The Christian Warfare & Two Seed Baptists

The Two Seed Baptists, ancestors of today's largest faction of "Primitive Baptists," spoke of how "regeneration" caused an internal warfare or conflict in the one being regenerated. This conflict is because the sinner, who previously only had a depraved nature, now has a new nature via regeneration, a spiritual nature, and the presence of the two produces this war. They believed that God's people come down from heaven at the time of regeneration and possess the sinner, the one whom God had previously chosen. These elect spirits, the Two Seeders said, were a part of Christ before the foundation of the world. They also taught that if one was literally in Christ before the world began, they were then chosen because of that fact. Thus, their scheme drastically changed the doctrine of unconditional election. 

The Baptists who preceded the rise of the Two Seed Baptists (Regular, Separate, and Particular Baptists) did not believe that God chose the elect because of some natural difference between the elect and non elect. That would be a conditional election. However, the choice was not of those already in Christ, already connected to Christ by "eternal vital union," as the Two Seeders taught. This the bible is very clear in denying.

They even taught that since the elect literally existed as "spirits" in Christ (who many of them say had a human body in eternity past), already in vital union with Christ, and as already "the bride of Christ," therefore Christ was obligated to save her (Jewish law made the husband responsible for the wife's debts). Again, this is a denial of unconditional election. It is also a denial that salvation is by grace, that Christ was not obligated to save anyone, but did so by his free choice and unmerited love. 

The bible rather teaches that God's choice of people to salvation, before the world began, was of people who were not then in actual existence (but only in the mind and foreknowledge of God). It also teaches that God does not first save and then choose sinners but chooses and then saves them.  

One of the texts that the non Two Seeder PBs used to refute such a notion was this:

"Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."

David is talking about his physical body and its members. But it is applicable to the "body of Christ," to that assembly of believers, as the new testament teaches. Each believer is a member of the body of Christ. But, when did they become part of the body? Were they part of the body before the world began as the Two Seeders taught? No. They were no doubt part of it in God's mind and foreknowledge, but not actually so. Just like the body of David and each of its members were foreseen and written in God's book or ledger, so likewise too were the members of the body of Christ. In each case the members were seen and known by God when they were not yet in existence.

The Two Seeder saw regeneration as a "hollow log" experience. This metaphor was chosen because the Two Seeder wanted to convey the idea that regeneration was nothing more than one of God's eternal children coming down from heaven and taking up his abode (as a spirit) in the "Adam man," in the body. Just like a rabbit runs into a hollow log and may be said to be "in" the log, so too with the eternal spirits of God's elect when they enter a man. There was "no change" made to the log (Adam man) by the entrance of the rabbit. Those who fought the Two Seeders referred to their idea of "regeneration" as a "no change" view, or a "hollow log" view. 

The Two Seeders not only did not believe that regeneration did not change the body (that is alright) but it did not change the soul or spirit either. Regeneration did not change what a man loved and hated. A regenerated man in Two Seed thinking was as much in love with sin as he was before the Spirit or spirit entered the Adam man. This "no change" view of regeneration still plagues most PBs today in one form or another.

The Christian warfare thus began, according to the Two Seeders, when the rabbit entered the log. The log does not want the rabbit inside of it (to keep the metaphor going). There was therefore a conflict between the log and the rabbit. This conflict (regeneration), this war between flesh and spirit, is the chief evidence of regeneration. If a man had such a conflict between sin and holiness, between vice and right living, then he reveals that he is one of the "eternal seed" who preexisted with Christ before the world began. (Talk about alien seed among us!) Even today among the non Two Seeder Hardshells there is a remnant of this teaching still observable. (John Crowley said that elements of Two Seed ideology can still be seen in Hardshell preaching if one knows what to listen for, and he is right) I can see remnants of Two Seedism in most PB teaching today.

Many Two Seeders denied the resurrection of the body. This was quite foreseeable. If their view of regeneration and election is correct, then there is no use for the "Adam man." When such a "regenerated" person died, then he went back to heaven where he had been before the world began. This system, as one can see, involved several elements of Gnosticism. One of the mottoes of the Two Seeders was this - "nothing will go to heaven but what came down from heaven."

There is a Christian warfare. That is true. The presence of Christ and the Spirit does create conflict with the flesh. But, it is not as the Two Seeders explained. 

In conclusion, let me ask my Hardshell brothers who deny the perseverance of the saints this question:

Has God predestined (ordained or made certain) that the believer win in the warfare with the flesh? Is the victory over the flesh of the Lord?