CONCERN FOR OTHER MEN’S SOULS – Charles Spurgeon
Concern for Other Men’s Souls
“I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that I were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsman according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom pertains the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” Romans 9:1-5.
The Intensity of Paul’s Character
What an intense man Paul was! Once convinced, his whole nature moved in the direction he judged to be right. He was wholehearted when he persecuted the church of God, and he was equally whole-hearted when, afterwards, he labored with all his might to build up the church that he had sought to destroy. Oh, how I wish we were all as thorough in the service of our Lord! The pity is that so many professing Christians appear to have no heart, while others borrow a heart for certain occasions, but do not seem to keep one permanently beating within them.
O for a warm, engine-like heart, all consecrated and forever pulsing mightily!
What a change was wrought in Saul of Tarsus. The man who was so ardent a persecutor became so fervent a preacher! His conversion is one of the clearest proofs of the divinity of Christianity. The study of the story of Paul was the means of Lord Lyttleton’s conversion. Lyttleton, intending to expose it as a hoax, read Paul’s story, while his friend Gilbert West was simultaneously investigating the resurrection of our Lord with the same objective. They both experienced a change of heart, and together they united in the conviction that the Bible is the Word of God.
Dr. Johnson said of Lyttleton’s Observations upon the Conversion and Apostleship of St. Paul, “It is a treatise to which infidelity has never been able to fabricate a specious answer.
The Providential Timing of Paul’s Conversion
Consider the renowned conversion of Paul. It was singularly providential that at the very time the church needed a man with remarkable education, noble purpose, and knowledge of Jewish and Greek literature, Paul was called out from the world and placed at the forefront of the battle for Christ. Truly, he could say that he was not a whit behind the very chief of the apostles, though, in his humility, he considered himself nothing.
No name in the Christian church can be spoken with greater honor, after that of our glorious Master, than Paul’s. He was indeed a wise master builder. When you remember what he was by nature, you will marvel at the extraordinary change of thought and feeling wrought in him.
He who was cruel to the saints, who gave his voice against Stephen and held the garments of those who stoned him, became tenderhearted as a nurse towards her child. Though his Jewish brethren terribly persecuted him, there is no trace of resentment in any of his writings; he was filled with gentleness. The lion had become a lamb, and he who once breathed out threats now breathed out prayers! He who had seemed to burn with enmity became a flame of love.
A Personal Challenge for Us
Before we proceed, pause for a moment and consider this question—has such a change been worked in you? Perhaps you have never been a blasphemer or a persecutor as Paul was, but if you are converted, there will have been a very wonderful change in you. Old things will pass away, and all things will become new. Do you feel that change? Do you recognize it in both your inner and outer life? If not, you must be born again. Unless you are converted and become like little children, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
Paul’s Role as a Preacher
After reading this passage, we might be struck by how wonderfully tender and loving Paul must have been as a preacher. One of the early church fathers was known to say that he wished he could have seen Solomon’s temple in its glory, Rome in its prosperity, and Paul preaching. I think the last would have been the grandest sight of all. Oh, to have heard him speak! His words might have shamed us into deeper earnestness.
Though Paul’s oratory may not have been astonishing in mere rhetoric—some said his speech was contemptible—it must have been wonderfully powerful on the heart. His speech abounded in sighs and tears, and his evident emotion made his discourses irresistible. He must have spoken from a burning heart, sending red-hot bolts of fiery words that poured out like lava from a volcano.
Brother, if you are called to preach the gospel, let Paul be your model. We never preach aright unless we pour out our inmost souls. If we are indifferent to the salvation of our hearers, we might as well be asleep. We will teach them to be indifferent if we ourselves are indifferent. To preach with the urgency of the angels ringing in our ears, anxious for the salvation of our hearers, is the Pauline style. The eloquence of Demosthenes and the oratory of Cicero are nothing compared to the style of Paul, who caught the spirit of his Master.
The Object of Paul’s Anxiety
Now, let us turn to the text and examine the persons for whom Paul expressed such profound anxiety. First, we need to address who these people were.
