Latest / Reformed Thinking / The Bible Tried and Proved (Psalm 12:6) | Charles Spurgeon

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The Bible Tried and Proved (Psalm 12:6) | Charles Spurgeon · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking and our show The Deep Dive.
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It's good to be here. Our mission, as always, is to
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sift through, well, stacks of material, articles, research
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notes, and really pull out the most valuable insights.
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We want to help you get well informed without feeling, you
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know, completely buried in information.
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Think of it as a shortcut, maybe a way to grasp a topic from
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different angles, picking up those surprising facts that tend
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to stick with you. Exactly.
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And today we're diving deep into the thinking of Charles Haddon
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Spurgeon. Specifically, we're looking at
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his sermon. The Bible Tried and Proved.
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Right. He really zeroes in on Psalm 12,
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verse six. You probably know it.
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The words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a
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furnace of earth, purified 7 times.
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OK, so let's intact this. We're going to look at what
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Spurgeon actually meant by the purity of God's Word.
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And how it's been tested, you know, proved both through
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history and importantly, in our own daily lives.
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And then what kind of claims does this, well, extraordinary
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book make on us, on you? Our aim is really to help you
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grasp the lasting value of Scripture, just as Spurgeon saw
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it. Sounds good, where do we start?
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Well, Spurgeon begins by placing Psalm 12 in a quite a striking
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context. The psalmist is lamenting,
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right? Society seems to be declining.
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He says. The godly man ceaseth the
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faithful fail from among the children of men.
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Yeah, you can picture it. A world filled with human
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boasting, people talking over each other, threats, just empty
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words everywhere. So in an environment like that,
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where do you find solid ground? I mean, how do you find any
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reassurance when things feel like they're falling apart?
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And what's really compelling is how Spurgeon points out that the
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psalmist found comfort not in human chat, not in politics, but
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specifically in the words of the Lord.
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He puts a beautifully saying the psalmist quit the arena of
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controversy for the green pastures of revelation.
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It's kind of like Noah, you know, shut inside the ark safe,
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no longer having to see or fear the chaos outside.
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That's a great image. It suggests a sanctuary, doesn't
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it? A secure refuge right there in
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God's written words. Almost like a faithful friend
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when maybe other friendships are well, absent or letting you
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down. Exactly.
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Surgeon implies that when everything around you seems
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unstable, there's this one stable place you can always turn
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to. So his advice then, if you find
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yourself where the truths you hold dear are just ignored or,
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you know, surrounded by falsehoods?
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Turn back. Turn back to the prophets and
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apostles. Hear what God speaks through
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them. He argues that, well, earthly
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voices are full of deception, but the word from heaven is
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genuinely pure. And this isn't just some
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abstract idea for him. He suggests making God's Word
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your daily companion. Something to actually fortify
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your spirit against what he called the false doctrine of the
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hour. Like a shield or maybe like
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daily bread for the soul. Especially when there's a
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spiritual famine going on around you.
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Precisely. Which brings up a really
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interesting coat when he tackles Why words?
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Why did God choose words? Yeah, it is a bit of a marvel,
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isn't it? The infinite God choosing to use
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well words like we do. Think about it, he could speak
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worlds into being. He commands storms with just a
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word, yet Spurgeon says he Stoops to speak to us by words.
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That word Stoops is key. It's not reluctance, it's
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deliberate condescension. God coming down to our level,
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wanting to communicate in a way we can actually grasp.
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It really speaks to his personal interest in making himself
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known, doesn't it? On our terms.
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And this ties into something Spurgeon really championed,
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verbal inspiration. Now, when he said that, he
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wasn't just talking about God giving, you know, general ideas
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or concepts to the Bible writer. No, not at all.
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He was much more specific. He said we bless the Lord for
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verbal inspiration and quotes. Job.
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I have esteemed the words of thy mouth more than my necessary
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food. Wow, so he believed we need a
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plain revelation, something we can truly trust, right down to
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the very words used. Exactly, his argument was look,
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if only the meaning was certain but the words themselves were
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questionable, that would just lead to confusion, wouldn't?
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It How could you separate the true sense from iffy words?
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Right, he felt the meaning could just evaporate without that
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precision. It leaves you uncertain, right
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where you need certainty the most.
