Justification By Works (postscript 1)

This will be a follow up to my recent article on justification by works. (here) I will be commenting upon what James meant when he said that it is by works that faith is "made perfect" and in the next follow up I will comment on what he meant when he said that it was by Abraham's obedience to God's command to sacrifice his son Isaac that the divine declaration of justification and imputed righteousness by believing was "fulfilled." What is meant by "fulfilled"? First, let us give the words of the text we are examining.

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2: 21-24 nkjv)

The Greek word for "perfect" is teleios and denotes the end design of something, the completion of something that was designed to be accomplished by some action. James gives some examples of faith being made perfect. He says it is made perfect when someone not only expresses a desire for a hungry brother to be fed but actually feeds him. Faith is perfected when it acts, when it is more than words. Just as the ear is for the purpose of hearing and the eye for seeing, so the ear serves its purpose when it actually hears and the eye serves its end design when it sees. Legs are for the purpose of walking. When people walk the legs are "made perfect," doing what they were designed to do. Likewise, faith is for the purpose of producing good actions. Paul says believers are "created in Christ Jesus UNTO good works." (Eph. 2:10) By "unto" the apostle means "for the purpose of." 

Other gifts and abilities are likewise to have their intended ends. What is said of faith is likewise said about patience. So we read of patience by the same apostle: "But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." (James 1:4 kjv) What is said of faith and patience is also said of love. So the apostle John wrote about perfecting love:

"Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (I John 4: 17-18 kjv)

None of these verses are to be interpreted to mean that faith, love, or patience do not save a person until these are perfected. Every act of faith, every act of love, every act of patience, is a further step towards perfection in those graces. So we pray to be perfected in faith, love, patience, etc. So did Paul:

"For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God; Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?" (I Thess. 3: 9-10 kjv)

Also, divine power in a believer is also to be perfected. The apostle Paul wrote of the strength of Christ being perfected in him, writing about what Christ said to him in these words:

"And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." (II Cor. 12: 9 nkjv)

God is working in believers to perfect their patience, faith, and their love (and believers are to have the same goal). He is also working to perfect their moral and spiritual strength, their endurance. This was what James taught in his opening remarks of his letter.

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1: 22-25 kjv)

A Christian whose faith is only in words is compared to a person who hears the word but does not do what the word says. Being blessed in doing the things the word of God commands includes being perfected in holiness. So wrote the apostle Paul:

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (II Cor. 7:1 kjv)

Notice that holiness is perfected (Grk. epiteleō), reaches its intended end, or fulfills its purpose, through godly living, through regularly "cleansing ourselves from all filthiness," all moral impurity. So, not only is faith, love, patience, and strength being perfected, so too is holiness or being sanctified. 

God Is Working To Perfect

The inspired author of Hebrews wrote:

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (Heb. 13: 20-21 kjv)

God is working in his children to make them perfect, which involves making them perfect in faith, love, patience, strength, and holiness. This making perfect is "in every good work." This harmonizes with what James taught when he said faith is made perfect in good works done by faith. Faith is exercised through good works, just as godliness is said to be. "Exercise yourself toward godliness," wrote the apostle Paul, for, said he, "bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." (I Tim. 4: 7b-8 nkjv) 

Muscles that are not used by bedridden patients rapidly undergo what is called "disuse atrophy," which is a condition where muscle tissue shrinks, loses mass, and grows weak from lack of physical activity. Likewise, a believer who is not exercising his faith and love in good works will find his spiritual health decline. The apostle Peter also spoke of the work of God in perfecting Christians and their virtues of love, faith, patience, holiness, and strength, writing:

"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." (I Peter 5: 10 kjv)

God has several tools in his toolbox to use in making his people perfect in their love, faith, holiness, etc. Trials and sufferings are some of his instruments. Jesus prayed in his great intercessory prayer:

“I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." (John 17: 23 nkjv)

So, a Christian may well say "Lord, you have worked all our works in us." (Isa. 26: 12) So, when we read of the "work of faith" or the "work of love" (I Thess. 1:3), and we have already seen where James spoke of the work of patience, we should say God is behind our doing these works. Though these things are the work of God, yet we see where people are exhorted to do this work themselves. This is not a contradiction. That is because both God and the believer are causes, though God and his grace are the chief causes. Our working is a result of his working and so he gets the credit and the praise and there is no room for us to boast. 

