A third point for Spurgeon was unity, especially unity among minsters of the gospel. In a day with much division, Spurgeon’s point is a good reminder. He said, “Whenever the foot is at enmity with the hand there must be something like madness in the body; there cannot be a sound mind within that frame which is divided against itself.” And elsewhere, “If there be among us any remnants of the spirit of division; if there be aught in us that would make us excommunicate and cut off brethren, because we cannot see with them in all the points of the spiritual compass, though we agree in the main; if it be so, then there must be somewhere or other an unhealthy disease. . . . Oh my heart longs to see a more thorough union among the minsters of Christ Jesus.”

In 1860, Spurgeon spoke to the London Missionary Society and expressed a desire for fruitful missions. He titled his talk “Peace at Home, and Prosperity Abroad.” For Spurgeon, successful missions started with healthy local churches. He asked, “What are the points which constitute the healthiness of the church at home?” His answer:

1. Purity of life (conversion) confirmed through membership examination;
2. The soundness of the gospel (sound doctrine);
3. The saved bond of brotherhood (unity);
4. Constant activity (devoted to good works);
5. Abounding in prayer.[1]

Perhaps he could have added four or six more, but these points are certainly a good place to start if we want to see a local church become healthier.

1. Purity of Life (Conversion) Confirmed Through Membership Examination

Spurgeon believed saints should be “sufficiently distinguished from the world” and “in our purity—and in our purity alone—we stand.” How is a church “pure” and distinguished from the world?

Conversion. This view was consistent in Spurgeon’s preaching. In another sermon, Spurgeon said, “An unholy, unregenerated church can never be the pillar of the truth. If there be a failure in vital godliness, if humble walking with God be neglected, the church cannot long remain a healthy church of God.”[2] He preached, “If we take into our churches those who are not converted, we swell our numbers, but we diminish our real strength.”

For Spurgeon, true success was not measured by numbers alone but “our success in a measure depends upon the vitality, healthiness, and godliness of each individual.” Spurgeon knew that unconverted individuals impacted the rest of the body.

Those tempted to compromise biblical membership for the sake of numerical growth should listen to Spurgeon’s caution: “We have not brought the world up to us; we only brought ourselves down to it. We have not conquered the world; we have only yielded to it. . . . We have brought the chaste spouse of Christ to commit fornication among people.”

How can churches work to be sure her members are Christians?

For Spurgeon, the answer is simple: careful membership examination. He preached, “We cannot possibly be too strict in the examination of those who are proposed for church fellowship.”

Regarding membership, Spurgeon sought to combine the mildness of the Savior’s mind and the love of the Spirit with a stern firmness. This means churches should work hard “with the most prudent discretion in maintaining the purity of discipleship.” We guard conversion “when we are engaged in the acceptance or rejection of candidates for the fellowship of the visible church.”

Furthermore, pastors should labor in our membership examinations. He concluded this point of health with these words,

That God might grant to each of us, who are the pastors of the church, that unceasing vigilance and constant watchfulness whereby we shall be able to detect the wolves in sheep’s clothing, and whereby we shall be able to say calmly, sternly, yet lovingly, to those who come before us seeking communion, without satisfactory evident that they belong to the living family of God, “You must go your way until the Spirit of God hath touched your heart, for until you have received the living faith in Jesus, we cannot receive you into the number of his faithful ones.”

2. The Soundness of the Gospel (Sound Doctrine)

Is the gospel faithfully preached? Is sound doctrine affirmed and celebrated? If not, a church might be headed toward hell rather than health. Spurgeon said, “Alas! If her doctrines be tainted, her faith will not be maintained, and the church being unsound, can tell what next may occur.” Spurgeon held true to this conviction throughout his preaching. In another sermon he said, “A healthy church kills error, and tears in pieces evil.”[3]

While he was an unflinching defender of the truth, Spurgeon also sought to be charitable and to seek unity around vital truth.

He mentioned the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate as an example:

I should be prepared to go a very long way for charity’s sake and admit that very much of the discussion which has existed even between Arminians and Calvinists has not been a discussion about vital truth, but about the terms in which that vital truth shall be stated. . . . When I have read the conflict between that mighty man who made these walls echo with his voice, Mr. Whitfield, and that other mighty man equally useful in his day, Mr. Wesley, I have felt that they contended for the same truths, and that the vitality of godliness was not mainly at issue in the controversy.

Now, these words might sound strange because elsewhere Spurgeon is clearly dogmatic about Calvinism.

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