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For him, this wasn't just a nice belief to have, it was
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foundational for real faith. So his view was that these holy
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men of old, even though they use their own languages and styles,
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they were. Led by the Spirit of God to use
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words which were also the words of God, the Holy Spirit worked
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on their spirit, guiding them to choose the Lord's actual words.
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Which means we should treasure every one of them.
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Yes, he saw it as providing a concrete revelation, something
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solid you can base your faith on.
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It's quite different from views that suggest a looser kind of
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inspiration. Or maybe human error creeps in.
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For Spurgeon, if God is perfect, his communication has to reflect
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that perfection somehow. Makes sense, and that's a really
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vital point because it shapes how he saw Christ himself the
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Word made flesh. Ah, right, Christ's own words
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were from the Father too. Didn't Jesus say something like
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the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's which
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sent me? He did.
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Which puts Jesus right in that same pattern.
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He is human. Words carry divine authority.
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And this isn't just history. Spurgeon believed this
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continues. What God spoke thousands of
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years ago, He still speaks now, because his Word abideth
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forever. It's not some dusty old relic.
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It's a lie. Live, active speaking right now.
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And didn't Spurgeon also talk about the Holy Spirit making it
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personal? Yes, he talks about the Divine
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Word respoken in our souls by the Holy Ghost.
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That gives scripture a present inspiration.
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It's not just a historical text, it actively talks with us.
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Like having a conversation. Exactly, He mentioned how many
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people open their Bibles praying.
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Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth, and they close it,
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feeling like God did speak to them personally.
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Here am I, for thou didst call me.
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So it's God's direct word to your heart right now about your
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situation, offering guidance, comfort.
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Specific to you personal, alive and directly applicable today.
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OK, so that sets the stage really well.
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Let's move into the core quality Spurgeon highlights.
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He starts with the words of the Lord are pure words.
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What does that mean? Well, First off, it points to
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their uniform quality. He explains that all God's words
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are pure words, no exceptions. Even though they do different
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things, some teach, some comfort, some correct.
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Yes, and because of that he gives a strong warning against
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what he calls an evil habit, playing favorites within
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scripture. So you can't just pick and
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choose the Bics you like. Not according to Spurgeon.
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He felt the whole volume needed to be preserved and valued.
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Every part is indispensable, like every string on a finely
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tuned instrument. So if you only like the
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doctrinal bits but ignore the practical commands, Or maybe you
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prefer the New Testament over the old.
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He'd suggest you do not love God's word at all, which is
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pretty strong language. He believes both Old and New
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Testaments have equal authority and they actually illuminate
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each other. They shed light on each other.
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You can't really spare either one, right?
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And deliberately setting aside parts, even the historical bits
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or genealogies, he saw as sinning against the wholeness of
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Scripture. It's like saying you love a
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painting but only want to look at one corner.
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That makes sense. What about people who say, well,
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this is Christ's teaching, That's essential, but this over
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here is just Paul's opinion? Spurgeon tackled that head on.
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He said, look, if it's recorded in the Bible, it's from the Holy
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Ghost. Doesn't matter if it came
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through Isaiah or John or Paul, the authority is the same.
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The value of the truth doesn't change based on the human
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messenger. Exactly.
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He pointed out that even Jesus put himself on that level,
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saying his words were the Father's.
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So the words aren't lessened by the specific person God used.
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OK, now Spurgeon uses that powerful analogy from Psalm 12
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as silver tried in a furnace of earth purifies 7 times.
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How does he break that down? He uses it to illustrate 3
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dimensions of this purity. First, it's purity without evil.
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Like silver without dross impurities, base metals mixed
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in. Precisely.
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God's words are truth in the form of goodness without a
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mixture of evil, and he addresses the tricky part.
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What about the Bible stories that recount terrible things?
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You know, gross acts of criminality.
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Yeah, people sometimes struggle with those.
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Spurgeon's point is that these stories serve as a beacon and
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never a lure. They warn us like a lighthouse,
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worn ships off dangerous rocks. They don't tempt us toward evil.
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They highlight the consequences of sin and God's righteousness
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instead. Yes, he calls the Bible the
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cleanest, clearest, purest book extant among men, arguing it
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never in itself suggests anything evil to anyone.
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OK, that's the first dimension. What's the second?