The Enemies of Paul
These people were, first and foremost, his worst enemies. The name of Paul brought the blood into the face of a Jew; it stirred rage. Over forty Jews bound themselves with an oath to slay him, and wherever he went, the whole Jewish community seemed to be moved by the same hatred. They detested him, viewing him as an accursed apostate from the faith of his fathers.
Yet, despite the violent opposition, Paul’s response was one of love and prayer. “I have continual heaviness,” he said, “and sorrow of heart for my kinsmen according to the flesh.” He did not retaliate. Instead, he prayed for those who persecuted him. This is a lesson for us: if we meet with opposition in following Christ, we should respond with love, just as Paul did.
Paul’s Concern for His Family and Neighbors
These people, for whom Paul was so deeply concerned, were also his kinsfolk according to the flesh. Charity must begin at home. If we do not care for our own household, we are worse than heathens. Do you desire the salvation of your family? Do you pray for them earnestly? Is your neighbor still outside of Christ? Are you interceding for their salvation?
Our love for others must not just extend to distant lands and people, but also to those nearest to us. Think of your home, your neighborhood, and your country. Paul’s prayer for his countrymen teaches us not to forget those closest to us in our spiritual endeavors.
Privileges of the People Paul Prayed For
Next, let’s consider that these people were privileged. They were Israelites, and thus had access to a host of spiritual privileges. Many of you, too, are highly favored. You may not be Israelites, but you have been raised in godly environments, surrounded by Christian influences. For you, the path of righteousness is smoother, and many forces beckon you to walk in it.
Yet, despite these advantages, we tremble for you, lest you, with all your privileges, reject the gospel. You are born under the light, but may refuse to see it. Let us, therefore, pray for you, that you do not ignore the grace and mercy available to you.
The Glory and Adoption Given to Israel
The Israelites were also given the adoption of God. They were called “my first-born,” as God declared, and received unique privileges as a nation. Similarly, the nation we live in today has experienced God’s favor in many ways. We have access to the gospel and are blessed with the free proclamation of the Word. But such privileges also come with great responsibility.
Paul mourned for those who had been so blessed yet still rejected the gospel. If you are among those who hear the gospel, but turn away, it is a sad thing indeed.
The Most Dangerous Sin: Rejecting Christ
Finally, we see that Paul’s concern for these people was exacerbated by their great sin—the sin of rejecting Christ. The most damning of iniquities is to refuse the Son of God. Rejecting Christ is worse than rejecting the law. It is a direct insult to God’s love.
Many people today still prioritize external religiosity over faith in Jesus Christ. They may attend church, participate in religious rituals, but refuse to accept the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus. This, Paul knew, was the greatest of all sins.
The Tragedy of Being Lost Forever
The ultimate tragedy for those who reject Christ is eternal separation from God. Paul’s heart broke for those who would face this fate, especially those who had received so many privileges. We must not allow ourselves to be so complacent about the eternal destinies of those around us.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we must share the apostle’s concern for the souls of others. Our hearts must burn with a desire for the salvation of those around us. Let us be deeply moved by the thought of souls lost forever and carry this burden in our prayers and actions. The gospel message is urgent, and we are called to respond with the same intensity and compassion that Paul demonstrated throughout his ministry.
May the Lord plow your soul deep, dear friend. If He means you to be a soul-winner, He will. May the plowers make deep furrows upon your heart, as once they did upon your Master’s back. You are not fit to carry souls on your heart until it has been bruised with grief for them. You must feel deeply for the souls of men if you are to bless them.
The Nature of Paul’s Gracious Feeling
Paul’s feeling was very gracious. It was not an animal feeling, or a natural feeling; it was a gracious feeling, for he says, “I say the truth in Christ.” When he was nearest to his Lord, when he felt most his union with Christ and communion with Him, then he felt that he mourned over men’s souls. It was truth in Christ that he was expressing, because he was one with Christ. He had a love for sinners because his very soul was knit to Christ. He had heaviness such as his Master knew when He also was very heavy, and sweat great drops of blood in Gethsemane, in the day of His passion.
