William Wilberforce lived from August 24, 1759–July 29, 1833. Wilberforce was a British politician and his legacy is that he spent a majority of his life fighting against and helping to abolish the slave trade that was so prevalent in his day. William’s relentless struggle against the evil of slavery is in itself worthy of our admiration and respect, but what was it that motivated him? What was it that made William “tick? This is exactly the question pastor and author John Piper asks in regard to Wilberforce in his biography; Amazing Grace in the Life of William Wilberforce. Piper digs into the life of Wilberforce to find out why a man would literally use all of his energy to the point of near death for people that he did not even know personally. Piper writes this,
“What made Wilberforce tick was a profound biblical allegiance to what he called peculiar doctrines of Christianity. These, he said, give rise in turn to true affections for spiritual things, which then break the power of pride and greed and fear and lead to transformed morals, which lead to the political welfare of the nation. No true Christian can endure in battling unrighteousness unless his heart is aflame with new spiritual affections, or passions.”
The “affection” that Piper is referring to is the deep love Wilberforce had for God that resulted in a love for others. The battle against slavery took up nearly 46 years of his life, but finally in 1807 legislation was enacted to slow down the trade until it was finally abolished in 1833.
The boldness, the bravery, the love demonstrated throughout Wilberforce’s life has made him one of my spiritual heroes. His love for God and the resulting love for those who are oppressed, weak and in need makes me want to live my life for God’s glory. But where do we start? Our church is located in an affluent South Jersey area which means that real needs and suffering are camouflaged behind 4 bedroom homes, SUVs, and aspirations for a better life. One direction I personally feel my heart drawn towards is to those who suffer at the hands of abortion. It is staggering to think that there have been about 39 million abortions performed in the U.S. between 1973 and 2000. Certainly God is not calling us all to the same arena; I believe God will use each one of us in many different ways to love others and bring Him glory. What we must resist is the “fundamentalist” approach which tells us that caring for the homeless, the oppressed, the weak, the poor, the broken, the hurting is a job for those outside the church. Jesus is crystal clear that His followers will be people that break out of the “circle the wagons” mentality and engage our world with His love. In Matthew 5 Jesus has this to say, “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” That is exactly what I see in the life of William Wilberforce and is the reason that a man who lived over a 170 years ago continues to inspire me today.