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Purity without error. And this is where Spurgeon is,
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well, very firm. This is the infallibility point,
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right? Right, He believed there was no
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mistake whatever in the original Holy Scriptures from beginning
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to end. Now, he did acknowledge
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potential translation errors because translators aren't
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inspired in the same way. Correct.
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But he maintained that in the original text, even the
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historical facts are correct. He knew people raised doubts
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about historical accounts. Which still happens today,
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obviously. Oh, absolutely.
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But Spurgeon observed that over time, careful research,
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archaeology, manuscripts and scriptions tends to confirm the
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Bible's accounts, not refute them.
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Old manuscripts, coins and inscriptions are on the side of
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the book, he'd say. So he wasn't too impressed by
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the furnace of criticism. He often dismissed much of it as
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beneath contempt, arguing the criticism itself often proved
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weak when examined closely. His foundation was theological
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and omniscient. God cannot make a mistake and
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will not deceive. Which means every detail,
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genealogy's history, all of it, he held as accurate in its
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original form. Yes, and this had huge
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implications for him and he thought for us, he declared.
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If I did not believe in the infallibility of the book, I
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would rather be without. It that's a strong statement,
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why so absolute? He saw a real spiritual danger
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in US. Judging the book by our own
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standards, you start sifting it, picking what you accept based on
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your reason. And it stops being a reliable
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guide for you. Your own judgement becomes the
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guide. Exactly.
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Your guidance comes from your own limited understanding, not
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divine revelation. He rejected denying the Bible's
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faultlessness, only to then rely on the constantly changing
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judgments of men. He'd rather risk his soul with a
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guide inspired from heaven. Any.
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Compromise there felt like sliding into skepticism for.
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Him it did. OK, so that's purity without
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evil, purity without error, the third dimension.
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Purity without failure. This sounds like reliability.
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That's it. Absolute trustworthiness,
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especially regarding God's promises.
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No prediction of Scripture has failed.
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No promise that God has given will turn out to be near
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verbiage, just empty words. God is faithful to every jot and
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title, even the smallest detail. Because he is omnipotent, His
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words will be carried out. His power guarantees His
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promises aren't just wishful thinking.
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And Spurgeon testified to this personally.
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He did. He said he had not found one
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word of the Lord fall to the ground in his own life.
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Now, he admitted, fulfillment might seem delayed to our
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impatient minds. But it always happens to the
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right instant, God's perfect timing.
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Yes, he said, You may lean your whole weight upon any one of the
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words of God and they will bear you up.
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He even pictured relying on just one promise in the darkest hour
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and it having the power to turn midnight into noon.
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That's not just theory, it's an invitation to test it yourself.
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Absolutely. OK, so beyond purity, Spurgeon
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also talks about the preciousness of God's words,
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like refined silver or pure gold.
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Yeah, he uses his great analogy. He says they're not like paper
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money, you know, easily devalued or just representing something
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else. They are the metal itself, the
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solid money of truth. He tells that story about the
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cheese buyer right where the farmers wanted actual coins, not
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banknotes. Yes, because the metal itself
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had inherent value. That's how he saw God's words.
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Solid, tangible, inherently valuable.
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Utterly trustworthy in a world full of, well, flimsy promises.
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And for those with faith, he says, these words are the
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substance of things hoped for. The promise itself is as good as
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the performance. He calls them bullion pure
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uncoined metal, showing their intrinsic worth and they have
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1000 uses in daily life. Like different silver items in a
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house, each serving a practical purpose.
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Right, there's solid currency in the purse of your personal
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faith, ready to be used. And you can use them to deal
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with God by his promises. What does that mean?
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Bringing his own words back to him in prayer, pleading his
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promises, expecting him to act on them because he said he
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would. It's like using his currency and
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transactions with him. That's interesting.
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And he also calls them jewels in our glory.
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Yeah, bestowing the beauty of holiness on those who love and
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keep them. They're like ornaments that
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adorn your character, gifts from Christ that make a life shine
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with virtue. She tells that story about the
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German woman in her Bible. Oh right, the one who started
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marking just a few special passages.
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Yeah, but by the end of her life.
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The whole Bible was precious, marked from beginning to end by
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our experience, as he put it. It shows how the whole book
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becomes valuable as life unfolds, different parts
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speaking to different seasons. It reveals its comprehensive
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worth over time. OK, purity, preciousness.
