A Butcher Or Surgeon of Souls — E.A. Johnston

Butchers and Surgeons of Souls

I have often traveled to Shiloh National Cemetery and Battlefield, a scene of one of the bloodiest conflicts of the Civil War. I'd visit the bloody pond and the hornet's nest, and I'd hear stories about how young boys who were wounded in battle, they'd be carried to the surgeon's makeshift tent, where he would amputate their leg with a dirty saw, and gangrene would set in and send them to an early grave.

Many of these army surgeons were just butchers of boys. And I'm going to apply that analogy, friends, to some of our pulpits today, where blind guides feed poor sinners a false gospel, and through their ignorance butcher souls and send them on to hell, because we're living in a day of great apostasy in our churches, and poor sinners need to know how to get saved, and there are few surgeons of souls around today that know how to point someone savingly to Christ.

Jeremiah's Warning Against False Peace

I'm afraid we're in the same shape as the bloody war camps, where there were more butchers than surgeons, and many suffered under their bloody hands. The title of my message today, friends, is A Butcher or Surgeon of Souls, and my text can be found in Jeremiah chapter 6.

You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in verses 13 through 16. I want to read us this striking passage of scripture, where God has a grievance against the preachers in that day, and may the Spirit of the Lord attend the reading of His holy word.

For from the least of them, even unto the greatest of them, every one is given to covetousness. And from the prophet, even unto the priest, every one dealeth falsely, but they have healed also the herd of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace.

I will stop there, friends. How many times have I sat in churches where the pastor was given an invitation, and I sat there scratching my head, wondering if that pastor himself was even saved. I've watched people respond to an altar call and walk an aisle, and a man up there speaks peace to them when there is no peace.

How harmful it is to an awakened soul to have a pastor heal their wounds slightly and tell them they're now saved when they've yet to find Christ, the only one who can save them. The blind lead the blind today, and all fall into a ditch.

The Marks of a Faithful Surgeon of Souls

Whereas a true surgeon of souls is deeply familiar with the risen Christ and how He saves sinners. A surgeon of souls knows full well the wicked windings of the human heart, because he's gotten a pretty ugly view of his own heart, and he knows the heart of man is wicked and deceitful at best.

A surgeon of souls will preach the law to shut up a sinner, up to God for salvation and awaken him to his lost condition. A surgeon of souls will not fear man, but only fear God and warn men and women and boys and girls about a future judgment that awaits all mankind.

A surgeon of souls will not be afraid to call sin black and hell hot and inform you of your duty of repentance. And a surgeon of souls will not candy coat the gospel to make it more appealing, but he will preach up a bloody cross and a bloodstained savior from sin.

A surgeon of souls will preach messages on the utter necessity of being born again if you want to see heaven and show you your need of a supernatural act of grace upon the heart called regeneration. And a surgeon of souls, friends, will stand on his Bible and lean upon the Holy Spirit to open hearts and bring conviction of sin as he boldly stands on the word of God and declares, Thus saith the Lord.

Let me read us, friends, verse 16, which talks about this. Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.

But they said, We will not walk therein. I'll be honest with you, friends. There was a time, years ago, when I was a butcher of souls. I fed people a pat plan of salvation that was handed to me by my denomination.

Repentance From a False Gospel

I didn't know any better, and I caused a lot of harm to folks in my ignorance. I remember an ice cream man who I butchered with my easy-believe gospel, and I got him to repeat a prayer, and I patted him on the back and told him he was now saved.

Shame on me. Shame on anyone who deals falsely with an immortal soul. But God, in his mercy, taught me the real gospel of the Son of God who came down here to save lost sinners. Listen to me, friends.

A Revolution in Gospel Preaching

We need a revolution in this country. I don't mean riots in the streets. That's probably coming anyway. I mean a revolution in our pulpits in return to tread in the old paths of the great doctrines of the gospel, which are ruin, redemption, repentance, and regeneration.

Pray, friends, for this revolution to take place. Pray that it will. For the sake of souls, we need more surgeons today than butchers. Let us pray.