Whitefield was convinced that any presentation of the gospel must
begin by exposing the listener’s sin and his dire need for salvation.
This necessitated the preacher’s confronting his hearers’ rebellion
against God and warning of the eternal consequences of their rejection.
Whitefield plainly understood that none rightly desire the gospel of
Christ until they know of their own condemnation before God. Whitefield
preached those truths that reveal sin, namely, the holiness of God, the
fall of Adam, the demands of the law, the curse of disobedience, the
certainty of death, the reality of the final judgment, and the
eternality of punishment in hell.
When addressing the unregenerate masses, Whitefield sought to ensure
that their depravity was fully laid bare. Martyn Lloyd-Jones aptly
stated, “No man could expose the condition of the natural unregenerate
heart more powerfully than George Whitefield.” Only when confronted with
their sinfulness, Whitefield insisted, would unbelievers seek to
embrace Christ as their Savior and Lord. He peeled back the outer layers
of people’s self-righteousness in order to bring about self-awareness
of their sinful hearts. Continue at Steven Lawson
