March 20, 1875 (Vol. 6)
By W. A. Bowden
Lone Cedar, Ky
"But I had rather say the spirit of the soul, or mind. This is when regeneration takes place preparatory to being born again. Not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, even this true God, and eternal life, which liveth and abideth forever. Here God has begun a good work, and he will perfect it; for he has seen of the travail of his soul, and he is true and cannot lie; and as sure as he brings to the birth, that sure he will cause to be delivered.
What do these words say about the belief of the PBs on regeneration or being born again? Do they not show that the view - that regeneration (implanting of seed) was not the same as being born again (evangelical conversion) - was not only taught before and after the 1832 split, but was still believed in 1875? Notice that the PBs believed that "regeneration takes place preparatory to being born again." Both were viewed as being necessary for complete or final salvation, and both viewed as the work of God.
Bowden continued:
"When the poor dead sinner is thus quickened, he begins to work, but he still quite ignorant of the true God. He believes that God is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and now he begins to reform his life, believing that he must get better, or God will never have mercy. But as he increases in the knowledge of the true God, of his holiness, of his justice, and of his Divine perfection, he learns more of his own lost and helpless condition, until finally he comes to the end of his own strength. He sees and feels that the law is holy, just and good; that he is carnal, sold to sin. Like a crane or a swallow, he is made to chatter; like a lonesome dove, he is made to mourn, saying my day of grace is gone; I am forever lost, and it is just Lord, undertake for me. O, if possible, have mercy upon me, a sinner."
Notice how the quickening or regeneration does not bring one to know God! To know God, he must have a conversion experience! Of course, I see the fallacies in such a view. But, my point in this is to show that the PBs still, in the 1870s believed that evangelical conversion was the new birth.
Bowden continued:
"Now, the way that was ordained to life, the poor sinner finds is death; for we must die to sin before we can possess eternal life and live unto holiness. And now, in the process of regeneration, or pro-creation in Christ Jesus, the sinner is taught to know God truly as his Savior, and that all his former views while in nature's night were wrong, and that he was ignorant of the character of the true God. But, now, when it pleased God to reveal himself in the forgiveness of his sins, altogether lovely and the chief among ten thousand, how easy it was to die, that it was all for Jesus' sake. And now the sinner can discover that of this true God, Jesus is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Here is one now prepared to glory in the Lord.
In this way God's people are made acquainted with the true God and are possessors of eternal life."
Regeneration a "process"? What PB today would affirm this? I have no problem with it. Nor would the real Old Particular Baptists. Still, this citation shows what the first generation of PBs believed about regeneration, conversion, and the new birth.
The no means view was a new "innovation" made by some extremists in the mid to late 19th century and sadly, by devilish and cult tactics, took over the denomination and pushed the believers in the historic doctrine of means out of it. Their no means view of the new birth was not the "primitive" view of their fathers and therefore their calling themselves "primitive" is a joke.
Elder Sonny Pyles said that this view of regeneration and the new birth was not the view of his forefathers, and yet we have shown just the opposite. See the posting "Sonny Pyles vs. P.D. Gold" (here).
No comments:
Post a Comment