D. Scott Meadows

In this letter, John Newton responded to a friend, addressing subtle matters of Christian experience, mingling both biblical doctrine and personal testimony of his own heart and life. Our expectations about being true Christians must be realistic or we will draw wrong conclusions about ourselves and suffer more anxiety than necessary.
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1. From your letter, I judge that any differences we may have on these issues should not disrupt our fellowship since we both love Christ. I also believe Scripture and would enjoy the same blessings you do. All true subjects of King Jesus long for His kingdom to thrive in their hearts. I can honestly say that I attend to all the means of grace and deny myself whatever is inconsistent with them. I hardly go an hour without consciously craving vital communion with God through Christ as my highest blessedness. Yet I dare not say the marks of a work of grace are higher than they really are, because then I risk discouraging true Christians in a low condition. It seems that on these matters the Bible is more concerned with real and holy desires than with attaining a steady experience of comfortable feelings (Matt 5.3–9; Luke 18.12).

2. Our differences pertain to four basic questions, and I would write a few lines about each of them in the rest of this letter.

3. Question 1: Do all true believers have assurance of salvation? No. I was very surprised when you wrote that people should date their conversion to Christ, when they became true Christians, from the time they gained an abiding assurance of their salvation. Ephesians 1.13 distinguishes between believing and being sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise which produces assurance. I have come to a settled conviction that it is unscriptural to say that assurance of salvation is the essence of saving faith (Rom 10.9; 1 John 5.1). One is either a saved believer or not, and from this it follows that there are either many believers who lack assurance, or there are many unbelievers who love the Lord Jesus, hate sin, are poor in spirit, and adorn the gospel with a godly attitude and lifestyle. Many with assurance now can testify that before assurance came they had a faith working by love that overcame the world. Faith grows like a mustard seed, and while small, may afford little comfort within. Abiding peace follows the sealing of the Spirit. An infant, lacking mature traits, still has life as truly as a grown man.

4. Question 2: Can one thrive spiritually without much spiritual comfort? Yes. Jesus pronounced blessed those who mourn (Matt 5.4), not those who are comforted, as good as that is. We may be talking past each other on this question. I, too, know peace in my soul, but I am not sure it is what you have in mind. I judge my own warmth of heart toward Christ to be always less than it should be. This is my sin and burden. When I mourn over it and pray for grace against it, I believe my soul is just as alive to God as anyone else’s. He knows what is best for me, whether a season of pining for Him or rejoicing in Him. Yes, the apostles may have attained higher things, but they had much greater trials in ministry than I do, so they needed greater consolations. I believe that one’s heart is right with God when we have a humble dependence upon Him, persevere in the means of grace, are careful to avoid sin, and aim to glorify God through Christ in all we do, whether we have good feelings or not.

5. Question 3: Can we ever in this life become faithful enough to be done with spiritual depression? No. This is partly because we never attain to being entirely faithful to the light and power we have from God. The person who knows their own heart is always conscious of falling short. It is one thing to read the Bible and pray; it is quite another to understand and attend to what we read and to have a full heart in prayer. Sometimes the better experience is quite beyond me, I confess. I admit only my sin prevents me, but it is the sin that will cling to me until I see the Lord. Still, I believe the Lord is with me, even when it seems otherwise, because He keeps me from committing much sin which I otherwise would have committed but for the grace and care of my good Shepherd. I know for sure that my sins will not be held against me on Judgment Day because I am a believer in Jesus. I also know I hate my sins and wish for no relaxed rule of righteousness. I am unchangeably “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph 1.6).

6. Question 4: Is deep, spiritual humility ordinarily possible without being repeatedly brought very low, spiritually? No. Far be it from me to imply people should sin in order to learn true humility. Only a fool would think so. You wrote that a believer is never more humble and admiring of Jesus than when filled with joy and peace, and there is some truth in this, but joy and peace may also set us up for a fall because of our sinfulness. Remember Paul’s exalted privileges required a thorn in the flesh to keep him abased before God and men (2 Cor 12). Pride is so crafty that it can gather strength even from the ecstasies we might have by God’s grace. As a rule, the most consistent saints are aware of many things between the Lord and themselves which fill them with a sense of shame, and it is His tenderness and mercy to them anyway which draws from them praise like Micah’s, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance?” (Mic 7.18). Without great and repeated proofs of their sinfulness in their earthly experience, they could not so sympathetically cry out with Job, “Behold, I am vile!” (Job 40.4), nor would they realize as much how needful they are of the merciful care and faithfulness of their great Shepherd, and of their entire and absolute dependence upon Him for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor 1.30). These thoughts help reconcile me to my lot. The Lord knows what I need and what I can bear. I wish I
knew more comfort, but if I mourn here, I will be comforted in heaven, and that is enough for me. In my opinion, those people are happiest who have the lowest thoughts of themselves and who see Jesus as most glorious and precious. Signed, JN.
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Some will find it amazing that a great Christian like John Newton did not live always on the mountaintop, and, by his admission, gain hope for themselves. Ω