I insist that a person cannot logically and consistently believe that regeneration (or being born again) precedes faith (and repentance) and believe that hearing the word of God is a means unto regeneration. In other words, like Booth said, the word cannot be a means apart from hearing and believing the word. Thus, to say one is begotten by the gospel can only mean begotten by believing the gospel. It would be absurd to think that the gospel regenerated a person prior to him believing it.
Recall that Abraham Booth wrote:
"Regeneration must precede faith. This, though assumed as a certain fact:, may be justly doubted: for the page of inspiration does not warrant our supposing, that any one is born of God, before he believes in Jesus Christ; or, that regeneration is effected by the Holy Spirit, without the word of grace." ("Glad Tidings to Perishing Sinners," page 122)
Did not Spurgeon say that Booth represented his views? Spurgeon said of Booth and his book:
"I have read with some degree of attention a book to which I owe much for this present discourse a book, by Abraham Booth, called Glad Tidings to Perishing Sinners. I have never heard any one cast a suspicion upon Abraham Booth's soundness; on the contrary, he has been generally considered as one of the most orthodox of the divines of the last generation. If you want my views in full, read his book." (The Warrant of Faith, page 539, Sermon #531, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 9, year 1863)
Notice also how Booth connected the regenerated before faith view with the view that denies that the word is the instrument of regeneration. I am therefore arguing in the same manner as Booth, Spurgeon, and others, such as Dr. John Stock. Spurgeon also endorsed the writings of John Stock, writing a preface to his work "A Handbook of Revealed Theology" (pictured at the heading of this page). He is even the one who influenced Stock to write the book (see here). So, if there is any question about Spurgeon and the order of faith and regeneration, his endorsement of both Booth and Stock show he believed as they and also as Calvin and Luther. Stock also taught that men were born again by faith. You can read it on the Internet (here) along with Spurgeon's comments on Stock's book in his prefatory recommendation saying:
"...the present Handbook of my respected brother, Mr. Stock. He undertook the labour at my earnest request; he had favoured me with a perusal of the sheets as they appeared, and I am only too happy to prefix my commendation. I have suggested no alteration, although my friend's kindness allowed me that liberty, because I had rather he should be the author and compiler of the entire work, bearing the sole responsibility of its statements. We might have differed about words and phrases, and have wasted time without effecting improvements...I do not endorse every sentence in the book; Nay, in the Part on "the Constitution and Discipline of Christian Churches" I might have desired several alterations; but as a whole the book has my cordial approval, which I have shown in the most practical manner by purchasing five hundred copies for the use of the young men in the Theological Institute at the Tabernacle." (Nov. 1861)
From my entry on the writing of Stock on the ordo salutis as respects faith and regeneration, I cite where Stock said this (please read the whole article if you will - See here):
"In these and in other parallel passages, regeneration is ascribed to the truth which the Holy Spirit leads us to receive. It is in connection with the hearing, reading, or remembering of the Word of God, or of the general truths which it makes known, that the Holy Ghost puts forth His power. It is to induce us to receive this truth that the Divine Spirit is imparted. Hence it is that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God." The word is the occasion of the new birth. The Holy Spirit works by the truth. The Word of God is His sword (Ephes. vi. 17). It is the fire with which He burns up our dross, and the hammer with which He breaks our rocky hearts in pieces (Jer. xxiii. 29)."
"The great difficulty in this doctrine, however, yet remains; we mean the question whether regeneration precedes faith in the Saviour, or faith in the Saviour precedes regeneration, or whether the two are simultaneous —Two things are clear.
First—That the reception of Christ by the sinner is ascribed to a divine influence. Hence faith is styled "the gift of God" (Ephes. ii. 8), and "a fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. v. 22); "the heart is opened" to receive Christ (Acts xvi. 14); "flesh and blood do not reveal Jesus to the soul, but our Father who is in heaven" (Matt. xvi. 17 ); "God reveals these things unto babes" (Matt. xi. 25); "They are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. ii. 14). But another truth is as clearly asserted in Holy Scripture, viz. :
Secondly—That until a man has received the Saviour he has no life in him. Thus our Lord testified, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, ye have no life in you" (John vi. 53). Until a man by faith receives the sacrifice of Christ, he has no life, not even its first elements, in his soul. There are several other passages which are in the same strain. "To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" (John i. 12). "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. iii. 26). "If a man eat of this bread he shall live for ever" (John vi. 51). "He that eateth Me shall live by Me" (John vi. 57). Thus Christ is emphatically our life, while without faith in Him we have no life.
Here, then, is the difficulty; if men receive a divine influence in order to believe in Christ, are they not made alive to God by this influence, and are they not consequently regenerated before receiving Christ into the soul? But if they are regenerated before believing in the Saviour, and if they were to die in this state, they would assuredly go to heaven (for no regenerate soul can be lost), and would thus obtain eternal life without having believed in Christ, which is contrary to one of the first principles of revelation. Our Lord emphatically says that, except we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we have No life in us.
"The great difficulty in this doctrine, however, yet remains; we mean the question whether regeneration precedes faith in the Saviour, or faith in the Saviour precedes regeneration, or whether the two are simultaneous —Two things are clear.
First—That the reception of Christ by the sinner is ascribed to a divine influence. Hence faith is styled "the gift of God" (Ephes. ii. 8), and "a fruit of the Spirit" (Gal. v. 22); "the heart is opened" to receive Christ (Acts xvi. 14); "flesh and blood do not reveal Jesus to the soul, but our Father who is in heaven" (Matt. xvi. 17 ); "God reveals these things unto babes" (Matt. xi. 25); "They are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. ii. 14). But another truth is as clearly asserted in Holy Scripture, viz. :
Secondly—That until a man has received the Saviour he has no life in him. Thus our Lord testified, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man, ye have no life in you" (John vi. 53). Until a man by faith receives the sacrifice of Christ, he has no life, not even its first elements, in his soul. There are several other passages which are in the same strain. "To as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God" (John i. 12). "Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" (Gal. iii. 26). "If a man eat of this bread he shall live for ever" (John vi. 51). "He that eateth Me shall live by Me" (John vi. 57). Thus Christ is emphatically our life, while without faith in Him we have no life.
