The Three R’s

(but not reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic)

...I remember an old friend of mine once saying, “Ah! you preach the three R’s, and God will always bless you.” I said, “What are the three R’s?” and he answered, “Ruin, redemption, and regeneration.” They contain the sum and substance of divinity. R. for ruin. We were all ruined in the fall; we were all lost when Adam sinned, and we were all ruined by our own transgressions; we are all ruined by our own evil hearts, and our own wicked wills; and we all shall be ruined, unless grace saves us. Then there is a second R. for redemption. We are ransomed by the blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish and without spot; we are rescued by his power; we are ransomed by his merits; we are redeemed by his strength. Then there is R. for regeneration. If we would be pardoned, we must also be regenerated; for no man can partake of redemption unless he is regenerate. Let him be as good as he pleases; let him serve God, as he imagines, as much as he likes; unless he is regenerate, and has a new heart, a new birth, he will still be in the first R. that is ruin. These things contain an epitome of the gospel.

From the sermon “The Bible” (March 18, 1855) in Sermons of the Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, of London; 1869, pp. 36-37