The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon Quotes

“You cannot have Christ for your Savior unless you also have Him as your Lord.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“May I beg you carefully to judge every preacher, not by his gifts, not by his elocutionary powers, not by his status in society, not by the respectability of his congregation, not by the prettiness of his church, but by this—does he preach the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation?”43”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“If we want revivals, we must revive our reverence for the Word of God. If we want conversions, we must put more of God’s Word into our sermons.”8 His gospel preaching was grounded”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“He who has ceased to learn has ceased to teach. He who no longer sows in the study will no more reap in the pulpit.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“Miracles of grace must be the seals of our ministry; who can bestow them but the Spirit of God? Convert a soul without the Spirit of God! Why, you cannot even make a fly, much less create a new heart and a right spirit.”48”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“Souls must be converted here, and if there be not many born to Christ, may the Lord grant to me that I may sleep in the tomb and be heard of no more. Better indeed for us to die than to live, if souls be not saved.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“Though he considered himself a staunch Calvinist, Spurgeon asserted, “I believe nothing merely because [John] Calvin taught it, but because I have found his teaching in the Word of God.”2 He further stated: “‘Calvinism’ did not spring from Calvin; we believe that it sprang from the great Founder of all truth. Perhaps Calvin derived it mainly from the writings of Augustine. Augustine obtained his views, without doubt, through the Spirit of God, from the diligent study of the writings of Paul, and Paul received them of the Holy Ghost, from Jesus Christ.”3”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“As I wrestled through these issues, I walked into the seminary bookstore one day to browse among the books. On this occasion, I noticed several volumes of sermons by Charles Spurgeon. Curious, I pulled one off the shelf and began reading. Quite frankly, I was not prepared for what I found. As I pored over the pages, I found message after message dripping with the biblical truths of sovereign grace. But at the same time, each message was on fire with evangelistic fervor, as Spurgeon pleaded with sinners to be saved. Never had I read anything like this. These sermons were like an electric current running through my soul. They shocked my senses and enlightened my mind.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“While some who do not hold to Spurgeon’s view of the doctrines of grace might wonder how he could be a Calvinist and yet be evangelistic, Lawson clearly demonstrates that the prince of preachers was a bold evangelist precisely because of his Calvinism.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“Spurgeon was once asked how he could reconcile the apparent contradiction between these two truths. He replied: “I never have to reconcile friends. Divine sovereignty and human responsibility have never had a falling out with each other. I do not need to reconcile what God has joined together.”2”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“No man will preach the gospel aright who does not wholly believe it.”5”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“There is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified unless we preach what is nowadays called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the Gospel and nothing else. I do not believe that we preach the Gospel unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah, nor do I think we can preach the Gospel unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend the Gospel which allows saints to fall away after they are called.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“To preach the gospel is to proclaim with trumpet tongue and flaming zeal the unsearchable riches of Christ Jesus, so that men may hear, and understanding, may turn to God with full purpose of heart.30”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“the truths of sovereign grace emboldened these men to further the cause of Christ on the earth. This fact should not surprise us, as history reveals that those who embrace these truths are granted extraordinary confidence in their God. With an enlarged vision of Him, they step forward and accomplish the work of many men, leaving a godly influence on generations to come. They arise with wings like eagles and soar over their times in history. Experientially, the doctrines of grace renew their spirits and empower them to serve God in their divinely appointed hours.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon

“Unless the Holy Ghost blesses the Word, we who preach the gospel are of all men most miserable, for we have attempted a task that is impossible. We have entered on a sphere where nothing but the supernatural will ever avail. If the Holy Spirit does not renew the hearts of our hearers, we cannot do it. If the Holy Ghost does not regenerate them, we cannot. If He does not send the truth home into their souls, we might as well speak into the ear of a corpse.”
― Steven J. Lawson, The Gospel Focus of Charles Spurgeon