John Newton, The Gap Between What Christians Know and How They Live
Today, another letter from John Newton’s Cardiphonia (Voice of the Heart). He writes to the same nobleman as in his first letter. This time his subject is the sad (but common) disparity between a Christian’s knowledge and his practice. Newton has clearly thought deeply about these things and has experienced this discrepancy in his own life. Near the end of his letter he gives some key insights as to why God allows us to keep sinning when he could prevent us from doing so. This letter is an encouragement to any Christian who has ever felt the tension that Paul so meaningfully described in Romans chapter 7.
April 1766
My Lord,
I will make good use of your permission to fill my letter to you. I'd like to write about a subject that has been on my heart a great deal of late—the remarkable and humbling difference between what Christians know and how they live. I suppose that all Christians who know themselves well have noticed the difference between their acquired knowledge and their experiential knowledge, between their judgment and their practice.
When you hear a Christian speak about the evil of sin and the emptiness of the world or hear him talk about the love of Christ, the beauty of holiness, and the importance of eternity, you would think he could never possibly give in to temptation. He can give other people strong reasons for being watchful, for praying, for being patient in trials, and submitting to God's will. This would lead you to believe that he could also teach himself and influence his own behavior! But we know how things really are.
Consider someone who got up from his knees even before he left his bedroom for the morning—a poor, beggarly, imperfect, and dependent creature—who knew that he wasn't even worthy to breathe the air or see the light. Yet before the day is over, many situations will have revealed the corruption of his heart and have shown how weak his best principles and convictions are when put to the test.
When looked at in this way, how vain mankind is! What a contradiction a believer is to himself! He is called a believer because he happily assents to the Word of God; but sadly, how often he is unworthy of the name. If I were to use the words of Scripture to describe a believer, I would say that he is someone whose heart is thirsty for God, his glory, and his presence. His affections are fixed upon a Savior that he cannot see, and his treasures (and therefore his thoughts) are settled in heaven, past the limits of human sense. He has been forgiven many things, so he is full of compassion to everyone he meets. He has been deceived by his own heart many times, so he no longer trusts it. Instead, he lives by trusting in the Son of God for wisdom, righteousness, and sanctification; and he obtains from him grace upon grace. He is aware that without his Savior he cannot even think one good thought. In short, using the words of Scripture, a believer is dead to the world, to sin, and to self, but alive to God and active in his service. Prayer is his breath, the Word of God is his food, and the Christian ordinances are more precious to him than the light of the sun.
On the other hand, if I were to describe a believer based on what we commonly see—especially at some times, how different the picture would be! Although he knows that communion with God is his highest privilege, he too seldom finds that it is. On the contrary, if he was not compelled by duty, conscience, and necessity, he would leave the throne of grace unvisited from day to day. He picks up his Bible, aware that it is the fountain of life and true comfort; yet it may be that even while he is thinking this, he begins to feel a secret distaste for it, and he puts down his Bible to pick up a newspaper. He doesn't need to be told that everything under the sun is vain and uncertain, yet his heart rises or falls because of a mere trifle—no different than those who have their portion in this world. He says that he believes that all things will work together for his good, and that the the most high God appoints and adjusts and overrules everything that concerns him; yet he feels fear, anxiety, and displeasure arise as though the very opposite were true. He knows that he is ignorant and prone to being tempted by a thousand falsehoods, yet he is easily betrayed into self-conceit. He feels that he is an unprofitable, unfaithful, and unthankful servant, so he is embarrassed to admit that he secretly desires the esteem and praises of men; even so, he cannot suppress that desire. Finally (for I cannot go on forever), on account of these and many other inconsistencies, he is struck speechless before the Lord and stripped of every hope and plea except that which is provided by the free grace of God; yet his heart constantly leans toward and returns to a covenant of works.
Two questions naturally come as we think about these things. First, How can these things be, or why are they permitted? Since the Lord hates sin, teaches his people to hate it and cry against it, and has promised to hear their prayers, how is it that they continue to live with these inconsistencies, burdened by these cares? Surely if he could not or would not overrule evil for good, then he would not allow it to continue. By allowing us to live with these paradoxes, he teaches us to more truly know and feel the utter depravity and corruption of our nature, that we are truly defiled in every part. For the same reason, his method of salvation is also made exceedingly dear to us; we see that it is and must be of grace, completely of grace. We see that the Lord Jesus and his perfect righteousness is and must be our all in all. Likewise, his power in maintaining his own work, in spite of our infirmities, temptations, and enemies, is displayed in the clearest light. His strength is made known in our weakness.
Satan is also more clearly disappointed and put to shame when he finds that there are limits that he cannot pass which are set to his rage and his policies. He is dismayed that those in whom he finds so much to work upon, and over whom he so often prevails escape from him in the end. He casts them down, but they are raised up again. He wounds them, but they are healed; he obtains his desire to sift them like wheat, but the prayer of their great Advocate prevails to keep their faith from failing.
Furthermore, believers learn by degrees how to warn, pity, and bear with others because of what they feel in themselves. A soft, patient, and compassionate spirit, and quickness and skill in comforting those who are cast down may not be attainable in any other way. Lastly, I think that nothing more consistently reconciles a child of God to the thought of death than the wearisomeness of this warfare. Death is unwelcome to nature, but only at death will the conflict cease. Then we will sin no more. The flesh, with all its evils, will be laid in the grave; then the soul, which has been a partaker of a new and heavenly birth, will be freed from every burden and stand perfect in the Redeemer's righteousness before God in glory.
Secondly, even though these evils cannot be completely removed, it is worth asking how they can be mitigated. Scripture gives us encouragement that this, at least, is possible. The Word of God directs and enlivens us to growth in grace. Although we can do nothing spiritually by ourselves, there is still a part that has been assigned to us. We cannot conquer the obstacles in our way by our own strength; yet we can give way to them, and if we do, it will be our sin and our sorrow. There have been many discussions about the inherent ability of mankind in salvation; for my own part, I think it is safe to use scriptural language. The apostles exhort us to give all diligence to resist the devil, to purge ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, to give ourselves to reading, meditation, and prayer, to watch, to put on the whole armor of God, and to abstain from all appearance of evil. We will undoubtedly be given increased measures of light, faith, strength, and comfort if we are faithful to light we have received, if we have a sincere desire to conform to the means that are prescribed in the Word of God, and if we live with humble dependence on the sprinkled blood and the promised Spirit. We shall know, if we follow on to know the Lord.
I do not need to tell you that I am an unscripted writer. From the very first paragraph I forgot to consider who I was writing to. But I am now reminded of your position, and close my letter with the greatest deference.