So, when James says faith is made perfect by good works, he does not mean that good works are a requirement for being initially saved or justified. They are means, however, of perfecting faith and other graces in the Christian.

The Case of the Thief on the Cross

In debates I have had with ministers of the "Church of Christ" over whether water baptism is essential to being saved (they affirming that it is and I affirming that it is not), I have, like other apologists, brought up the case of the thief on the cross who was saved by a penitent faith alone without being baptized and without any good works. The rebuttal to this argument has always been to say that the thief on the cross died before the new covenant came into effect and water baptism is a requirement for salvation through the new covenant. They cite the words from the book of Hebrews where the writer says that it is after the death of the testator that a testament is of force. (Heb 9: 16-17) So they argue that since the thief died before the new covenant, he had to be saved by the old covenant. There are, however, several reasons why this rebuttal doesn't "hold water." 

First, Jesus, the "testator" died before the thief. The thieves had their legs broken in order to hasten their death. When the Roman soldier came to Jesus to break his legs, he saw that he was already dead and even pierced his side to confirm it. When blood and water came out of the side as a result, it was proof that he had indeed already died. So, Jesus died before the thief died and so the new testament was in effect at the time when the thief died.

Second, these same ministers will say that when Jesus said to Nicodemus "you must be born of water and of the Spirit" that "born of water" means born by means of water baptism. This was about three years before his death and the official beginning of the new covenant. Why would Christ be telling Nicodemus how to be born again or saved three years into the future? Likewise, when we read that John the Baptist preached "baptism of repentance for remission of sins" (Mark 1:4; Luke 3:3) these same ministers will say that this means that baptism in water was the way sins were remitted or forgiven and yet this too was three years before the death of Christ. So, the argument that the thief on the cross did not need to be baptized because he lived and died before the new covenant (testament) came into force is negated by their own admission.

Third, no one prior to the coming of Christ was saved by the law, by the old covenant. That is the teaching of the book of Hebrews. They were saved by the new covenant even before its ratification. That is why the new covenant is called the "everlasting covenant." (Heb. 13: 20)

One "Church of Christ" apologist in response to the case of the thief on the cross wrote: "there is not one single shred of scripture anywhere in all of the Bible which says this thief was not baptized." (See here)

Of course you would expect such a reply from those who say water baptism is essential to salvation. He has to affirm that the man had been saved in the past and had been baptized, then had lost his salvation, and then obtained it again shortly before he died on the cross. But, the prima facie evidence is that the thief had never been saved, never had believed in Christ nor was ever baptized. When the thief was first put on the cross he railed on Christ just as the other thief. Matthew 27:44 and Mark 15:32 state that both of them reviled Christ. Sometime after this however we see a change in him, we see him experiencing contrition and repenting and expressing faith in the lordship and kingship of Christ. 

The same writer said further:

"During his personal ministry, Jesus possessed the authority to forgive men’s sins personally and directly...While Jesus was alive on earth he had the authority to forgive sins. At the time of his death, however, his authority to forgive sins was transferred to His testamentary “will” (Hebrews 9:15-17). And the terms of that covenant specify baptism as a condition for the forgiveness of sin (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21, etc.). What that means is that While Jesus was alive on earth, He had the authority to forgive sins directly. Jesus is not alive on earth anymore. He has been resurrected and now lives in heaven. What He left behind was His new Testament or new Covenant. This new covenant specifies how sin is to be forgiven. The thief had his sins forgiven before Christ died on the cross. It is not possible today for anyone to be forgiven of their sins by Jesus Christ before He died on the cross. Whether or not the thief was baptized or not really makes no difference to us at all."

