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Living by Revealed Truth, The Life and Pastoral Theology of Charles Haddon Spurgeon PDF

1050 Pages·2016·6.42 MB·English
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Charles Haddon Spurgeon was the greatest preacher of the nineteenth century in England and probably the whole world. The pungent and passionate sermons of the Baptist pastor brought home the gospel message to the hearts of his numerous hearers and more numerous readers. Tom Nettles has retold Spurgeon’s life as a warm admirer, but he is careful to rest his judgements on detailed evidence. In particular The Sword and the Trowel, the magazine Spurgeon edited as pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, is used as a quarry for an abundance of fresh material. Consequently this biography casts new light on Spurgeon’s life, ministry and theology. David Bebbington, Professor of History, University of Stirling, Stirling With the publication of Living by Revealed Truth, Tom Nettles has provided his readers with the premier interpretive account of Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Evidencing decades of serious engagement with this great Baptist leader of the nineteenth century, Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers," including not only his numerous writings and multi-faceted ministry, but also his leadership practices and personal challenges. Educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography. David S. Dockery, President, Union University, Jackson, Tennessee Charles Spurgeon is a mountain – a massive figure on the evangelical landscape. Tom Nettles now helps us to understand Charles Haddon Spurgeon as a man, a theologian, and one of the most influential pastors in church history. Nettles takes us into the heart of Charles Spurgeon’s conviction and his pastoral theology. This is a book that will encourage, educate, and bless its readers. R. Albert Mohler Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky Eschewing hagiography and dispelling the synergistic revision of some who are unhampered by information, Dr. Nettles provides the evangelical community with another edifying work on the life and ministry of the "Prince of Preachers." Readers are inspired to holiness of life, faithfulness in Christ's service, and perseverance in godliness by the moving account of this great Victorian evangelist who held and maintained through his preaching and pastoral ministry endeavors the great truths generally known as "the doctrines of grace." C. Berry Driver, Jr., C. Berry Driver, Jr., Professor of Systematic Theology, Senior Librarian, and Dean of Libraries, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas. Fifteen years in the making, this is the first biography of Spurgeon to be written by a world-class historian who had access to the entirety of the Sword & Trowel magazine that Spurgeon edited monthly from 1865 to 1892. Because of the information and insights gleaned by Nettles from so much previously untapped and under-utilized material, Living by Revealed Truth is a massively important contribution to Spurgeon studies. Fresh and unique, this book will be enjoyable to laymen, profitable to pastors, and indispensable for scholars. Nettles' volume now takes an honored place among the most valuable of all resources pertaining to the Prince of Preachers. Don Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality, Senior Associate Dean for the School of Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky A magisterial biography of England’s greatest pastor! Tom Nettles has given the Church, like no biographer of Charles Haddon Spurgeon before him, a deep look into the mind of the most influential minister that Baptists have ever produced. Nettles presents Spurgeon in his own words, examining and ordering his thoughts as revealed in the massive sermon collection, his extant letters but especially in his editorials and essays in the pages of The Sword and Trowel, the monthly journal Spurgeon edited through much of his London ministry. Nettles gives the reader insights into Spurgeon’s views on theology, the ministry, and church life that will pay rich dividends to any who will take the time to read this compelling story. If a minister reads only one biography of the great preacher, let it be this one! Jeff Straub, Professor of Historical Theology, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Plymouth, Minnesota Dr. Thomas Nettles is widely regarded as one of the foremost Baptist historians in our day, and rightfully so. His research is scholarly, his theology is lofty, and his heart for the church is clear. In his new book, Living by Revealed Truth – The Life and Pastoral Theology of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the “Prince of Preachers,” whose pastoral labors transcend generations down to this present hour. Revered by many as the greatest preacher since the apostle Paul, readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon’s life and ministry. Whether a pastor or layman, this narrative of Spurgeon’s transcendent theology and enflamed passion for biblical truth will, most certainly, energize you in doing God’s work, God’s way, for God’s glory. Steven J. Lawson, Senior Pastor, Christ Fellowship Baptist Church, Mobile, Alabama Living by Revealed Truth is one of those rare gems of Christian biography: it places in your hands the life a great man, written by an outstanding historical theologian. The combination brings Charles Spurgeon's life and thought to life. Tom Nettles's portrait of Spurgeon is eminently personal, historically vivid and theologically rich. I recommend it to anyone interested in seeing how theology and ministry, gospel and life, can unite in a single narrative of a life lived for the glory of God. Robert Caldwell, Assistant Professor of Church History, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Forth Worth, Texas Pastors and elders, especially those mentoring young men for gospel ministry, will find Tom Nettles' Living By Revealed Truth to be a treasure of pastoral theology. Written winsomely and comprehensively, the book presents a remarkable picture of how C. H. Spurgeon embraced the whole of pastoral ministry, and how he continues to influence yet another generation of gospel workers through his legacy. Much more than a biography or a pastor's manual, Living By Revealed Truth sets forth the details of a gospel-centered ministry in ways that give contemporary ministers motivation and direction for every stage of pastoral work. Phillip Newton, Senior Pastor, South Woods Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee Charles Spurgeon was a once-a-century kind of preacher. He was a great gift to the church and through his writings and printed sermons, remains a great ally in the cause of Christ. That so many biographies about him have appeared since his death in 1892 is a testimony to his lasting influence. Like the other great Christian leaders in church history, Spurgeon was a pastor-theologian. As such, all of his ministry was shaped by biblical theology with pastoral sensitivity. Tom Nettles demonstrates how Spurgeon gave himself to the work of the ministry with this kind of self-conscious commitment to be a theologian of the Word. That commitment, Nettles shows, caused Spurgeon to preach, teach and minister with a confessional fidelity. He was not ashamed to embrace the evangelical, Christ-centered Calvinism of his Baptist and Puritan forebears. In fact, he regarded that system of truth to be imminently biblical and powerfully practical for all of his pastoral work. What Nettles makes plain is that for Spurgeon, all theology is pastoral theology. