JOHN PATON, IMMORTAL UNTIL MY MASTER’S WORK IS DONE: The Nineteenth Century (pt.5)

In the nineteenth century, God used John Paton to exemplify sacrificial obedience to Christ and a desire to reach the nations for Christ. 

MEMORY VERSE. “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Philippians 3:8). 

MEMORY QUOTE. "I claimed Aniwa for Jesus, and by the grace of God Aniwa now worships at the Saviour’s feet” (John Paton). 

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John G. Paton: Immortal Till My Master’s Work is Done

In an age of expanding empires and lingering darkness among unreached peoples, Christ raised up John Gibson Paton, a Scottish missionary whose sacrificial obedience carried the gospel to cannibal islands and transformed entire communities. Through Paton’s willingness to die for Christ, his deep communion with the Savior, and his confident trust in God’s sovereign grace, Christ demonstrated the power of the gospel to turn the fiercest savages into faithful worshippers.

John G. Paton (1824-1907)

John Gibson Paton was born on May 24, 1824, at Braehead farm cottage near Dumfries, Dumfriesshire, Scotland, the eldest of eleven children to James and Janet Paton, into a humble but deeply godly Reformed Presbyterian home where family worship and fervent prayer shaped daily life (Paton 1889, 1–20). Paton was born into a godly Scottish Covenanter heritage. As a young man working long hours in Glasgow’s slums as a city missionary from 1847 to 1856, Paton labored among prostitutes, drunkards, and the desperately poor, often facing physical danger, yet he credited these years with preparing him for the greater perils of the mission field (Paton 1889, 45–80).

  When volunteering for the New Hebrides mission in 1857—where previous missionaries had been killed and eaten—Paton faced strong opposition. An elderly Scottish gentleman warned him he would be devoured by cannibals. Paton replied that he was content to go, since he had only once to die, whether eaten by cannibals or by worms in Scotland (Paton 1889, 55–56).

  He married Mary Ann Robson in April 1858 and sailed days later, landing on the island of Tanna in November 1858 among “painted savages” steeped in superstition, witchcraft, and cannibalism. Within months, in early 1859, both his young wife and their newborn son Peter died of tropical fever, leaving Paton to bury them near his house and sleep on their graves to protect the bodies from cannibals (Paton 1889, 85–90). Despite grief, disease, constant threats, and opposition from witch doctors and warriors, Paton persisted for four years on Tanna, translating Scripture, winning a few converts, and establishing small mission outposts. In 1862 escalating dangers forced him to flee the island, after which he spent years in Australia, Britain, and elsewhere raising support and recruits for Pacific missions (Paton 1889, 100–150).

  In 1866, Paton and his second wife, Margaret Whitecross, settled on the smaller island of Aniwa. During a severe drought, Paton prayed publicly for water. When the people dug at his direction, they struck a fresh-water spring—something unknown on the coral atoll—which the islanders interpreted as the Christian God providing from the earth, significantly weakening superstition and opening hearts to the gospel (Paton 1890, 200–220). Over decades on Aniwa, Paton and his team built a church, school, orphanage, and printing house while completing a translation of the Bible into the local language. He lived to see the entire island turn from cannibalism, idolatry, and warfare to Christ, with former cannibals becoming teachers and evangelists (Paton 1965, 300–400).

  Known as the “King of the Cannibals” or “Apostle of the New Hebrides,” Paton spent over thirty years in the islands and decades more in deputation work across Australia, Britain, Canada, and the United States, raising funds and recruits for Pacific missions. He and Margaret had ten children, six of whom survived to adulthood; several entered ministry or mission service. He outlived many hardships and died peacefully in Australia on January 28, 1907, at age eighty-two, having seen the gospel transform former cannibals into a Christian community across multiple islands (Paton 1898, concluding sections).

Theological Lessons from John Gibson Paton

John Paton’s life teaches three profound lessons for Christ’s church.

  First, Paton taught us we should be willing to die for the glory of Christ. When warned he would be eaten by cannibals, Paton replied, “Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer” (Paton 1965, 56). The apostle Paul expressed the same spirit: “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death” (Philippians 1:20).

  Second, Paton taught us that it is a precious thing to have communion with Christ. During one night of terror on Tanna, when he hid in a tree to escape murderers, Paton experienced the nearness of Christ in a way that changed him forever. He later wrote of claiming the promises of God’s presence and finding peace that surpassed understanding. This mirrors the Savior’s own assurance: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Paton’s life shows that the deepest comfort in danger is intimate fellowship with the living Christ.

  Third, Paton taught us we should have faithful confidence in Christ’s ability to save. After years of labor on Aniwa, Paton could declare with joy, “I claimed Aniwa for Jesus, and by the grace of God Aniwa now worships at the Saviour’s feet” (Paton 1965, 345). Today, approximately eighty percent of the people in the former New Hebrides (Vanuatu) are Christians, a direct fruit of his faithful sowing. Paton trusted the promise, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). His confidence challenges us to believe that the gospel is mighty to save even the most hardened hearts.

Conclusion: Christ’s Victory in the Nineteenth Century

In the nineteenth century, God used John Gibson Paton to exemplify sacrificial obedience to Christ and a desire to reach the nations for Christ. From the slums of Glasgow to the cannibal islands of the Pacific, Paton’s life was a living testimony that the gospel can transform the darkest places. He was a staunch Calvinist who trusted in God’s sovereignty over all things, including suffering, perseverance, death, and salvations. He had godly parents and a father who would never skip family worship. His example continues to stir believers to radical obedience.

  Let us learn from Paton: be willing to die for Christ’s glory, cherish communion with Him in every trial, and trust His power to save even the most lost. May we, like him, spend our lives for the nations, knowing that Christ continues to conquer the nations, building His church for His glory. Let us live boldly, knowing His kingdom advances, unstoppable, until it fills the earth. Amen.