Perseverance of the Saints
All of those for whom Christ died will certainly persevere to the end. There is no one for which Christ has suffered who will not see eternity (John 6:44) and this truth propelled Spurgeon to call for sinners to accept a triumphant Savior. It propelled Spurgeon to call for sin-killing warfare and evangelistic outreach, knowing that all those who would trust in Christ, will indeed be finally saved and would not fall away. Otherwise, the determination of man, the will power of man and his strength become the main factor in one remaining saved. Instead God is the one who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12-13). The Holy Spirit is the one who will bring us to faith and the Holy Spirit is the One who will cause us to endure to the end and this is because God is faithful: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24).
The faithfulness of Christ in fulfilling His promises is the only sure thing that the Christian can hold onto. If we cannot believe the promises of Almighty God, what can we believe? If the Word of God has fallen and will continue to fall by the enemy of the flesh or Satan, our zealousness, our steadfastness, and our joy is greatly diminished. It is precisely this that Spurgeon argues in his sermon, “Enduring to the End”:
“What is he worth as a mediator of the covenant and the surety of it, if he hath not made the promises sure to all the seed? My brethren, Christ is made a leader and commander of the people, to bring many souls into glory; but if he doth not bring them into glory, where is the Captain’s honor? Where is the efficacy of the precious blood, if it does not effectually redeem? If it only redeemeth for a time, and then suffereth us to perish, where is its value?”[1]
This robust doctrinal truth brought Spurgeon to practical awareness and trust in the God of the Bible who is able to keep us from falling. What the “prince of preachers” saw to be reality in the Scriptures pushed him to prayer, to watchfulness, to joy in a faithful God, rather than to apathy.[2] So then, he could with confidence preach the gospel and teach such truths, finding that the Holy Spirit used them to keep believers within the flock of God.
Conclusion
Throughout the lifetime of Spurgeon, many called him a Calvinist in a derisive way. They said that because the Baptist preacher was so concerned about doctrine and so wrapped up in his minor theological points, many would be perishing while he was attending to his books and divisively preaching. This charge is nothing new, as many today believe that the so-called “Five Points of Calvinism” are unnecessary doctrines and are far from the mission foundation of Jesus and his disciples. Indeed many see Calvinism as a discouragement to the believer, and therefore an inhibitor to going into the entire world and preaching the gospel to all nations.
Yet far from discouraging missions, evangelism and discipleship is greatly enhanced by the realization and love of these truths. Just as Paul exhorted Timothy in his ministry with the foundation of salvation being all of grace, so too Spurgeon encouraged those around him to have their minds fixed on the certainty that only God can save, only Christ can redeem, and only the Holy Spirit can convict and cause the believer to endure to the end. This full-orbed understanding of the depravity of man and the particular electing grace of God which captivates the sinner with His beauty not only gives hope to the Christian, but most glorifies God, for it is in this light that Christ shines brightest and the gospel seems sweetest. All men are desperate sinners who need a Savior, and it is only grace, only Christ’s substitutionary atonement for His elect that will bring many sons to glory. So we can preach this good news, knowing full well that God’s purposes cannot be thwarted.
“If I had to tell you that you were to work out your own salvation apart from His grace, it would be an impossible prospect for you. Instead, it comes to you in this way: Filthy, there is washing for you! Dead, there is life for you! Naked, there is raiment for you! All undone and ruined, here is complete salvation for you! O soul, may you have the grace given to you to grasp it, and then you and I together will sing the praises of the glory of divine grace.”[3]
[1]Charles Haddon Spurgeon., Spurgeon’s Sermons Volume 8—“Enduring to the End” (Baker Books: Grand Rapids, MI), 165.
[2] Ibid, 167.
[3] Charles Haddon Spurgeon., Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor (Whitaker House: New Kensington, PA), 61.
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