The Role of Charles Haddon Spurgeon in the Reformed Baptist Tradition
Considering the rapid changes happening in culture and politics all around the globe and challenges that arise for the modern Christian homelife, today, regular preachers, as never before, have to seek guidance in Scripture. It is also worth looking into the history of the church and its prominent members for helpful insights on the matter. Among such people is Charles Haddon Spurgeon, a powerful figure in the Reformed Baptist tradition.
Often referred to as “the most famous preacher of the century,” Charles Spurgeon provided a revolutionary perspective on the liberal and pragmatic theological tendencies at the London church of his time. Studying the life, sermons, and lectures of this life-changing preacher reveals crucial insights into the role of Scripture and its authority regarding evangelism and disciple-making, potentially offering helpful applications for the modern Christian’s home life.
Church History and the Role of Scripture in Evangelism
Early Christianity is characterized by its self-propagating nature, primarily among those suffering from oppression, poverty, and other hardships of life. In these conditions, the early iterations of Scripture and the preachings of Jesus Christ and his Apostles were the primary sources of inspiration for the newly converted. Earls makes a point by quoting the book of Acts to establish that the primary purpose in the first thirty years of Jesus Christ’s life was “reproducing disciples and disciple-birthing congregations.” This principle lived on as He commanded His followers to continue evangelistic practices, establishing the central focus of the Christian Church through essentially God’s command and, therefore, lending ultimate authority to this principle.
Today, however, global secularization and people’s loss of trust toward the Church presents a great challenge to this task, which Charles Spurgeon addressed in his practice in XIX century England. He was among the first to acknowledge in his message at New Park Street Baptist in London on 19 August 1855 that “spiritual life, and fire, and zeal, and piety, seemed to be absent in ten thousand instances.” The problem can be attributed mainly to many Baptist church leaders grappling with the authority of Scripture regarding evangelism, halting the progress in this direction.
While Spurgeon was no stranger to humanistic ideas, praising the idea of salvation and forgiveness, he firmly adhered to traditional interpretations of the Scripture. Spurgeon often referenced Christ’s command and promoted returning to the ways of preaching and disciple-making through the talk of “well-considered principle,” arguing that the authority of Church and Scripture must be maintained above all. While German rationalists produced novel interpretations of Scripture, undermining even the Church’s confidence in the authority of its dogmatic theology, church leaders naturally began discounting revelation.
It is not surprising, therefore, that even leading pastors of the time helped Baptists and Congregationalists accept the revolutionary interpretations of Scripture. While theological relativism was gaining more and more ground, Sturgeon kept insisting: “Believe in Christ crucified, and preach boldly in His name, and you shall see great and gladsome things.”Moreover, Sturgeon openly criticized the Church in the historical context through his sermons. The London church’s pastors preceding Sturgeon stand out particularly in their deep adherence to similar views as Sturgeon would later preach, despite many of them being relatively young when coming to serve. Considering the highly influential Church leaders’ openness to discarding the traditional doctrinal views at the time, this level of dedication is rather admirable and outstanding.
The Upbringing of Charles Spurgeon
Like many great individuals, Charles Spurgeon’supbringing played a crucial role in shaping his view on Christianity and greatly influenced his work later in life. Bearing a Protestant legacy and a great interest in his family’s genealogy, he revered “a sweet fitness in the passing on of holy loyalty from grandsire to father, and from father to son.”However, it was the six years Spurgeon spent with his grandparents and his aunt in the small village of Stambournethat oriented him to Puritanism and to the ministry, as he would later recall. His grandfather solemnly followed the Shema, which commands: “Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” As a result, Scriptures were very often discussed in Spurgeon’s childhood, including daily family worship hours and frequent visits of ministers.
Young Charles inherited key biblical principles of serving the congregation with utmost love, conviction, and unwavering dedication to acting according to Christian beliefs despite possible harsh consequences. Charles’ grandfather also instilled in him the value of a Spirit-anointed life and a peculiar sense of humor. Later, Charles actively promoted the use of anecdotes and illustrations during preaching, following the Biblical example of Jesus Christ and his disciples, though he insisted on religious devotion as a must. Ultimately, these early years’ experiences shaped Charles Spurgeon into someone he would eventually become.
Lessons for Today
The life of Charles Spurgeon provides valuable insights into ministerial practices rooted in dedication, spirituality, and adherence to key biblical principles. For modern Christians, especially church leaders, there are several applications to draw from it. The primary focus of a modern preacher would be to prioritize the Scripture in one’s daily life, promoting its discussions within the family and beyond. Delving deeper into the nature of biblical truths through conversations and consistent daily life applications can help foster genuine love and appreciation for the Scripture among family members and the congregation. Finally, adhering to the traditional biblical ideas of devoted evangelism and disciple-making can become a simple yet effective tool in propagating the Word of God.
Bibliography
Chang, Geoff. “Lectures to My Students: A Reader’s Guide to a Christian Classic.” desiringGod, 2022. Web.
Duesing, Jason G., and Geoffrey Chang, eds. The Lost Sermons of CH Spurgeon Volume VI: His Earliest Outlines and Sermons Between 1851 and 1854. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing Group, 2021.
Earls, Rod. Spurgeon’s Theology for Multiplying Disciples and Churches: The Story of How Spurgeon and the Metropolitan Tabernacle Followed Christ. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2022.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. All of Grace: An Earnest Word with Those Who are Seeking Salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ. Cambridge, OH: Christian Publishing House, 2022.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. An All-Round Ministry: Addresses to Ministers and Students. 3rd ed. London: Counted Faithful, 2020.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. Memories of Stambourne.London: Religious Tract Society, 1892.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. Pictures from Pilgrim’s Progress. London: Counted Faithful, 2019.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. “The Compassion of Jesus.” Sermon, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, 1914.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. The Greatest Fight in the World: Spurgeon’s Final Manifesto. London: Counted Faithful, 2018.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. “The True Apostolical Succession.” Sermon, the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, 1861.