"And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." (John 5:40)
"And now, every man, so far as spiritual things are concerned, is “dead in trespasses and sins” spiritually (Eph 2:1). Nor is the soul less dead in a carnal man than the body is when committed to the grave. It is actually and positively dead—not by a metaphor, for Paul speaketh not in metaphor when he affirms, “You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1)."
Every Calvinist and many classical Arminians would agree with this. Where the disagreement comes is in the deductions that are made upon the fact of a sinner's spiritual death.
Spurgeon said:
"Thou wouldst not choose to live with a corpse sitting at thy table; nor doth God love that thou shouldest be in His sight. He is angry with thee every day, for thou art in sin—thou art in death. Oh! Believe this, take it to thy soul, appropriate it; for it is most true that thou art dead, spiritually as well as legally."
These remarks show that Spurgeon did not make erroneous deductions upon the doctrine of total depravity as do many Calvinists, especially of the Hyper Calvinists. Had he done so he would not have been trying to persuade the spiritually dead nor admonish them to believe in order to live.
Spurgeon said:
"The first means whereby we get life is by feeding upon the flesh and blood of the Son of God: living in Him, trusting on Him, believing in His grace and power."
This might not be logical with the carnal or soulish mind, but it is the plain teachings of Christ. He taught that one who was dead came to life by partaking of his flesh and blood (in heart and mind by faith) and by drinking the water of life, the water that brings life to the dead. He clearly teaches that spiritual life is by faith, by becoming joined with Christ.
Spurgeon said:
"Then, secondly, there is spiritual life in Christ Jesus. As the man is
spiritually dead, God has spiritual life for him: for there is not a lack
that is not supplied by Jesus; there is not an emptiness in the heart
that Christ cannot fill. There is not a desolation that He cannot people; There is not a desert that He cannot make to blossom as the rose.
O ye dead sinners, spiritually dead, there is life in Christ Jesus; for we
have seen—yes, these eyes have seen—the dead live again! We have
known the man whose soul was utterly corrupt, by the power of God
seek after righteousness. We have known the man whose views were
carnal, whose lusts were mighty, whose passions were strong, suddenly, by irresistible might from heaven, consecrate himself to Christ,
and become a child of Jesus."
Spurgeon, like Christ and the apostles, had no problem speaking about spiritual truth to those who were spiritually dead. He knew that God could use the word he preached to raise the dead just as he did through the preaching of Ezekiel to the dry dead bones.
Spurgeon said:
"We know that there is life in Christ Jesus of a spiritual order; yea, more, we ourselves, in our own persons,
have felt that there is spiritual life. Well can we remember when we
sat in the house of prayer, as dead as the very seat on which we sat.
We had listened for a long, long while to the sound of the gospel, but
no effect followed, when suddenly, as if our ears had been opened by
the fingers of some mighty angel, a sound entered into our heart. We
thought we heard Jesus saying, “He that hath ears to hear, let him
hear” (Matt. 11:15). An irresistible hand put itself on our heart and
crushed a prayer out of it. We never had a prayer before like that. We
cried, “O God, have mercy upon me a sinner.” Some of us for months
felt a hand pressing us as if we had been grasped in a vice, and our
souls bled drops of anguish. That misery was a sign of coming life."
Spurgeon believed that his "coming to life" occurred when he was converted while in the Methodist chapel. He did not divorce regeneration from conversion. When faith was born in him, he was reborn. Notice also how he intimates how things occur in the heart of the believing sinner before his regeneration.
Spurgeon said:
"When persons are being drowned, they do not feel the pain so much as
while they are being restored. Oh, we recollect those pains, those
groans, the living strife that our soul had when it came to Christ. Ah,
we can recollect the giving of our spiritual life as easily as could a
man his restoration from the grave. We can suppose Lazarus to have
remembered his resurrection, though not all the circumstances of it.
So we, although we have forgotten a great deal, do recollect our giving ourselves to Christ."
I too can remember my coming to life. I will never forget that day when salvation was no longer sought, but found. When I rose from my knees, when I had committed my life to Christ, and heard him speak covenant words to me, I immediately "went forward" before all and confessed my new found peace and my next earnest desire was to be baptized. Though many may be born again who cannot recall the precise moment when they experienced it, yet many can. If we see our conversion, our faith and repentance, as the signs of our coming to life, then we ought to know when we first believed and turned to the Lord. I do no doubt my salvation because I do not doubt that I truly do believe, and do not doubt God's word.
Spurgeon said:
"We can say to every sinner, however dead, there is
life in Christ Jesus, though you may be rotten and corrupt in your
grave. He Who hath raised Lazarus hath raised us; and He can say,
even to you, “Lazarus, come forth” (Joh 11:43)."
Well, that is the kind of preaching God has commanded of us. Go like Ezekiel and preach to the dead.
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