The Gospel - Puritan Style
This entry was posted on 3/7/2007 10:22 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
I am reading a book by J. I. Packer,
A Quest for Godliness; The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life, and I wanted to post an interesting statement reflecting the views of the Puritans regarding the gospel:
The
Puritan position was that only God, by his Spirit, through his word,
can bring sinners to faith, and that he does this, not to our order,
but according to his own free purpose. Our evangelistic practice, the
Puritans would say, must be in accord with this truth. Modes of action
which imply another doctrine cannot be approved.
The
Puritan position seems [undoubtedly] biblical, and ... its implications
are of great importance for the reforming of inherited evangelistic
traditions today. It implies, to start with, that all devices for
exerting psychological pressure in order to precipitate 'decisions'
must be [avoided], as being in truth presumptuous attempts to intrude
into the province of the Holy Ghost. It means, further, that to
[renounce] such devices is no loss, since their use can contribute
nothing whatever to the effectiveness of evangelistic preaching.
Indeed, it will in the long run detract from it; for while
psychological pressures, skillfully handled, may produce the outward
form of 'decision', they cannot bring about regeneration and a change
of heart, and when the 'decisions' wear off those who registered them
will be found 'gospel-hardened' and antagonistic. Such forcing of
tactics can only do damage, perhaps incalculable damage, to men's
souls. It follows, therefore, that high-speed evangelism is not a valid
option. Evangelism must rather be conceived as a long-term enterprise
of patient teaching and instruction, in which God's servants seek
simply to be faithful in delivering the gospel message and applying it
to human lives, and leave it to God's Spirit to draw men to faith
through this message in his own way and at his own speed.
How
does the Spirit work? Does he authentically work through our begging
people to walk an aisle, or does he work most powerfully through the
preaching of God's word? "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing through
the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17).
Bro. Todd
