This 23rd letter of John Newton’s 41 on religious subjects is virtually an exposition of 2 Corinthians 1.12, with the all the passion and practicality of a true pastor who was an example of the virtues he celebrated.
1. Paul wrote, “Our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity” (2 Cor 1.12). If only all professing Christians could say this! Many do not realize it is an important part of Christian character for new converts and mature saints alike.
2. Simplicity is what God observes in a saint’s heart. Sincerity is what men observe in a saint’s conduct. Sincerity stems from simplicity. It is best if we keep in mind the distinction between them.
3. To be “simple” in the best sense is not to be childish or foolish. Those traits are disgusting. Pretended simplicity is an oxymoron.
4. True simplicity comes from a spiritual perception of the gospel, when we see our inherent unworthiness, Christ’s power and grace, and the greatness of our obligations to Him. To the degree we have a living and experiential knowledge of these things, we will be simple-hearted. The two sides of that spiritual simplicity are simple intentions (against our inner corruptions) and simple dependence (against our unbelieving rationalizations).
5. The first side of simplicity is simple intentions. This is basically a wholehearted devotion to the Lord in which absolutely everything else is secondary. It is when we live with His glory and His will as the ultimate priority in all our actions. Of course He deserves this from us, and He is the only worthwhile supreme aim, in which we can be saved and most blessed. As Christians we are doubly-bound to seek Him, because He is our Creator and He is our Redeemer. Christ willingly, deliberately, and resolvedly shed His blood to have us! Instead of taking steps well within His power to avoid the shame and suffering of the cross, He laid down His own life for our salvation. His intention toward us was simple! Shall we not, then, O Lover of our souls, be simply and wholeheartedly Yours? Shall we avoid suffering for You, or indulge the worldliness for which You died, seek the approval of those who hate You, or be ashamed to own You before them? O Lord, forbid it! Let Your love compel us to be devoted to You! Let us count everything as loss and rubbish because of the surpassing worth of knowing You (Phil 3.8). Let us be content with whatever You appoint us, and enjoy it because we can use it to glorify You. This is the way I think if I am characterized by gospel simplicity. My heart which used to be ruled by sin is now ruled by Christ with His scepter of love. This is what preserves me from sinful seduction and intimidation alike.
6. The second side of simplicity is simple dependence. Unbelief multiplies objections and difficulties to simply trusting God and His Word. Abraham obeyed the divine call to leave his home even though he did not know where he was going (Heb 11.8). It was enough in his judgment to know the call itself was from God. Likewise, Abraham trusted God for Isaac, not staggering in unbelief (Rom 4.20). Even when God commanded that Isaac should be sacrificed, Abraham simply trusted and obeyed (Heb 11.18–19). This same simple dependence upon God moved David to triumph over Goliath and the three Hebrew men to defy Nebuchadnezzar and his furnace. This simple trust also sustained Elijah through the famine (1 Kgs 1.14). We shouldn’t expect literal miracles today, but as we trust in the Lord we shall have proofs of His care, and be helped in our duty, no matter how daunting. This simple dependence will inspire us to use all the methods God has commanded, and to keep trusting Him when those methods seem to fail. For lack of this trust many professing Christians compromise and even apostatize. They fear the Lord but also serve their own gods (2 Kgs 17.33). They talk out of both sides of their mouth, spiritually speaking, sounding like devout Christians one moment and like ungodly people the next. They cannot rejoice in the testimony of a good conscience. This is a miserable way to live. They try to merge incompatibles—serving God and Money, for example. They have just enough Christianity to make worldly living miserable, and enough worldliness to rob them of the comforts of true religion. They are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold. God rejects them. Sinners reject them. They go to church but their heart is divided with the world. They are hybrid monstrosities! Since they are not simple, they cannot be sincere.
7. It should be obvious that the effect of simplicity is sincerity. When we are wholly devoted to God, we live consistently before men. We speak the truth in love, are on time for our appointments, and treat others as we would like to be treated, because we know this is all part of how we glorify and enjoy the Lord. We strive to avoid gross sins and even questionable things because we are afraid to dishonor Him and grieve His Spirit. These virtues produce a wonderful consistency of heart and conduct.
8. A sincere Christian sees no need to pretend to be something he is not like other people do. He is what he seems to be. He has no fear of being “exposed.” He walks by God’s wisdom and depends on God’s power, and this gives him a spiritual freedom in everything he does. Signed, JN.
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Newton ends his letter extolling the pleasurable freedom of true piety. Another angle was captured later by a British playwright: “Hypocrisy is the most difficult and nerve-wracking vice that any man can pursue; it needs an unceasing vigilance and a rare detachment of spirit. It cannot, like adultery or gluttony, be practiced at spare moments; it is a whole-time job” (W. Somerset Maugham, 1874-1965, BFQ [18th ed.], 626.22). It is blessed to follow Christ wholly, and “the way of transgressors is hard” (Prov 13.15). Ω