Any honest man of God knows that preachers are mere
men who sometimes make doctrinal mistakes. We all do! I was ordained by a
local group of ministers in Chicago as a preacher of the Gospel in 1993.
There were about 40 witnesses present. At my ordination one pastor commented
to the group: “Well, we know one thing—he is King James Bible only!” I
cherish that remark that he made, because it defines my ministry! Looking
back, I have made a few doctrinal mistakes in my preaching. When I
originally wrote my book called, “SALVATION,”
in 2000, I used the term: “Ask Jesus into your heart.” I edited my book
several years later and removed that teaching, because it is unbiblical. You
don't have to “ask” Jesus into your heart to be saved. In fact, you don't
have to “ask” Jesus to forgive you. You read right! Jesus has already paid
for our sins on the cross with His precious blood, so we simply need to
receive His gift of forgiveness of sins. The Lord is offering you the gift
of forgiveness of sins and eternal life, just for the taking. You don't need
to “ask” Jesus to save you—HE IS ASKING YOU!!! Besides, the heart is a
muscle that pumps blood, so “asking Jesus into your heart” confuses
children. Thus, it is unwise and unbiblical to use. You won't find that
phrase anywhere within the pages of the inspired Word of God.
Charles Spurgeon also made some big doctrinal
blunders! Mr. Spurgeon was at least a TWO-POINT Calvinist. He taught the
Calvinist heresy of Limited Atonement (the false teaching that Jesus
only died for believers, and not all humanity). Spurgeon also taught the
Calvinist false doctrine of The Perseverance Of The Saints.
I intentionally refuse to promote Pastor Charles
Spurgeon, because he was wrong on some vital doctrines of the Christian
faith. I had a hard time accepting that Mr. Spurgeon taught “ANOTHER
GOSPEL,” after reading this statement from him...
“'Repentance' is a
grace. Some people preach it as a condition of salvation. Condition of
nonsense!
There are no conditions of salvation.”
—SOURCE: (Charles Spurgeon, from
a sermon titled, 'REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE,' preached at the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, on
Sept. 23, 1855)
Tragically, despite this beautiful statement from
Spurgeon, he was indeed perverted on grace. Spurgeon believed that you were
saved without any conditions, but then he taught the Calvinist perverse view
of The Perseverance Of The Saints, which is ANOTHER GOSPEL.
Was
Charles Spurgeon a Calvinist?
by Nathan W. Bingham Nov 29, 2013
Was Charles Spurgeon a Calvinist? The Prince of Preachers himself
answers this question in the affirmative:
“It is no novelty, then,
that I am preaching; no new doctrine. I love to proclaim these
strong old doctrines, that are called by nickname Calvinism, but
which are surely and verily the revealed truth of God as it is in
Christ Jesus.” —Charles Spurgeon
In Dr. Steven Lawson’s book,
The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon, Dr. Lawson argues that not only
was Spurgeon a Calvinist, but his fervent commitment to the doctrines of
grace actually “sharpened” his “gospel focus.”
We’ve compiled several adapted excerpts from The Gospel Focus of Charles
Spurgeon to outline Spurgeon’s beliefs concerning the sovereignty of God
in salvation.
Total Depravity
For Spurgeon, total depravity was where the message of the gospel
begins. The saving message of grace starts with total depravity. Man is
entirely corrupted by sin. He is spiritually dead and unable to save
himself. He could not be more hopeless and helpless.
“If God requires of the
sinner, dead in sin, that he should take the first step, then he
requires just that which renders salvation as impossible under the
gospel as it was under the law, since man is as unable to believe as
he is to obey.” —Charles Spurgeon
Simply put, Spurgeon believed
that no human will is entirely free. It is either a slave of sin or a
slave of Christ, but never free.
Unconditional Election
By necessity, unconditional election 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.” —Charles
Spurgeon
Definite
Atonement
Charles Spurgeon strongly affirmed the doctrine of definite atonement.
This truth teaches that Christ died exclusively for those chosen by the
Father and, thus, actually secured the salvation of all those for whom
He died. Such a definite redemption stands in contrast to the Arminian
view, which claims that Christ did not actually save anyone in
particular by His death, but merely made salvation possible for
everyone. Spurgeon adamantly rejected this vague position:
“A redemption which pays
a price, but does not ensure that which is purchased—a redemption
which calls Christ a substitute for the sinner, but yet which allows
the person to suffer—is altogether unworthy of our apprehensions of
Almighty God.” —Charles Spurgeon
Such a nebulous belief,
he insisted, grossly dishonors God, especially His justice, and distorts
the saving purpose of Christ in His substitutionary death.