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What's the last quality? Permanence, their lasting
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nature. Back to the silver analogy and
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during the hottest fires for ages.
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Exactly. God's Word has withstood
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everything thrown at it. Blasphemy by ridicule, by
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persecution, by criticism, and by candid observation.
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That furnace of Earth means it's been tested in the most severe
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ways imaginable. People using human scrutiny as
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the ultimate test, trying to find flaws.
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Right. Men with, as Spurgeon called it,
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diabolical skill, have tried to destroy the words of God with
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clever arguments and attacks. But the sacred book remains
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still what it always was, unscathed, intact.
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He conceded that human misconceptions about its meaning
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might perish in the fire of debate.
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But not the word itself. Not the word itself.
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It's been purified 7 times, meaning tested repeatedly,
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severely, yet it abides unchanged.
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It's truth just shines brighter after every attempt to dim it.
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So the take away for us today is the comfort our ancestors found
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is still available. Yes, the words that encourage
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them can encourage us. The support they had in youth
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can be our support in old age. The grass withereth, the flower
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fadeth. But the Word, our God shall
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stand forever. It's a truly firm foundation,
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especially for eternal hopes. You can't let anyone take that
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away from you. And Spurgeon anchors this
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stability in God himself. God is omniscient, no mistakes,
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omnipotent. His words will be fulfilled,
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immutable. His words never alter.
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They reflect his unchanging character.
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Unchanged, unchangeable and true.
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Right now, precise. OK, that covers the qualities.
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Now let's talk about how these pure words are actually put to
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the test. Spurgeon details.
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Lots of trials, right? Not just historical attacks, but
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everyday stuff. Yeah, he moves from the big
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historical picture to trials which have come under our own
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notice, Things maybe you, the listener have seen or
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experienced. So first the historical tests,
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the furnace of ages. Right, the testing by blasphemy,
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ridicule, persecution, criticism.
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He reiterates that it's passed through the hottest fires, and
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things like manuscript evidence and archaeology tend to confirm
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it. Even when doubt is cast, Much of
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the criticism he felt just didn't hold up.
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And this is where he brings up that shifty theology again, the
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idea the doctrines might change or be superseded by new
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discoveries. Yes, he says plainly.
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I cannot endure this shifty theology.
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He really longed for Christians with backbones, people who
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actually believed something enough to die for it.
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He asked that pointed question, Is it worth dying for a doctrine
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that might not even be true next week?
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Yeah, for him, if truth could just change with the next
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intellectual fashion, it wasn't worth basing your life, let
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alone your death, upon. He saw a lack of conviction in
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his day. OK, so those are the big picture
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tests. What about the commonplace order
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trials? The everyday experiences?
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Right, let's look at some of those situations where God's
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Word is really put to the proof in ordinary.
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First up, dealing with the sinner's obstinacy.
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Yes, people encased in the armor of prejudice, so stubborn you
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cannot be wounded with the sharpest arrows of argument.
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He calls the Mr. Obstinate. Might as well argue with a brick
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wall sometimes. Exactly.
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But Spurgeon says the Word of God, empowered by the Holy
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Spirit, can bypass all that it can speak with a commanding tone
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to their inmost heart, throwing open doors that no human
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persuasion could ever budget. Proud rebels yield.
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He saw it. He did.
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He'd seen people who love sin, hated godly things, suddenly be
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among the first to receive the Word simply because it's divine
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power broke through their defenses.
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He believed no mind is so desperately set on mischief that
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it cannot be made to bow before the capacity of the words of
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God. And his advice was to use the
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naked sword of the spirit. Meaning the pure, unadorned word
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itself. Don't dress it up too much, just
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proclaim it faithfully. He saw the Word as the Holy
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Spirit's battering ram against sin and self.
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It proves its divine power against the hardest hearts.
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So it's not just good advice, it's an active weapon in the
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Spirit's hands. That was his view.
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OK, second trial. Overcoming the penitence.
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Despair. So after conviction comes,
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sometimes there's this crushing terror, right?
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Despair over sin. Yes, where people are full of
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terror on account of sin, not just sadness, but this feeling
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like hell is started inside them and nothing can comfort them.
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A deep spiritual agony. What does the word do then?
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It offers free grace and full pardon.
