For almost four decades, Charles Spurgeon was pastor of Metropolitan Tabernacle in London during the last half of the 19th century. His words often offer great encouragement to Christians who are trusting in the person and work of our Lord. But the following sentence doesn’t initially stir up encouragement to the one who is not in Christ.
Unbelievers may well be afraid, for they have an angry God above them, a guilty conscience within them, and a yawning hell beneath them.1
—Charles Spurgeon
So many times we read or hear the testimonies of saints who just prior to their conversion were miserable and afraid. This is probably a good thing. How sweet is the gospel when we are miserable over our sin? How sweet is promise of heaven when we are afraid of an eternity in hell?
How sweet is the gospel when we are miserable over our sin?
How sweet is promise of heaven when we are afraid of an eternity in hell?
1. An Angry God Above Them
The modern mind likes to think of God as loving, and by that mean that he does not get angry nor carry out judgment. However, that is a false understanding of the nature and character of God. God is angry with sin and sinners. He does judge those who have gone their own way rather than take the path he has provided.
A century or so before Spurgeon, the Massachusetts’ pastor Jonathan Edwards preached and published the most famous sermon in American history. It’s title? Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (You can listen to a reading of the sermon by clicking on the sermon title.)
That sermon has been credited with being the spark that initiated the First Great Awakening in the American colonies.
The good news of the gospel is not good unless we first know the bad news of our sin and judgment. God is angry with those in sin who have rejected his Son Jesus Christ.
2. A Guilty Conscience Within Them
Unless a sinner is so far gone that they have seared the conscience within themselves (1 Timothy 4:2), sin often produces a sense of guilt that can be debilitating. That guilt is intended us to point us to a need for the Savior.
3. A Yawning Hell Beneath Them
Spurgeon’s use of the adjective yawning is so descriptive. Hell has it’s mouth wide open awaiting those who will be judged as unbelievers and who will be cast into this fiery abyss.
As an unbeliever you can look above and see an angry God. You can look within and feel the weight of a guilty conscience. Or you can look below and see that hell that awaits beneath you.
Instead of this, look to Jesus who has satisfied the anger of God and is seated in the heavens.
Notice how the unbelieving world attempts to silence these voices which should make them afraid.
They either deny the existence of God himself, or they deny that God is anything but love.
They suppress their guilty conscience with slogans of self acceptance.
They deny the existence of hell or relegate the thought of it as being a place to party with all their unbelieving friends.
How tragic! But how wonderful for one who in his misery casts his eyes upon Jesus and finds joy unspeakable.
Spurgeon, C.H. Morning and Evening. Edited by Alistair Begg. 2003. Entry for April 22 PM.