OSWALD CHAMBERS
Miles
J. Stanford
OSWALD CHAMBERS
(1874-1917) was born in Aberdeen, Scotland. He was educated in The Art
School in South Kensington, the University of Edinburg, and in theology in
Dunoon Training School, where he became a tutor in philosophy. From 1906
to 1907, he engaged in a round-the-world preaching tour among Methodist and
Holiness groups.
Chambers worked with the League
of Prayer from 1907 to 1910, and was Principal of the League's Bible Training
School from 1911 to 1915. From 1915 to his death in 1917, he served among
British soldiers in Egypt as a YMCA worker. His numerous books are mainly
compilations of his messages--the most popular being My Utmost For His
Highest.
This daily devotional book has
been highly regarded among evangelical believers during the past 50 years or
so. Although the author is strong on exhortation and weak as to doctrine,
there is no question but that he had a keen mind and a heart-burden for his
reader's best spiritual interests.
The book contains some
outstanding insights, such as:
If we are devoted to the
cause of humanity, we shall soon be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall
often meet with more ingratitude from men than we would from a dog; but if our
motive is love to God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow
men (Feb. 23rd).
Christian work may be a
means of evading the soul's concentration on Jesus Christ.
Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, we may become amateur
providences, and may work against Him whilst we use His weapons (March
25th).
However, have you given
consideration to the title, My Utmost For His Highest?
Thought provoking, isn't it? Theologically provoking, too. Might it
not better have been titled His Utmost For My Highest?
"The glory which Thou hast given Me I have given them" (John 17:22).
It needs to be said and revealed
that the doctrinal dangers of this book far outweigh the benefits it
contains. First, let us consider Mr. Chambers' attitude concerning the eternal
security of the believer:
God will not give us good
habits, He will not give us character, He will not make us walk aright.
We have to do all that ourselves; we have to work out the salvation God has
worked in. If you hesitate when God tells you to do a thing, you
endanger your standing in grace (Nov. 12th).
The experience of salvation
means that in your actual life things are really altered, you no longer look
at things as you used to--your desires are new, old things have lost their
power. If you continue to hanker after the old things, it is absurd to
talk about being born from above (Nov. 12th).
There is no question but that
Oswald Chambers was an Arminian (religious humanist)--not necessarily to the point of tongues; but
such writing is certainly a platform, a conditioner, for the charismatic realm
of error.
Am I set in my ways,
concerning God? We are never free from this snare until we are brought
into the experience of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire (Jan. 28th).
God does not give us
overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome. When the
inspiration of God comes, and He says, "Arise from the dead," we
have to get up; God does not lift us up (Feb. 16th ).
Oswald Chambers did not go far
enough for secure justification, and that ruinous lack forced him to
over-compensate regarding sanctification. Whenever an Arminian
speaks of identification, he invariably goes too far:
Have I made this decision
about sin--that it must be killed right out of me? Haul yourself up,
take a time alone with God, make the moral decision and say, "Lord,
identify me with Thy death until I know that sin is dead in me" (April
10th).
Either God or sin must die
in my life. The New Testament brings us right down to this one
issue. If sin rules in me, God's life in me will be killed; if God rules
in me, sin in me will be killed. There is no possible ultimate but that
(June 23rd).
The taproot of all Arminian
error is that sin is not really understood for what it is. The Arminian
estimation of sin is kept low enough for one to get "victory" over it
by self-effort.
Envy, jealousy,
strife--these things arise not necessarily from the disposition of sin within,
but from the makeup of your body which was used for this kind of thing in days
gone by (Sept. 15th).
"Whosoever is born of
God doth not commit sin" (1 John 3:9). Do I seek to stop sinning or
have I stopped sinning? To be born of God means that I have the
supernatural power of God to stop sinning.
In the Bible it is
never--should a Christian sin? The Bible put it emphatically: a
Christian must not sin. The effective work of the new-birth life in us
is that we do not commit sin; not merely that we have the power not to sin,
but that we have stopped sinning (Aug. 15th).
When it comes to spiritual
growth, sanctification, the Arminian goes completely out of control--and Oswald
Chambers was no exception:
By sanctification the Son
of God is formed in me, then I have to transform my natural life into a
spiritual life by obedience to Him. God educates us down to the
scruple. When He begins to check, do not confer with flesh and blood;
cleanse yourself at once. Keep yourself cleansed in your daily walk
(March 18th).
