Church History
The following testimonies were excerpted from these Christians’ respective biographies or from personal testimonies.
Andrew Murray
As sons of a devout missionary-pastor, both John and Andrew Murray grew up in a solid Christian home. They both understood and were personally committed to an orthodox biblical theology. They gave themselves to solid Christian activities and fellowship. Now in Holland, they were even excelling in studies for the ministry. Certainly, by all outward appearances, they were both young men of exemplary Christian character. All of their upbringing, study, and conviction brought them to another important conviction as well. Authentic conversion, that feeling of a “heart strangely warmed,” was a unique work of God to be earnestly sought after, though it could only be sovereignly given and humanly received.
No outward human activity, no matter how good or how godly, was to be confused with the deep inner work of the new birth. Indeed, Andrew’s own father had this in mind when he responded to the news that Andrew was going to Utrecht to prepare for the ministry:
I have now to congratulate you on your choice of a profession, and rejoice that the Lord has been pleased to incline your heart the way He has done. I trust, however, my dear boy, that you have given your heart to Jesus Christ, to be His now and His forever, to follow Him through good and through bad report.
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And equal, I am sure, will be your delight when I tell you that I can communicate to you far gladder tidings, over which angels have rejoiced, that your son has been born again....
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From his parents, his uncle John, and the evangelists that both he and John had met in Scotland, Andrew had come to see the importance and necessity of a definite experience of grace upon complete surrender to Christ.
In a letter to his parents dated November 14, 1845, Andrew first broke the joyous news.
My dear Parents,
It was with very great pleasure that I today received your letter of August 15, containing the announcement of the birth of another brother. And equal, I am sure, will be your delight when I tell you that I can communicate to you far gladder tidings, over which angels have rejoiced, that your son has been born again….
When I look back to see how I have been brought to where I now am, I must acknowledge that I see nothing. “He hath brought the blind by a way that he knew not, and led him in a path that he hath not known.” For the last two or three years there has been a process going on….And though I cannot yet say that I have had anything of that deep special sight into the guiltiness of sin which many people appear to have, yet I trust, and at present I feel as if I could say, I am confident that as a sinner I have been led to cast myself on Christ. (Lindner, Murray 24-26)
