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How Do You Know?

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A big question that many of us grapple with has to do with assurance, or knowing that we have a relationship with Christ.  Here’s how Andrew Fuller gave counsel to his daughter in a letter:

If, you dear, you do really enjoy the presence of God, and so see the greatness of your sin as to abhor it and yourself on account of it, that is certainly an evidence that God has chosen you out of the world.  If there be any doubt in the matter, it is whether those feelings which you enjoy be excited by the Lord’s presence, and whether the sense you have of the greatness of your sin does lead you to bewail and hate it.  I do not mean to discourage you, or to suggest as if I thought otherwise; but it may be well for you to suspect your own heart, which is deceitful.  I may add, that if you think you “see yourself a great sinner,” it may in part be because you at present know but little of yourself.  You are a much greater sinner, my dear, than you are aware of; and an interest in the dying love of Christ is of far greater importance that you have ever yet conceived.  But let not this discourage you.  Though your sins be as scarlet, yet the blood of Christ is sufficient to make you pure as snow.  The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin.  Believe his gospel, commit your soul to him as a perishing sinner, and you will be everlastingly saved.  See Isaiah 1:18; 1 John 1:7; 2 Timothy 1:12.  Follow on to know the Lord, and you shall know him.  Call upon him in the name of Christ, that is, pray him to pardon and accept of you, and grant all your petitions, not for your worthiness’ sake, for you are utterly unworthy; but for the worthiness’ sake of his dear Son, who died for sinners. [1]

There is so much godly counsel and wisdom in these words.  Notice that Fuller isn’t to give even his own daughter assurance apart from Christ.  It’s there, and only there, that our confidence and worthiness is found.  So, how do you know?  Do you know Christ and His sacrifice for sinners?

[1] Andrew Fuller, “Letter 13: To Mary Fuller,” in The Armies of the Lamb: The Spirituality of Andrew Fuller, ed. Michael Haykin. (Dundas, Ontario: Joshua Press, 2001), 135-136.

Reading Your Own Heart (as a pastor)

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I’ve been blogging through a sermon by Andrew Fuller entitled “Spiritual Knowledge and Love Necessary for the Ministry” from John 5:35 (Post 1, Post 2), and I’ll wrap up my thoughts with this post.  I’ve highlighted in previous posts how much I appreciate this sermon, but there is one part that stuck out to me in the end of this sermon.  In applying what this looks like for his listeners, he encourages them to read the lives of good men, to study and pray over the Word, to life the life of a Christian, and commune with God in private.  These are all excellent counsel, but it was this word that especially penetrating:

Read men, as well as books, and your own heart, in order that you may read others.  Copyists, you know, are generally bunglers.  There is nothing that equals what is immediately from the life.  We need always be making our observations, wherever we are, or wherever we go.  If we get a system of human nature, or experience, or any thing else, from books rather than from our own knowledge, it will be liable to two disadvantages.  First, it is not likely to be so near the truth; for systems which go through several hands are like successive copies of a painting, every copy of the preceding one is more unlike the original–or like the telling of a tale, the circumstances of which you do not know of your own personal knowledge: every time it is repeated there is some variation, and thus it becomes further removed from the truth.  Thus Agrippa showed his wisdom, when, instead of depending on the testimony of others, he determined to hear Paul himself.  Secondly, if it be correct, still it will not be so serviceable to you as if it were a system of your own working.  Saul’s armor might be better than David’s sling; but not to him, seeing he had not proved it.  

What’s Fuller getting at in this quote?  As helpful as books may be, if we spend too much time in them, it might begin to distort reality.  We must live life, attend to our own hearts and work at the application of truth ourselves.  There are so many applications here from not preaching someone else’s sermons or relying too heavily on commentaries to failing to apply and have a tender heart.  It’s often been my experience that those pastors who lay the heavy load on people aren’t too great at applying things in their own heart.  Those sermons with the ripest application for my hearers tend to be when I have worked hard to apply this to my own heart first.

I commend this sermon to you for reading again.  I have a PDF I’d be happy to email you if you click on the link at the top right of my blog.  Thanks.

