William Wilberforce and the Bible That Demanded Action

In 1787, William Wilberforce sat in his home at 4 Old Palace Yard, Westminster, wrestling with a decision that would define his life. He had recently undergone a profound Christian conversion, and his first instinct was to leave Parliament entirely for ministry. His friend John Newton — the former slave trader turned pastor who wrote "Amazing Grace" — urged him otherwise. "God has raised you up for the good of the church and the good of the nation," Newton told him.

Wilberforce had been reading Scripture voraciously since his conversion. But it was not enough for him to simply admire its teachings on justice and human dignity. He knew the Word required something of him. So on October 28, 1787, he wrote in his journal the famous line: "God Almighty has set before me two great objects: the suppression of the slave trade and the reformation of manners."

For the next forty-six years, Wilberforce endured ridicule, death threats, and repeated parliamentary defeats. He introduced his abolition bill year after year, losing vote after vote. He could have retreated into private devotion, content to read about justice without pursuing it. Instead, he let Scripture reshape his calendar, his friendships, his entire public life.

Three days before his death in 1833, Parliament finally passed the Slavery Abolition Act.

James 1:22 warns against the comfortable religion of merely hearing the Word. Wilberforce understood that Scripture is not a mirror you glance into and walk away from unchanged — it is a summons. The God who speaks also expects His people to move.