I am amazed at this line of argument. Jesus lost his power to forgive sins directly apart from water baptism? Where is that in scripture? The scriptures he references do not say it. He argues that since the new covenant came into effect upon the death of Christ no one can be saved who is not baptized and Christ cannot forgive anyone who is not baptized. Incredible! While he was here on earth baptism was for the remission of sins, was essential for being born again (i.e. "born of water"), but Christ could remit sins and people could be born again without it? It is ironic that these ministers of the "Church of Christ" could argue this way seeing one of their mottos is "we speak where the Bible speaks and are silent where it is silent." Surely the minister we are examining is speaking where the Bible does not speak and is adding to the word of God.

I would hate to be somewhere dying and praying to God to forgive me of my sins, and repenting and believing and confessing, and not able to be baptized! Here is what the apostles taught:

“To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.” (Acts 10: 43 nkjv)

Here faith alone is declared to be the only condition for forgiveness. Of course, true faith always has repentance joined to it and is why we speak of penitent faith. It also shows that Christ still could forgive sin to those who believe after he ascended to heaven.

Justification By Works is Not in God's Sight?

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2: 21-24 nkjv)

I believe that a sinner is saved and justified when he penitently believes in Christ and the Gospel. I do not think he is lost until he is baptized in water nor that his faith does not save until he has added good works to it. The thief on the cross was saved while dying on the cross beside Christ when he placed his faith in Christ and petitioned Christ by saying "remember me when you come into your kingdom." (Luke 23:42) He did not live long enough to be baptized nor to have any good works. Yet, he was saved and justified by a penitent faith alone. Many likewise have been saved in their dying hours but who did not live long enough to do good works or bear fruit. 

Theologians debate whether James contradicted Paul on the question of how condemned sinners come to be justified. Paul plainly says a man is justified by faith apart from works of law keeping. (Rom. 3: 28; 4: 5) This is a frequent declaration of ministers of the word. For instance, Paul said the following in one of his sermons:

"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 38-39 nkjv)

Notice that Paul did not say "everyone who believes and is baptized and does good works is justified." If good works were essential for justification, then Paul would have done great harm in telling people that justification was sure to all who simply believe.

With these preliminary comments before us, let us ask how theologians who believe justification is sure to all who believe apart from works of law keeping explain what James means when he says sinners are justified by works and not by faith alone. Does he contradict Paul? On the surface it does seem so. How can both be right? That is the difficulty facing Bible expositors. 

Many theologians who believe that faith alone justifies (based upon the words of Paul as stated in the above texts) will often say that Paul is talking about justification before the eyes of God and the law but James is talking about justification before the eyes of men. The "Primitive Baptists" (who I was once a part of) teach that there are three ways a person is justified. They say justification in the "eyes of God" or "court of his law," occurs apart from faith, either before the world began (or from eternity) or when Christ died on the cross. They then say that justification by faith is what occurs in the "court of conscience" and in their own eyes, being the time when a believer comes to realize his justified condition. They argue that justification by faith is not a necessary condition for eternal justification in the eyes of God. 

Finally, they teach (like other theologians) that justification by works by the believer justifies in the "court of public opinion" or before "the eyes of men." So Dr. R.C. Sproul said in his book "Faith Alone: The Evangelical Doctrine of Justification": “Our works ‘justify’ our claim to faith in the eyes of human beholders. Such ‘justification’ or vindication is not necessary for God.” (pg. 199-200)

Other theologians who believe in justification by faith alone will likewise say that the justification by works that James speaks of is a "justification before men," meaning it is by works that we show to others that we are truly what we profess to be, i.e. believers in Christ. Now, I do not doubt that there is some truth in this and is evident from some things James says in the text. Such as:

- "if someone says he has faith but does not have works"

- "Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works

- "Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?"

