AI-assisted analysis for orientation; read the source transcript or listen to the sermon to evaluate the interpretation.
The sermon teaches that pride and unbelief work together to prevent sinners from submitting to God’s saving command. Human reason is not rejected as such, but fallen reason is shown to become selective and sophistical when it seeks excuses for sin. Spurgeon emphasizes that salvation is found solely in Christ’s righteousness and atonement, not in law-keeping, personal feelings, or self-improvement. Hearers are urged to trust God’s revealed Word and come to Christ without postponement or qualification.
Theological center: Because fallen humanity is corrupted by sin, salvation must be received through faith in Christ’s righteousness and atonement rather than human merit, feelings, or reasoning.
Applications: Reject evil questioning · Trust God’s revealed Word · Come to Christ now · Feel the danger of delay
Primary texts: 2 Kings 5:12
“Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?” 2 Kings 5:12 PROUD Self and Evil Questioning are two of Satan’s firmest allies, and two of the chief destroyers of the souls of men. Both of these adversaries attacked Naaman at once. Proud Self fell upon him and gave him the first blow, and Naaman cried, “Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.” When Proud Self had given his blow, on came his friend and helper, Evil Questioning and he smote Naaman, and then Naaman said, “Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them and be clean?” Ah! it is a hard case with a man who has to fight with two such imps as these—his own proud spirit, and that equally wicked spirit of unbelief— asking questions—evil questions—and tempting the Lord our God. Against the first, namely, our proud and righteous self, God has opened all His batteries. The ten commands are like ten great pieces of ordinance, every one of them pointed against our own pride and self-righteousness. The Bible is an opponent, even unto death, of everything like boasting, or encouraging the hope of salvation by any efforts of our own. Righteous-self is doomed to be rent in pieces, and his house to be made a dunghill, God hates him because he is an anti-Christ, and sets himself in opposition to the plenteous atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. As for Evil Questioning, he also does much ruin among the souls of men. And as it has been my hap of late to meet him very often, I propose this morning to track him to his den, to bring him out to light, and by God’s help, if His Spirit shall be here present, to fully defeat him, once for all, to the rescue of many of you. Oh, what multitudes of souls have gone to hell asking questions. Not asking, “What must I do to be saved?” but asking questions about matters too high for them, asking in fact, questions which were only meant to be some excuse for continuing in their sins, pillows for their wicked heads to lean upon, putting queries to ministers, and propounding hard and knotty points, that from the ignorance of man they might draw reasons why they should continue in their evil way, should hold on in their wicked course, and so should resist the mercy of God. Just listen to what Evil Questioning said to Naaman, and what Naaman said as the result of it. If I understand my text aright, it means just this, “What…