Irresistible Grace
God’s sovereign call, Spurgeon affirmed, is far more powerful than any
man’s resistance: “A man is not saved against his will, but he is made
willing by the operation of the Holy Ghost. A mighty grace which he does
not wish to resist enters into the man, disarms him, makes a new
creature of him, and he is saved.” This means no one is beyond the
saving power of God:
“Difficulty is not a word
to be found in the dictionary of heaven. Nothing can be impossible
with God. The swearing reprobate, whose mouth is blackened with
profanity, whose heart is a very hell, and his life like the reeking
flames of the bottomless pit—such a man, if the Lord but looks on
him and makes bare His arm of irresistible grace, shall yet praise
God and bless His name and live to His honor.” —Charles Spurgeon
In short, no human
heart is so obstinate that the Spirit cannot conquer and convert it.
Preserving Grace
“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.”
—Charles Spurgeon
Preserving grace 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.
SOURCE:
Was
Charles Spurgeon A Calvinist?
In Ray Comfort's
THE EVIDENCE BIBLE,
Mr. Comfort quotes Spurgeon extensively in hundreds of places, citing him as
a secondary authority for his heresies!
Dr. John MacArthur of the Grace Community
Church is aired on radio stations nationwide, teaching his heresies to
millions of listeners. I heard Dr. John MacArthur speaking on the radio. The
sermon is available and is titled,
“The Call To Repentance.” MacArthur quotes Charles
Spurgeon concerning the matter of repentance...
Of all
the statements that I have read on the subject, the strongest one comes
from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Listen to what Spurgeon said. "There must
be a true and actual abandonment of sin and a turning unto righteousness
in real act and deed in every day life. Repentance, to be sure, must be
entire. How many will say, Sir, I will renounce this sin and the
other...but there are certain darling lusts which I must keep and hold?
Oh, sirs, in God's name let me tell you, it is not the giving up of one
sin, nor 50 sins which is true repentance. It is the solemn
renunciation of every sin. If thou dost harbor one of those accursed
vipers in thy heart and dost give up every other, that one lust like one
leak in a ship will sink thy soul. Think it not sufficient to give up
thy outward vices, fancy it not enough to cut off the more corrupt sins
of thy life, it is all or none which God demands. Repent, says He, and
when He bids you repent, He means repent of all thy sins otherwise He
can never accept thy repentance as real and genuine. All sin must be
given up or else you will never have Christ. All transgression must
be renounced or else the gates of heaven must be barred against you.
Let us remember then that for repentance to be sincere, it must be
entire repentance. True repentance is a turning of the heart as well as
of the life. It is the giving up of the whole soul to God to be His
forever and ever. It is the renunciation of the sins of the heart
as well as the crimes of the life." [emphasis added]
SOURCE:
Quote by Spurgeon provided by John MacArthur,
The Call to
Repentance -- John MacArthur (Note:
Charles Spurgeon originally made this statement in a sermon entitled,
TURN OR BURN,
preached December 7, 1856, at the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens).
People during the 19th century were no
different than people today in the 20th century. You had different groups of
people who taught different doctrines (and they fought like cats and dogs).
The fierce battle over the meaning of repentance is not a new battle,
although the terms have changed. The phrase, “Lordship Salvation” is a
contemporary term used to identify the false doctrine of requiring sinners
to cease from sinful acts to be saved. I can not and will not try to defend
Pastor Spurgeon anymore, because he was wrong on the Gospel. There are many
methods of perverting the Gospel, either by frontloading it or by
back-loading it. Roman Catholics frontload it, requiring works with faith to
be saved. Charles Spurgeon and other Calvinists like him backload the
Gospel, requiring works as evidence of salvation. This pressures the
professed saint to live a certain type of morally upright life, or risk
losing salvation (as the
Salvation Army errantly teaches), or proving that you were never saved
at all (which is what Mr. Spurgeon errantly taught).
Understanding the Epistle of 1st John
I
realize that many people read the Epistle of 1st John, and walk away
concluding that a changed life is mandatory as evidence of salvation. There
are some major problems with that philosophy.
