Spurgeon’s Theology on Holiness, Humility, and Salvation Doctrines; Part 3-
Reflective Writing Assignment
William C. King
CHMN 679: Capstone Seminar
February 15, 2026
Contents
Humility and Holiness.....................................................................................................................1
Scriptural Doctrines from Spurgeon Texts.......................................................................................2
Follow-Up From Part 2....................................................................................................................2
Bibliography....................................................................................................................................3
ii
1
Humility and Holiness
Spurgeon pastored the largest and wealthiest church in London. He saw exponential
growth in his membership. Yet, still Spurgeon remained humble. His mentality rested around: “I
fear lest God should forsake me, to prove that he is the author of salvation—that it is not in the
preacher, that it is not in the crowd, that it is not in the attention I can attract, but in God, and in
God alone.”1 He was clear in his sermons that holiness was not some advanced level of Christian
life but rather a direct result of what salvation produced.2 Christ alone provided salvation and
through salvation one is made holy. Holiness stemmed from a life where the Holy Spirit was
operating.
Setting up Pastor’s College, Spurgeon held that the gospel of Christ must be paramount
in the ministry. He would equip and teach to send people out to proclaim the gospel to the
world. Further, he held the belief that education was solely used to make preachers more
efficient and effective in their calling.”3 The Pastor’s College would stress “Christ crucified,” as
Paul taught the Corinthian church. (1 Cor. 1:23, 2:1-5).The reasoning for this conviction was the
importance of the call of ministry. Furthermore, this developed confidence and boldness in the
gospel which could be preached and taught to others.
In particular in my ministry context, this is paramount. Being the pastor of a church
carries its own weight. Yet, even in the struggle the call remains. Share the Gospel with all who
will listen. The gospel of Christ crucified is the basis for any other theology which will be taught.
Without a personal relationship with Christ, the knowledge of salvation one receives is merely
knowledge for knowledge’s sake. Furthermore, evangelism and discipleship are two very
important areas which are highly lacking in most churches. “Two decades ago, an average of
42% of U.S. adults attended religious services every week or nearly every week. A decade ago,
1 Rod Earls, Spurgeon’s Theology for Multiplying Disciples and Churches: The Story of How Spurgeon and
the Metropolitan Tabernacle Followed Christ (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022), 87.
2 Charles H. Spurgeon. Sermons of the Rev. C.H. Spurgeon. Boston, Massachsetts: Gould and Lincoln, 1860.
3 Rod Earls, Spurgeon’s Theology for Multiplying Disciples and Churches: The Story of How Spurgeon and
the Metropolitan Tabernacle Followed Christ (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2022), 97.
2
the figure fell to 38%, and it is currently at 30%.”4 With steady decline, the needs become
astronomical for equipping people to share the gospel.
Scriptural Doctrines from Spurgeon Texts
Spurgeon had a good understanding of the doctrines of grace, election, Christ and the
cross, the Holy Spirit, love, and faith. As ministry progresses and continues, the depths of
scripture need to be taught. In his description of grace, he professed the total depravity of
humanity and their lack of ability to save themselves yet the election of God’s choosing to show
Himself to people was directly impacted by that grace. It is only through the crucifixion of Christ
that this is made possible therefore it must be the central figure of every message preached.
Furth more, the Holy Spirit must be integrated into everything attempted for Christ. Love must
be involved in every action, thought, word, and deed that a minister accomplishes because that
is how Christ died for us, in His love for us. Finally, he addressed how faith was the method by
which God’s blessings flowed: salvation by faith (Eph. 2:8), blessings through faith (Heb. 11), and
prayer of faith (Jam. 5:15). Everything must be a natural flow from total reliance on God.
Follow-Up From Part 2
This final section is a reflection on the most influential note on my last paper was. Dr.
Earl’s stated, “the lost need good "Christian doctors" who will lovingly operate on their hearts to
remove the cancer of sin through sharing the Cross of Jesus (Rom. 10:14-15).” The reason this
becomes the most influential and meaningful for me is simple. Having served in a pastoral
capacity already, I have witnessed brokenness. I have served in both Aurora, Colorado and
Sedalia, Missouri, both of which are high crime rates and drug cities and in South Korea. One
avenue where we have functioned and seen great results was in dealing with addictions.
Through prayer, mentorship, and nothing else but the grace of God to orchestrate those, I have
4 Jeffrey M. Jones. "Church Attendance Has Declined in Most U.S. Religious Groups." Gallup Poll Socil Series. March
25, 2024. https://news.gallup.com/poll/642548/church-attendance-declined-religious-groups.aspx (accessed
February 12, 2026).
3
watched drug addicts sober immediately and delivered from their addiction, porn addicts
delivered in under 90 days, and alcoholics as well as prostitutes change their lifestyles and set
free by God’s grace. That is why both my master’s degree is focused on counseling and my
dissertation for my doctorate is planned for discipleship. “Operation” as it were, is continuous in
this sense through discipleship.
Bibliography
Earls, Rod. Spurgeon Chapters 3 Overview. Lynchburg, Virginia, 2023.
—. Spurgeon’s Theology for Multiplying Disciples and Churches: The Story of How Spurgeon and
the Metropolitan Tabernacle Followed Christ. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock , 2022.
Jones, Jeffrey M. "Church Attendance Has Declined in Most U.S. Religious Groups." Gallup Poll
Socil Series. March 25, 2024. https://news.gallup.com/poll/642548/churchattendance-
declined-religious-groups.aspx (accessed February 12, 2026).
Spurgeon, Charles H. Sermons of the Rev. C.H. Spurgeon. Boston, Massachsetts: Gould and
Lincoln, 1860.
Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)
