How Many Questions Do You Need Answered Before You Will Believe in Christ?
Jan 1, 2015 1697
by Charles Spurgeon
Do not stop away from Christ, when you know yourself to be a sinner, because you think you do not understand every point of theology.
Very often I get young converts with me, and they say, “I do not understand this or that doctrine.” Well, I am very glad, so far as I am able, to explain it to them. But sometimes I get, not young converts, but young convicts, those who are under Conviction of sin; and when I am trying to bring them to this, that if they are but sinners they may believe in Christ, they begin with this knotty point, and that knotty point—and they seem to imagine that they cannot be saved till they are thorough theologians.
Now, if you expect to understand all theology before you put your faith in Christ, I can only tell you you never will; for live as long as ever you may, there will be some depths you cannot explore. There are certain unquestionable facts which you must hold; but there will always be some difficulties through which you will not be able to see.
The most favoured saint on earth does not understand everything; but you want to understand all things before you come to Christ. One man asks me how sin came into the world, and he will not come unto Christ till he knows that. Why, he will be lost beyond hope of recovery, if he waits till he knows it; for nobody will ever know it. I have no reason to believe that it is even revealed to those who are in heaven.
Another wants to know how it is that men are bidden to come,—and yet we are taught in Scripture that no man can come,—and he must have that cleared up; just as if the poor man who had a withered arm, when Christ said, “Stretch out thine arm,” had replied, “Lord, I have got a difficulty in my mind; I want to know how you can tell me to stretch out my arm when it is withered.”
Suppose when Christ had said to Lazarus, “Come forth,” Lazarus could have said, “I have a difficulty in my mind; how can a dead man come forth?” Why, know this, vain man! when Christ says “Stretch out thine arm,” he gives you power to stretch out your arm with the command, and the difficulty is solved in practice; though I believe it never will be solved in theory.
If men want to have theology mapped out to them, as they would have a map of England; if they want to have every little village and every hedgerow in the gospel kingdom mapped out to them, they will not find it anywhere but in the Bible; and they will find it so mapped out there that the years of a Methuselah would not suffice to find out every little thing in it.
We must come to Christ and learn, not learn and then come to Christ.
“Ah! but,” saith another, “that is not the ground of my misgivings; I do not perplex myself much about theological points; I have got a worse anxiety than that: I feel I am too bad to be saved.” Well, I believe you are wrong then; that is all I can say in reply to you; for I will believe Christ before I will believe you.
You say you are too bad to be saved; Christ says, “Him that cometh he will in no wise cast out.” Now, which shall be right? Christ saith he will receive the very worst; you say he will not. What then? “Let God be true, and every man a liar.”
– Charles Spurgeon, from “An Appeal to Sinners”
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