# What did Spurgeon mean?



## Herald (Dec 26, 2019)

In his famous work, "A Defence of Calvinism" https://archive.spurgeon.org/calvinis.php , Charles Spurgeon wrote, "Calvinism is the Gospel". Spurgeon did not believe a person had to accept Calvinism in order to be saved. So, it begs the question, what did Spurgeon mean by his statement?

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## Jonathan95 (Dec 26, 2019)

Herald said:


> In his famous work, "A Defence of Calvinism" https://archive.spurgeon.org/calvinis.php , Charles Spurgeon wrote, "Calvinism is the Gospel". Spurgeon did not believe a person had to accept Calvinism in order to be saved. So, it begs the question, what did Spurgeon mean by his statement?
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk



You can be a Calvinist without "accepting it" so to speak. I think to be practically Arminian speaks to a works based worldview. You can disagree with Calvinism while at the same time being practically calvinistic in your approach to God without really knowing it.

The doctrines of Grace and what they teach about the sovereignty of God is the best news in the world. The true Gospel. That salvation is all due to Him and nothing but dirty rags comes from us.


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## Ed Walsh (Dec 26, 2019)

Herald said:


> In his famous work, "A Defence of Calvinism" https://archive.spurgeon.org/calvinis.php , Charles Spurgeon wrote, "Calvinism is the Gospel". Spurgeon did not believe a person had to accept Calvinism in order to be saved. So, it begs the question, what did Spurgeon mean by his statement?



Here's the full quote:

"I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else."​
First, he calls "what nowadays is called Calvinism," a "nickname."
I always thought he was saying what we nickname Calvinism, is just another way to say that what it is is Christianity in it's the best form. It is merely another way of saying it is true Christianity. Other nicknames could be Augustinianism, The Reformed Faith, or, as Spurgeon called it, the Gospel.

I don't think we should read anything more in it than that.

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