Elder W.P. Throgmorton
(1849-1929)
His biography can be read here.
He was a leading Southern Baptist pastor in Illinois. He pastored throughout the state and served as editor of The Baptist Banner, The Baptist News, and later The Illinois Baptist newspaper.
He held about fifty debates, some with Primitive Baptists such as S.F. Cayce, Lemuel Potter, and John R. Daily.
The following remarks in defense of the perseverance of the saints is very good and I am happy to share it with the readers. Having debated this topic more than once myself and being informed of the pros and cons on the subject, I can say that Throgmorton gave a good defense of the doctrine. It is in a question and answer format with questions being in red.
Wrote Throgmorton:
"Yes, but these must have had faith, else they could not have departed from it, and if they had faith they were real children of God."
"That would be true if they had saving faith. But faith often means the system of faith or doctrine. In fact, this is what "the faith" generally means. They departed from the doctrine. You know one may be very orthodox in doctrine and know nothing about the faith that saves. Robert G. Ingersoll was brought up to believe the Bible, but he departed from that teaching. He forsook the faith in which he was reared. This does not mean that he was ever a true Christian." (pg. 182)
Yes, and "the devils believe and tremble." Some have faith but not saving faith, such as Muslims, Hindus, and other false religious faiths. There is also shallow superficial faith, the kind we see in the shallow ground hearer in the parable of the seed and soils. Faith that is begotten of God is never overcome, but overcomes. It is only hypocritical faith that does not overcome.
Wrote Throgmorton:
"What about the second chapter of Second Peter?"
"In this place many think they find the doctrine of ultimate apostasy, or of its possibility, beyond a doubt. But I think not. The culmination of Peter's argument is in the last verse wherein he sums up the character of the apostates and the facts concerning them; "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his vomit again: and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." When a dog casts forth his vomit, because he is sick, that does not change his dog nature, nor does it give him a new nature. So when a sinner gets so sick of some of his evil habits that he quits them, this does not necessarily mean that his nature has been changed, or that he has been made a partaker of the divine nature. When a filthy sow is taken and washed from the filth she so much delights in, it does not change her nature in the least, nor does it give her a new nature. She is the same sow that she was before. So when a man by reformation is made outwardly clean, it does not necessarily follow that his old nature has been changed or that he has been made a partaker of the new nature. This was just the case with these people of whom Peter speaks. In fact, he as much as tells us so. He says, "It is happened unto them according to the true proverb." What is the true proverb? "The dog is turned to his OWN vomit again," and, "the sow that was washed to HER wallowing in the mire." It was just as natural for these people to do as they did, as it was for these animals to do as they did. Is this descriptive of one who has been born again? Surely not. Nowhere are God's children spoken of either as dogs or as hogs."
Again, this is so well expressed. I have had to deal with this passage more than once in debate. There are many believers who are like the Pharisees who were "clean on the outside" (at least for awhile) but were inwardly filthy. They were like the unbelieving Jews who were only Jews outwardly but not so inwardly, being Christians outwardly in word and profession but not so internally.
Wrote Throgmorton:
"My first reason for believing in the doctrine of "once in grace always in grace" is the nature of the new birth. The new birth is not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. See John 1: 13. Being made a child of God is not a mere form. It is not a being baptized. It is not simply turning over a new leaf and doing better. It is a being born from above. It is a new creation. Jesus said, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." When one is thus born again he is as truly God's child as he was before the child of his earthly father. As he was before a partaker of human nature, he is now a partaker of the divine nature. See 2 Peter 1:4. And this divine nature stays with him. He can no more be separated from it than he can be separated from his human nature. The fact that he is the son of his earthly father cannot be undone. No more can the fact that he is the son of his Heavenly Father be undone. Once a child of God always a child of God. In 1 John 3 :9 we have this : "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin : for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Every Christian man is two men. He is the son of Adam and as such has the old Adam nature. He is a son of God. And as such has the "Divine nature." As Adam's son, having Adam's nature, he sins every day. As the son of God, being made a partaker of the Divine nature, he can no more sin than Christ can sin. For this reason his final apostasy is utterly impossible."
Yes, the nature of the new birth! If that was understood, then no one would deny eternal security for the true believer. The 1689 London Baptist Confession also affirmed that the nature of the new birth prevents apostasy and insures perseverance.
