I have noticed in my perusals of some of the so-called defenses of time salvation the consistent failure of its proponents to give a definition which captures the essence of its teaching. In most every attempt that I have ever read, the author always gives it a very modest definition. Instead of defining what it truly is and what it teaches in its extreme form, our modernists often skirt the issue by stating that it has to do with the "blessings in this life" or that God often rescues His people from temporary dangers, all the while neglecting to address the real issues which are at stake. Some of those issues include:
What is the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ?
What is the correct interpretation, using sound hermeneutics, of those Biblical passages which connect the reception of the gospel with salvation (e.g. Romans 1:16; Romans 10; James 1:18)?
Is faith in Christ necessary for salvation?
Do the scriptures teach that conversion and sanctification are definite elements of eternal salvation?
It is not at all obvious to the reader that these are the real issues under consideration based on the superficial definitions of time salvation often presented. Notice in the citations we inscribe below the omission of weightier theological subjects such as regeneration, faith, conversion, justification, sanctification, or perseverance, which is actually what the doctrine actually compromises.
First, we have a statement from Elder Robert Webb (emphasis mine - KF):
"My understanding of the term has reference to the blessing of obedience here in time. 'If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.' Isaiah 1:19,20 In other words there is a deliverance from the chastening rod of God and a salvation or deliverance from the pitfalls found in serving idols, living in sin, and all the unhappiness a child of God experiences by his disobedience to God. By the Child of Gods obedience to God's Word he is saved (blessed) here in time."
http://www.carthage.lib.il.us/community/churches/primbap/Comments1.html
Here we see that time salvation, according to the author, refers to the blessing of obedience here in time.
So all that the teaching means is that God blesses His people while in this life? Well, who denies that? If this is the summation of its assertion, then count me as an adherent along with all of Christendom. But unfortunately, this is not an appropriate disclosure of what this heresy suggests, and it's sad if there are church folks who think it is.
If this is all that time salvation amounts to, then why is there currently a controversy among the Primitive Baptists? Do those who have left the teaching of time salvation no longer believe that God blesses His people's obedience here in time? It's laughable to even consider such a thing. Those ostracized elders have abandoned this heresy for they understand what it teaches in its extreme form, such as the false assertion that many unbelievers are saved. But one, however, would not know this is part of the controversy based on Webb's modest definition of the concept.
No one denies that God blesses His people "while they live here" and its pointless to spend time defending that which is crystal clear to all. The definition given by Webb is therefore vague for one who does not know what time salvation teaches. What Webb does not explicitly state but what he means is that obedience to Christ is optional and does not necessarily follow regeneration. A person can be regenerated but never come to a state of obedience unto God. If he does so, though, then he gets the blessing of a time salvation "in this life". This antinomian view allows eternal salvation for the "unconverted regenerate" our ultraists have invented, and explains why many have ventured off into no-hellism/universalism or come dangerously close. The scriptures, though, are most clear on the relationship between salvation and obedience. Though obedience is not the cause of our salvation, there can be no salvation without it. Regeneration changes the individual necessarily, effectively causing the person to now live a general course of holiness (Ezek. 36:27; Rom. 2:10; 6:18; 8:14; Philip. 2:13).
Hebrews. 5:9 expresses it nicely:
"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"
We would ask our moderns "Did Jesus become the author of ETERNAL salvation to those that DON'T obey him?"
Another modest definition of time salvation failing to capture the true issue at stake is one rendered by Conditionalist Deacon J.W. Jones of the Bear Creek Association (approx. 1924):
"We are stating frankly that we find no fault with the phrase, because the brethren clearly set forth their meaning of the phrase, which is ‘salvation from error, false doctrine, afflictions, misery, persecutions, perplexities, disasters, calamities, adversities, temptations, etc.,’"
We are careful to be too critical of Jones's definition. It is possible that in his day the teaching of time salvation had not evolved to the degree that it has today, and may not carry with it all the theological compromises which the contemporary version does. Weighing his statement compared to today's presentation of the subject, however, we would say that it fails to address the heart of the matter. Just as we stated above, we do not deny that there are times in our lives in which God delivers us from various and sundry things. Given this definition one could easily be duped into thinking that this is ALL that time salvation suggests. For instance, if I have a drug addiction and the Lord delivers me from it, can I say that I got a time salvation? If this is all that is meant by the teaching, then guess what? I would say that the entire Christian community believes in it! Do not all Christians believe that God can and does deliver His people from addictions, depression, etc.?
