In a series of three addresses, Lloyd-Jones and Murray detail some of the life and principles of John Knox, discussing both his role in the Reformation and the place he holds in Christian history. Knox is held up as a shining example of a man who not only clung to correct doctrine, but who lived according to its principles—even at great personal risk. This is a fine introduction to a life worth becoming acquainted with. 

The sufferings of the Christian church between Christ’s first and second advents are not due, in the first instance, to human folly but to demonic evil. Certainly the Devil uses men, and the way he does so is set down in that same Scripture. We read in Revelation chapter 13 of Satan’s purpose being expressed through two ‘beasts’: the one nations and their governments, the other false religion—religion that looks like a lamb but speaks lies as a dragon. By such passages God gave to the martyrs a true understanding of their sufferings. [84]

His [Knox’s] authority came from the conviction that preaching is God’s work, the message is His Word, and he was sure the Holy Spirit would honor it. This was the certainty which possessed him. I do not say there were not moments of doubt, but at the great crises the Holy Spirit so filled him that nothing could deter him, and the result was the transformations that occurred even in the most unpromising and hostile circumstances. [124]

The history of the church at the time of the Reformation is a singular reminder to us of how God is in history. Christ is in the church and on the throne—directing and governing all persons and all events. Standing where we do in time we see Knox’s faith in this fact verified, but it was another thing for him to see it in the midst of poverty, when good men were being put to death, and when he endured his twelve years of exile. Yet the truth is that is was the storm of persecution which scattered Christians that was the very means God used to advance His purposes. [127] 

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In this very brief booklet, Murray examines the Scriptural establishment of the Sabbath day and examines whether the ‘day of rest’ has any place in the lives of Christians. His answers are well-reasoned and convincing, and in typical Murray fashion, he turns to voices of old to help support his case. While hardly an exhaustive treatment, this booklet does serve to answer the most rudimentary questions concerning the role of Sabbath rest in an educated manner.

Man was not made for himself. He exists for God and for fellowship with Him. He was therefore made in the likeness of God. He is to love and delight in what God delights, that is in God Himself. That is the purpose of his existence. [8]

When we come to the wording of that fourth commandment, its language confirms that the Sabbath was not new but already existing. The commandment does not begin, ‘Know there is a Sabbath day,’ but ‘Remember…’. [11]

A cessation from activity, and the observance of external rites, was never the essence of the fourth commandment (the idea that it was being a constant error among the Jews). A pause from the ordinary labors of life was always secondary to the primary spiritual object of the seventh day…the right observance of the day entails reflecting on the lovingkindness, the faithfulness, the uprightness of God. It is for delight in God. [15]

To go back to the practice of the substance of the fourth commandment—indeed to any of the ten commandments—is not to go to law as a means of justification, no more than the original pattern of Genesis 2:3 was in order to justification. The great difference for the Christian now is not that the law is not rule for him, it is that he has received a power and motive to obey that he never had before. [24]

It is a serious misunderstanding of the New Testament to regard a careful obedience to the law of God as ‘legalism.’ On the contrary, it is proof of a true relationship with the Savior. [25]

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Touching on the lives of eight men God has used powerfully throughout the past, Murray biographically recounts their ministries and spheres of influences in deft manner. Not only are his accounts well-researched, they flow smoothly even when skimming past large periods of time. Also helpful is the way in which Murray uncovers the larger theological frameworks driving these men to serve in the way they did. While not complete biographies, these sketches serve as powerful testimonials.

