It is a very great fault in any ministry if the doctrine of justification by faith alone is not most clearly taught. I will go further and add that it is not only a great fault, but a fatal one, for souls will never find their way to Heaven by a ministry that is indistinct upon the most fundamental of Gospel truths. We are justified by faith, and not by the works of the Law. The merit by which a soul enters Heaven is not its own—it is the merit of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am quite sure that you will all hold me guiltless of ever having spoken about this great doctrine in any other than unmistakable language. If I have erred it is not in that direction. At the same time, it is a dangerous state of things if doctrine is made to drive out precept, and faith is held up as making holiness a superfluity.

Sanctification must not be forgotten or overlaid by justification. We must teach plainly that the faith which saves the soul is not a dead faith, but a faith which operates with purifying effect upon our entire nature and produces in us fruits of righteousness to the praise and glory of God.

It is not by personal holiness that a man shall enter Heaven,

but yet without holiness shall no man see the Lord.

It is not by good works that we are justified,

but if a man shall continue to live an ungodly life his faith will not justify him—for it is not the faith of God’s elect—since that faith is worked by the Holy Spirit and conforms men to the image of Christ.

We must learn to place the precepts in their right position. They are not the base of the column—they are the capital of it. Precepts are not given to us as a way to obtain life, but as the way in which to exhibit life.

The commands of Christ are not upon the legal tenor of, “do this and live,”

but upon the Gospel system of, “live and do this.”

We are not to be attentive to the precepts in order to be saved but because we are saved.

Our master motive is gratitude to Him who has saved us with a great salvation.

I am sure that every renewed heart here will feel no opposition to the most holy precepts of our Lord. However severely pure that Law may seem to be which we have just now read from this fifth chapter of Matthew, our hearts agree with it and we ask that we may be so renewed that our lives may be conformed to it.

The regenerate never rebel against any precept, saying, “This is too pure.” On the contrary, our new-born nature is enamored of its holiness and we cry, “Thy Word is very pure, therefore Thy servant loveth it. O that my ways were directed to keep Thy statutes.” Even though we find that when we would do good, evil is present with us, yet our inmost soul longs after holiness and pines to be delivered from every evil way.

At any rate, dear Friends, if it is not so with you, you may well question whether you are, indeed, the children of God.

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A Call to Holy Living, A sermon delivered on Lord’s Day Morning,

January 14, 1872,

by the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington.

“What do you do more than others?” (Matthew 5:47)

Read/Listen to the whole of this most Christ exalting sermon on living in holiness for God in this Christian life, in pdf, in mp3.

I am yet again indebted to dear Mr. Spurgeon. It always is a blessed thing to be reminded of that which we are called to be, “Holy and separated unto His name.” But to most of us the “How” and the “Why” seems so far off! We wouldn’t know how to start though in our hearts we want to live holier for God. Though we want to we don’t really have the conviction to die to self and take up our crosses, because fundamentally we don’t really know in our hearts and minds why we should strive so far and deep to be holy.

Ah, I love it how C.H. Spurgeon says it so plainly and richly:

“Our master motive is gratitude to Him who has saved us with a great salvation.”

If we finally understood that fact, mortification of sin and living a holy life will fall into place. Gratitude for the infinite worth of Christ who has saved us with so great a salvation!