First, it doesn't agree with the rest of
the Bible. The Gospel of John is God's Gospel tract according to John
20:31. The book of John mentions the word “believe” 85 times
without mentioning anything about repentance or turning from sin. The
key verses (in my humble opinion) of the Epistle of 1st John is John
3:24 and 5:13. These verses reveal the the purpose of John's Epistle is
to help believers “know that ye are saved” (5:13), and the proof
of this is the indwelling Holy Spirit (3:24). A favorite GO TO Scripture
of Calvinists and Fruit Inspectors is 1st John 3:18, which says “He
that committeth sin is of the devil.” But Calvinists ignore verse
9b, which says “he cannot sin.” Clearly, this verse is referring
to the new man, which is the Holy Spirit in us as believers. When we
sin, it is because we have chosen to WALK IN THE FLESH (Galatians
5:19-21), instead of WALKING IN THE SPIRIT as God commands (Galatians
5:22-25). We have a choice (Romans 12:1).
Second, the unsaved man can imitate all
of the evidences of a true believer. I have known many unsaved religious
people who lived good lives. Roman Catholics are often some of the
kindest, hardest working, most generous and sweet people, but their
father is the Devil. They are not born-again by faith alone in Christ
Jesus (Galatians 3:26; Mark 7:9-13; Matthew 15:8). When people read
about keeping God's commandments in the Bible, they usually assume
(AS-U-Me) good works, but the most important of God's commandments is to
obey the Gospel, which means simply to get out of the way and let God do
all the saving, by faith alone in Jesus Christ!
1st John 3:24: "And he that keepeth his commandments
dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by
the Spirit which he hath given us."
Unfortunately, John MacArthur does the same
dishonest thing, horribly taking Charles Spurgeon's words out of context, and
claims that Spurgeon taught Lordship Salvation. Nothing could be
further from the truth, as this quote from Charles H. Spurgeon himself plainly reveals...
“You must not expect
that you will be perfect in 'repentance' before you are saved. No
Christian can be perfect. 'Repentance' is a grace. Some people preach it
as a condition of salvation. Condition of nonsense! There are no
conditions of salvation. God gives the salvation
himself...”
—Pastor Charles Spurgeon
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm (Charles
Spurgeon, from
a sermon titled, “REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE,” preached at the New Park Street Chapel,
Southwark, on Sept. 23, 1855)
Why doesn't MacArthur quote that?
Admittedly, the former quote provided above, by itself, seems to support
Lordship Salvation; BUT, if you look carefully you'll notice that
Spurgeon continually mentions the word "renunciation" (i.e., rejecting one's
sins). To "renounce" does not mean to literally forsake, otherwise
Spurgeon would have used a different word. It is clear from Spurgeon's
latter statement that he didn't believe in Lordship Salvation
at all, and MacArthur is barking up an empty tree.
You must keep in mind that Charles Spurgeon's
words are NOT INSPIRED as are the Words of God. We can base doctrines on
every word of God, including the articles and pronouns. Every Word matters!
Whereas Surgeon's words are merely that of a frail man, a sinful human
being. It is tragic and sad that John MacArthur and Ray Comfort are
desperately trying to associate their heretical teachings with Charles
Spurgeon. If Spurgeon were alive today, he'd denounce these imposters and
expose them for the heretics they are.
Modernists today (unsaved heretics who
masquerade as true Christians) are lying about Charles Spurgeon. I'm not
hesitant to say that Ray Comfort and John MacArthur are not saved. If you
think that ceasing from your sinful lifestyle is necessary to your
salvation, then you are trusting in your own self-righteousness for
salvation.
As genuine believers, we view salvation as
being wholly the gift of God, provided freely and completely in Christ
Jesus, without any strings attached. But Lordship Salvation produces an
entirely different mindset in the adherent's mind, producing a spirit of
fear and uncertainty.
In THE EVIDENCE BIBLE,
Ray Comfort butchers Matthew 7:22-23,
teaching that religious people with a roaming eye for the opposite sex have
never been saved. This is his flawed understanding of what Matthew 7:22-23
means. Unfortunately for Mr. Comfort and all his followers, he didn't
include verse 21 in his interpretation.
Spurgeon plainly stated in response to people
like MacArthur and Ray Comfort...
“'Repentance' is a grace.
Some people preach it as a condition
of salvation. Condition of nonsense!”
—Pastor Charles Spurgeon
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm
(Charles
Spurgeon, from
a sermon titled, “REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE,” preached at the New Park Street Chapel,
Southwark, on Sept. 23, 1855)
Keep in mind that there are two Biblical
meanings of the word repentance (as explained in detail below). Repentance
(a change of mind) is necessary for salvation; but forsaking a sinful
lifestyle (which is another meaning of repent) is not necessary to be saved.
