For the Cause of Christ: A Biography of Adoniram Judson

Adoniram grew up as the son of Abigail and Adoniram Judson Sr., a congregationalist pastor. However, despite being raised in a Christian family, Adoniram had no love for the God of the Bible. In college he became a deist and, after revealing his new religious leanings to his family, indulged in a brief season of rebellion against God away from his family.

On his return home, Adoniram learned of the death of a close deist friend and, distressed at the state of his lost friend’s soul, began a pursuit of truth that ultimately led to his conversion in 1808. This concern for the lost would shape the rest of Adoniram’s life and ministry.

Over the next several years, God used the passion of Adoniram and several other like-minded men to establish the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. It was through this organization that Adoniram, his wife Ann, and several fellow laborers departed overseas as America’s first ordained foreign missionaries.

At their ordination, Judson and his companions were told, “You are but the precursors of many, who shall follow you in this arduous, glorious exercise; for the Gospel shall be preached to all nations, and all people shall see the Salvation of God” (Anderson 113).

You are but the precursors of many, who shall follow you in this arduous, glorious exercise; for the Gospel shall be preached to all nations, and all people shall see the Salvation of God.

Ann and Adoniram would spend the rest of their lives serving in Burma, playing a crucial role in introducing Christianity to that country.

During the many months it took them to arrive at their final destination, Ann and Adoniram came to a difficult conclusion. Through studying the Scriptures, they became convinced that baptism by immersion for professing Christians was the only form of baptism prescribed by Scripture. This conviction separated the Judsons from their original denomination as well as their fellow missionaries, leaving them reliant on the American Baptists who were wholly unaware of the situation (Anderson 146).

The Start of Ministry

Upon their arrival in Rangoon, Burma, on July 13, 1812, Ann and Adoniram slowly began to comprehend the extent of the work that lay before them.

At the time, the Burmese were primarily Buddhist, and their government was dependent upon the whims of the emperor. However, God gave Ann and Adoniram favor with the local government, so Adoniram set about the greatest task before him: language mastery and translation of the Bible.

Ann was quicker to grasp the common language because of how often she interacted with Burmese people. Adoniram progressed more slowly but with the intentionality of learning the nuances and structure of the language and grammar. He knew that he was not only laying down a foundation for reliable translation but also paving the path for future missionaries who would come after him (Anderson 179-180).

Evangelism among the Burmese people was a labor of time and great patience, as their culture struggled to comprehend core tenets of the Christian faith. Six years passed before they baptized their first convert, Maung Nau.

Over the next several years, more would gradually come to believe. Adoniram was always very careful to ensure that those who confessed faith in Christ were sincere in their commitment, as he knew that severe persecution was likely in their future.

Little did he know how much suffering he and Ann would soon endure. However, it was not because of their ministry.

Years of Darkness

In 1824, the Judsons’ mission work was interrupted by the start of war amongst the Burmese and English. Adoniram was arrested during this time, under the suspicions of being a British spy.

The next year and a half of the Judsons’ lives was a horrific narrative of imprisonment and hardship. While Adoniram endured the extreme conditions of his confinement, Ann did everything in her power to keep him and his companions alive, constantly seeking favor and aid from those in positions of power. During all of this, Ann was also caring for a newborn, their daughter, Maria Judson, whom she had given birth to during Adoniram’s imprisonment.

When Adoniram was finally released, he discovered that Ann and Maria were both ravaged by sickness and barely hanging on to life. The three of them celebrated freedom for only a short time before Ann passed away, followed shortly in death by her daughter.

Adoniram was not yet halfway through his years of ministry, and he had lost his greatest partner. However, in those first years with Ann by his side, the seeds of truth had been sown, and the Burmese church was beginning to grow. To the people of Burma, light had come. For Adoniram, however, everything was dark.

In his book “Ten Who Changed the World,” Daniel Akin describes this time in Adoniram’s life, saying, “Death seemed to be all about Adoniram. For a period of months, he was plunged into despair and depression. He would flee to the jungle and live the life of a hermit, for some time questioning himself, his calling, even his faith. . . . However, God’s power and love did not fail him. He would emerge from the valley of the shadow of death in the strength of his Good Shepherd” (Akin 24).

However, God’s power and love did not fail him. He would emerge from the valley of the shadow of death in the strength of his Good Shepherd.

Despite death and darkness, the gospel would not be thwarted. Many other missionaries had arrived in Burma, and Adoniram’s translated works were being printed and distributed near and far by the thousands. It would take many more years, but in October of 1840, he would finish translating the first Burmese Bible.

For the Cause of Christ

In this latter half of his ministry, Adoniram met his second wife, Sarah Boardman, a widow who had come with her husband to Burma in 1827. Sarah was a great missionary in her own right and, following her husband’s death, would travel with her young son George to minister to the Karen people in the jungles of Burma.

She and Adoniram linked arms in ministry and found much joy over the next years as they formed a family and continued in their mission to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sarah passed away in 1845, and like Ann, she was accompanied in death by some of her children. Adoniram grieved deeply once again.

In the last years of his life, however, Adoniram never surrendered his call to missions. Upon his return to the states, he experienced the celebrity status that he and his family had gained while overseas, and it made him very uneasy. He had expected a life of martyrdom, not fame.

On this trip, however, he met his third wife, Emily Chubbock, a renowned author who left her comfortable position in America to sacrifice her health and the next four years of her life with Adoniram serving in Burma.

In April of 1850, Adoniram passed away at sea after suffering from a severe illness. In his absence, he left a country infused with the hope of the gospel.

In a biography about his father Adoniram, Edward Judson shares these words uttered by his father and recorded by a companion who suffered with him in prison camp:

“‘It is possible,’” said Adoniram, “‘that my life may be spared; if so, with what ardor and gratitude shall I pursue my work; and if not, His will be done; the door will be opened for others who will do the work better’” (Judson 226-227).

Many times God spared Adoniram’s life, and in that life, he passionately pursued Great Commission work. By God’s grace, Adoniram’s work also opened the door for many others and inspired their commitment to pursue missions, both in Burma and elsewhere. Adoniram Judson gave his life for the cause of Christ, knowing that, in his death he would live, and that through his sacrifice, many others might know the eternal hope of Christ.

 

Sources:

Akin, Daniel L. Ten Who Changed the World. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2012.

Anderson, Courtney. To the Golden Shore. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 1987.

Judson, Edward. The Life of Adoniram Judson. New York: Anson D. F. Randolph & Company, 1883.