great book to preach from, and if He has put
anything in it you think is not fit, go and complain to Him, not to me. I am simply
His servant, and if His errand that I am to tell is objectionable, I cannot
help it. Let me tell you, the reason why many of our churches are declining is
just because this doctrine has not been preached.” Spurgeon recognized that a
refusal to preach the truth of sovereign election is a hindrance to the growth
of the church. Such preaching is necessary if sinful men are to receive the
seed of the gospel.
Moreover, Spurgeon maintained that withholding this
great truth is a grievous offense against God:
Some of you have never preached on election since
you were ordained. “These things,” you say, “are offensive.” And so you would
rather offend God than offend man. But you reply, “These things will not be
practical.” I do think that the climax of all man’s blasphemy is centered in
that utterance. Tell me that God put a thing in the Bible that I am not to
preach! You are finding fault with my God. But you say, “It will be dangerous.”
What! God’s truth dangerous? I should not like to stand in your shoes when you
have to face your Maker on the day of judgment after such an utterance
as that.
From a positive perspective, Spurgeon boldly
declared that preaching unconditional election is evangelistic. He said, “I
have never preached this doctrine without seeing conversions, and I believe I
never shall.” When people asked him how he reconciled preaching election with
extending the gospel, he asserted, “There is no need to reconcile them, for
they have never yet quarreled with one another.” He was right. Divine sovereignty
and gospel evangelism go hand in hand, the former preparing the way for and
ensuring the success of the latter.
While all in heaven are there by God’s choice,
Spurgeon said, those in hell are there by their own choice. He testified: “From
the Word of God I gather that damnation is all of man, from top to bottom, and
salvation is all of grace, from first to last. He that perishes chooses to
perish; but he that is saved is saved because God has chosen to save him.” In
other words, salvation is possible only when God’s will liberates the human
will from its bondage.
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