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

by Tom Nettles

Overview

Tom Nettles has spent more than 15 years working on this magisterial biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the famous 19th century preacher and writer. More than merely a biography it covers his life, ministry and also provides an indepth survey of his theology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781911228
Publisher:	Christian Focus Publications
Publication date:	09/20/2013
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	700
Product dimensions:	7.40(w) x 9.40(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Tom Nettles is Senior Professor of Historical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky.

Table of Contents

Preface 9

Introduction 11

1 Birth to New Birth 19

2 Made for Gospel Ministry 57

3 The Metropolitan Tabernacle 105

4 Preaching the Whole Counsel 137

5 Theological Method and Content 179

6 Spurgeon's Message of Christ's Atoning Sacrifice 227

7 The Challenge of Church Life and the Governance of Worship 243

8 The Gospel is Evangelism 279

9 Use of Evangelists 317

10 Theological Foundations for a Benevolent Ministry 339

11 Personal Theory and Preferences in the Production of Godly-Literature 393

12 Literature about Right, Wrong, and Truth 429

13 Theology and Controversy 471

14 Destroyed or be Destroyed 507

15 The Downgrade Conflict 541

16 Spurgeon and Baptists in America 579

17 Sickness, Suffering, Depression 595

18 Conduct in the Face of Death 633

Scripture Index 667

Subject Index 669

What People are Saying About This

David S. Dockery - President

... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers,"... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography.

R. Albert Mohler - President

... 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.

Sam Storms - Lead Pastor

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.

Sam Storms ~ Lead Pastor

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.

R. Albert Mohler ~ President

... 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.

David S. Dockery ~ President

... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers,"... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography.

Steven J. Lawson - President

Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the "Prince of Preachers,"... readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon's life and ministry.

Michael A. G. Haykin - Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality

... 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.

From the Publisher

... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers,"... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography. ~ David S. Dockery (President, Trinity International University, Deerfield, Illinois)

Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the "Prince of Preachers,"... readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon's life and ministry. ~ Steven J. Lawson (President, OnePassion Ministries and Professor of Preaching,The Master's Seminary, Sun Valley, California)

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013. ~ Sam Storms (Lead Pastor, Bridgeway Church, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma)
•.. 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. ~ Michael A. G. Haykin (Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)
•.. 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 (President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)

Steven J. Lawson ~ President

Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the "Prince of Preachers,"... readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon's life and ministry.

Michael A. G. Haykin ~ Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality

... 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.

Editorial Reviews

... 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.

(President

... worth its weight in gold. Do read, mark and learn to the profit of your soul and to the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ whom Spurgeon served so well.

English Churchman

... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers,"... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography.

David S. Dockery(President

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.

Sam Storms(President

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.

As the title suggests, this massively researched biography of Charles Haddon Spurgeon is more than a biography. It is also an exami­nation of how Spurgeon's foundational adherence to the doctrine of the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures, along with the attendant doctrines of inerrancy and sufficiency, guided every aspect of his life and ministry. Spurgeon was born in 1834 and died in 1892. His all-too-brief lifespan is lov­ingly chronicled by Nettles.

Alan Pontier

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!

Professor of Historical Theology Central Baptist Theological Seminary Plymouth

... one of those rare gems of Christian biography: it places in your hands the life of 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

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

In my opinion, when one combines the scope of this biography with its intention to instruct its readers in a vision of ministry that glorifies God, it will not only break fresh ground on the life of Spurgeon, it will also set a new standard for how to write biographies.

Dave Jenkins

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.

Nathan A. Finn

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

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

Tom Nettles has produced a fine and very valuable study of Spurgeon the pastor and teacher. This is a volume that will be of great interest not only to historians but to pastors and all those concerned for the spread of biblical truth and gospel life.

Robert Strivens- Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.

Sam Storms(Lead Pastor

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

... a monumental work. It combines the best features of a Christian biography and a pastor's manual in an eminently readable style, with meticulous attention to detail.

Peace and Truth Magazine

... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers,"... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography.

David S. Dockery

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.

Sam Storms

... 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

Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the "Prince of Preachers,"... readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon's life and ministry.

Steven J. Lawson

... 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.

Michael A. G. Haykin

... for those growing to appreciate the man and wanting to get a real handle on him, and who are eager for and able to digest a thorough review of his life, this is the place to go.

Evangelical Times

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

Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the "Prince of Preachers,"... readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon's life and ministry.

Steven J. Lawson - President

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.

Sam Storms - Lead Pastor

... 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 - President

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.

Nathan A. Finn - Dean of the School of Theology and Missions and Professor of Christian Thought

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.

Nathan A. Finn - Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies

... 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.

Michael A. G. Haykin - Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality

... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers,"... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography.

David S. Dockery - President

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.

Nathan A. Finn ~ Dean of the School of Theology and Missions and Professor of Christian Thought

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. ~ Nathan A. Finn (Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies, The Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forest, North Carolina)

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)

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. (Associate Vice President of Academic Resources, Librarian and Professor of Church History, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)

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 (Professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)

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)

It is impossible to do justice to a large book of this nature within the scope of a review article. The book is remarkable, at last, for the wide scope of subjects with which it deals: the nature of the gospel, the nature of the ministry, the method and content of theology, as well as more personal aspects of Spurgeon's life, such as Spurgeon in controversy and Spurgeon on sickness and death. ~ Iain D. Campbell
•.. a monumental work. It combines the best features of a Christian biography and a pastor's manual in an eminently readable style, with meticulous attention to detail. ~ Peace and Truth Magazine
•.. worth its weight in gold. Do read, mark and learn to the profit of your soul and to the praise of the Lord Jesus Christ whom Spurgeon served so well. ~ English Churchman

Of the making of books about Spurgeon there is obviously no end, but this one enters the list as one of the best. This is a book to read and digest, to meditate and come back to- a monumental and well documented tome on one of the finest preachers. ~ Evangelicals Now

Tom Nettles has produced a fine and very valuable study of Spurgeon the pastor and teacher. This is a volume that will be of great interest not only to historians but to pastors and all those concerned for the spread of biblical truth and gospel life. ~ Robert Strivens- Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
•.. for those growing to appreciate the man and wanting to get a real handle on him, and who are eager for and able to digest a thorough review of his life, this is the place to go. ~ Evangelical Times

In my opinion, when one combines the scope of this biography with its intention to instruct its readers in a vision of ministry that glorifies God, it will not only break fresh ground on the life of Spurgeon, it will also set a new standard for how to write biographies. ~ Dave Jenkins (Director Servants of Grace Ministries)

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)

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 (Theologian at Large, Wales Evangelical School of Theology, Bridgend, Wales)
•.. one of those rare gems of Christian biography: it places in your hands the life of 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)

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)

From the Publisher

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

... 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 ~ President

... 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.

Michael A. G. Haykin ~ Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality

This is certainly deserving of the best book of 2013.

Sam Storms ~ Lead Pastor

Nettles presents the ministerial brilliance of the "Prince of Preachers,"... readers will be encouraged and edified by this engaging account of Spurgeon's life and ministry.

Steven J. Lawson ~ President

... Nettles has given us an immense and monumental portrait of almost every aspect of the life of "the prince of preachers,"... educational, edifying, and enjoyable to read, this massive work is a masterful contribution to Baptist history and Christian biography.

David S. Dockery ~ President

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.

Nathan A. Finn ~ Associate Professor of Historical Theology and Baptist Studies