posted by Phil Johnson
The PyroManiacs devote some space each weekend to highlights from The Spurgeon Archive. The following excerpt is from "A Mighty Savior," a sermon delivered Sunday morning, January 4, 1857, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.
". . . mighty to save" (Isaiah 63:1).
Commonly, most men, when they read these words, consider them to mean salvation from hell. They are partially correct, but the notion is highly defective.It is true Christ does save men from the penalty of their guilt; he does take those to heaven who deserve the eternal wrath and displeasure of the Most High; it is true that he does blot out "iniquity, transgression, and sin," and that the iniquities of the remnant of his people are passed over for the sake of his blood and atonement.
But that is not the whole meaning of the words "to save." This deficient explanation lies at the root of mistakes which many theologians have made, and by which they have surrounded their system of divinity with mist. They have said that to save is to pluck men as brands from the burning—to save them from destruction if they repent.
Now, it means vastly (I had almost said "infinitely") more than this. "To save" means something more than just delivering penitents from going down to hell.
By the words "to save," I understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire, the first spiritual conviction, onward to complete sanctification. All this done of God through Jesus Christ.
Christ is not only mighty to save those who do repent, but he is able to make men repent; he is engaged not merely to carry those to heaven who believe, but he is mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them; he is mighty not merely to give heaven to one who wishes for it, but he is mighty to make the man who hates holiness love it, to constrain the despiser of his name to bend his knee before him, and to make the most abandoned reprobate turn from the error of his ways.
Oh . . . and
Happy Mother's Day
5 comments:
"to constrain the despiser of his name to bend his knee before him"
Amen.
Mankind will ot bend the knee. Humans will defy God's commands to the bitter end.
"But God, who is rich in mercy, ...".
The mercy is magnified a million times by this truth.
Thanks for another excellent quote from the prince of preachers.
This reminds me of a sermon I once heard many years ago about "being saved".
The pastor made several points on what we're saved from, what we're saved to, and what we're saved for.
Thanks for posting this today. And Happy Mother's Day to Darlene, too :-)
This sermon is exactly what I didn't understand until I embraced the doctrines of grace. Looking back I can't imagine why I thought I could willingly come to Jesus unless he put the "willingly" into me in the first place...
Even now what I see in my heart doesn't look good, but still he keeps me. WOW!
I love Spurgeon's wholistic (i.e. Biblical) view and definition of salvation. We (post) modern evangelicals often seem to have such a shallow view of salvation, as a one-time event. Rather it is a process, that begins with conversion (I have been saved), continues with sanctification (I am being saved), and culminates in glorification (I will be saved). Every time I teach these truths, I am amazed at the "ah-hah" response of believers who have trusted Christ for years. God begins, continues and completes the work, because He truly is "mighty to save."
Amen!
It is one things to save a man from a burning house when he is leaning out the window screaming for help but it is something totally different for a man to purpose and execute the salvation of the individual who is unknowing of his danger because he is passed out in his bed (although the proper analogy would be the individual in the house is already dead.)
This is the amazing thing about our God who is "mighty to save." His salvation is FULL Salvation.
"For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified." Romans 8: 29&30 ESV
Soli Deo Gloria
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