A Warning From Spurgeon

Brethren, I beseech you, in your experience, know nothing except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. You may go out tomorrow, not merely into the outside world, but into the church, the nominal church, and you will meet with a class of persons who take you by the ear, and who invite you into their houses, and the moment you are there, they begin to talk to you about the doctrines of the gospel. They say nothing about Christ Jesus; but they begin at once to talk of the eternal decrees of God, of election, and of the high mysteries of the covenant of grace. While they are talking to you, you say in your hearts, "What they are saying is true, but there is one lamentable defect in it all; their teaching is truth apart from Christ." Conscience whispers, "The election I believe is election in Christ. These people do not talk anything about that, but of only election. The redemption that I believe always has a very special reference to the cross of Christ. They do not mention Christ; they talk of redemption as a commercial transaction, and say nothing about Jesus. With regard to final perseverance, I believe all that these men say; but I have  been taught that the saints only persevere in consequence of their relation to Christ, ad these men say nothing about that."

This minister, they say, is not sound, and that other minister is not sound; and let me tell you that if you get in among this class of persons, you will learn to rue the day that you ever looked them in the face. If you must come into contact with them, I beseech you to say to them, "I love all the truths that you hold, but my love of them can never overpower and supersede my love to Jesus Christ, and Him crucified: and I tell you plainly, while I could not sit to hear erroneous doctrine, I could just as soon do that as to sit to hear truthful doctrine apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. I could not go to a place where I saw a man, dressed in gorgeous robes, who pretended to be Christ, and was not; and on the other hand, I could not go to a place where I saw Christ's real robes, but the Master Himself was absent; for what I want is, not His robe, not His dress, I want the Master Himself; and if you preach to me dry doctrine without Jesus Christ, I tell you it will not suit my experience; for my experience is just this that while I know my election, I can never know it except I know my union with the Lamb. I tell you plainly that I know I am redeemed, but I cannot bear to think of my redemption without thinking of the Savior who redeemed me. It is my boast that I shall to the end endure, but I know- each hour makes me know- that my endurance depends on my standing in Christ, and I must have the truth preached in connection with the cross of Christ."

 O have nothing to do with these people, unless it is to set them right; for you will find that they are full of the gall of bitterness, the poison of asps is under their tongue. Instead of giving you things whereon your soul can feed, they will make you full of all manner of bitterness, and malice, and evil speaking against those who truly love the Lord Jesus, but who differ from them in some slight matter.*

 "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Co. 2:2).
Soli Deo Gloria!

For His Glory,
Fernando


 *Spurgeon, Charles Haddon, Spurgeon's Sermons on the Cross of Christ ( Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1993), p. 77