A real conversion is not a conversion to a party, or to a church, but to Christ. And as Christ indwells all His people, we are to treat fellow Christians as we would treat Him. [77]

Books come into our lives by the providence of God, and at the time we need them, but we have to be careful not to allow human authority to stand alongside the Word of God. [111]

The religious man still lives for self; only the Christian for Christ. [148]

Two means are especially mentioned as causes for the advancement of the work. One was the distribution and reading of the Scriptures. The other was the personal witness of the believers. [164]

If faith and gospel invitations are preached without teaching on regeneration, then the impression is created that nothing more is needed to make me a Christian than my ‘believing’. And if ‘believing’ is represented as something to be determined simply when and as I choose—just as I may will to walk to the front—then a way of salvation is proposed which contains within it the danger of receiving a delusion. There is a faith that can be created by self-choice, or by the pressure of an evangelistic meeting, but it is not saving faith. [277]

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Murray explains the role that fiction played in the theological climate of Britain around the turn of the 20^th century. He briefly examines the lives and writings of Stevenson, Hardy, Russell, Wells, and others, revealing their personal disdain for Christianity and their desire to see it eradicated. Murray reveals how fiction skyrocketed up the charts as Brits embraced the fantasy over the reality. He concludes with a very helpful section detailing the veracity of Christianity itself.

‘All that men need is knowledge,’ was the claim, the assumption being that human nature will respond to truth. An advocate of that opinion once said that if only God were to reveal himself, all men would worship. That God has done this, and men crucified the Lord of glory, was not to be believed. [63]

Books that constantly convey a purely secular mindset, that treat the present world as though it were the only world, that studiously avoid truths revealed in Scripture (unless to scoff) – such books impart a godless view of life, and teach their readers to regard this world as the only ‘reality’. [69]

Could it be that Christians ‘edited’ the Old Testament manuscripts, adding details of what really only happened in their own lifetime? This is impossible for a simple reason: the Old Testament was never an exclusively Christian preserve. It was jealously guarded by Jews who never became Christians. Large parts of the Prophets they knew by heart, and their scribes scrupulously watched over every word. So if any fraud in the transmission of the text had ever occurred it would have been speedily discovered and repudiated. There was no such discovery. The Jews had various objections to Christianity, but an allegation of rewriting Old Testament Scriptures was never one of them. [87]

The only credible explanation of the perfect match between the Messiah of the Old Testament and Jesus Christ is the one given in Scripture. God planned a way of salvation; he announced it beforehand, and brought it to pass in a manner that left the disciples themselves amazed. [90]

Christianity succeeds by supernatural power. The first disciples did not find Christ; he found them, forgave them, changed them. [93]

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In another one of his booklets, Murray turns his attention to the cross of Christ, discussing the scope and nature of the atonement and the love of God it expresses. He argues that God’s love for the elect is, by its nature, different than His general love for mankind—yet the atonement is sufficient enough to completely save anyone who is saved by grace through faith. Murray provides a well-crafted, though brief, examination of these issues. 

If God gives this pre-eminence to the cross, it must follow that where there is hesitancy or uncertainty in preaching the death of Christ, there is bound to be a serious weakening, if not a nullifying, of the chief purpose of the gospel ministry. [6] 

If God were to pardon sin without upholding His righteousness He would cease to be God: merely to waive the penalty that sin deserves would be to deny His perfection. [12] 

Conviction of sin is not enough to bring men to Christ. Conviction of sin only speaks of God’s willingness to pardon; it does nothing to remove the suspicion—common to fallen man—that God is against him and unconcerned for his happiness. For that further truth is needed. It is only the disclosure of love which can persuade the sinner of God’s readiness and willingness to pardon, and thus the necessity that love be made known to all indefinitely in the free offer of the gospel. Love is the great attraction. Love stands foremost in the gospel appeal. [25] 

It is not a doctrine either of special love or of general love that is to be offered to sinners; it is rather Christ Himself. More than that, it is not ultimately preachers who offer Christ to others; but Christ—divine love incarnate—who speaks in the gospel and offers Himself fully and freely to the most undeserving, if they will but receive Him. [27] 

The source of our weakness as evangelists is that we are not living close enough to the fountainhead of love. Faithfulness and conscientiousness may be enough to enable us to say something on the law and judgments of God, but we cannot speak well of the love of God to sinners unless we are personally familiar with it and persuaded of it. What is at the forefront of our experience is going to be at the forefront of our preaching. [34]

