Spurgeon's Surprising View on Aliens
Aliens. UFOs. Extra-terrerstial beings. Charles Spurgeon?
I was surprised to learn that Charles Spurgeon made comments about the possibility of intelligent life existing beyond our planet.1 But not too surprised. The man was prolific, opinionated, and bold. When you have more words printed in English than anyone else in history, it means you said a lot of stuff.
So, what did Spurgeon say? Let me give you the quotes and then my commentary.
Spurgeon on Intelligent Beings
We do not know what other races of innocent creatures there may be, but I think it is no stretch of imagination to believe that, as this world is only one speck in the creation of God, there may be millions of other races in the countless worlds around us, and all these may be invited to behold the wonders of redeeming love as manifested in the saints in the day of the Lord. I seem to see these unfallen intelligences encompassing the saints as a cloud of witnesses, and in rapt vision beholding in them the love and grace of the redeeming Lord.2
It may be true that all those majestic orbs that stud the midnight sky are worlds filled with intelligent beings; it is much more easy to believe that they are than that they are not, for, surely, God has not built all those magnificent mansions, and left them untenanted. It were irrational to conceive of those myriads of stupendous worlds, vastly bigger than this poor little speck in God’s great universe, all left without inhabitants.3
I cannot tell you how many races of intelligent beings there are beside the hierarchy of angels, but it is not at all improbable that there are as many worlds as there are grains of sand upon the seashore, and perhaps every one of these teems with inhabitants more than our earth does.4
It may be that every starry world teems with myriads of intelligent inhabitants; it is much more likely that it should be so than that it should not be so, seeing that God is not in the habit of creating anything in vain, and we can scarcely imagine that he has made all those mighty orbs to circle around his throne without suitable inhabitants to render due homage to him.5
My Commentary
Were you surprised? Were you encouraged? And do you have some questions? Let’s begin with rooting Spurgeon’s comments in the growth of the “plurality of worlds” teaching that become popular in the 19th century.6
The idea of intelligent life existing beyond Earth was not a fringe idea in Spurgeon’s time. He was not only aware of it, he studied it. Spurgeon owned a book that taught this possibility: The Orbs of Heaven or: The Planetary and Stellar Worlds. A Popular Exposition of the Great Discoveries and Theories of Modern Astronomy by O. M. Mitchel. Thomas Chalmers, the one who told us about the expulsive power of a new affection,7 gave lectures in Scotland on the probability of intelligent life in the cosmos.8 Spurgeon also owned this book and many others on astronomy. And from his comments above, Spurgeon made sympathetic comments to the “plurality of worlds.”
First, Spurgeon considered the massiveness of creation—countless stars, planets, galaxies, etc.—as an argument for the prospect of life on other planets. But when he talked about “life” he didn’t just mean plants or microbes. Spurgeon thought it was not a stretch to believe in “intelligent” life somewhere in the galaxies. He said there could be millions of other races in addition to the human race.
This is the same argument and angle made in 1866 by Henry Draper, a professor of chemistry, in a lecture he gave at the YMCA of New York titled, “Are There Other Inhabited Worlds?” Draper said, “I can not believe that on our little globe alone, among the infinity of worlds, life has been possible...It seems more in accordance with reason to believe that there may be on many other globes intelligent beings, formed on the same plan as we are, but differing, on some perhaps for the better, on others for the worse.”9 Spurgeon agreed on this point.
Second, notice how Spurgeon isn’t making any definitive statements. He says there “could be” and “we do not know” and “may be true.” Speculation and caution are encouraged when we venture into unknown space. But it is interesting that Spurgeon is open to the possibility of other intelligent life. He thinks this is possible because of God’s wisdom and creative power.
Imagine Spurgeon looking at the night sky from the French Riviera or the countryside of England, and thinking, “There may be life, created by God, on these distant lights dancing through the sky.” I think the same thing when I look at images from the James Webb Telescope or the Hubble.
There are innumerable planets and systems cast all around our little planet, and it makes me wonder. What about you?
I agree with Spurgeon who found it hard to believe that God would create millions of magnificent and stupendous worlds, only to hang a vacancy sign out front. Sprugeon even thought it was possible for there to be more inhabitants in these distant worlds than on our own.
