Charles Haddon Spurgeon on Original sin & the human will
Will in bondage; needs sovereign grace to be freed
"When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6), glossed: "We had no strength whatever which could aid in our salvation."
THE POSITION
The will is in bondage and needs sovereign, effectual grace — not merely wounded or freewill-capable. Argued both exegetically (from Romans 5:6, glossed as leaving no room for any human strength contributing to salvation) and autobiographically: he describes his own pre-conversion will as actively hostile, not merely weak. 'There Is No Difference' (Sermon #2608, Romans 3:22-23) expounds the same universal-guilt logic Paul builds from the 3:10-18 catena.
6 For at just the right time, while we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
17 OTHERS HOLD THIS
ABOUT THIS FIGURE
Pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, London, and the most famous preacher of Victorian England — the "Prince of Preachers." Preached roughly 3,500–4,000 sermons across 63 volumes; All of Grace and A Defence of Calvinism state his soteriology directly.
Cite this page
"Charles Haddon Spurgeon on Original sin & the human will", Examined Doctrine, July 2026 edition, https://examineddoctrine.com/position/spurgeon/original-sin (archived at https://examineddoctrine.com/editions/2026-07/position/spurgeon/original-sin).