A Work of the Spirit
O beloved, we need the Spirit of God to work this feeling in us. It is of no use to try to get it by reading books, or to pump yourself up to it in private. This feeling is the work of God. A soul-winner is a creation. Just as a Christian has to be created, so out of a Christian, the soul-winner must be fashioned. There has to be a careful preparation, a softening of the soul to make the worker know how naturally to care for the welfare of others.
Paul had been trained and qualified for soul-saving work. He says that his conscience bore him witness that he spoke the truth, and then he says the Holy Spirit bore witness with his conscience. May we have such a manifest love for sinners that we can ask the Holy Spirit to bear witness that we have it.
The Danger of Impure Motives
Brothers, sisters, I am sometimes afraid that our zeal for conversion would not stand the test of the Holy Spirit. Perhaps we want to increase our denomination or enlarge our church for our own honor. Or perhaps we want to get credit for doing good, or to feel that we have power and influence over others. None of these motives can be tolerated. Our concern for souls must be worked in us by the Holy Spirit. It must come irresistibly upon us and become a master passion.
The Natural Love for Souls
Just as the birds, when the eggs are in the nest, have upon them what the Greeks call a fondness—a natural feeling that they must sit on those eggs and feed the little fledglings which will come from them—so if God calls you to win souls, you will have a natural love for them, a longing worked in you by the Holy Spirit. Your entire being will run out in that direction, seeking the salvation of men.
Paul’s Great Heaviness and Sorrow
Then the apostle goes on to say that he had great heaviness—not just heaviness, but great heaviness. Was he, therefore, an unhappy man? By no means. He had great joy in other things, though he had great heaviness on this point. We are many men in one, and each man is a very complicated piece of mental machinery. We can be in great heaviness and in great exultation at the same time.
Whenever Paul’s thoughts turned towards his brethren, a great heaviness came upon him. It bore him down, and he would have sunk under it if it had not been for sustaining grace. “O God,” he said, “shall my nation perish? Shall my people die? Shall my kinsmen be anathema? Shall it come to this, that they shall hear the gospel in vain and perish, after all?”
He had great heaviness, and he tells us that this did not come on him at times, but that he always felt it whenever his thoughts turned that way. He had “continual sorrow in my heart.” In his very heart, for it was not a superficial desire. A continual sorrow, for it was no fitful emotion. It always grieved him to think that his kinsmen should reject Christ. He thought of Jerusalem and its doom. He thought of his brethren and their unbelief, and then he thought of how they had been the enemies of Christ, and sorrow filled his heart.
The Powerful Expression of His Sorrow
I could wish that in full many a professor the same sorrow reigned, for then there would be much more holy work done for souls. The strongest expression which Paul uses is that which is contained in the third verse: “For I could wish that I were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” The margin reads, “Separated from Christ.”
Now this text has so puzzled the expositors that they have done their very best to kill it and tear out its heart to get rid of its obvious meaning. They have invented all kinds of interpretations, such as that he did once wish himself separated from Christ. Now, do you think the apostle Paul would have begun by saying, “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not,” and so on, if after all that mountain of expression, he was going to bring out this little insignificant sense, that once upon a time he also wished to be separated from Christ?
Understanding Paul’s Heartfelt Expression
Besides, the Greek does not bear such a preposterous rendering. Our version has given as fully as it could the meaning of the apostle. The gentlemen who like to dissect texts and pull them to pieces say, “Well, but he could not have wished to be an enemy to Christ, an enemy to God, and to be lost, and yet he could not be lost without being an enemy to Jesus.”
My dear friends, if you take passionate expressions to pieces with icy hands, you will never understand anything that comes from the heart. Of course, the apostle never thought of wishing that he could be an enemy to Christ. But he did sometimes look at the misery that comes upon those who are separated from Christ until he felt that if he could save his kinsmen by his own destruction—yes, by himself enduring their heavy punishment—he could wish to stand in their place.
He did not say that he ever did wish it, but he felt as if he could wish it when his heart was warm. His case was parallel with that of Moses when he prayed the Lord to spare the people and said, “If not, blot my name out of the Book of Life.” Do you think he wished it done? No. It was because that blotting out would have been the most horrible thing imaginable that he went even to that length for the good of his people.
Because the last thing the apostle could have thought of was being separated from Christ, he says there were times when he could even have borne that most horrible, unthinkable thing, if he could but have saved the people.