Spurgeon is condemning the latter, because it is not required for salvation.
A changed life is the FRUIT of genuine repentance; and NOT a part of the
ROOT of saving-faith...
Repentance as a Lifestyle is
Not Taught in the Scriptures for Salvation
The heresy of Lordship Salvation defines “repentance” as a lifestyle;
whereas the Word of God does not. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary
provides the following definition of repentance:
“re•pen•tance \ri-'pent-en(t)s\
n: the action or process of repenting especially for misdeeds or moral
shortcomings; synonyms see PENITENCE”
SOURCE:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/repentance
For many people nowadays, Webster’s definition
represents the common understanding of repentance within religious circles.
However, this is NOT the Biblical nor historical meaning of the word
"repent." Prior to the modern meaning of the word, which for the most part
is similar to Webster’s definition, the Classical Greek “metanoia” meant
something quite different—changing one’s mind or heart about
someone or something.
There are two New Testament Greek words which
are translated "repentance" in modern English translations: metanoia
(including its verbal counterpart metanoeo) and metamelomai. The
first term is translated as "repentance" fifty-eight times in the New
Testament, the latter only six times.
In the Greek Old Testament (aka, the
Septuagint) metanoia and metanoeo occur twenty times in the
canonical books and seven times in the apocryphal books and maintained the
SAME meaning. In most cases metanoia in the translations held to the
pre-Christian meaning of “a change of mind about someone or something.”
During the early Christian period of
Koine Greek (ca. 300
BC to 100 AD) metanoia continued to carry a sense of “a change of
mind about someone or something.”
A changed lifestyle is the hopeful, but not
guaranteed, fruit of genuine repentance; and NOT repentance itself. Paul
Washer states...
"There is no such
thing as a carnal Christian (time: 21:40 in video)... The Bible never
teaches that a person, can be a genuine Christian and live in continuous
carnality and wickedness and sin all the days of their life... "
(time:22:20 in video)
SOURCE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuabITeO4l8
That is simply not true!
Sadly, Washer falls short of 2nd
Timothy 2:15. He simply does not study! If
there's no such thing as a "carnal Christian," then why did the Apostle Paul
say to the believers at Corinth... "And I, brethren, could not speak unto
you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ"
(1st Corinthians 3:1).
In sharp contrast to Paul Washer's claim, the
Bible teaches that there is such a thing as a "carnal Christian." King David
was a "man after God's own heart" (1st Samuel 13:14); yet he commit adultery
with Bathsheba, impregnated her, and then murdered her husband to hide his
sin (2nd Samuel 11). Noah got drunk (Genesis 9:21). Samson had sex with a
prostitute (Judges 16:1). Jonah ran from God (Jonah 1:3). Peter cursed the
name of Jesus and used profanity (Mark 14:71). One-third of the Bible was
written by murderers: Moses, David and Paul (formerly Saul of Tarsus). With
the exception of Paul, Moses and David were already saved when they commit
murder.
In Romans 12:1 we find the Apostle Paul
pleading with the believers at Rome to "present their bodies a living
sacrifice" in service to God. Clearly, those believers were saved but not
surrendered to Christ's will for their lives. This proves Lordship
Salvation is a lie.
Also, consider the unrepentant BELIEVER in 1st
Corinthians 5:5 who had been living in fornication in the church... "To
deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." Even though Satan
would destroy the man because of sinful living, Paul clearly stated that his
spirit would be saved. This sinful man was obviously a believer, for only
the saved will be blessed in eternity. 2nd Thessalonians 1:8 tells us that
those who disobey the Gospel will be punished by a vengeful God in flaming
fire.
Spurgeon simply
meant that a person who attempts to justify any sins in their life cannot be
saved, until they RENOUNCE all sins as being a violation of God's Holy
Law... "Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to
them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the
world may become guilty before God" (Romans 3:19). Jesus
said in John 3:20... "For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,
neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved."
The world doesn't want to renounce their sins,
nor to be reproved for them. This is why there are many false gospel's
today, which don't include the Law of God. For there to be salvation,
one MUST realize his or her guilt of sin (and thus need for a Savior), being
condemned under God's Holy Law, and then believe upon Jesus Christ to be
forgiven of those sins and saved.
May I quote Pastor Charles Surgeon once
again...
“You must not expect
that you will be perfect in 'repentance' before you are saved. No
Christian can be perfect. 'Repentance' is a grace. Some people preach it
as a condition of salvation. Condition of nonsense! There are no
conditions of salvation. God gives the salvation
himself...”
