D. Scott Meadows
The doctrines of God’s sovereign grace were generally accepted by evangelical ministers in fellowship with John Newton, but a difference in the manner of preaching them had arisen. Some simply taught the gospel without urgently exhorting unbelievers to repent and trust in Christ, leaving that to the Holy Spirit. Others did both. In this seventh of 41 letters, John Newton weighs in. My abridged paraphrase follows, with paragraphs corresponding to the original letter, and then my brief comment.
“On Exhorting the Spiritually Dead”
1. You asked my thoughts about the present controversy, namely, how ministers should preach to apathetic unbelievers. Since good men differ on this, I offer my view with modesty and caution.
2. One position on the matter says it is enough to preach the truth about the law and the gospel, declaring that we all by nature are but lost sinners, utterly helpless and hopeless in ourselves, and that God has made a way for us to be saved through faith in Jesus Christ. This view considers subsequent exhortation of the lost to believe as undermining the very substance of what was preached before, especially when the particular hearers show no signs of being among God’s elect.
3. The other basic position, no less committed to the doctrines of grace, considers it a preacher’s duty to speak to all our hearers as those with a functional mind and conscience which might respond to the warnings of the law and the promises of the gospel. These preachers do not want to encourage the mistaken notion that the Holy Spirit is unnecessary, but admittedly, some of them, in their great zeal, have sometimes said things not quite right, things not strictly consistent with sovereign grace.
4. If we had to decide which approach is better based on the results, it seems clear that the urgent exhorters see more conversions than those who are more fastidious to be consistent with a neat and tidy theological system in every jot and tittle of their remarks. Since Scripture teaches that “he who wins souls is wise” (Prov 11.30) and all good ministers really want to win souls, the way of strong exhortation is probably right. It is hard to imagine that the Lord would greatly bless preaching like this if it were so far off base.
5. But ministry experiences and the examples of even the best men do not prove anything. We must turn to the Scriptures for certainty. Our Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles are our rule and our right to preach in a certain way. Christ certainly was the greatest preacher of free grace. He exposed human pride for what it was. He knew none could come to Him unless taught and drawn by the Father (Jn 6.44–46). Still, Jesus preached to sinners in a way that, if He were not the Lord, would be censured today as inconsistent with free grace—even legalistic. For example, He told unconverted hearers to work for the food that endures to eternal life (Jn 6.27), to strive to enter the narrow gate (Luke 13.24), and to walk while they have the light (Jn 12.35). The context shows these remarks were made to the crowds, many being unconverted. Furthermore, the apostles followed Jesus’ example in this.
6. Some jump to the conclusion that it makes as much sense to call upon those without grace to repent and believe as it does to call forth a dead man from his grave. True, but we should do even this when God commands it! Then we could believe His power will accompany the command. And truly this is an illustration of evangelistic preaching, illustrated in Ezekiel 37. God commanded His servant to preach to dry bones, and then God caused the skeletal remains to revive through Ezekiel’s prophesying and by the breath of the Lord. Even so do we, with hope, evangelize and exhort the spiritually dead.
7. Of course God can save them by naked gospel indicatives, but He has provided us with so much more which is useful to engage unbelievers who have, after all, intelligence, feelings, and consciences. Yes, the Spirit’s power in them is required for regeneration. But if we say it is not appropriate to exhort the unconverted because of natural inability, this principle leads to a ridiculous conclusion. Even believers cannot fulfill holy duties apart from the Spirit’s enabling! So are we supposed to stop exhorting them, too? Hardly!
8. Spiritual death has not turned sinners into machines. They still can become deeply impressed with the fact that they must die and, after that, face judgment. They do not have to continue in their gross sins. Will a drunkard pick up the bottle after he sees it has been poisoned? Anyone can decide to attend church meetings. It sure seems right, then, to urge them to seek the Lord as Savior, who said, “The one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out” (Jn 6.37). After all, who can prove such open calls as this are inconsistent with crediting the free and sovereign grace of God for our whole salvation?
9. Of course we should try to be theologically consistent, but without striving to be thoroughly biblical in our plan and method, an otherwise laudable aim for consistency may get in the way of real usefulness. We surely have no need to be more consistent than Jesus and the apostles, along with all the other writers of Holy Scripture! In this life we may never completely work out in our own minds the compatibility of human liberty and divine agency. Nevertheless, let us attend to our plain duties. If your pulpit ministry is conducted with a great sense of your gospel stewardship, and the preciousness of souls, and the love of God, you won’t worry too much about splitting hairs, and you will rather warn perishing sinners with all your might. The eminent Dr. Owen is a great example to us in this. Consult his exposition of Psalm 130, especially the part entitled, “Exhortation unto the belief of the forgiveness that is with God” (Works VI.515). Signed, JN.
—————-
The appeal to Owen illustrates Newton’s commitment to strong Calvinism and lends considerable weight to the soundness of his counsel in this letter. Ω