The Role of Zeal and Passion in Ministry
Is there a minister of Christ who has not sometimes used expressions which cool logic could never justify? Why, sirs, love knows nothing of grammar even in its common talk. A true passion grinds words to dust. When the heart is full of love, even the boldest hyperboles are simple truths. Extravagances are the natural expression of warm hearts, even in ordinary things. When a man’s whole soul gets to seething like a caldron and boiling like a pot, with sympathy and pity for men who are being lost, he speaks what in cold blood, he never would have said.
Extravagant Love for the Lost
What the cool doctrinalist pulls to pieces and the critic of words regards as absurd, true zeal nevertheless feels. Some of us have felt at times that our lives would have been cheaply spent a thousand times over by the bloodiest and most cruel deaths if we could save our hearers. And there have been moments of passion when we have been ready to say, “Ah, if even my destruction could save them, I could almost go that length.”
This is Christ’s method. “He saved others, Himself He could not save.” It may be an extravagance in us, since we are not able to redeem our brothers and sisters or give God a ransom, but it is a blessed extravagance. Men are extravagantly prudent nowadays, extravagantly dubious, extravagantly profane, and some of them extravagantly able to deny what their conscience must know is true. They may therefore well permit the minister of Christ to be extravagant in his love for others.
The Spirit of Selflessness in the Work of Soul-Winning
I like a bit of hyperbole in our hymns. For instance, I admire the extravagance of that verse of Addison’s:
“But, oh, eternity’s too short
To utter half His praise.”
A gentleman said to me, “That cannot be, because eternity cannot be short, and therefore it cannot be too short.” If the Lord had put a drop of poetry into that critic’s nature, he would not have dealt so harshly with the poet’s language. And if the same Lord had put a little of the fire of grace into the nature of some hard-headed commentators, they would have understood that this passage is not meant to be dissected but to be taken boiling hot and poured upon the enemy after the fashion of the olden times when they poured melted lead or boiling pitch upon the besiegers.
The Heart of a Soul-Winner
Such a text as this must be fired off red-hot. It spoils if it cools. It is a heart business, not a head business. The apostle means us to understand that there was nothing which he would not suffer if he might save his kindred according to the flesh.
The Excellence of the Spirit of Soul-Winning
Well, now, I close my sermon by speaking upon the excellences of this spirit, because I pray the Lord to work it in each of you. I wish all felt it, but there are generally some in every church who will never warm up to the right point. If we could once get the whole church up to blood heat, we might be content. I never want you to get to fever heat, but to blood heat—the heat of the blood of Christ—to love as He loved. Oh, to get there and to stay there!
The Result of Feeling as Paul Did
What would be the result if we all felt as Paul did? The first effect would be likeness to Christ. After that manner He loved. He did become a curse for us. He did enter under the awful shadow of Jehovah’s wrath for us. He did what Paul could wish, but could not do. He passed under the awful sword that we might be delivered from its edge forever.
Willingness to Sacrifice for Souls
Brethren, I want you to feel that you would pass under poverty if you could save souls better by being poor. That you would gladly endure sickness if from your sick bed you could speak better for Christ than now. Yes, and that you would be ready to die, if your death might give life to those dear to you.
I heard of a dear girl the other day who said to her pastor, “I could never bring my father to hear you, but I have prayed for him long, and God will answer my request. Now, dear pastor,” she said, “you will bury me, won’t you? My father must come and hear you speak at my grave. Do speak to him. God will bless him.” And he did, and her father was converted. The death of his child brought him to Christ.
The Selfless Spirit in Evangelism
Oh, to be willing to die if others may be saved from eternal death! God give us just such a spirit as that. This should be our constant feeling. How else can we become like Christ? If we have this spirit, it will save us from selfishness.
Loving Others and Overcoming Selfishness
They say—but it is a great falsehood—that we teach people to look after their own salvation, and then, being saved, we bid them wrap themselves up in self-content. Was anything ever spoken more contrary to fact? We do urge men to seek to be saved from sin. How can they bear to abide in it? But the first instinct of a saved soul is to long to bring others to Christ.
