Charles Spurgeon is considered the Prince of Preachers but what is often not known about him and his ministry is that he faced attacks on the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible he loved to proclaim to God’s people the world over. Spurgeon faced challenges from all corners with people who wanted him to compromise, and from evolution. Spurgeon in the midst of all of these challenges declared that “believers must never adjust the Bible to the age, but the age to the Bible.”[i]

Just as Spurgeon faced attacks on inerrancy, evangelical Christians are under attack by those who think that marriage should no longer be defined as between a man and a woman, but rather between any combination of man or woman. At the heart of these attacks is a rejection of what the Bible teaches which makes these attacks ultimately an attack on the authority and inerrancy of Scripture.

It seems to me that those who attack the biblical teaching on marriage want to re-write the Bible to suit their own view even while they suggest that the Bible doesn’t speak to the issue of marriage. The problem with all of this is the Bible does clearly speak to this issue. If one even skims over Genesis 1-3 it becomes clear that marriage is a God-ordained institution and therefore to be treated as such. Any attack on marriage is ultimately an attack on the God who created the world we live in and get to enjoy by His grace. An attack on marriage is ultimately an assault on God’s character and God’s Word.

Attacks on marriage and the Word of God are not new but rather as old as the Garden of Eden. The Word of God always stands in judgment of men never do men– stand in judgment of it. This fundamental fact reveals the problem going on inside and outside the Church in regard to marriage: that the issue of marriage is revealed in who is authoritative– man or God. Charles Spurgeon revealed the problem when he stated that, “He that reads his Bible to find fault with it will soon discover that the Bible finds fault with him.”

As the Word of God did its work in Spurgeon’s time, so today can evangelicals be encouraged that the Word of God is sharper than any two edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). The Word of God is the means that God uses by His Spirit to pierce the heart of the convinced atheist, rejecters like Judas, and deniers like Peter. “When people understand they can trust in the early chapters of Genesis, they can better understand and can be more responsive to the gospel—the gospel that is based on that history.”[ii] Evangelicals need to stand firm in the grace of God and the Word of God by looking to the example of men like Spurgeon and be encouraged that God, by His grace, is still working to bring people to Himself and build His church for His glory and praise.

Dave Jenkins( Executive Director )

Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021),  The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.