Book Review - The Sum and Substance of the Gospel

'The Sum and Substance of the Gospel - the Christ Centred Piety of Charles Haddon Spurgeon' is the latest in the excellent 'Profiles in Reformed Spirituality' by Reformation Heritage Books.  The books are short, deeply spiritual, experiential and wonderfully Christ centred.  This little book is only 167 pages and could be used as a daily devotional which will warm your heart and fill you with gospel hope.  

The book starts with an excellent summary of Spurgeon's life and reminds us that he was much more than a preacher but also a 'ministerial entrepreneur'.  He started the Pastor's College, published a magazine, wrote books and his sermons were published and sent all over the world.  Spurgeon was also a social philanthropist as well as an evangelist.  He had both a zeal for saving sinners as well as a large heart for the poor.  His benevolence was seen in orphanages and an 'almhouse' for widows - a timely reminder for preachers and theologians today that reformed theology and love for the poor are not mutually exclusive.  

The summary of Spurgeon's life reminds us that he stood firm at a time of spiritual decline in the Baptist Union.  His robust Calvinism upset many who were seeking a more relaxed relationship with the historic 1677 Baptist Confession and the gospel of atonement and substitution.  During his life Spurgeon managed to upset Arminians and Hyper- Calvinists in almost equal measure as he preached the warm, historic Christ centred gospel.  When Spurgeon ended his 37 year ministry the Metropolitan Tabernacle had baptised 14,460 people and the church membership stood at over 5000.  His ministry since, through his books and sermons has been a blessing to millions around the world. The way in which the Lord blessed his ministry is a great reminder, if we need one, that ultimately it is better to stick with the truth and the historic Christian faith than pander to fads and fashions which come and go like the tide.

It is great to see this new but very accessible volume with extracts from Spurgeon's sermons and writings.  Each of the small 49 chapters of 'The Sum and Substance of the Gospel' is pure gold and is rich with Spurgeon's wonderful writing so that readers can see the love of Christ in the gospel in all it glory.  The book covers subjects such as the power of the gospel, the covenant, union with Christ, the atonement, forgiveness, the scapegoat, redemption, hypocrisy, conversion, persecution and many other subjects.  

The reader is left in no doubt that at the heart of the gospel is the substitutionary atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As Spurgeon says: 'I have always considered, with Luther and Calvin, that the sum and substance of the gospel is substitution - Christ standing in the stead of man.  If I understand the gospel, it is this: I deserve to be lost forever; the only reason why I should not be damned is that Christ was punished in my stead, and there is no need to execute a sentence twice for sin.'  

I can't recommend this little volume highly enough and would particularly encourage you to buy it if you are feeling spiritually dry.  It is a wonderful reminder of the love of Christ for poor, needy sinners and it is hard to to put it down without feeling refreshed and encouraged.  Let me leave you with another of Spurgeon's quotes; 'I find it convenient to come to Christ as a sinner as I came at the first.  "You are no saint," says the devil.  Well if I am not, I am a sinner, and Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.  Sink or swim, I go to Him; of other hope I have none.  By looking to Him, I received all the faith which inspired me with confidence in His grace, and the word that first drew my soul - "Look unto me" - still rings its clarion note in my ears.  There I once found conversion, and there I shall forever find refreshment and renewal.'

The Sum and Substance of the Gospel is available at through Free Church Books at 10ofThose

24 Words - Happiness

This is the fifteenth (I know I'm way behind) of 24 blog 'thoughts' throughout June (and July!) as part of a challenge to honour my sister Anna Murray who died on 20th October 2019. You can read my reflections on my sister here and watch a film I made about her here. If you want to donate to Pancreatic Cancer UK you can do so here. These posts will be short 'thoughts' rather than detailed blog posts.  So far we have looked at the words rest, steadfast, hope, mercy, lament, providence, grieve, lockdown, prognosis, covenant, preaching, wilderness, mission, disclosure and now I want to look at happiness.

We often think of our own happiness but have you ever thought of the happiness of Christ?  What makes Christ happy?  I was really struck by reading this quote from the Puritan Thomas Goodwin in 'The Heart of Christ': '...his (Christs) own interest, both in that of our salvation is the purchase of his blood, and also that his joy, comfort, happiness, and glory are increased and enlarged by showing  grace and mercy, in pardoning, relieving and comforting his members on earth, under all their infirmities.'  Jesus doesn't just want us to come to him because it vindicates his atoning work but because the bestowing of mercy is his very heart.  Goodwin even goes so far as to say that Christ gets more joy and comfort than we do when draw near to him for forgiveness.

We see this in Hebrews 12 v 2 'Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.'

What was the joy set before him?  The joy of seeing his people redeemed.  The ultimate high priest was bridging the gap between God and humanity.  As Dane Ortland says in 'Gentle and Lowly' 'It was the joyous anticipation of seeing his people made invincibly clean that sent him through his arrest, death, burial, and resurrection.  When we today partake of the atoning work, coming to Christ for forgiveness, communing with him despite our sinfulness, we are laying hold of Christ's own deepest longing and joy.'

Sometimes we think that must be cautious in drawing too much on Christs mercy.  But as Ortland asks 'would a father with a suffocating child want his child to draw on the oxygen tank in a measured and reasonable way.'  Our problem is that we don't take Christ seriously when he offers his love and forgiveness.  He rejoices in mercy and pardon and surely this is the greatest encouragement to come.