A Heart Warmed with Divine Things

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Building on a post I introduced last week from Andrew Fuller‘s sermon “Spiritual Knowledge and Love Necessary for the Ministry” (again, available as a free PDF if you email me), I wanted to show you how Fuller compels ministers to act by wrapping up this first section.  A quick reminder: under the first heading Fuller is helping us see that in the great work of preaching the Gospel, we need to understand the character of God, Christ, as Mediator, human nature as God intended, human nature depraved and finally how human nature is sanctified by the Spirit.  It’s so easy for many pastors to say “Yes” to this.  Fuller feels this and right at this moment, says:

“You will need also, my brother, a heart warmed with Divine things, or you will never be ‘a burning and a shining light.’  When we are thinking or preaching, we need to burn, as well as shine. When we study, we may rack our brains, and form plans; but unless ‘our hearts burn within us,’ all will be a mere skeleton–our thoughts mere bones; whatever be their number, they will be all dry–very dry; and if we do not feel what we say, our preaching will be poor dead work.  Affected zeal will not do.  A gilded fire may shine, but it will not warm.  We may smite with the hand, and stamp with the foot, and throw ourselves into violent agitations; but if we feel not, it is not likely the people will–unless, indeed, it be a feeling of disgust.  But suppose there be no affectation, nor any deficiency of good and sound doctrine; yet if in our work we feel no inward satisfaction, we shall resemble a millstone–preparing food for others, the value of which we are unable to appreciate ourselves.  Indeed, without feeling, we shall be incapable of preaching any truth or of inculcating any duty aright.  How can we display the evil of sin, the love of Christ, or any other important truth, unless we feel it?  How can we preach against sin, without feeling a holy indignation against it?  It is this that will cause us, while we denounce sin, to weep over the sinner.  Otherwise, we may deal in flings and personalities; but these will only irritate; they will never reclaim.  O! if ever we do any good in our work, it must be the effect of love to God and love to men–love to the souls of men, while we detest, and expose, and denounce their sins.  How could Paul have pursued his work with the ardour and intenseness which he manifested, if his heart and not burned with holy love” [1]

Sorry about the long quote there, but it is so needed even in our day and age.  The reason we don’t preach with power is due, in part, to not having our own hearts affected by spiritual life.  So, what Fuller is calling us to here isn’t just some fakity emotional thing.  He’s calling us to have our hearts so burn as we consider the realities we preach that we do, indeed, burn AND shine.  I can tell the difference in my own preaching when my heart is affected by what I’m preaching and when it’s not (and, obviously, Fuller’s point is the people I serve can tell this too).  There are many applications but here’s a couple of summaries:

For Pastors: wrestle with truth until you burn and have something to preach, then, unleash.

For Church People: pray that your pastor’s heart would be affected by his study.

I have one more insight from this sermon that really affected me, coming soon…

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[1] Andrew Gunton Fuller, “Knowledge and Love Essential To Ministry” in The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc., ed. Joseph Belcher, vol. 1 (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1988), 480-481.

Pastors Need Spiritual Knowledge and Love

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I’m slowly plodding through Andrew Fuller‘s sermons and came across one that really resonated with a lot of what I think about the work that pastors are called to do.  This sermon was an ordination sermon that Fuller preached for a young minister’s ordination on John 5:35 — “He was a burning and a shining light.”  It’s entitled “Knowledge and Love Essential to the Ministry.” [1]  I’d be happy to send a PDF of this short 5 page sermon to anyone who emails me (upper right corner of my site).  The call that Fuller gives is to live out the qualities of spiritual light and holy love in the work pastors do.

The simple outline:
Spiritual light and holy love are the qualities which Christ here commends…
I. In the great work of preaching the Gospel.

A) How necessary is it to understand in some good degree the holy character of God!
B) A knowledge of Christ, as the Mediator between God and man, is necessary.
C) A knowledge of human nature as created is necessary.
D) A knowledge of human nature as depraved is necessary.
E) A knowledge of human nature as sanctified by the Spirit is necessary.

II. In presiding in the church of God.

III. In the more private duty of visiting the people.

IV. In your whole demeanor through life.

a few things which Fuller found of use to conduce to these ends:
1) Read the lives of good men
2) Study the Word of God, above all other books, and pray over it.
3) Read men, as well as books, and your own heart, in order that you may read others.
4) Live the life of a Christian as well as a minister.
5) Commune with God in private.
6) Holy forth the word of life, not only by precept, but by a holy practice.

More to come on this sermon later…

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[1] Andrew Gunton Fuller, The Complete Works of Andrew Fuller: Memoirs, Sermons, Etc., ed. Joseph Belcher, vol. 1 (Harrisonburg, VA: Sprinkle Publications, 1988), 478-482.