It is so obvious that God visits His people and rescues them from certain predicaments, it's amazing to me that there is even a need to bundle up the idea and call it a doctrine of the scriptures.
So God often rescues His people in time. Ummm...obviously.
He writes further:
"If preaching that Joseph saved the lives of his people in the day of famine is not eternal salvation is heresy then we are guilty. If preaching that the "great salvation" wrought by Jonathan was a national salvation and not eternal salvation, is heresy, then we are guilty. If preaching these and many other salvations--that is, salvation from many things, is heresy, then we are guilty."
http://primitivebaptist.info/mambo//content/view/1400/70/
Here Jones asserts something that no one as well denies. Who in their right mind would assert that the deliverance from the famine wrought through Joseph was eternal? Instead of giving a thorough exegesis of some pivotal scripture around which the true matter circulates, he is out to prove something to which no bible reader would object! Citing some Biblical account in which someone was delivered from some temporary danger is not evidence for what out ultraists are calling upon their people to accept and swallow today.
Yes, the deliverance from the famine was temporal! Yes, Daniel was delivered in time from the lion's den! Yes, the Hebrews experienced a temporal deliverance from the Egyptians! It's time to move past these modest examples of time salvation, and get to where the rubber meets the road!
Next, we have a quotation from Elder Tom Hagler Jr. in his book "How One is Born Again":
"2 Corinthians 11:24 'Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.' Obviously, Paul means he received forty stripes except (or less) one, for a total of thirty-nine stripes."
http://www.basicbibledoctrines.com/downloads/Born_Again.pdf
This explanation demonstrates the lengths to which our modernists must go to substantiate their claims. Hagler is at such pains to prove his doctrine that he references a scripture in which the word "saved" doesn't mean deliverance in any context, eternal of temporal! It means "except", as he himself states! Despite this poor defense, his statement demonstrates one of the fundamental strategies employed by today's ultraists. The tendency is to reference a passage in which the word 'saved' does not speak of eternal deliverance, and then extrapolate this idea to account for those passages in the Bible in which either the perseverance of the saints or gospel-means pattern of salvation is set forth, and claim as well that this too is speaking of a temporal salvation. It is by this bait-and-switch tactic that many of the people are being deceived and led astray
A final thing I've noticed is the tendency of ultraists to extract modest statements from the teachings of John Gill as if to suggest that this learned theologian espoused this teaching. Elder Michael Gowens, one of the leading proponents of this teaching today, stated in a recent questionaire regarding current theological tensions among the Primitive Baptists that Gill used the concept frequently. I cannot help but chuckle when I read such desperate attempts to provide justification for this heresy. Did Gill use the term temporal expression in his commentaries? Yes. Did he claim that there were times when God granted his people a temporal deliverance from some dire situation? Yes. And so does every other Christian! What Gill did not do, however, was use the expression to dismiss the gospel-means pattern for salvation and the perseverance of the saints, pervert the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ, or question the certainty of conversion and experimental sanctification as do our moderns. More importantly, he did not claim that many unbelievers and antichrists were saved.
It's hard to expect the church members to know what time salvation actually entails from a theological standpoint as long as its proponents gloss over the doctrine by giving such vague definitions as those cited above. Instead of busying themselves with such defenses that do not encapsulate the reason why the doctrine was invented and the purpose it currently serves, our modernists should focus their thoughts on the matters truly at stake. Time salvation in its ultimate sense states that the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ is not in any way connected to deliverance from sin or eternal judgment, and that subjective faith and holiness are not necessary for salvation. Based on the definitions given above, however, one would not know that this is what it means. At present, we wonder just how many of the rank and file members understand no more about the doctrine than that it has to do with "blessings while we live here in this world". I know there are many because I have met with them personally. After I explained to them what this heresy really teaches, they told me they never knew that it meant that sinners don't have to believe in Christ for salvation. Without a doubt, some of these modest definitions in which the true matter is avoided are to blame.
The proponents of time salvation should cease doing this, and get to the heart of the matter. To this day, though, I have not read a single work by any of our modernists in which a thorough exegesis is given of the passages in which they cite as support of their novelty.
After all, it's much easier to just say that it has to do with the "blessings of this life", and leave it at that.
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