The Importance of a Loving Spirit
Yet, brethren, lest there should grow up in your spirit any of that Pharisaic selfishness which was seen in the elder brother in the parable, ask to feel a heaviness for your prodigal younger brother, who is still feeding swine. Pray for him that he may come to his father’s house. It will keep your soul sweet if you open the window of sympathy and let the heavenly air of love blow through you. This will save you from any difficulty about forgiving other people.
Overcoming Grievances and Troubles
I do not suppose that Paul forgave the Jews for what they did to him because he never went the length of thinking that he had anything to forgive. He loved them so much that he took their ill usage without anger or resentment. He loved them, therefore, he bore with them. You will bear with those who scoff at you, and you will put up with the idleness of the boys and girls in your class if you love them.
The Cure for Petty Worries
Love mankind with all your soul, and you will feel no difficulty in exercising patience, forbearance, and forgiveness. This spirit will also keep you from very many other griefs. Some people are always fretting for need of something to fret about. No people are more uneasy than those who have nothing to do and nothing to think about. Such persons keep a little growlery in the house and use it as a trouble factory where they invent grievances.
Deliverance from Petty Sorrows
There are people I know of who ought to be as merry as the birds of the morning, and yet they are always worrying and stewing about nothing at all. Now, the best way to kill one grief is to introduce another. John Foster wrote of the expulsive power of a new affection, and I want you to experience it. Get love for the souls of men, and then you will not be whining about a dead dog, or a sick cat, or about the quirks of a family and the little disturbances that John and Mary may make by their idle talk.
Transforming Our Lives through Love for Souls
You will be delivered from petty worries if you are concerned about the souls of men. When certain persons come to me with their sentimental sorrows, I wish the Lord would fill them with the love of souls and make their hearts break with anxiety for their conversion. Then their griefs would be of a nobler sort. You would no longer weep over a molehill if you began to move mountains.
Becoming a Blessing to Others
These thoughts of Paul about his brethren cause us to feel that we too may make our lives sublime if in our hearts there shall burn the same ardent affection toward our fellow men. If you are moved by this feeling, it will put you much upon prayer. You will bring one and another before God because you cannot help it. That is the right style of praying—when a man does not pray at a set time because it is his rule, but prays because he has an awful weight upon him, and pray he must.
A Call to Action and Prayer
You cannot force yourself to this, but when the Spirit of God has brought you to it, you will pray day and night for those whom you love. As you go down the road, something will suggest your praying for them. The very oaths and blasphemies so common in our streets will make you pray for sinners. A gracious meeting where some are saved will move you to prayer. A thousand things will lead you to pray, and that prayer will lead you to effort—to proper and fitting effort.
Speaking to Souls with Love
It is wonderful how a man can talk to souls when he loves them. If any one of you should say, “I do not feel any particular concern about other people’s souls, but still I will look out for somebody and speak to him,” you will fail in it, brothers and sisters. You must love before you can plead. You must have such a concern for a man that you feel—even if you could not say anything, still you could put your hand on his shoulder and blurt out, “Friend, I am concerned about your salvation.”
The Power of Concern and Prayer
The evident concern of your spirit will be one of God’s ways of touching the hearts of others. I suppose His Spirit has used deep emotion more than almost any other instrument in arousing careless minds. Now tonight, a good many of our friends are away, for the lawful claims of business detain them at this season. I hope that you who have come here on such a week evening are among those who aspire to the highest things in the kingdom of God. Do so, I pray you. They are all before you and within reach, and among them, aspire after great sensitiveness as to others.
Let Other Men’s Sins Grieve You
Let other men’s sins grieve you. Let their eternal destiny be often on your mind. No better spur can be needed. You will labor for their good in proportion as you feel for them. I do not think that I can ask a better thing for the unconverted than that the converted may be in heaviness over them. We long to see many inquirers coming forward. Very well, inquiring saints always bring inquiring sinners. “For this will I be inquired of by the house of Israel”—not by the sinners first of all—but “by the house of Israel, to do it for them.”
A Call to Inquire and Serve
My brethren, go and inquire at the Lord’s hands, and then you will soon prove a blessing to others.