May 18. Thomas Chalmers. In the very early 1800s, Chalmers was a prolific writer on a variety of topics: economics, theology, social work, and astronomy, to name just a few. He obtained his divinity degree at the age of 19, was licensed to preach at the age of 20, and was ordained at the age of 22. But ministry was not his passion, at least, not yet. He loved mathematics, philosophy, economics, and science, and took every opportunity to learn and teach those subjects.
Unfortunately, that did not make the church happy. Nor the university. So Chalmers considered launching a political career, and he began writing economic literature.
But when he began researching evidence for Christianity, his life took an unexpected turn. He became a committed evangelical, and with his usual enthusiasm, Chalmers threw himself into ministry in earnest: preaching, organizing Bible societies and charities, and building chapels. He continued to write. His most notable work of this time includes a defense of the compatibility of science and religion. He also began a campaign of poor relief.
Eventually, he retired from active ministry to become a full-time professor of moral philosophy. As always, he continued to write, but his topic now was the application of Christian principles and ethics within the field of economics. Chalmers moved on from teaching philosophy to teaching theology, but when he joined a group of ministers who seceded, “en masse,” from the state church of Scotland to form the Free Church of Scotland, he lost his position as Chair of the Theology Department. On this date in 1843, Chalmers was elected as the moderator of the newly formed church’s first assembly.
The love of God can transform indifferent men into compassionate warriors.
When members of his congregation passed him on the street, Thomas Chalmers offered them a smile and a brief greeting, and he quickly moved on. When he managed to visit the sick, he offered small talk rather than prayer. And on Sundays he preached very short sermons he’d prepared that morning.
It was 1813 in Kilmany—a small town in southern Scotland—and Thomas Chalmers had only one thing on his mind: mathematics. Chalmers loved mathematics.
But after publicly criticizing the full Professor, Chalmers lost his job as Assistant Professor of Mathematics at St. Andrews University. And he began to scheme to get his professorship back.
Soon, he discovered the previous assistant professor had once been a minister. So, to win favor with the university, Chalmers got himself ordained as the minister of nearby Kilmany. He was willing to endure anything for his dream, and the job of minister provided an easy paycheck.
For the next seven years, Chalmers spent every weekday studying and teaching at St. Andrews, and he passed onto a neighbor the job of overseeing any urgent church business. Chalmers was desperate to preserve his own time, so he squeezed his annual visit to all the members of his congregation into a few weeks. He was efficient. But as a result of his Christ-less Christianity, the townspeople despised Chalmers, and his church was poorly attended.
Meanwhile, Chalmers sacrificed his body and soul to pursue his dream. Math was his food, his drink, his reason to be alive. Rest was unnecessary—until a severe illness casts its dark shadow over him.
For four months, death lurked by his bedside, waiting to snatch his soul. In fear and weakness, Chalmers cried out to God.
That’s when a terrible realization struck him. He had been living without God. All his earthly achievements were nothing compared to the priceless value of faith. In his lust for power and position, he had not once cared about his parishioners’ eternal destiny, whether they were bound for heaven or not.
The conviction that came was like a hot coal burning on his chest. He forced himself out of bed, washed, and dressed himself. Then he visited all the sick, the dying, and the bereaved in the town. He wept with parents who had lost a child. Held the hand of a boy dying from tuberculosis. Prayed passionately for a terminally ill, yet hardhearted gentleman, that his heart might open to the love of Jesus.
After this he decided to visit all 800 of Kilmany’s citizens. Chalmers gave every family as much time as he could. He listened to their needs, prayed, shared encouragement from the Bible, and implored them all to receive Jesus as their Savior. It took Chalmers a year to visit everyone.
He did all of this while still recovering from his own sickness. Sometimes the visits took a heavy toll on his body. But still he pressed on, trusting in God’s power alone. “O God, give me wisdom and truth. Direct me how to do good. May the power of Christ rest upon me,” he prayed
God worked powerfully through Chalmers, and each time he visited someone, even if just for a short time, it was as if light flooded their understanding and comfort poured into their souls.
The love of God had transformed Chalmers from an indifferent minister into a compassionate servant of the people. He would never be the same.
“If anyone is in Christ [joined to Him by faith], he is a new creature [reborn]; the old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come [a new life]” (2 Corinthians 5:17, AMP).
Who can you show compassion to today? The love of God can transform indifferent men into compassionate warriors.
“Thomas Chalmers, 1780-1847.” The History of Economic Thought. Accessed August 9, 2020.
https://www.hetwebsite.net/het/profiles/chalmers.htm
Hanna, William. Memoirs Of The Life And Writings Of Thomas Chalmers. Palala Press, 2015
https://archive.is/20130416004703/http://new.studylight.org/enc/bri/view.cgi?n=32532
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40081/40081-h/40081-h.html
Story read by Daniel Carpenter