The most impossible thing
to you is that you should be so identified with the Lord that there is nothing
of the old life left. He will do it if you ask Him (Feb. 29th).
Oswald Chambers' material
includes the one-nature error, similar to that of Drs. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, John
MacArthur, Charles Stanley, Bob George, Bill Gillham, Charles Solomon, and many
others.
The following is an excerpt
from The Far Left and the Far Right (Tri-S Series VII) also written by
Miles J. Stanford
OSWALD CHAMBERS
--
The following example is not necessarily a
crippler, but it is definitely within the category of a conditioner. I refer to
the daily devotional book that has been a favorite of hosts of believers over
the past fifty or more years: it is the best known of the many books written by
Oswald Chambers--My Utmost for His
Highest.
If I were to ask
how many have used and recommended that book, I would "see" hands going up all
over the country! I have heard believers eulogize the book often through the
years, but only once have I heard one speak a word of caution concerning
Chambers' theology.
Did you ever
give consideration to that title, My Utmost for His Highest? Thought
provoking, isn't it? Theologically provoking, too. Might it not better have been
"His Utmost for My Highest?" "The glory which thou hast given me I have given
them" (John 17:22).
THE
GOOD -- Although Oswald
Chambers was strong on exhortation and weak on doctrine, there is no question
but that he had a keen mind and a heart-burden for his readers' best spiritual
interests.
The book is
replete with some very outstanding insights, such as: "If we are devoted to the
cause of humanity, we shall soon be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall
often meet with more ingratitude from men than we would from a dog; but if our
motive is love to God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow men"
(Feb. 23rd).
Again:
"Christian work may be a means of evading the soul's concentration on Jesus
Christ. Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, we way become amateur
providences [rulers], and may work against Him whilst we use His weapons" (March
25th).
THE
BAD -- But at the same
time the book contains some very harmful comments. First, let’s consider
Chambers' attitude concerning the eternal security of the believer.
"God will not
give us good habits, He will not give us character, He will not make us walk
aright. We have to do all that ourselves, we have to work out the salvation God
has worked in. If you hesitate when God tells you to do a thing, you endanger
your standing in grace" (May 10th).
"The experience
of salvation means that in your actual life things are really altered, you no
longer look at things as you used to; your desires are new, old things have
lost their power. If you still hanker after the old things, it is absurd to talk
about being born from above" (Nov. 12th).
"Am I set on my
own way for God? We are never free from this snare until we are brought into
the experience of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire" (Jan. 28th).
The above pretty
much adds up to the fact that Oswald Chambers was an Arminian, does it not? Not
necessarily charismatic, but such writing is certainly conditioning for same.
THE VERY BAD
-- He does not go far enough for secure justification, and that ruinous lack
causes him to overcompensate regarding scriptural sanctification. Whenever the
Arminian speaks of identification he invariably goes too far.
"Have I made
this decision about sin--that it must be killed right out in me? Haul yourself
up, take a time alone with God, make the moral decision and say, 'Lord,
identify me with Thy death until I know that sin is dead in me'" (April 10th).
THE WORST!
-- It would seem that Mr. Chambers attempted to set some kind of record for
sheer error when he came to June 23rd: "Either God or sin must die in my life.
The New Testament brings us right down to this one issue. If sin rules in me,
God's life in me will be killed; if God rules in me, sin in me will be killed.
There is no possible ultimate but that."
The tap root of
all Arminian error is that sin is not really understood for what it is. Their
estimation of sin is kept low enough for them to get "victory" over it. "Envy,
jealousy, strife--these things arise not necessarily from the disposition of
sin, but from the makeup of your body which was used for this kind of thing in
days gone by" (Sept. 15th).
"'Whosoever is
born of God doth not commit sin' (I John 3:9). Do I seek to stop sinning or have
I stopped sinning? To be born of God means that I have the supernatural power of
God to stop sinning.
"In the Bible it
is never--should a Christian sin? The Bible puts it emphatically--a Christian
must not sin. The effective work of the new birth life in us is that we do not
commit sin, not merely that we have the power not to sin, but that we have
stopped sinning" (Aug. 15th).
ARMINIANISM
FULL-BLOWN -- The
following three points are typical of Arminian teaching in the realm of
"growth."
(1)
Sin is not inherited from
fallen Adam; it is developed by the individual.
(2)
Justification and
sanctification both consist of renewing the old-nature.
(3)
The Cross is the means of
keeping "entire sanctification" entire.
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