Third, and perhaps most shocking, Spurgeon seemed to say if there are extra-galactic lifeforms, they are not guilty of Adam’s sin. He called them “unfallen” and “innocent,” which makes sense because they aren’t human. So what would that mean for their redemption? For the gospel?
I’ve heard some folks say that the Son of God would just “incarnate” to whatever “they” are and save them too. Here’s what we must say to that: No, no, no. And again: no.
The Son of God, Jesus Christ, is an incarnate man forever. He is our resurrected and glorified intercessor and mediator. He will not abandon his post. He came to redeem humanity. He is married to the Church. He is coming back for us. He will establish his eternal Kingdom on this planet.
But what does that mean for aliens? Let’s not get too worked up. We don’t know if aliens are even out there. I don’t think we need to spend much mental energy—and certainly not emotional!—on the speculative eternity of aliens. But, if there is intelligent life beyond earth, Spurgeon appears to think they will behold glory with us. Since they wouldn’t be guilty of Adam’s sin, maybe they fall into the realm of creation being made new—new Earth, new universe, new plants, new aliens? Spurgeon nearly puts them in the same category of angels—non-human, intelligent beings.
Lastly, I love how Spurgeon says that if there are aliens out there, they would be more amazed by the existence of a forgiven sinner!
If you range all the stars around, and if it be so that every star is filled with a race of intelligent beings, yet, methinks, among unfallen existences there can be no such marvel as a forgiven sinner. At any rate, he is a wonder to himself, and he will never cease admiring the grace which pardoned and accepted him.10
Spurgeon even imagines that they would hear about the gospel, what God has done for humanity. Perhaps they’d hear it from angels, since the angels long to look into the gospel and announce it.
They [intelligent beings] have heard, and they keep on hearing, and the news keeps spreading everywhere, that the God, who made them all, took human form, and died to put away human sin. And, supposing this is the case, what do you think all these intelligent beings say? It must be that the impression made upon them is that sin is a horrible thing, since it stabs at God himself. All intelligences must also feel that God is just, since he will sooner himself die than let sin go unpunished. It further rings throughout the spheres that God is love—that he will sooner bleed to death than let his creatures perish; and that here he once proved, in his death, that he was infinite both in his vengeance and his mercy. All the universe throughout eternity shall hear this wondrous story; it is so marvellous that it will never grow stale.11
Our whole venture on aliens ought to lead us to marvel at God. I can’t help but think of Psalm 8:
3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,4 what is man that you are mindful of him,and the son of man that you care for him?5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beingsand crowned him with glory and honor.6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;you have put all things under his feet,7 all sheep and oxen,and also the beasts of the field,8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,whatever passes along the paths of the seas.9 O Lord, our Lord,how majestic is your name in all the earth!
How stunning that God made it all.
How appropriate that it all belongs to Jesus.
How tremendous that God cares for us, mindful of us, set his love on us.
And how lavish that Jesus has made us coheirs with him.
Thanks to this tweet from Tony Reinke.
C. H. Spurgeon, “Jesus Admired in Them That Believe,” in MTP: 25:317. Preached on June 1, 1879.
C. H. Spurgeon, “Depths and Heights,” in MTP 45:388. Preached on May 21, 1882.
C. H. Spurgeon, “Priest and Victim,” in MTP 46: 451. Preached on August 28, 1881.
C. H. Spurgeon, “Christ’s Ambassadors,” in MTP 55: 280. Preached on February 27, 1873.
Anton Matytsin, “Scepticism and Certainty in Seventeenth- and Eighteetnth-Century Speculations about the Plurality of Worlds,” in Science et Esprit 65 (3), 2013: 359–72.
Bill Jenkins, “Evangelicals and the Plurality of Worlds Debate in Scotland, 1810-55,” in Journal of Scottish Historical Studies 35, no. 2 (November 1, 2015): 189–210.
C. H. Spurgeon, “Penitence, Pardon, and Peace,” in MTP 59:292.
C. H. Spurgeon, “Priest and Victim,” in MTP 46:451.
I have always been super quick to dismiss the idea of ET life, but I must say if men of this degree of intelligence are open to it, then I should at least listen to the proposition.
This makes me think the Baptists were too quick to take “God of earth and outer space” out of their hymnal.