- "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only"

So, yes, our works of righteousness do prove or demonstrate to others that our faith in Christ is real, not fake, not superficial, not mere mental assent. So, it is true that our works justify us and our faith in the eyes of others, whether they are our neighbors or brothers in the church. But, we must not exclude being justified in God's eyes. We must be careful, when fighting extremes, not to go to extremes ourselves as a result. It is an extreme to say that justification by works of faith excludes justification in the eyes of God. We know that is true from what God says to Abraham when Abraham was in the act of sacrificing his son. The record says:

"And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Gen. 22: 12 nkjv)

Notice that God says "now I know," or now I see, that you fear me genuinely and that your faith in me is real. He does not say "now everyone will know" that you are the real thing. Of course, no one else was present except Isaac. So, the only way for others to see and know that Abraham was justified by works is for someone to tell you the story of his test of faith. Gill's commentary says: 

"he knew full well beforehand what would be the consequence of such a trial of him; but this is said after the manner of men, who know things with certainty when they come to pass, and appear plain and evident: or this may be understood of a knowledge of approbation, that the Lord now knew, and approved of the faith, fear, love, and obedience of Abraham, which were so conspicuous in this affair, see Psalm 1:6; Saadiah Gaon (i) interprets it, "I have made known", that is, to others; God by trying Abraham made it manifest to others, to all the world, to all that should hear of or read this account of things, that he was a man that feared God, loved him, believed in him, and obeyed him, of which this instance is a full and convincing proof..."

Of course it is true that God knew beforehand what Abraham would do. So, the words "now I know" must be considered and interpreted in that context. But, it is clear that the justification was in the eyes of God and not merely in the eyes of others. I don't think James intended to convey the idea that the justification of Abraham by works excluded being justified "before God." The above text in Genesis 22: 12 shows this to be true. Further, we must remember that it is not the faith of Abraham that is justified but Abraham himself. The text says "was not our father Abraham justified by works..." 

Further, being justified by faith is before God, before his court, before his eyes and James says being justified by works is likewise a justification before God. You cannot reasonably say that the justification that is by faith is before God and the justification by works if not before God. When James says "you see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" he shows that he is speaking of the same justification that is also by faith.

So, since we know that God's declaration to Abraham "now I know" does not mean simple knowledge of the fact for God has foreknowledge of all things. So, in what sense did the Lord "know" by Abraham's obedient act that he truly feared and believed God? Gill, in the above commentary, gives several possible ways to answer that question. He says it may be a way God is condescending to speak as if he were a man, speaking anthropomorphically or anthropopathically, "after the manner of men," and is thus not to be taken literally. He also says the words may be "understood of a knowledge of approbation" which I think is quite right, and is the view of John Calvin in his commentary, who said the words "may be understood of a knowledge of approbation." I don't think the view of Gaon, who said that the words "now I know" mean "I have made known to others," is correct. I think the meaning of God's words may be understood to mean --

- now you have finally proven yourself to me, proved to me that your faith or fear was not a pretense

- now I know by your actions and not by your mere words or by my foreknowledge of your actions

- now it is evident to me (evidentiary knowledge)

- now I acknowledge (declare my knowledge)

- now I know officially and declaratively

For instance, a math teacher might say, “Let’s see if we can find the square root of 49,” and then, after demonstrating it, declare, “Now we know that it is 7,” even though he knew from the beginning what the answer was. The Lord knew and foreknew that Job would hold firm to his faith when Satan called Job's faith into question. However, the Lord allowed Satan to put Job to the test. After all the various evils that the Lord suffered Satan to bring upon Job, Job held firm and so the Lord could have said to Satan -- "we now see or know that I was right." 

Wrote one unknown author at Biblehub web site (emphasis mine):

"God speaks as a judge rendering a verdict in real time so that finite creatures grasp the seriousness and public nature of the test. Divine omniscience is thus uncompromised; instead, God communicates in the language of courtroom certification...“Now I know” functions like a royal seal: the servant has been weighed and publicly vindicated. The Hebrew idiom parallels Deuteronomy 8:2, “to humble you and test you so that He would know what was in your heart.” The knowledge is relational-forensic: the sovereign Judge announces the verdict."

