Letters of Samuel Rutherford VIII: Make Your Choice

About this episode

This episode explores the cost Samuel Rutherford paid for following Christ and the relevance of his letters for believers today.

This week we continue our study through the letters of Samuel Rutherford by looking at the cost Rutherford paid for following Christ faithfully. Dr. John Snyder gives an overview of Rutherford’s turbulent life, including his imprisonment, exile from his congregation, work at St. Andrews, influence at the Westminster Assembly, and his final years under house arrest awaiting trial for treason. From those seasons of suffering came some of Rutherford’s richest letters. In this episode, we read selections where Rutherford calls Christians to make their choice clearly: Christ or the world. Again and again, Rutherford compares the passing pleasures of sin and worldly comfort with the surpassing worth of Jesus Christ. Rutherford’s words are not theoretical. They come from a man who lost family, freedom, reputation, and security, yet still testified that Christ was worth every sorrow. His counsel remains deeply relevant for believers today as we count the cost of following Christ in a world that continually calls us elsewhere. Show Notes Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount: https://shop.mediagratiae.org/collections/kingdom-life The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. John Snyder

Topics covered

• Christian suffering
• faithfulness
• worldly temptation
• sacrifice for Christ
• Rutherford's letters
• Christian choice

Keywords

• Samuel Rutherford
• Christianity
• suffering
• faith
• worldly comfort
• sacrifice
• letters
• Christ

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Westminster Assembly

Books & works: Letters of Samuel Rutherford, The Life of Samuel Rutherford by Andrew Thomson, Samuel Rutherford and His Friends by Faith Cook, Kingdom Life: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount

More episodes of The Whole Counsel

• Letters of Samuel Rutherford X: Entertain Christ Well · June 11, 2026 · 18 min
• Letters of Samuel Rutherford IX: Small Souls and a Boundless Christ · June 4, 2026 · 27 min
• Letters of Samuel Rutherford VII: When Christ Comes with a Cross · May 21, 2026 · 27 min
• Letters of Samuel Rutherford VI: The Love and Loveliness of Christ · May 14, 2026 · 21 min
• Letters of Samuel Rutherford V: Am I What I Say I Am? · May 7, 2026 · 30 min
• Kingdom Life: A New Study from Media Gratiae · April 30, 2026 · 26 min