John Nelson and Micah 6:8

A great twitter account to follow is UMCHulk; who knew The Hulk was a Methodist? Anyway, Hulk said that if you talk about Micah 6:8 without talking about Jesus, you make yourself the Savior.

This is a critical point, as often as people glibly and smugly quote Micah 6:8, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to lover mercy and walk humbly with your God?"

Hulk's comment brought to mind one of my favorite sections of John Nelson's Journal. John Nelson was an early Methodist preacher, 1740s, in Yorkshire. Of all the early preachers, he is my favorite. I quote at length from his autobiography, found in volume 3 of Wesley's Veterans:

I met a gentleman as I was riding to Leeds, who said something about the weather. I answered, "The Lord orders all thins well." He presently said, "I know you, for I heard you preach, but I do not like you; you lay a wrong foundation for salvation. Do you think the blood of another man will save me?" I replied, "St. Paul says, 'other foundation can no one lay but Christ Jesus,' but you say that is a wrong foundation. Upon what terms do you expect to be saved?"

He said, "By good works."

I answered "You will be the first that got to heaven that way. But suppose you could, what would you do when you got there?"

He said, "What do others do there?"

I answered, "They sing, 'glory to God that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever, that was slain and hath redeemed us by His blood!' But your song will be, 'Glory be to myself, for I have quickened my own soul and qualified myself for heaven!' O Sir! What a scandalous song you will sing. It will make discord in heaven."

He turned pale and said nothing for some time. When he had rode a while, he said, "All the Lord requires of us is to do justly, to love mercy, and walk humbly with God."

I answered, "Do you expect to stand or fall by that Scripture?"

He said, "I do."
"Then," I replied, "you are lost forever, if you are to go to heaven for doing justly for loving mercy and walking humbly with God. I appeal to your conscience if you have not come short in every one of these duties. Have you dealt with every man as you would have him deal with you, in all circumstances ever since you knew good from evil? Suppose you have; have you dealt justly with God and employed every talent that He has committed to your charge to His glory--both time, wisdom, and learning; house, land, wealth, and trade? If you have used any one talent not to His glory, you have robbed Him." Then I spoke to the other two [loving mercy and walking humbly with God]

He said, "There is repentance."

But I replied, "Not for you, for you are to be saved by doing justly, for loving mercy and walking humbly with God; if you come short of these duties, you must be damned."

He said, "Lord have mercy on me! You are enough to make any man despair"

"Yes," I said, "of saving himself, that he may come to Jesus Christ and be saved."


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad