Charles Spurgeon Writes On Everlasting Consolation

Charles H. Spurgeon

Quoting Charles H. Spurgeon on 2 Thessalonians 2:16:

“Consolation.” There is music in the word: like David’s harp, it charms away the evil spirit of melancholy. It was a distinguished honor to Barnabas to be called “the son of consolation”; nay, it is one of the illustrious names of a greater than Barnabas, for the Lord Jesus is “the consolation of Israel.” “Everlasting consolation”-here is the cream of all, for the eternity of comfort is the crown and glory of it. What is this “everlasting consolation”? It includes a sense of pardoned sin. A Christian man has received in his heart the witness of the Spirit that his iniquities are put away like a cloud, and his transgressions like a thick cloud. If sin be pardoned, is not that an everlasting consolation? Next, the Lord gives His people an abiding sense of acceptance in Christ. The Christian knows that God looks upon him as standing in union with Jesus. Union to the risen Lord is a consolation of the most abiding order; it is, in fact, everlasting. Let sickness prostrate us, have we not seen hundreds of believers as happy in the weakness of disease as they would have been in the strength of hale and blooming health? Let death’s arrows pierce us to the heart, our comfort dies not, for have not our ears full often heard the songs of saints as they have rejoiced because the living love of God was shed abroad in their hearts in dying moments? Yes, a sense of acceptance in the Beloved is an everlasting consolation. Moreover, the Christian has a conviction of his security. God has promised to save those who trust in Christ: the Christian does trust in Christ, and he believes that God will be as good as His word, and will save him. He feels that he is safe by virtue of his being bound up with the person and work of Jesus. (Morning and Evening Devotions)

John Quincy Adams On The Salvation Of Our God

John Quincy Adams

Quoting John Quincy Adams – 6th U.S. President:

“The hope of a Christian is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth. Never since the foundation of the world have the prospects of mankind been more encouraging to that hope than they appear to be at the present time. And may the associated distribution of the Bible proceed and prosper till the Lord shall have made ‘bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God’ (Isaiah 52:10).” (Life of John Quincy Adams, p. 248)

What is a Christian?

What do we understand a person to mean when he says, “I am a Christian”? Does it mean he was baptized the last time he was in church? Does it simply mean he agrees with the general principles of Christianity? Could he mean that he often attends church on Sunday or is a member of a church? What is a Christian? When someone tells you that he is a Christian, how do you know if he really is? In my youth, if someone (rarely) told me he was a Christian, I just thought “OK. Whatever!” Generally, I did not see “Christians” acting any differently from anyone else. I thought, in general, that most Christians were hypocrites. All I understood about Christianity was that Christians are supposed to be “good”.

Are you a Christian? What is it that makes you a Christian? Can you explain it to me? Being a Christian doesn’t require great intelligence. However, many of the most intelligent people I have met are Christians. When I read about the lives of Christians who lived in earlier centuries, I am amazed at their devotion to God. Today, very few Christians seem to live consistently in His presence as these men did. Instead of experiencing the presence of Christ, it seems that modern man has settled for the pretense of Christ. What is the difference? What makes a real Christian?

Again, in my youth, I thought that becoming a Christian was like joining a club. You make a decision to join the club and then you agreed to abide by club rules. Then, at the age of 31, I discovered this was not the case at all. I discovered that instead of a club, it was really an all-encompassing kingdom which I never would have even seen except for the Holy Spirit coming into my life. What is a Christian?

Do you believe in the supernatural? You must first be supernaturally changed. According to Jesus Christ, “unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) Your life is quite literally filled with a new kind of life in Christ. As Paul says, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) What is a Christian?

Do you believe the Bible? A Christian must believe that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God. If a person does not believe the truth of the entire Bible, this person cannot define himself as a Christian. The Bible is not simply a source of information; it is the source for transformation. So, what is a Christian?

Have you received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord over all your life? You once were a slave to sin. Are you now adopted as a son of God? “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17) “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name [Jesus] under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) The question of your salvation is the most important personal question you will face in this life. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your only means of salvation and Lord over all you think, do, and say; including whatever circumstances you now face, then you are not a Christian and I urge you with all my heart to get on your knees and pray for God’s mercy on your life, and that you might know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord! Are you a Christian? When was the last time you examined your heart and life to decide if you really are a Christian?