—Pastor Charles Spurgeon
SOURCE:
http://www.spurgeon.org/sermons/0044.htm (Charles
Spurgeon, from
a sermon titled, “REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE,” preached at the New Park Street Chapel,
Southwark, on Sept. 23, 1855)
Spurgeon didn't mean that repentance (metanoia) wasn't necessary for
salvation; but rather, that repentance (metamelomai)
is not required. What's the difference? Metanoia is “a change
of mind”; whereas metamelomai
means “regret, to feel remorse afterwards.” In Matthew 27:3 we read that
Judas “repented” (metamelomai), but Judas still died in his sin of
unbelief and went to Hell. Those false ministers (like Paul Washer, Ray
Comfort, Paris Reidhead, John MacArthur, Aiden Tozer and William Lane Craig)
who teach that a person cannot be saved until they literally turn away from
the act of sin, have intent to reform, and make a full surrender to do
Christ's will from that day forward, are preaching “ANOTHER GOSPEL” of
damnation (2nd Corinthians 11:4-5)!!!
Clearly, Charles Haddon Spurgeon DIDN'T believe
that making full surrender to serve Christ as Lord, or grieving, or feeling sorrow, or being willing
to stop committing sins, is necessary to be saved. Rather, Spurgeon
believed that these were evidences of genuine repentance. Spurgeon
did in fact teach, as have other great men of God, that a sinner ought to
turn from his or her sins as evidence of genuine repentance; but this is
after-the-fact, and not a requirement for salvation itself. Spurgeon plainly
taught “there are no conditions of salvation,” which
is what the Bible teaches. We are SINNERS and Jesus is the SAVIOR, Who
died upon the cross for our sins, was buried, and then resurrected from the
dead after three days (1st Corinthians 15:1-4). Jesus is precious!
John MacArthur's Secondary Authority
John MacArthur deceitfully cherry-picks and chooses
quotes by great men, twisting their words, in a malicious attempt to support
his false teachings. This has been the deceitful, lying tactic incorporated
by the entire Lordship Salvation crowd. However it shows the fatal
flaw and weakness of their perverted theology. They cannot use the Bible,
so as a secondary authority, "great men of the past" are being erected as
straw-men to bolster their false gospel. They take excerpts carefully chosen
from archived sermons, twisted them out of context, well suited with the
error of Cain, to deceive the Church. So now we have Satan’s new gospel
(actually the same old lie) for our modern day.
These men are motivated by the flesh, so it is not strange they will use the
sins of the flesh (lying) to exalt the flesh. Sadly, they believe that they
are spiritual! They do not fully understand true GRACE and Christ’s imputed
righteousness. How can a person truly be saved and follow the perverted
gospel of Lordship Salvation? There are really only 2 religions in
the world; it is salvation by human works or by God's Grace alone.
John MacArthur is an Unsaved False Prophet
Dr. John MacArthur teaches a bunch of garbage—quoting the heresies of
Martin
Luther and John Calvin, and has publicly referred to the
Westminster Confession as a
"theological masterpiece" over the radio. It's straight from Hell. We ought to follow the Scriptures (John 5:39); and not flawed and imperfect
men (Romans 3:4; Psalm 118:8). The Word of God stands true! It
bothers me that MacArthur twists Spurgeon's words out of context, attempting
to portray Spurgeon as believing in Lordship Salvation, i.e., the
heresy that a person cannot be saved unless they turn away, hate, grieve and
intend to stop living a sinful lifestyle.
Such a change is the FRUIT
(result) of genuine repentance (which result usually requires time for a new
believer to grow in truth and grace); and is not a part of saving faith
(the ROOT of salvation). We are saved by God's grace through FAITH in
Jesus Christ as our Savior (Ephesians 2:8,9). Salvation is receiving;
not giving. We pay nothing! There are no conditions of
salvation. The only requirement is that we come as sinners and trust
upon Jesus' holy name, Who washes our sins away with His precious literal
blood (1st Peter 1:18,19; 1st John 1:7; Hebrews 9:12; Revelation 1:5).
A professed Christian who still loves sin may, or may not, be saved; but we
cannot know with any certainty (1st Samuel 16:7). Only God truly knows
who is saved. The Bible is filled with accounts of Christians who
horribly sinned. Noah got drunk (Genesis 9:21). Samson has sex with a
prostitute (Judges 16:1). David killed Uriah to hide an adulterous affair
with the man's wife, Bathsheba, which impregnated her (2nd Samuel 11;
12:9). Jeremiah quit preaching God's Word (Jeremiah 20:9). Isaiah had
unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5). Jonah fled from God's will (Jonah 1:10). Peter
cursed the name of Jesus and denied knowing Him (Mark 14:71). These
are just a handful of examples of believer's who struggled with sin in their
lives. If Lordship Salvation is true, then all these wayward saints
went to Hell. The truth is that Lordship Salvation is no salvation
at all; but rather, a religious trap and a road to Hellfire.
