06/15/2026
Eric Gilmour on whether or not the spirituality of David Brainerd was healthy.
“Could the divine rays fall upon men and not open their eyes to God’s perfections? Could such a sight fail to expose man’s utter inferiority? In light of the holiness of God, each move and breath of man would appear nothing short of diseased and vile; a rebel’s existence. Christ, then, is realized as man’s shining Savior; his only hope and utter joy. To that man, He will truly be revealed as the altogether lovable Redeemer and constant life supply.
Why arguments against such spirituality rise, I will never know. Men think, “Me? Never. I am saved already. God is my Father. I have been born again, and I am no longer a sinner.” These words are like music to my soul, and their reality the very comfort of the Christian. Yet, these truths do not eliminate the soul’s need of continual dependence. Faith and dependency dwell together. They walk hand in hand and refuse to act without each other.
We are children of God by faith. This is certain and unchangeable. Living by faith means a dependent life. If it is not so, for what is the Christian dependent upon God? Why be urged to continue in the faith? Those who are opposed to Brainerd’s understanding of what the Bible reveals to be true gospel life often assume the tone of one who no longer knows the vileness and rebellion in their old nature. It seems that they assume it is no longer present within them. Brothers, are we in heaven already? Has the battle and opposition of sin ceased? To what do the devil, the flesh, and the world make their appeal in the life of a believing child of God if he is no longer acquainted with sin’s disease?
Pardon my extreme reaction, but this is foolishness; an evil mind blind to itself. The Christian knows his inward rebellion more acutely. Only the Christian is truly aware of the ruin that runs deep in his molecules. The Christian knows that his past sins are condemnable and directly against God Himself. This is nonnegotiable. It is equally true that the born-again man is now well aware that those sins are the fruit of a much deeper root; Adam in our veins.
Because we know this, we, as the blood-washed citizens of heaven, are growing in our understanding of our dire daily need for Christ. Because of this, we are perpetually realizing Him as the only vine-source, without which we have no life in ourselves, nor is any fruit possible apart from Him. To the gospel-oriented man, Christ’s words map onto his soul more and more each day: “You have no life in yourselves” and “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”
Dear brothers, it is here, in the dust of need, forsaken by our own selves, that we cast ourselves on Christ alone. Yea, even breathe and taste, see and enjoy heaven Himself. We love Him as our all and only. And God is gracious to our sleepy, staggering souls to send affliction and trial to wake us up and reorient us to this gospel disposition. When the dark clouds of these storms hover above our lives, we tend to feel our need more deeply and lift our eyes to Christ again.
As our spiritual lives mature, we begin to realize that part of our corruption is the inability to recognize our own corruption. Though much can be said on that point, the poison of our corruption is often worse, hardening to the point that it crusts over with numbness, even in the face of our corruption. What I mean to say is that even if our corruption stands before our face and we are able to see it, the corruption is unable to stir us to any real concern.
Oh! Save us from ourselves, Precious Christ! Melt our frozen hearts to breathe in Your life! To live in that fruitful heavenly life You offer us in the gospel—a gospel that calls to all men everywhere, both saved and unsaved, to look upon Christ for life. That the unbeliever may come out of death into life, and that the believer may live in and upon Christ as his life-supply.
I pray the Lord shine the light of His perfections upon us, that we, like Brainerd, would see the ruin in our veins most clearly and live clinging to Christ, and that we may fling ourselves down to the feet of Him who alone is worthy of all glory and honor. That One who is able to keep us from stumbling and present us in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy.
Now to the only God and Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ, be all glory and majesty, dominion and authority, before the world began, now and forever.”
