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Andrew Murray
Andrew Murray (1828 - 1917). South African pastor, author, and revivalist born in Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, to Dutch Reformed missionary parents. Sent to Scotland at 10, he studied at Aberdeen University and Utrecht, Netherlands, returning ordained in 1848. He pastored in Bloemfontein and Worcester, later moderating the Dutch Reformed Church’s Cape Synod. In 1860, he sparked a revival in the Orange Free State, preaching to thousands across racial lines despite apartheid’s rise. Murray wrote over 240 books, including Abide in Christ (1882) and With Christ in the School of Prayer, translated into dozens of languages. His emphasis on holiness, prayer, and divine healing influenced global Pentecostalism. Married to Emma Rutherford in 1856, they had eight children, four becoming missionaries. He founded theological seminaries and the Huguenot College for women. Despite chronic illness, he traveled to Europe and America, speaking at Keswick Conventions. His devotional works remain widely read, shaping Christian spirituality across denominations.
Sermon Summary
Andrew Murray emphasizes that true salvation is not merely about believing in Christ's works or following His commands, but rather about establishing a personal relationship with Him. He asserts that salvation is fundamentally about receiving Christ Himself as our life, highlighting that eternal life is found in Him alone. Murray clarifies that faith involves opening our hearts to Christ, rather than just accepting promises or gifts. This intimate connection with Jesus is what truly defines salvation.
What Salvation Is
THIS IS SALVATION. It is not what many think it is – depending upon a certain work which Christ has done, or believing certain truths which he has revealed, or doing certain things which he has commanded. All these things have their value and are necessary. But salvation itself, in its true essence and power, consists in coming to Christ and getting into personal relation with him. ‘In him was life’ (verse 4). ‘This is the record, that God hath given us eternal, and this life is in his Son; he that hath the Son hath life.’ Faith does not merely mean a confidence in certain promises which God has made, or the acceptance of a certain gift which Christ can bestow; it means an opening of the heart to him and a receiving of himself as its life. (Excerpted from Christ is All, pg. 73)
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Andrew Murray (1828 - 1917). South African pastor, author, and revivalist born in Graaff-Reinet, Cape Colony, to Dutch Reformed missionary parents. Sent to Scotland at 10, he studied at Aberdeen University and Utrecht, Netherlands, returning ordained in 1848. He pastored in Bloemfontein and Worcester, later moderating the Dutch Reformed Church’s Cape Synod. In 1860, he sparked a revival in the Orange Free State, preaching to thousands across racial lines despite apartheid’s rise. Murray wrote over 240 books, including Abide in Christ (1882) and With Christ in the School of Prayer, translated into dozens of languages. His emphasis on holiness, prayer, and divine healing influenced global Pentecostalism. Married to Emma Rutherford in 1856, they had eight children, four becoming missionaries. He founded theological seminaries and the Huguenot College for women. Despite chronic illness, he traveled to Europe and America, speaking at Keswick Conventions. His devotional works remain widely read, shaping Christian spirituality across denominations.