Robert Murray McCheyne—A man who was respectful and gracious with those whom he violently disagreed with

The first time I read The Memoir and Remains of Robert Murray McCheyne this brief entry affected me greatly.

Nov. 9—Heard of Edward Irving’s death. I look back upon him with awe, as on the saints and martyrs of old. A holy man in spite of all his delusions and errors. He is now with his God and Saviour, whom he wronged so much, yet, I am persuaded, loved so sincerely. How should we lean for wisdom, not on ourselves, but on the God of all grace!

I am sure many of you are thinking, “Who is Edward Irving (1792-1834)?” Well, much controversy comes with this man.

First, he is known by some as the “father of the modern tongues movement”. He held to the subsequent filling of the Holy Spirit (i.e. second blessing after conversion). It is important to note that Irving himself never spoke in tongues. 

Second, his focus (some would say obsession) was prophecy. Specifically, Irving held to pre-millennialism and to the pre-tribulational view of the rapture. His position on eschatology is not a concern (I also hold to this position), but his focus was imbalanced and led to dating some end-times events. You always get in trouble when you forget Jesus’ explicit command: 

Matthew 24:36 "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Third, his strong Pentecostal views led him to believe in new or continual revelation for the church today. Obviously, this undermines the sufficiency and authority of God’s word, if there are still “prophets and apostles” today.

Fourth, his views about miracles and healings, parallel the modern-day “word of faith” movement. In other words, if you aren’t healed…..you lack the right amount of faith. (Important note: Irving himself consulted a doctor when his children came close to death. Three of his children died, likely because he waited too long in receiving medical attention). 

 

Fifth, his Christology was unbiblical. He believed that Jesus had a sin nature. This is otherwise known as the doctrine of peccability (Though Irving himself believed that Jesus didn’t sin). It was this last controversy that got Irving kicked out of the Presbyterian Church.

Now…knowing all of this, does the words of McCheyne surprise you? It is okay if they do. It bothered me also.

Here are a few things that makes me appreciate McCheyne's assessment of Edward Irving:


First, every Christian needs wisdom from God to understand and not slip into error.

Apparently, Irving in 1822 was at the height of his popularity and had not yet embraced his Pentecostal convictions. He was biblical and gifted in the area of preaching. But unfortunately, he was influenced by those in the Pentecostal movement and was led astray from the truth and subsequently, led many others astray.

The story of Edward Irving is sad in many ways, but it reminds us how much we need the Divine Helper (John 16:7; 1 Cor. 2:12-13). Yet I believe strongly if we are patient, humble, Spirit-led and prayer-driven, God promises to illuminate our hearts so we can come to a proper understanding of the truths of the scriptures.

Can we trust other preachers and bible teachers? I believe we can. God promises to raise up certain men in the church to be teachers and has given us qualifications to guide us, clearly stating what these men are supposed to already be (I Tim. 3:1-7; Titus 1:7-9). Through practical wisdom, prayer, discernment and the clear affirmation of others, I believe churches can identify godly under-shepherds; men who love the word of God and desire themselves to follow and serve the Chief Shepherd (I Peter 5:4).

Second, the individual’s destiny ultimately rests on the righteousness of Christ. 

History doesn’t tell us how much McCheyne knew about Irving. We know they were both Presbyterians and it seems reasonable to think that McCheyne dealt directly or indirectly with the disciples of Irving. The main issue is that McCheyne left Irving’s eternal state up to God. It is Him who will judge the hearts of men on that day (Dan. 12:2; John 5:29). 

But can’t we judge the fruits of another man’s tree? To some degree we can (Matt. 7:20). It seems to me that McCheyne viewed Irving as being deceived and taken in by these “modern-day prophets” and “miracle workers”. I infer this from his statement, “whom he wronged so much (i.e. Jesus Christ), yet, I am persuaded, loved so sincerely”. For McCheyne, the fruits of Irving’s life seems questionable, but ultimately he believed he loved the Savior, trusted Him as his “substitute”, and therefore, he would see him in Heaven.

What do we do with the Edward Irvings’ of this generation? I think McCheyne reminds us to be humble; acknowledging our knowledge of the heart is limited. The scriptures are clear regarding this issue:

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

Leaving their eternal destiny to God is not only sensible, but encourages us to “do our part”. What is our “part”? To diligently be “making disciples of all men”. We must ground these new believers in the Truth. Teaching them good bible study habits and encouraging them to “walk in the Spirit”, so that through His illumination they may know and understand the wonder of the Invisible God (I Tim. 1:17).

Finally, we should pray for the “Edward Irvings” of this generation. Is Harold Camping a Christian? I don’t know….he has wronged the Lord much during his ministry. Is Joel Osteen a Christian? I don’t know…..his smooth words and watered down gospel is suspect to me.

But I know that God knows. He simply calls me to be humble, to preach the gospel, defend the truth, protect the flock and leaving the judgments of eternity to Him who is Just.