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It should be widely distributed by all who love the gospel of God's grace that Spurgeon preached. Every pastor, ministerial student and those who work to train men for the ministry should carefully learn from the life and labors of Charles Haddon Spurgeon as Tom Nettles elucidates them. Nearly everyone who knows of Spurgeon admires him for his great accomplishments. Nettles helps us understand the theological underpinnings of those accomplishments. In doing so, the author, like his subject, has served the church well. Tom Ascol, Pastor, Grace Baptist Church, Cape Coral, Florida Despite his ongoing popularity, Charles Spurgeon has only recently begun to attract the serious attention he deserves. Tom Nettles' work now makes a major contribution to this growing appreciation of the man and his ministry. Mining neglected but important sources, he has given sharper definition to our picture of Spurgeon, and produced a highly stimulating and readable account. Michael Reeves, Head of Theology, UCCF; author, The Good God and The Unquenchable Flame Charles Spurgeon was the most influential preacher in the English-speaking world during the latter half of the nineteenth century. But he was also an influential Baptist pastor-theologian who saw himself as continuing the best of the older Puritan theological tradition. While numerous biographies of Spurgeon have been published over the decades, Spurgeon's thought normally receives short shrift from his biographers. This is why this new biography is so important. By focusing on Spurgeon's memoirs and published articles, Tom Nettles has filled an important gap in scholarship related to Spurgeon with this exhaustive intellectual biography of the Prince of Preachers. Many pastors and other casual readers will be encouraged by Spurgeon's commitment to a high view of Scripture and historic Baptist orthodoxy from a Reformed perspective. Scholars will be forced to reckon with Spurgeon the theologian as they pursue their own studies of the famed Victorian pastor. Nettles has spent his entire career promoting the recovery of a Spurgeonic theological vision among his fellow Baptists and other evangelicals. This fine biography will almost certainly contribute to that theological recovery. Nathan A. Finn, Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies, The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina It has long been my conviction that, despite the goodly number of Spurgeon biographies that have been written since the Baptist preacher’s death in 1892, there really is lacking a definitive study that not only takes account of his remarkable ministry and the inspiring details of his life, but also adequately deals with the theology of the man. Finally, in this work by my dear colleague Tom Nettles, a sort of magnum opus upon which he has labored for many years, is justice done to not only Spurgeon the man and preacher, but also to Spurgeon the theologian. Here is an “all-round” study of Spurgeon that provides us with a fully reliable, substantial examination of an extremely important figure in the life of Victorian Evangelicalism and the world of that era. In the words of a command given to Augustine, whom Spurgeon rightly regarded as an ancient forebear of key aspects of his theology, Tolle lege (“Take it up and read!”)—and you will be blessed. Michael A.G. Haykin, Professor of Church History & Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky Tom Nettles writes that his aim in compiling this biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon was to probe deeply the great preacher’s pastoral theology. However, may I may be so bold as to suggest that, as a result of his painstaking years of exhaustive research, Dr. Nettles has given the church a treasure even greater than that? This biography chronicles in well-documented detail Spurgeon’s unwavering commitment to the authority and inerrancy of Scripture, his passionate exposition of the gospel doctrines of grace, his unquenchable zeal for the salvation of the lost, his undying desire to relieve the suffering of the poor, and his amazing perseverance through immense personal suffering of many kinds. While few figures in church history have enjoyed gracious spiritual gifts from the Lord in the same abounding measure as Spurgeon, Dr. Nettles reveals to us a man who nevertheless can be for all Christians – not just pastors – a marvellous example of Christian faithfulness we all might pray God would enable us to emulate. May it please the Lord, through the widespread reading of this biography, to inspire thousands of Christian men and women to seek from God’s grace the sort of white-hot evangelistic zeal and unshakeable biblical commitments that were so characteristic of the pastoral ministry of Charles Haddon Spurgeon! Stephen E. Farish, Pastor LIVING BY REVEALED TRUTH The Life and Pastoral Theology of Charles Haddon Spurgeon TOM NETTLES Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Copyright © Tom Nettles 2013 ISBN 978-1-78191-122-8 book ISBN 978-1-78191-273-4 ePub ISBN 978-1-78191-274-4 Mobi First Published in 2013 in the Mentor Imprint by Christian Focus Publications, Geanies House, Fearn, Ross-shire, IV20 1TW, Scotland, U.K. www.christianfocus.com Cover design by Daniel Van Straaten All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior per-mission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In the U.K. such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6-10 Kirby Street, London, EC1 8TS. www.cla.co.uk. eBook production by Oxford eBooks Ltd. www.oxford-ebooks.com CONTENTS PREFACE INTRODUCTION 1. Birth to New Birth 2. Made for Gospel Ministry 3. The Metropolitan Tabernacle 4. Preaching the Whole Counsel 5. Theological Method and Content 6. Spurgeon’s Message of Christ’s Atoning Sacrifice 7. The Challenge of Church Life and the Governance of Worship 8. The Gospel is Evangelism 9. Use of Evangelists 10. Theological Foundations for a Benevolent Ministry 11. Personal Theory and Preferences in the Production of Godly Literature 12. Literature about Right, Wrong, and Truth 13. Theology and Controversy 14. Destroyed or be Destroyed 15. The Downgrade Conflict 16. Spurgeon and Baptists in America 17. Sickness, Suffering, Depression 18. Conduct in the Face of Death SCRIPTURE INDEX SUBJECT INDEX

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