Charles Spurgeon on
Calvinism — Preserving Grace
from Nathan W. Bingham
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’ve
been answering that question in what is now a five part series. Our prayer is
that these truths will sharpen your gospel focus also.
In today’s final post in the series, we discover
what Charles Spurgeon believed about the doctrine of Preserving Grace.
Charles Spurgeon affirmed the doctrine of the
preserving grace of God, sometimes known as the perseverance of the saints.
This biblical truth teaches that no believers in Christ will ever fall from
grace, for God upholds their faith. Spurgeon affirmed, “I think few doctrines
more vital than that of the perseverance of the saints, for if ever one child
of God did perish, or if I knew it were possible that one could, I should
conclude at once that I must, and I suppose each of you would do the same.”
Spurgeon saw the preserving grace of God as a primary component of
the gospel.
The truth of preserving grace, Spurgeon testified,
was the enticing bait that drew him to Christ. Before he was saved, Spurgeon
observed others who appeared to fall away from their profession. These apparent
examples of apostasy made him hesitant to commit his life to Christ. He said:
“Whatever good resolutions I might make, the possibilities were that they would
be good for nothing when temptation assailed me. I might be like those of whom
it has been said, ‘They see the devil’s hook and yet cannot help nibbling at
his bait.’ But, that I should morally disgrace myself, as some had done whom I
had known and heard of, was a hazard from the very thought of which I shrunk
with horror.” The thought that he might start the journey to heaven but fail to
complete it terrified Spurgeon. As a result, he remained paralyzed
in unbelief.
Tweet this - I knew that I could not keep myself, but if Christ promised to keep me,
then I should be safe for ever. —Spurgeon
But then Spurgeon heard the marvelous truth that
all who truly start the Christian life surely complete it. At that point, he
could not resist entrusting his life to Christ: “When I heard and read with
wondering eyes that whosoever believed in Christ Jesus should be saved, the
truth came to my heart with a welcome I cannot describe to you. The doctrine
that He would keep the feet of His saints had a charm indeed for me.” He
testified elsewhere:
I must confess that the doctrine of the final
preservation of the saints was a bait that my soul could not resist. I thought
it was a sort of life insurance—an insurance of my character, an insurance of
my soul, an insurance of my eternal destiny. I knew that I could not keep
myself, but if Christ promised to keep me, then I should be safe for ever; and
I longed and prayed to find Christ, because I knew that, if I found Him, He
would not give me a temporary and trumpery salvation, such as some preach, but
eternal life which could never be lost.
This important doctrine became a key component of
Spurgeon’s gospel focus. Without it, he claimed, he would not be able to
preach: “If anybody could possibly convince me that final perseverance is not a
truth of the Bible, I should never preach again, for I feel I should have
nothing worth preaching.” Simply put, the perseverance of the saints was a
necessary link in the unbreakable golden chain of salvation that
he preached.
Tweet this - If there is anything taught in Scripture for certain, it is the doctrine
of the final perseverance of the saints.
Spurgeon saw this doctrine as inseparably bound
with justification by faith: “That doctrine of the final perseverance of the
saints is, I believe, as thoroughly bound up with the standing or falling of
the gospel as is the article of justification by faith. Give that up, and I see
no gospel left.” Spurgeon was so convinced of this that he stated elsewhere:
“The doctrine of the final perseverance of believers seems to me to be written
as with a beam of sunlight throughout the whole of Scripture. If that is not
true, there is nothing at all in the Bible that is true. It is impossible to
understand the Bible at all if it is not so.” He added: “If there is anything
taught in Scripture for certain, it is the doctrine of the final perseverance
of the saints. I am as sure that doctrine is as plainly taught as the doctrine
of the deity of Christ.”
This is not a secondary doctrine, sitting on the
periphery of Scripture, but a primary truth, embedded in the core of the Bible
and found throughout its pages. Thus, found it impossible not to
preach it.
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