His Greater Workmanship
a potter’s perspective of God’s sovereign grace in redemption
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In 1858, Hudson Taylor, English evangelist to China, preached a sermon that evoked a solemn response from the leader of a reformed Buddhist sect. Ni Yongfa had become disillusioned with all the idolatry around him and was searching for the truth. At the end of Taylor’s sermon, Ni stood up and said: “I have long searched for the truth as my father did before me. I have travelled far, but I haven’t found it. I found no rest in Confucianism, Buddhism or Daoism, but I do find rest in what I have heard tonight.”
Then Ni Yongfa turned to Hudson Taylor and asked, “How long has the gospel been known in England?” Taylor, a bit embarrassed, replied mildly, “For several hundred years.” Yongfa, somewhat agitated, said: “And you have only now come to preach it to us? My father sought after the truth for more than twenty years and died without finding it. Why didn’t you come sooner?” I don’t know if Taylor was able to provide a satisfactory answer to that difficult question in the heat of the moment.
I am often reminded of this incident in Hudson Taylor’s ministry whenever I reflect on my abrupt introduction to Reformed Theology, a.k.a Calvinism, at the rather late age of fifty-five and the spiritual realignment that followed. Up to that point in my life, I was comfortable with my basic understanding of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ and thought that I knew mostly all there was to know.
I would have described my beliefs then as fundamentalist and evangelical, having made some effort to search the Bible for myself to ensure that my beliefs had basis in the Scriptures and not in any man’s ideas. So this new, deeper revelation was both startling and humiliating to me. There was the immediate feeling of having been by-passed and of missing a vital opportunity when it really mattered. I had no doubts about my basic Christian beliefs but I wondered why God had chosen to hide the rich details of the doctrines of sovereign grace for so many years. It did not take long before I received the answer to the question, why didn’t you come sooner?
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About the Book
It has been said that art is the signature of man. The signature of God is seen, not only in the material creation but, more so, in all true believers in Jesus Christ who are the object of His exquisite workmanship and the source of good works by which the whole world benefits.
This mystery is revealed in the gospel of God and it is an exhilarating account of how the Holy Creator turned around a hopeless and dark situation for the human race into a glorious reality. The gospel was almost lost to the medieval Church but was recovered through the Protestant Reformation, 500 years ago. It is the good news that the nations need to hear today because it is in danger of becoming obscure again in this 21st century. In His Greater Workmanship, Cecil C. Moore illustrates, from his experience in the ceramic arts, the critical importance of understanding the Biblical doctrines of sovereign grace in order to avoid the pitfalls of the many false doctrines that have assailed historical Christianity.
About the Author
Cecil C. Moore is a retired Chemical Engineer. He has a deep interest in the visual arts, especially ceramics.
In this first attempt at writing a book, he dares to follow the esteemed Augustine of Hippo and John Calvin by counting himself one of those who write as they learn and learn as they write. He resides in Trinidad & Tobago and can be contacted at email address: montymoore42@gmail.com