Thomas Scott was an unbelieving minister who labored to see his congregation reform their morals. He was discouraged as the folks seemed to never be able to live rightly no matter how he preached. This is no surprise—moralistic preaching never works.
No matter how wonderfully Scott argued, his people would never be able to truly reform their ways. Contrast this with how John Newton interacted with Thomas Scott. Knowing he was not converted—but that God was working on his soul—Newton lovingly engaged Scott with the gospel.
The difference in the way the two men sought change had to do with their own experience of conversion. Scott was simply a moralist. Newton had been changed from the inside out. And so Newton understood that when conversion happens, “it means not being proselyted to an opinion, but receiving a principle of divine life and light in the soul.”
When a man has experienced conversion in his own heart it impacts the way he seeks conversion in the life of another.
I Was Once There
In his book, Preaching to a Post-Everything World, Zack Eswine asked a penetrating question, “Could you reach who you once were?” I believe John Newton could. His encounter with Christ never escaped him.
As he was engaging Thomas Scott with the gospel he was able to say to him, “I was once there myself”. How wonderful when believers take up this view of unbelievers. When we fully understand that grace is all that causes us to differ, and when we remember our unhappy state before grace.
Newton was able to say to Thomas Scott, “I was once there…and grace will lead you home”. But Scott couldn’t have the same solidarity with his congregation as he just couldn’t understand why they weren’t able to transform their ways. Grace changes how we argue.
I Don’t Have to Agree On All Points
Apart from grace, I assume everyone needs to agree with me on all points or all is lost. Perhaps it is the insecurity we feel in our own broken system. But when one is changed by Jesus minor points tend to matter less. When we understand that God is the author of conversion we are fine leaving sinners in his hands.
“I am far from supposing that God will guide every sincere person exactly to adopt all my sentiments,” said Newton. Of course the Lord will guide all believers to adopt gospel sentiments—but in specifics the Lord might lead men differently. And this is okay because God is the one leading and guiding. He is the King and we are His subjects—he can do with hearts as he pleases.
I Can Wait On the Lord’s Work
You can sense in the letters to Newton that Thomas Scott is getting slightly frustrated. He wants to goad Newton into an argument. And he also wants all of his questions answered. But Newton, wisely keeps the topic on the gospel and on conversion. I appreciate his response here:
You seem to expect that I should remove your difficulties; but it is my part, only to throw in a word occasionally, as a witness of what the Lord has been pleased to teach me from the Scriptures, and to wait for the rest, till he (who alone is able) shall be pleased to communicate the same views to you.
Oh, how different this is to the unsettled moralistic preaching of Scott. He was agitated that his people weren’t responding. He wasn’t able to leave them in the Lord’s hands because He did not trust in the Lord’s power to bring conversion. Things are radically different when we understand grace to be powerful. We can love people. And we can humbly and patiently share the gospel with confidence that the Lord will do His work.
Grace changes things. We see this wonderfully shown in the difference between Thomas Scott and John Newton.
