Last month we looked at the humble Calvinism of John Newton. Newton’s theology is simple: God saves sinners. It’s one thing, though, to believe that God is sovereign in salvation, it’s quite another to actually live that out. In the case of Thomas Scott, Newton modeled his theology.
Scott was a fellow Church of England minister. But he was not an evangelical. He was a hypocrite. By his own confession he had only entered into the ministry for the money, the ease, and the hopes of advancing himself in the literary world.
Scott thought folks like Newton were rank fanatics. He believed folks like Newton were “full of bigotry, enthusiasm, and spiritual pride.” He even went so far as to use his pulpit to mock Newton.
In 1775 Scott sent a letter to Newton, feigning friendship and trying to goad him into controversy. I wonder how we’d respond to a situation like this in our day. I fear that the response would be ugly—especially by many professing Calvinists.
Newton responded differently. Here, according to Scott, was Newton’s reception of him:
“he declared that he believed me to be one that feared God, and that was under the teaching of his Holy Spirit, that he gladly accepted my offer of friendship, and was no ways inclined to dictate to me; but leaving me to the guidance of the Lord, would be glad as occasion served, from time to time, to bear testimony to the truths of the gospel, and to communicate his sentiments unto me on any subject, with all the confidence of friendship” (From Force of Truth by Thomas Scott, emphasis mine)
This is what it looks like when someone actually believes that God saves sinners. You can entrust them to the Lord and lovingly proclaim the gospel. There are two key points that I think we can learn from Newton.
Don’t Bite on the Controversy, Feast on the Gospel
Newton didn’t bite on Scott’s controversy. Eventually Scott ended their correspondence because he realized Newton wasn’t going to bite. This doesn’t mean that Newton didn’t try to answer his questions—he did in part, but he always redirected Scott back to the gospel.
When Scott wanted to focus on arguing over subscription to the creeds, Newton responded thus: “I am afraid I should not afford you much either profit or satisfaction, by entering upon a dry defense of creeds and articles”. He responded similarly when Scott wanted to argue about the doctrine of the Trinity. Newton always answered in part and then drew him back to the gospel.
Don’t Be Afraid to “Be a Fanatic”
Newton was considered to be a fanatic by Thomas Scott. And so it would have been tempting for him to try to make himself look less like a fanatic. But Newton didn’t shy away from that.
Believers should do the same now. We don’t need to be different than we are.
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I’ll try to finish up this post later…but I want to get it out there before noon.
