“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith” (Heb. 13:7). Remember. Consider. Imitate. Perhaps no modern writer has better helped the church heed these words of exhortation than Dr. Steven J. Lawson. Through his Long Line of Godly Men Profiles, Lawson has masterfully demonstrated the important role that church history plays in the Christian life. In his most recent book, Lawson again brings to the fore a godly man from the halls of church history and gleans enduring lessons from his life. This time, Lawson spends some time looking at the life and legacy of “the Prince of Preachers,” Charles Haddon Spurgeon. He does this in three chief ways.
First, Lawson remembers Spurgeon. Following in the footsteps of Iain Murray, Lawson labors to bring the historical record to bear on Spurgeon’s life. Through an abundance of primary source quotations, Lawson allows Charles Spurgeon to speak for himself. What many are quick to forget, Lawson calls our attention to. He does not gloss over the unpopular elements of Spurgeon’s theology, since he knows that these were the most near and dear to Spurgeon’s heart. Indeed, to truly know Charles Spurgeon, one must understand the theology that drove his passion and fueled his preaching. In a word, Spurgeon was unquestionably committed to the Gospel of God’s sovereign grace in Jesus Christ freely offered to sinners. Unpacking this sentence will allow the flow of Lawson’s thesis to unfold.
To start with, Spurgeon was focused on the Gospel. Lawson writes,
“Throughout his prolific ministry, Spurgeon was consumed with a gospel zeal. He made it his practice to isolate one or a few verses as a springboard to proclaim the gospel. He asserted, ‘I take my text and make a beeline to the cross.’ Every time Spurgeon stepped into the pulpit, he set his gaze intently on the salvation of sinners through the proclamation of the saving message of Jesus Christ” (2).
This Gospel focus consisted of, among other things, a full-orbed presentation of the biblical message of salvation—The person of Christ as the God-man, the substitutionary death of Christ as a payment for sin, the resurrection of Christ from the dead, and the exaltation of Christ as the sovereign Lord.
Tied into his understanding of the Gospel, Spurgeon was also unapologetically committed to the tenets of Calvinism. Lawson cites Spurgeon’s own words to set the record straight regarding his stance on this matter:
“There is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified unless we preach what is nowadays called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the Gospel and nothing else. I do not believe that we preach the Gospel unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah, nor do I think we can preach the Gospel unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend the Gospel which allows saints to fall away after they are called” (38-9).
Far from being a hindrance to the Gospel, Spurgeon believed that the doctrines of sovereign grace serve as the very foundation of the Gospel. This belief led him to give radical appeals and invitations to the unsaved to come to Christ for salvation. Spurgeon believed, in perfect harmony with his robust Calvinism, in the freeness of the Gospel offer. Lawson explains, “In one hand, he firmly held the sovereignty of God in man’s salvation. With the other hand, he extended the free offer of the gospel to all. He preached straightforward Calvinistic doctrine, then, in the same sermon, fervently urged lost sinners to call on the name of the Lord.” (xix).
With so much misinformation going around today about Calvinism being anti-evangelism and anti-missions, the life of Spurgeon, recounted so eloquently by Lawson, shows that nothing could be further from the truth. My prayer is that the Gospel focus of Charles Spurgeon—seen especially in his commitment to the sovereignty of God in salvation and the freeness of the Gospel offer—will also be the Gospel focus of the modern evangelical church.
Not only does Lawson helpfully encourage us to remember the theology of Spurgeon, but he also wants us to consider his legacy. Why was Spurgeon’s preaching so impactful? What was it that gave his sermons such lasting power? Chapter six provides Lawson’s answers to these questions. The heading of this chapter, a quote from Iain Murray, says it all: “The true explanation of Spurgeon’s ministry, then, is to be found in the person and power of the Holy Spirit” (105). While he maintained a deep allegiance to God’s Word and the power of the Gospel message, Spurgeon knew that unless God moved by His Holy Spirit his efforts would be in vain. Charles Spurgeon knew nothing of a cold, calculated theology devoid of life. His theology was always closely wedded to his doxology.
In an age that so often separates orthodoxy from orthopraxy, Lawson’s consideration of Spurgeon is just what the doctor ordered. Too many pastors and teachers go around operating in the power of the flesh, rather than in the power of the Spirit. It is no wonder why our churches seem so lifeless. The legacy of Charles Spurgeon should convict the modern church and, Lord willing, incite us to rely solely on the power of the Holy Spirit for renewing grace.
Finally, Lawson not only remembers and considers the life and legacy of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, but he also seeks to imitate him. Lawson shares from his heart when he writes,
“As a result of reading his sermons, my life and ministry were set on a course from which I have not veered. From Spurgeon, arguably the preeminent preacher in the history of the church, I learned how the doctrines of grace and evangelistic passion intersect in preaching and ministry. Like the convergence of two mighty rivers, these twin truths become one powerful force in reaching lost sinners with the gospel of Jesus Christ” (125).
Having followed the ministry of Dr. Lawson for quite some time now, I can see how true this is. In fact, I would go so far as to say that were Spurgeon here today, he would be proud of his disciple. I am confident that one of the main reasons why Lawson “gets” Spurgeon so well is because he shares the same theological convictions, the same passion for preaching, and the same zeal for the salvation of those who are lost. I can only pray that others may learn to follow in the footsteps of Lawson by carefully imitating the faith of Charles Spurgeon.
Steve Lawson has given us an excellent treatment of C.H. Spurgeon’s life, theology, and ministry. I for one am thankful for his fair analysis of the historical evidence, his passionate and engaging writing style, and his practical exhortations throughout his book. Hopefully, Lawson’s series of profiles will be used by God to continue the unbroken chain of godly men even to the present hour.
