Spurgeon recognized that both Arminians and Calvinists were correct in many of their understandings of Scripture, but their mistake was in choosing one set of truths over another, rather than accepting both regardless of their apparent contradiction. He attributed our lack of understanding to our finite and fallen minds, not to problems with God or Scripture. Spurgeon put it this way:
The Calvinist has said, and said right bravely, that salvation is of grace alone; and the Arminian has said, and said most truthfully, that damnation is of man’s will alone, and as the result of man’s sin, and of that only. Then they have fallen out with one another. The fact is, they had each one laid hold of a truth, and if they could have put their heads together, and accepted both truths, it might have been greatly for the advantage of the Church of Christ. These two doctrines are like tram lines that you can travel on with safety and comfort, these parallel lines—ruin, of man; restoration, of God: sin, of man’s will; salvation, of God’s will: reprobation, of man’s demerit; election, of God’s free and sovereign grace: the sinner lost in hell through himself alone, the saint lifted up to heaven wholly and alone by the power and grace of God. Get those two truths thoroughly engraven upon your heart, and you will then hold comprehensively the great truths of Scripture. You will not need to crowd them into one narrow system of theology, but you will have a sort of duplicate system. (Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit,41:500.)
I am a Spurgeon Calvinist I do not align myself with some of today's Calvinist. I do believe God does want all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. I pray God will call His elect and elect some more. I used that article for you to see some more of what Spurgeon taught than what the article he posted wants to reveal of Spurgeon. You can do what you want with Randy Alcorn words, but spend some time in Spurgeon words and get the whole gist of him.
Yes but we today see the disintegration of churches that have embraced theologies that are man-centered not God Centered .... and you & I both know that was not introduced by the Calvinists. Therefore we have the advantage of seeing the end results which are not too appealing. Can you still sit there with your current vantage point & still hold that opinion?
Thanks for the link. I am teaching thru Psalms on Wednesdaynights and have to be careful not to just read from his noted on Psalms.
His chapter in Lectures to my Students on the "Minister's Fainting Fits" is a classic.
Here is how I knew CHS was a Calvinist....when my brother, a youth Pastor at an Arminian IFB church came home shaking his head stating this Senior Pastor yelled at them for studying Spurgeon & then calling him a fat, cigar smoking, Manic Depressive. LOL
Thats when we both started studying CHS in earnest.:tongue3:
If the truth be known, there are not as many true Arminians around as some propose. Likewise, many called Calvinists, do not fit Calvin's picture fully.
Baptists have traditionally drawn their own picture, and it recognizes aspects from both theories fully fit the scriptures, when the absolute sovereignty of God, and the freedom of man, under that sovereignty is fully understood.
Mr. Spurgeon recognized these doctrines and hence could be the preacher God raised him to be. He could both plead with man to come to Christ, and pray to God to call His elect.
I have been reading through a Spurgeon commentary on Psalms and a daily devotional that someone recently gave my wife. Also recently started reading a collection called Farm Sermons, which has been a great blessing, here is a link.
http://www.spurgeon.org/misc/fspref.htm
Very profound point I came across in one of the sermons (The Corn of Wheat Dying To Bring Forth Fruit), and I think it has a lot of relevance today in light of the "Social Gospel" that some espouse.
Beloved friends, this teaches us where the vital point of Christianity lies, Christ's death is the life of his teaching. See here: if Christ's preaching had been the essential point, or if his example had been the vital point, he could have brought forth fruit and multiplied Christians by his preaching, and by his example. But he declares that, except he shall die, he shall not bring forth fruit. Am I told that this was because his death would be the completion of his example, and the seal of his preaching? I admit that it was so, but I can conceive that if our Lord had rather continued to live on,—if he had been here constantly going up and down the world preaching and living as he did, and if he had wrought miracles as he did, and put forth that mysterious, attracting power, which was always with him, he might have produced a marvellous number of disciples. If his teaching and living had been the way in which spiritual life could have been bestowed, without an atonement, why did not the Saviour prolong his life on earth? But the fact is that no man among us can know anything about spiritual life except through the atonement. There is no way by which we can come to a knowledge of God except through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, by which we have access to the Father. If, as some tell us, the ethical part of Christianity is much more to be thought of than its peculiar doctrines, then, why did Jesus die at all? The ethical might have been brought out better by a long life of holiness. He might have lived on till now if he had chosen, and still have preached, and still have set an example among the sons of men; but he assures us that only by death could he have brought forth fruit. What, not with all that holy living? No. What, not by that matchless teaching? No. Not one among us could have been saved from eternal death except an expiation had been wrought by Jesus' sacrifice. Not one of us could have been quickened into spiritual life except Christ himself had died and risen from the dead.
I heard an evangelist friend of mine, also one of my "fathers in the ministry," Sam T. Cathey say once: "God is able to start what He has finished!" :tongue3:
I believe Spurgeon here regarding his treatment of Arminianism. But at the same time this would also apply toward those who non-calvinists also who share the same view of exalted man and who vehemently attack the Calvinist/Reformed DoG brethren.
And when non-cals discover that the Apostles weren't and could never be armininan nor non-calvinists they'll pass out and get red-faced. I love how they skip over certain texts and don't dive into them. Try stopping one in SS to explain the word elect, or chosen, or predestined, and they'll balk, and want to get to the man choosing part immediately. There seems great disdain in this camp for the truths and expounding of election, bondage of our wills they falsely believe are free, the gift of faith to believe, the gift of repentance, true Sovereignty, and much more.
Falsehood number one!
Only a twisted view, one that would make a Jehovah's Witness blush, could possibly think that the Apostles were Calvinistic.
Falsehood number two!
You've never actually done this, have you?
I imagine the Sunday school teacher in my class would take the scripture and embarrass your lack of biblical understanding.
You might just find out how well a devoted Christian can know and understand the bible after 60+ years of teaching it!
Falsehood number three!
The only disdain I have found in this "camp" is that the disdain for false doctrine.
Beliefs that make God into a monster and man into a puppet doesn't sit well among bible believers.
Oh Robert, are you intentionally trying to step on a land mine? I'd back ever so slowly off that line of reasoning if I were you. Rules of engagement have consequences.