Reflection on Chapter 1 of The Christian in Complete Armour
A Modernized Abridgement of the Puritan Classic by William Gurnall
Overview
-Chapter I: The Saint’s Call to Arms
—The Christian’s Call to Courage
—The Christian’s Call to Service
—An Admonition to ‘Be Strong in The LORD’
*—An Admonition to Appropriate ‘The Power of His Might’
I have read the first chapter of the modernized abridged version of The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall several times over and it looks like this book will be up there with one of the best books I’ve ever read. Granted, I haven’t finished it yet and I don’t like recommending books, movies, documentaries, TV shows, etc. that I haven’t finished yet. But this is a recommendation of the first chapter.
It is absolutely beautifully written, each sentence and paragraph is on point, deep, and easy to understand. As someone who also writes I can’t help but be blown away just by the absolute articulation displayed. To be able to get a point across so deeply and meaningfully seems like a hopeless wish at times.
I could go on and on about just the style and grace of the writing, but what is written is so much deeper and more important. The writing itself is so beautiful that it’s a joy reading it but the content, what is said is so deep and beautiful and so far it’s been an absolutely incredible book to read. It’s deep, thought-provoking, a source of wisdom, and beautiful.
The author maintains an amazing balance between going very deep into very specific topics and making you understand them, then he moves on. The balance between going deep into topics and keeping a general overview is incredible. And subtle. This is the kind of book I’ll study so that I can improve my own writing, vocabulary, word choices, the combining of words, the structuring of sentences and paragraphs, and the conveying of a point.
I’m not even sure if calling it the ‘style of writing’ is the right thing to call it. Maybe it’s just reading something that’s been written by a talented writer but reading this was so beautiful and satisfying and easy. The only other book that I’ve read that made me feel this way was 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson. Every word carefully chosen, every sentence beautifully structured, and each paragraph perfectly put together. The words are smoothly understood, they just flow into my mind and I understand. I get the impression that I’m understanding the words as the author meant them. It’s the kind of book one can read just for the pure joy of it, and at the same time, can get immersed in what is said. I read it and the world makes just a bit more sense, I’m just a bit happier and calmer knowing that there’s someone who understands bits of the world and who puts that understanding into words I can understand and I become just a bit more confident in life and how to go about in it.
When I read 12 Rules for Life the last time, which wasn’t all that long ago, I finished it early March of this year, I experienced the same thing. I get into a flow state and the words become deeper than just mere words. Understanding flows from them. It’s the first time I ever experienced that on such a deep level. Now, reading The Christian In Complete Armour, I’ve experienced it once again.
I could go on and on about just this and the absolute beauty of words carefully put on paper, words that convey the author’s meaning and intentions to the reader, but that is just the beginning of it. Now we come to the actual content of the chapter I just read.
Like I said above, this is such a thought-provoking, encouraging book. It helps with reassurance and fortifying resolutions.
Okay, so the book started off right, first there were the ‘Commendations of Gurnall’s Book’ which was well written, professional, and to the point. Then we had the table of contents which was detailed, neat, and well-ordered, the preface and ‘Biographical Sketch of the Author’. Then we start with Chapter 1.
I got thrown right into the first chapter, but it wasn’t jarring and I didn’t feel like the author left me behind. It’s straight down to business but I knew exactly what was going on and where I was.
This chapter had so many passages that just had to be highlighted so I’ll definitely be adding some of my favorite quotes to this Post, starting with,
The outcome of the battle rests on God’s performance, not your own skill or strength!
This is so beautiful and encouraging! When I read it, it stood out to me. It put into words something that I’ve barely been conscious of for years now, In my mind, it wasn’t articulate but I knew it for a long time now. It also makes so much sense. Of course we can’t get through things by ourselves. We are too weak, and when we try we break and become bitter and hurt. The above quote is a recurring theme in this book so far. We can not overcome the struggles and opposition of this world, but we can cry out in faith, asking for strength from above. And you see people who have overcome seemingly impossible struggles. It’s possible, but we can’t do it on our own. This I have experienced in my own life.
The Christian’s Call to Courage
No one likes a coward. Gurnall writes, ‘…it’s beneath the lowest duty of a Christian.’
We need to be courageous, to stand up to and face the opposition from this world, and to go to the Father when we need help. There isn’t a place for cowardice in the Christian’s heart.
Secular reason sees a Christian on his knees and laughs at the feeble posture God’s child assumes as his enemies descend upon him.
It takes courage, not only to go to God for help but also to assume such a vulnerable position in the face of the world, to risk being laughed at, scorned, or excluded.
‘[The Christian] must fight the enemy for every inch of ground along the way.
And that takes courage and perseverance.
This warfare analogy reveals why there are so many who profess Christ and so few who are in fact Christians; so many who go into the field against Satan, and so few who come out conquerors. All may have a desire to be successful soldiers, but few have the courage and determination to grapple with the difficulties that accost them on the way to victory… At the first sign of hardship, they kiss and leave the Savior, reluctant to lose heaven, but even more unwilling to buy it at so dear a price.
Gurnall then gives us two sources of Christian courage, ‘an established knowledge of God’s truth’ and ‘a heart set in the right direction’. We need both if we are to stay on the right path and not stray from it. And that’s beautiful to me. Both head and heart need to be aligned and need to agree for a person to be strong and to prevent a stumbling foot.
The Christian’s Call to Service
The soldier is summoned to a life of active duty, and so is the Christian. The very nature of the calling precludes a life of ease.
A mistake people make is to think that once they live a Godly life, that all their struggles will fall away. Their motive for professing Christianity is to have an easier life. Gurnall makes it clear that it isn’t going to be easy, but with God’s strength, we are sure to have the final victory.
Our ‘call to service’ includes ‘renouncing our bosom sins’, ‘conforming our lives to Christ’, ‘sidestepping stumbling blocks’, ‘trusting God in every circumstance’, and to ‘stay on course to the end of our lives’.
This is a really good section and I would highly recommend everyone read it.
An Admonition to ‘Be Strong in the LORD’
In this section, Gurnall tells us that our strength is from God. That what we should do is only to call on Him for help. With him we will win the final victory and without Him, there is not a chance of winning.
…in the army of saints, the strength of the whole host lies in the Lord of hosts. God can overcome His enemies without help from anyone, but His saints cannot so much as defend the smallest outpost without His strong arm.
God knows we are weak, like cracked pitchers — if filled to the brim and set aside, the contents would soon leak out. So He puts us under a flowing fountain of His strength and constantly refills us.
Here is a word for Christians. Knowing your strength lies wholly in God and not in yourself, remain humble — even when God is blessing and using you most.
We need Him. We are nothing without Him and we need to stay in constant touch with him, maintain a steady connection with Him. He is like an oasis to us in the middle of a desert. If we sever our contact with Him we shrivel up and die. He truly is the water that gives life.
*Alright, I don’t want this Post to get too long and I want to do the book I’m reviewing justice so I’ll write another Post for the final section, ‘An Admonition to Appropriate ‘The Power of His Might’.
I’ll finish out this Post with one of my favorite quotes from chapter one:
When you find any comfort in your soul, any added strength in duty, or any support in temptation, it distills a special sweetness into your life to consider what friend sent these blessings. They do not come from your own supply, or anyone else’s. It is the heavenly Father who slips quietly in and leaves the sweet perfume of His comfort!
Thank you all for reading. I’ll publish the final part of this Post sometime this week!