Charles Spurgeon on Repentance
Here is a lengthy quote by Charles Spurgeon
concerning Biblical repentance...
You know there are
degrees of faith, and yet the least faith saves; so there are degrees of
repentance, and the least repentance will save the soul if it is
sincere. The Bible says, "He that believeth shall be saved," and when it
says that, it includes the very smallest degree of faith. So when it
says, "Repent and be saved," it includes the man who has the lowest
degree of real repentance. Repentance, moreover, is never perfect in
any man in this mortal state. We never get perfect faith so as to be
entirely free from doubting; and we never get repentance which is free
from some hardness of heart. The most sincere penitent that you know
will feel himself to be partially impenitent.
Repentance is also a
continual life-long act. It will grow continually. I believe a Christian
on his death-bed will more bitterly repent than ever he did before. It
is a thing to be done all your life long. Sinning and repenting—sinning
and repenting, make up a Christian's life. Repenting and believing in
Jesus—repenting and believing in Jesus, make up the consummation of his
happiness. You must not expect that you will be perfect in "repentance"
before you are saved. No Christian can be perfect. "Repentance" is a
grace. Some people preach it as a condition of salvation. Condition of
nonsense! There are no conditions of salvation. [emphasis added]
SOURCE:
https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons/the-repentance-unto-life#flipbook/ (from a sermon preached at
the New Park Street Chapel, Southwark, on September 23, 1855)
Spurgeon plainly taught that he believed
repentance "includes the man who has the lowest degree of real repentance." You'll never hear this quote from Ray Comfort, Paul Washer, John MacArthur,
Jack Chick, or others today who are sinfully teaching Lordship Salvation. Biblically, repentance is a "change of mind." The changes that follow
are the result of true repentance at work; and not repentance itself.
Also, notice that Spurgeon stated: "Repentance
is also a continual life-long act." Spurgeon was not teaching that
salvation is a process, because it's not. Spurgeon simply meant that
once a person initially repents, thus acknowledging their guilty sinful
condition and trusting the Lord by faith to be forgiven, those same elements
of repentance and faith will work in the believer's mind and heart for the
rest of their life. Salvation is more than being saved. When God saves us, the
lifelong process of growing in the Lord begins.
Clearly, Spurgeon taught a Free Grace view of
the Gospel; and not a false gospel that requires lost sinners to forsake
personal bad habits and sins to be saved. Who
can do that? Even the best of Christians still sin every day! Even our ignorance is part of our sin. Like it or not, Charles
Spurgeon plainly taught the truth that "there are no conditions of
salvation." Eternal life is a free gift (Romans 5:15; 6:23), freely
received (Revelation 22:17), and without works (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8,9;
Titus 3:5; Romans 10:3,4; 2nd Corinthians 5:21).
We are saved by receiving the gospel as
full-payment for our sins. Christ died, was buried and raised-up three days
later. That is the gospel message, that is, the good news. The gospel is not
a lifestyle to be lived; but rather, good news to be believed. If you add
anything to the finished work of Christ, then you have a false plan of
salvation. Salvation is without
works of self-righteousness. Romans 4:5 plainly teaches that a man's
faith is COUNTED for righteousness, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus Christ
is imputed to one's heavenly record by faith.
Based on the above quote alone, I used to defend Pastor Charles H. Spurgeon
(1834-1892) as being a true Gospel minister. However, upon further research
and the indwelling Holy Spirit convicting me, I have had to face the
unpleasant reality that Mr. Spurgeon taught some serious heresies concerning
salvation! Was Spurgeon a true believer? I have my doubts if all I do is
look at his quotes. I noticed something very important to remember. If you
look at the year in which all of the following sermons were preached by
Spurgeon, it was 1855 and 1856. Ladies and gentleman, Charles was born in
1834 and saved in 1850 at age 15. How much theology could a young man know
at age 20? 
“Nothing
in my future can ever affect the salvation that I have... Once you trust
the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are eternally secure!”
—Pastor Hank Lindstrom (1940-2008), a quote from the classic MP3 sermon
titled, “
