When I began preparing a series of Christian biographies, I didn’t anticipate skipping ahead in time. Yet, I feel compelled to discuss someone who has personally spoken to me more than anyone else in church history: Charles Spurgeon.

I started the series in Hebrews 12:1, which says, "Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us run with endurance the race that is set before us" (Heb 12:1). We are urged to consider the lives of faithful men and women of the past. Regarding Abel, Hebrews says, "Through his faith, though he died, he still speaks" (Heb 11:4). Charles Spurgeon is one of those voices.

Many know Spurgeon as a great preacher, but fewer know about his struggles early in ministry. Born in 1834, Spurgeon grew up with deep exposure to Christian teaching, yet none of it led him to faith. He felt condemned and hopeless, even considering atheism. At fifteen, he stumbled into a small Methodist church during a snowstorm, where a lay preacher spoke from Isaiah 45:22: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” The preacher urged Spurgeon to “look to Jesus Christ,” and Spurgeon did. That moment changed his life.

Within a year of his conversion, Spurgeon began preaching, and his sermons quickly attracted large crowds. At just nineteen, he became pastor of London’s New Park Street Chapel, a church in decline. Under his leadership, the church grew so much they eventually moved into the Metropolitan Tabernacle.

One of Spurgeon’s significant early challenges was opposition from Hyper-Calvinists. These individuals rejected his evangelistic fervor, believing the gospel shouldn’t be preached to all indiscriminately. Yet Spurgeon boldly proclaimed both God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, refusing to compromise biblical truth.

Spurgeon’s ministry expanded beyond preaching. He founded the Pastors’ College, an orphanage, and published numerous books and sermons. Despite ongoing criticism, his commitment to Scripture and the gospel never wavered.

Spurgeon still speaks today through his sermons and writings, encouraging us to remain steadfast in proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.

Recommended reading

The Forgotten Spurgeon by Iain H. Murray

Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Autobiography Volume 1: The Early Years, 1834-1859 by Charles Spurgeon

Charles Haddon Spurgeon's Autobiography Volume 2: The Full Harvest 1854-1860 by Charles Spurgeon

Lectures to My Students by Charles Spurgeon

Spurgeon v. Hyper-Calvinism: The Battle for Gospel Preaching by Iain H. Murray

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