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It speaks of a dying Savior and the Father's changeless love.
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Spurgeon testified that he'd seen the worst forms of
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depression cured when Holy Scripture is believed.
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Like a cup of consolation or a key opening prison doors.
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Exactly. It breaks the chains of fear and
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condemnation, offering a hope that really, nothing else can.
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OK, third one, this one's interesting.
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Meeting the Seekers Singularity. Isn't it fascinating?
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People feeling their case is totally unique, out of the way
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nobody like themselves in all the world.
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They feel like a strange fish, completely outside the norm.
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Which makes general advice feel useless to them, right?
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But Spurgeon says the Bible shows this infinite adaptation.
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It has a text to meet every remarkable and out of the way
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case. He compares it to a locksmith's
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or a white Smith's huge bunch of keys.
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There's a unique key for every peculiar lock.
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He even felt texts sometimes seemed written just for him.
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Yes, like a specific verse would stand out of the book and salute
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me saying I was written specially for you.
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It shows the divine author knows your specific situation, your
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needs, making this ancient book feel incredibly personal and
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timely. That's powerful.
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What's next? Comfort and sword trouble and
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affliction. This is where it gets very real
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for believers. Loss, slander, sickness,
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depression, the hard stuff of life.
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This is where faith is really tested.
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And Spurgeon appeals directly to experience here he.
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Does he says essentially look back at your life, you never
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wore high, but the word of the Lord was up with you and you
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never were low, but what the scripture was down with you?
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He has no child of God was ever in any ditch, pit, cave or
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abyss, but the words of God found him out.
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The promises often seem to lie in ambush to surprise us with
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their loving kindness right when we need the most.
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It shows the Bible isn't just historical help, it's present
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comfort, sustaining you through the deepest valleys.
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Precisely. Then there's guidance and
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perplexity and uncertainty. When you just don't know what to
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think or do, facing those impossible decisions, you pause
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and think what is the right course here?
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That's when the word acts as an Oracle to the symbol Hearted
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Man. It's the compass for all
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Mariners upon the sea of life. It helps you find where lies the
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pole, your true direction. Abide by the words of the Lord.
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Your way will be clear. Spurgeon believed you'll never
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be in Labyrinth so complicated that this book will not help you
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through. He urged people to use it more
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for practical guidance when human wisdom just runs out.
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Makes sense. How about preservation in times
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of temptation? The word acts as a preservative.
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He pictures it as a complete ring fence encircling a man in
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all directions, keeping you safe from danger on all sides.
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Protecting you when those subtle, strong temptations come.
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Yes, he boldly claimed, the devil himself cannot invent A
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temptation which is not met in these pages.
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Even if all the devils conspired, they couldn't devise
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something this book doesn't address.
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It reaches the believer in every condition and preserves him from
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all evil. And he connects it to that
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verse. Wherewithal shall a young man
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cleanse his way by taking heed thereto?
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According to thy word, it's the essential defense against
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spiritual attack. OK, the final Test he mentions
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is perhaps the biggest one. Death.
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The grand test. He says the word helps men to
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die and he's very realistic. It is no child's play to die.
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We all need strong consolation at that hour.
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It's the ultimate proving ground.
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And he shared personal examples. He did a sister dying of cancer,
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showing no murmurs nor fears, just a sweetly reasonable, quiet
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and assured hope. No hysteria, just calm rest.
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Another dying brother expressing actual joy to depart, saying
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he'd be ashamed to fear death after knowing the gospel.
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It shows how resting on that old and sure gospel makes passing
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from this world well. Not easy, perhaps, but not
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terrifying either. It.
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Provides comfort and certainty. Right of the threshold of
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eternity. OK, so we've seen the qualities,
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pure, precious, permanent. We've seen the trials it
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withstands. Now what does this mean for us?
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What claims does God's word make?
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What duties arise from this right?
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Given all that, Spurgeon lists several things required from our
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side, actions and attitudes flowing from the words nature
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and proven character. First, they deserve to be
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studied. He urges constant searching of
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inspired Scripture, even jokes that for some Christians the
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Bible would be like the freshest of novels, an entirely new book,
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if they actually read it. Ouch.
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He felt there was a real need for diligent readers.
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Desperately he lamented that for some believers, Holy Scripture
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is the least read book in their library.
