I love Spurgeon’s “healthy biblical realism”. He really believed in the absolute sovereignty of God in all things. He fought tooth and nail to uphold this truth of God’s power and almighty control in our universe. He knew that he was chosen before the creation of the world by the God who works out all things according to His pleasure and will.
Yet, at the same time, Spurgeon believed that God expressed or worked out his sovereign plan through our acts of faith. This morning I was reading his response to the hypercalvinist critics who despised his passion to put his faith into action.
The fourth principle is that our earnest action in obedience to Christ is not contrary to our dependence upon Him, but it is necessary to our dependence upon Him. I will show you that in a moment. There are some Brothers, I know, who say, “Ha! You hold what you call ‘revival services’ and you try to arouse men by earnest appeals and exciting addresses. Do you not see that God will do His own work? These efforts are just your trying to take the work out of God’s hands. The proper way is to trust in Him and do nothing!” All right, Brother. We have your word for it—that you trust in Him and do nothing. I take the liberty not to be so very certain that you trust Him, for if I remember who you are and I think I have been to your house—you are about the most miserable, desponding, unbelieving person that I know! You do not even know whether you are saved, yourself, nine times out of ten!
As believers in the sovereign Lord, let’s stand strong on the truth that He does all the work of salvation. At the same time, let’s let Him work through us, through our thinking, speaking and doing, to see that salvation comes to those who He has chosen. Our steps of faith in sharing the gospel are part of His plan to bring in his sons and daughters.
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