Wrote Throgmorton:
"The surest sign that one is a Christian is that he has the spirit of Christ, and that spirit seeks always to know and to do the Lord's will. If you are refraining from sin simply because you are afraid of hell, the best thing for you to do is to repent and believe the gospel. You are not yet a Christian, and you know nothing about either saving grace or preserving grace."
Hatred of sin and love for Christ and the gospel produces "patient endurance in well doing."
Wrote Throgmorton:
"Yes, but these must have had faith, else they could not have departed from it, and if they had faith they were real children of God."
"That would be true if they had saving faith. But faith often means the system of faith or doctrine. In fact, this is what "the faith" generally means. They departed from the doctrine. You know one may be very orthodox in doctrine and know nothing about the faith that saves. Robert G. Ingersoll was brought up to believe the Bible, but he departed from that teaching. He forsook the faith in which he was reared. This does not mean that he was ever a true Christian." (pg. 182)
Yes, and "the devils believe and tremble." Some have faith but not saving faith, such as Muslims, Hindus, and other false religious faiths. There is also shallow superficial faith, the kind we see in the shallow ground hearer in the parable of the seed and soils. Faith that is begotten of God is never overcome, but overcomes. It is only hypocritical faith that does not overcome.
Wrote Throgmorton:
"What about the second chapter of Second Peter?"
"In this place many think they find the doctrine of ultimate apostasy, or of its possibility, beyond a doubt. But I think not. The culmination of Peter's argument is in the last verse wherein he sums up the character of the apostates and the facts concerning them; "But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his vomit again: and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." When a dog casts forth his vomit, because he is sick, that does not change his dog nature, nor does it give him a new nature. So when a sinner gets so sick of some of his evil habits that he quits them, this does not necessarily mean that his nature has been changed, or that he has been made a partaker of the divine nature. When a filthy sow is taken and washed from the filth she so much delights in, it does not change her nature in the least, nor does it give her a new nature. She is the same sow that she was before. So when a man by reformation is made outwardly clean, it does not necessarily follow that his old nature has been changed or that he has been made a partaker of the new nature. This was just the case with these people of whom Peter speaks. In fact, he as much as tells us so. He says, "It is happened unto them according to the true proverb." What is the true proverb? "The dog is turned to his OWN vomit again," and, "the sow that was washed to HER wallowing in the mire." It was just as natural for these people to do as they did, as it was for these animals to do as they did. Is this descriptive of one who has been born again? Surely not. Nowhere are God's children spoken of either as dogs or as hogs."
Again, this is so well expressed. I have had to deal with this passage more than once in debate. There are many believers who are like the Pharisees who were "clean on the outside" (at least for awhile) but were inwardly filthy. They were like the unbelieving Jews who were only Jews outwardly but not so inwardly, being Christians outwardly in word and profession but not so internally.
Wrote Throgmorton:
"My first reason for believing in the doctrine of "once in grace always in grace" is the nature of the new birth. The new birth is not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. See John 1: 13. Being made a child of God is not a mere form. It is not a being baptized. It is not simply turning over a new leaf and doing better. It is a being born from above. It is a new creation. Jesus said, "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." When one is thus born again he is as truly God's child as he was before the child of his earthly father. As he was before a partaker of human nature, he is now a partaker of the divine nature. See 2 Peter 1:4. And this divine nature stays with him. He can no more be separated from it than he can be separated from his human nature. The fact that he is the son of his earthly father cannot be undone. No more can the fact that he is the son of his Heavenly Father be undone. Once a child of God always a child of God. In 1 John 3 :9 we have this : "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin : for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Every Christian man is two men. He is the son of Adam and as such has the old Adam nature. He is a son of God. And as such has the "Divine nature." As Adam's son, having Adam's nature, he sins every day. As the son of God, being made a partaker of the Divine nature, he can no more sin than Christ can sin. For this reason his final apostasy is utterly impossible."
Yes, the nature of the new birth! If that was understood, then no one would deny eternal security for the true believer. The 1689 London Baptist Confession also affirmed that the nature of the new birth prevents apostasy and insures perseverance.
Wrote Throgmorton:
"The surest sign that one is a Christian is that he has the spirit of Christ, and that spirit seeks always to know and to do the Lord's will. If you are refraining from sin simply because you are afraid of hell, the best thing for you to do is to repent and believe the gospel. You are not yet a Christian, and you know nothing about either saving grace or preserving grace."
Hatred of sin and love for Christ and the gospel produces "patient endurance in well doing."
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