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Think about that. The very voice of God unread.
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He tells that story about the preacher whose congregation
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thought the pure gospel was the newest thing out because they
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heard it so rarely. Exactly so.
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Spurgeon's charge is crystal clear.
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If you regarded as the book of God, study the Bible daily.
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Not doing so, he argues, is basically treating the eternal
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God with disrespect and failing to delight in his greatest gift.
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OK, study it. What else they.
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Deserve to be believed, Intensely believed.
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An intense belief of every word that God has spoken.
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Not just a dead creed. A list of things you not at.
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No, he wanted the Word to hold you as with an almighty hand,
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actively chopping your thoughts, your actions.
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He felt that until a doctrine becomes an absolute certainty,
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truly embraced, it has very little real influence on your
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soul. Have no controversy with any one
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of the Lord's words. Believe without a doubt.
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Yes, he shares that story about Doctor Priestley's brother being
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told not to be controversial. So he preached on God was
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manifest in the flesh, saying for spiritual people this is
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without controversy. Meaning it's a foundational
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truth beyond debate for those who truly get it right.
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Spurgeon concluded truth has little influence upon the soul
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till it is fully believed. God's words or certainties, not
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mere opinions, up for debate. Steady, believe, then obey.
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Exactly. Believers are to obey the book,
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and not grudgingly, but freely, hardly constantly, to err, not
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from the commandment of God. It's about aligning your life
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with its teaching. Living out whatsoever he saith
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unto you, do it. Yes, and for those not yet
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converted, he saw obeying the gospel message itself as
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paramount. He that believeth and is
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baptized shall be saved. Repentance and faith are
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commands to be acted upon as well as being gifts.
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Neglecting them isn't really an option if you take the word
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seriously. True faith shows itself in
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obedience. That was his conviction. 4th
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duty. They deserve to be preserved and
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defended. This sounds like that Backbone
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idea again. Very much so.
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Give up no line of God's revelation, he insists.
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It's not our place to assess the proportionate value of God's
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words. If the Lord has spoken it be
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prepared to die for what He has said.
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That's a stark call. Stand firm on every part.
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Refuse to compromise its truth or origin.
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Yes. He again challenges that modern
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idea of truth changing, asking if it's worthwhile dying for a
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doctrine which may not be true. Next week.
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He worried about people being martyred for something later
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deemed outdated. He longed for Christians who
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believe something and would die for what they believe.
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He concluded this book deserves the sacrifice of our all for the
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maintenance of every line of it. It's a really strong stance
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against any wavering on biblical truth.
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Ultimate loyalty. OK, Study, believe, obey,
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preserve, defend. What's the final claim?
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They deserve to be proclaimed after believing and defending,
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you have to share it. Get it out there.
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Yes, speak it in the street, in homes, workhouses, wherever
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people are. The truth isn't meant just for
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private study or church buildings.
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It's for everyone. He warned that truth won't
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prevail if it isn't made known, right.
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Exactly. Truth is mighty and will
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prevail, but it will not prevail if it be not made known.
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The Bible itself works no wonders until its truths are
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published abroad. So tell people.
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Tell them the Lord reigneth. Tell them the Son of God has
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come to save the lost. Tell them whosoever believeth in
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him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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It's not a secret to be kept, it's the Great Commission.
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Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every
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creature. That really sums up the active
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outward call related to God's Word.
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It does. Wow, we've really covered a lot
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today. Spurgeon's view of God's Word as
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pure, precious, proven. It's powerful stuff.
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It stands in such contrast flimsy human speech and offers
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real stability through life's trials.
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And his call to us? Well, it's pretty clear, isn't
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it? God's Word makes these vital
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claims. Study it deeply, Believe it
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completely, Obey it wholeheartedly.
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Preserve it without compromise and proclaim it widely.
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So as you, our listener, reflect on this deep dive, here's
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something to think about. How do you respond to a book
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that's been tried by fire and found cure?
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Is there maybe a specific key from God's Word that could open
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a peculiar lock in your own life right now?
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And if So, what action might that truth be calling you to
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take? That's a good question to
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ponder. Thank you for joining us for
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this exploration of Spurgeon's perspective on the Word of God.
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We really hope this has given you a fresh appreciation for the
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Bible and its ongoing relevance. Until next time, keep learning
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and keep diving deep.