D. Scott Meadows
The original title of this letter is, “On Candour,” but John Newton meant its now obsolete sense of “having a favorable disposition; good nature; kindness” (SOED). It is paraphrased and abridged below.
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1. True kindness is a grace found only in true Christians, a property of that love praised in 1 Corinthians 13. Love is as generous as possible in its view of others and their deeds consistent with the love of truth. It makes allowances for human frailty, loathes gossip, and disdains party spirit. This imitates the Lord Jesus Christ in His kindness to sinners and His embrace of everyone as a neighbor.
2. The kindest people acknowledge most their shortcomings here. Everyone is prone to selfish bigotry and more guilty of it than we realize. Professing Christians today are not nearly as kind as we should be. If we were, we would readily praise whatever truth and virtue is found in those we debate. We would not blame a whole group for the vices of a few in it. We would not exaggerate the bad consequences of what we consider their doctrinal errors. We would not jump all over them because they did not say something exactly right. We would not argue vehemently about matters which are peripheral to the main beliefs of sound Christians. We would not be so quick to anger or heap scorn upon our brethren, whether they are Anglicans or Dissenters, Calvinists or even Arminians. Let us be more kind! Remember how ignorant we ourselves once were and how often we have had to change our minds since we were new converts. Recall how indebted we are, under God, for help even from those with whom we now differ in some particulars. Think how you would like to be treated by them and treat them the same way. If we would always keep these things in mind, we would be more easily consistent with true kindness.
3. A counterfeit kindness is indifferent to truth and eager for popular approval. Such people minimize gospel doctrine to curry favor with the world and to avoid being despised as Christians of conviction. They attempt a union of light and darkness, Christ and the devil, by a pretense of not being judgmental, but this violates plain biblical principles. They rather promote a sickening lukewarmness which is treason against God and a betrayal of eternal souls. These supposedly tolerant liberals roundly condemn faithful Christians and call them bigots for embracing God’s counsel in Scripture and repudiating the lies of the world. Counterfeit kindness is not kind to such saints whose persistent and uncompromising commitment to truth and righteousness is their “unpardonable sin.” It never dawns on the supposedly tolerant how inconsistent they are with their own avowed principles when they oppose, hate, and revile true Christians as they do. This proves that their “kindness” is only a euphemism for hostility to gospel truth and godly living.
4. Heretics should still be treated with kindness. The heretic has a right from me to all the duties I owe my neighbors made in God’s image. I must not hate him, speak abusively to him, or provoke needless offense. I must not detract from his character as a member of society. I can enjoy the benefit of his gifts and skills in areas where I am not in danger of being misled. He might be a good lawyer, or historian, or doctor, and I should not libel him in these, even if he is a poor theologian. I should lament his errors and pray for his spiritual recovery in God’s sovereign pleasure. I should speak with all gentleness and meekness with him, remembering that only grace makes me differ. But I dare not speak well of his errors, or imagine them to be harmless. Scripture is not a wax nose. People cannot reject its basic doctrines about the deity and atonement of Christ, or the power of the Holy Spirit, without grave consequence.
5. On the other hand, if those who love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity do not love each other as Christ has loved them, then they are justly criticized for a sinful lack of kindness. Can I be cold-hearted to those whom Jesus loves? Can I reject people that He has accepted? Is it really necessary to be estranged from them just because they may not have as much doctrinal light as I have received?—if indeed I am even right in the difficult points! So what if I have received five talents, and they, only two. Let me be careful not to be less faithful with my five than they are with their two! Also, this kindness rule works both ways. Why should my Christian brethren of any persuasion stand at arm’s length from me just because I am called a Calvinist? I was not born a Calvinist, and they may become one yet, but if our hearts are alike fixed in holy affection upon the same Jesus, we will be one in our views before long, so shouldn’t we encourage and strengthen one another now? I pray the Lord’s power might be revealed in reviving this true kindness which the Apostle Paul so strongly enforces by precept and by example! He insisted that the strong would bear the infirmities of the weak, and that believers would accept each other, but not to have debate partners about trivial matters.
6. Another important point of counsel is to realize that just because someone is doctrinally sound does not mean that they are real Christians. They must also exhibit a pattern of behavior consistent with their identity as believers in Christ. Too many judge others by the notions they express than by the fruits they produce, and then they are tempted to judge themselves by the same inadequate standard. Christian preachers and writers especially should issue cautions about this concern so that it becomes more widely understood. Don’t mistake orthodoxy for life, or a form of godliness for its power! Salvation changes a person from the inside out! So many church members are notional Christians without being born again! They fight for the doctrines of grace while they utterly lack the grace of the doctrines! They are irreverent, proud, judgmental, and worldly. We wish them well but true kindness requires us to warn them of their folly. God’s Word remains our standard.
7. So then, let us cultivate a spirit of true kindness, and to be humble, gentle, and tender with others, avoiding at the same time that apathy and cowardice which, masquerading as kindness, makes excuses for sin and undermines the authority of Scripture. Signed, JN.
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This centuries-old letter is amazingly relevant today, is it not? Ω