A Communion of Love

The Christ-Centered Spirituality of Robert Murray M'Cheyne

Jordan Stone

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781532672088
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

Few figures in church history that died before the age of thirty have left such a lasting legacy as Robert Murray M'Cheyne (1813-43). His name is virtually synonymous with the pursuit of personal holiness. M'Cheyne was a living testimony to Scripture's command to "let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim 4:12). His ardent praying, preaching, and progress in godliness continue to captivate countless Christians around the world. The model of piety found in M'Cheyne's life and ministry provides needed encouragement for properly understanding biblical spirituality. What was the main fuel of his spirituality? Love for Jesus Christ. In A Communion of Love, Jordan Stone argues that rightly understanding M'Cheyne's spirituality must begin with the fundamental issue of why he pursued the means of grace as he did, before reckoning with how he used those means. Such a reorientation reveals that loving communion with Christ was the all-consuming, driving force for M'Cheyne's vision of the Christian life.

1

Introduction

The Christian life is a spiritual life. We praise the God who is Spirit (John 4:24). We trust in Christ who has redeemed us and poured out the Holy Spirit upon us, so that we might grow in the holiness required to see God (Heb 12:14). Our walk of union and communion with Christ involves keeping in step with the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:25), as we seek to mortify sin and live to righteousness. As such, historic Christianity has always concerned itself with the nature of spirituality.1 All Christian traditions have unique emphases in their view of the Christian life.2 Some Christian traditions accentuate ritual sacramentalism, others, a second blessing or baptism of the Holy Spirit, others, a crisis experience in sanctification, and yet others, the practice of the spiritual disciplines. One missing note in the growing discussions related to spirituality is how a truly biblical view of Christian spirituality must focus on God’s revelation in Christ.3 He is our life and our all (Col 3:4–5). Michael Haykin summarizes the biblical basis for a Christ-centered spirituality as follows:

The New Testament is filled from start to finish with ardent devotion to Jesus Christ. He is declared to be the fountain of knowledge and wisdom (Col. 2:3), the One who sustains every particle of the universe and every fibre of our being (Col. 1:16–17; Heb. 1:3). He is set forth as the supreme reason for living (2 Cor. 5:9). Gazing into his face one can see perfectly and without the slightest distortion the very glory of God (Heb. 1:3). He owns the angels (Matt. 24:31), and they know well their Master and are not afraid to bow in worship before him (Heb. 1:6). To him belongs the incredible privilege of bestowing the Spirit of God upon whom he wishes (Acts 2:33). And his name is supremely precious because by no other name can sinners be saved (Acts 4:12).4

One notable example of such Christ-centered spirituality is Robert Murray M’Cheyne (1813–1843).5 He fixed his eyes on Christ with uncommon passion. His life’s ambition was to encourage every man, woman, boy, and girl to look upon Christ. To that end, he proclaimed,

When you gaze upon the sun, it makes everything else tasteless; so when you taste honey, it makes everything else tasteless; so when your soul feeds on Jesus, it takes away the sweetness of all earthly things—praise, pleasure, fleshly lusts, all lose their sweetness. Keep a continued gaze. Run, looking unto Jesus. Look, till the way of salvation by Jesus fills up the whole horizon, so glorious and peace-speaking. So will the world be crucified to you, and you unto the world.6

M’Cheyne offers a model of Christ-centered spirituality that merits attention.

Thesis

The primary objective of this dissertation is to demonstrate the crucial place that love for Christ occupies in M’Cheyne’s spirituality. His theology centered on knowing God’s love in Christ, and his spirituality was essentially his return of love to Christ. For M’Cheyne, the pursuit of holiness was the mature expression of what it means to know the love of Christ and return love to Christ. Previous studies on M’Cheyne have noted the centrality of Christ in his ministry,7 but they have not demonstrated how a communion of love forms the animating principle behind his Christocentric spirituality.

This dissertation will also give some attention to M’Cheyne’s historical context. His spirituality did not develop in a vacuum. A number of factors influenced and encouraged his view of the Christian life. (1) Theologically, M’Cheyne held to the Westminster Standards. In short, he was unoriginal in his theological formulations. (2) Culturally, M’Cheyne lived in a milieu affected deeply by romanticism and burgeoning Victorian values. Crawford Gribben observes that M’Cheyne, after his death, became known as “the patron saint of Victorian evangelicals.”8 William Blaikie notes the element of pathos in M’Cheyne’s ministry, saying that M’Cheyne brought “winsomeness” to the pulpit—“an almost feminine quality.”9 (3) Philosophically, M’Cheyne ministered in a context that offered new contours and challenges to enlightenment thinking. Scottish common sense realism “enabled Evangelicals to express in a fresh way their belief in the accessibility of God.”10

These elements combined with such powerful pastoral and personal influences as Henry Duncan, Thomas Chalmers, John Bonar, and Robert Smith Candlish. Collectively, they provided the context for the formulation and expression of M’Cheyne’s communion of love with Christ.

History of Research

The most notable works published on M’Cheyne are biographies. Andrew Bonar set the standard with his 1844 book, The Life of Robert Murray M’Cheyne.11 His appreciative vo...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Trusting Christ
• Chapter 3: Learning Christ
• Chapter 4: Knowing Christ
• Chapter 5: Loving Christ
• Chapter 6: Communing With Christ
• Chapter 7: Proclaiming Christ
• Chapter 8: Offering Christ
• Chapter 9: Delighting in Christ
• Chapter 10: Looking For Christ
• Chapter 11: Conclusion
• Appendix
• Bibliography