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While all Christians would agree that the Psalms are full of riches that can often be expressed through singing, the question at hand in this booklet is whether or not the Psalms are the only things that Christians should sing in worship. Murray examines the issues at hand and makes a brief, yet compelling, argument that allows for worship that extends beyond the bounds of the Psalter. Another welcomed addition to the Banner library from Murray.s

Nowhere is Scripture is the idea presented that praise spoken has to be restricted to Bible words, words appointed by the Holy Spirit; why then should praise sung be any different? [8]

If it could be proved that the Psalter alone was the authorized praise of the Old Testament church, it would still be another proposition altogether to establish that it must remain the sole manual for the New. [10]

The characteristic of the best hymn-writers is that they have been enabled to express the high privileges of this dispensation and that is the very reason why their words have had such enduring appeal in the churches. [26]

Even the employment of the best manual of praise is no guarantee of true worship … our first need is for a thankful heart and for the spirit of praise. [30]

Whatever our position, or our denomination, we can agree in the desire that our brief lives here be more truly lived to the praise of our Savior. [31] 

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Can Christians have true unity with members of other faiths? While we have much in common with fellow man, the answer of the gospel is a resounding ‘no’. Scripture divides people into two categories—in Christ and apart from Christ—and makes no apologies for the exclusivity of the Gospel. Equating Christianity with other world religions is simply not consistent with Christ’s message. Murray gives a history of this controversy and offers solid arguments against ecumenism.  

Our first duty is to love one another, not contend with one another. When disagreement among Christians cannot be avoided, it should be a cause of pain, and we ought to do all we can not to aggravate it. [3]

As fellowship and brotherhood in Christ depend on gospel belief, the unity with which evangelicals should be concerned has to be evangelical not ecumenical. [13]

Errors over the gospel are not innocent mistakes, they are demonic deceptions; there are counterfeit Christs and false gospels. [26]

Evangelical opinion in these last fifty years has been too largely influenced by what men believed they saw—numbers, attractive personalities, the charismatic ‘revival’, the friendliness of the new Roman Catholic policy…But it is Scripture and not the observable that is the rule of faith. Our own hearts are our own understanding of events provide no trustworthy guide. [29]

Our only security is real and continued communion with Christ. Correct belief is essential but it is not enough. We can be orthodox and yet proud, cold and careless. A thousand temptations surround us and, left to ourselves, any one of them would be enough to bring us down. Self-confidence is the greatest danger of all. [30]

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Though brief, Murray’s exploration of the invitation system (most popularly utilized by the Billy Graham Crusades of the late 20th century), provides a variety of thought-provoking material to digest. Although many churches assume that times of visible response have always been included at the end of worship services, this is a relatively new phenomenon, and one that Murray fears may cause more harm than good. He makes a compelling argument, and reaches some highly important conclusions.

The presentation of Christianity as a rehearsal of facts, without any attempt to apply these facts to the conscience, and without any call to trust in Jesus as a mighty Savior, falls far short of apostolic preaching. [1]

Is the walk forward an outward declaration of an inner saving decision already made by the hearer in the seat, just an ‘act of witness’? Why then are they told to ‘come forward to receive Christ’? How is ‘receiving Christ’ related to coming forward? Is there any relation? [3]

Is not the modern evangelistic call to confess Christ by coming to the front, in order to receive Him by faith, a reversal of the New Testament order? To confess Christ is the spiritual duty of a Christian. It is no part of the gospel to say that compliance with certain outward duties will help us to become Christians. Yet the whole invitation system inevitably gives the impression that ‘confessing Christ’ by moving forward is in order to conversion. [8]

We are not for a moment asserting that no one is converted where the invitation system is employed, only that the system has, in reality, no connection with rebirth. Some are converted in spite of it, and not because of it. [24]

The long-term effect on consenting congregations is not deeper spirituality and power, but rather the reverse. Evangelism, instead of being a normal part of careful and regular expository preaching, with a twin effect on the consciences of the unconverted and on the growth in grace of Christians, becomes a special, dramatic activity. [29] 

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