Here, then, is the difficulty; if men receive a divine influence in order to believe in Christ, are they not made alive to God by this influence, and are they not consequently regenerated before receiving Christ into the soul? But if they are regenerated before believing in the Saviour, and if they were to die in this state, they would assuredly go to heaven (for no regenerate soul can be lost), and would thus obtain eternal life without having believed in Christ, which is contrary to one of the first principles of revelation. Our Lord emphatically says that, except we eat His flesh and drink His blood, we have No life in us.
The explanation of this grave difficulty we apprehend to be simply this : The influence by which men are awakened and convinced, and made to see their need of Jesus, is only preliminary to regeneration.—We are not regenerated or made holy until we are reconciled to God by the death of His Son. Then we receive Christ, "who is our life." To those who receive Christ He gives the privilege of becoming instantly the sons of God (John i. 12). We are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus (Gal. iii. 26). Faith purifies the heart (Acts xv. 9), overcomes the world (1 John v. 4), and works by love (Gal. v. 6). "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John v. 1). The preparatory influence, though not regeneration, is absolutely necessary to its production.
Besides the evidence above, this blog is filled with citations from Spurgeon where he affirmed that men were born again by faith. So, no one ought to say that Spurgeon believed that regeneration preceded faith.
In the previous post I spoke of how one Reformed Baptist held to the view that the soil being good prior to seed being sown in it in the parable of the sower and seed (or of the four soil types) showed that regeneration occurred before the seed was sown and germinated (to produce faith) and yet he wanted to believe that the sowing of the seed was a means in making the soil good (regeneration). This cannot be shown to be logical. Many such Reformed Baptists and Hyper Calvinists believe like Shedd (see our previous entry on Shedd) that the word of God is not a means in regeneration, but only a means for the regenerate to come to faith and justification or the Hardshell "time salvation."
Further, some Baptists and Presbyterian Calvinists have held to the view that the birth or regeneration of the elect sinner was not instantaneous but was like physical birth, which is usually about nine months to accomplish. Just as physical birth has three distinct stages, so too they say does spiritual rebirth. There is conception (see planting from the male, or father) in the womb of the female, then growth in the female's womb, and then birth proper, deliverance from the womb. So, by this paradigm, regeneration is restricted to the first stage, when the seed of the word is planted in a heart (but not yet matured or brought to confession). Following this seed planting (regeneration) is a period of time (a gap) corresponding to a regenerated (awakened) sinner subsequently being under conviction and in darkness, without any assurance of salvation or conversion to Christ, only having a sense of need for a savior. Following this time in the womb of darkness and bondage (confinement) comes the birth from the womb corresponding to being saved, converted, and given assurance of calling and election. Many of the first Hardshells in the 19th century held to this view. It was also held to by A.W. Pink and of John Hendryx (propagator of his Monergism web page).
In this posting (here) I give several citations from various ones who held to this view. Here is one citation from Pink:
In "Quickening Is the Initial Operation of the Spirit," Pink wrote:
"In earlier years we did not ourselves perceive the distinction which is pointed by John 6:63 and 1 Peter 1:23: the former referring unto the initial act of the Spirit in "quickening" the spiritually-dead soul, the latter having in view the consequent "birth" of the same. While it is freely allowed that the origin of the "new creature" is shrouded in impenetrable mystery, yet of this we may be certain, that life precedes birth. There is a strict analogy between the natural birth and the spiritual: necessarily so, for God is the Author of them both, and He ordained that the former should adumbrate the latter. Birth is neither the cause nor the beginning of life itself: rather is it the manifestation of a life already existent: there had been a Divine "quickening" before the child could issue from the womb. In like manner, the Holy Spirit "quickens" the soul, or imparts spiritual life to it, before its possessor is "brought forth" (as James 1:18 is rightly rendered in the R.V.) and "born again" by the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23)."
"In earlier years we did not ourselves perceive the distinction which is pointed by John 6:63 and 1 Peter 1:23: the former referring unto the initial act of the Spirit in "quickening" the spiritually-dead soul, the latter having in view the consequent "birth" of the same. While it is freely allowed that the origin of the "new creature" is shrouded in impenetrable mystery, yet of this we may be certain, that life precedes birth. There is a strict analogy between the natural birth and the spiritual: necessarily so, for God is the Author of them both, and He ordained that the former should adumbrate the latter. Birth is neither the cause nor the beginning of life itself: rather is it the manifestation of a life already existent: there had been a Divine "quickening" before the child could issue from the womb. In like manner, the Holy Spirit "quickens" the soul, or imparts spiritual life to it, before its possessor is "brought forth" (as James 1:18 is rightly rendered in the R.V.) and "born again" by the Word of God (1 Pet. 1:23)."
Many who hold to this view will often say that they believe that "regeneration or new birth is not complete until one has been converted (brought to faith and repentance and confession)." If Reformed Baptists, Hardshells, and other Hyper Calvinists would say that it would be much better than saying "regeneration precedes faith." And, it would be better if they simply said, similarly to Shedd, that regeneration, narrowly defined, is not by means, but it takes faith and repentance, via means, for regeneration to be complete. This seems to be the position also of J.P. Boyce.
No comments:
Post a Comment