"Job 1–2 portrays a heavenly council that observes human fidelity. Genesis 22 shares that motif. The test is not for God to learn facts but for angelic, demonic, and human witnesses to see faith enacted. As Gregory of Nazianzus phrased it, “God knows, but He wants us to know that He knows.” The phrase marks the moment that faith passes from potential to enacted reality." (See here)

Some of those who believe that sinners are justified by faith alone (a Doctrine I also believe) and argue that the justification by works that James talks about is "before the eyes of men and not before the eyes of God" will cite the following words from Paul to sustain that argument: 

"What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Rom. 4:1-3 nkjv)

So, how are we to reconcile the above statement with Genesis 22: 12, and other arguments I have presented above, where it is clear that being justified by works (which James speaks about) is indeed "before God." I believe that when Paul speaks of justification by works he is speaking of works done without faith, the kind of works of which the Pharisees and Sadducees boasted about. When these self-righteous people asked the Lord Jesus Christ -- "what shall we do that we might work the works of God" Jesus said -- "this is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent." (John 6: 28-29) He said this because he knew that not only is the proposition true that says "faith without works is dead" but so too is the proposition true that says "works without faith are dead." So, not only do we recognize "dead faith" but also "dead works." (Heb. 6:1; 9:14) The same Book of Hebrews author said: 

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (11:6 nkjv)

And, the apostle Paul also said elsewhere: "for whatever is not from faith is sin." (Rom. 14: 23)

The word "justified" may mean "proven to be right." By this meaning we may even speak of God being justified. So Paul uses the word in this sense when he writes the following, citing the words of David in Psalm 51:4:

"Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: “That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.” (Rom. 3:4 nkjv)

We also see where God is justified in his words in this text:

"And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John." (Luke 7: 29 kjv)

I contend that Abraham was justified in his words expressing faith in God, i.e. his confession was shown to be right, and thus he was justified. In this sense every good work done out of true faith justifies us in our words of allegiance to the Lord. Good works done in faith are the results of having been created in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2: 10) Where there is genuine faith, there will generally be good works to follow. There are exceptions to this however as I have shown in the case of the thief on the cross or in the case of all genuine deathbed repentance. There is simply no time left on earth for good works to follow.

Dr. John Piper on "Partial Regeneration"

 

We must ask the same thing of Dr. John Piper, Dr. James White, etc., i.e. where does the Bible teach a partial regeneration, one that excludes evangelical faith and repentance, or conversion? I wrote an article on this statement by Piper (here). Piper says a person is regenerated or born again before he "believes" in Christ, before he "comes" to Christ, before he "receives Christ," before he "repents" and "turns to God," before he is converted from false religion and false gods, yea, even before he is convicted of sin. Is he not the one then who believes in a partial regeneration? A regeneration that does not include conversion is no regeneration at all. Where in the Bible are men said to be born again before or apart from being converted?

Not only is Piper the one who believes in a very restricted or partial regeneration, but he believes a person is regenerated before he is justified or forgiven of sins! Imagine that! He says justification comes after faith but regeneration occurs before faith and thus we have regenerated people who are still condemned. Not only that, but unconverted people are still in their sins. What saith the scriptures?

"Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord." (Acts 3:19 nkjv)

So, if a person was regenerated before he repented or was converted, then he was regenerated yet while unforgiven. 

Piper believes that sinners are justified by faith, and in that he is correct. But, when he says people are regenerated before faith he has an odd character, one who is regenerated but not justified. Now, who is it that really believes in a partial regeneration?

Prevenient Grace (17)

I begin this chapter with the following words from one of the leaders of the newly formed "Primitive" or "Old School" Baptist church (1830s), a Hyper Calvinist denomination, with few exceptions. I do this because many brethren of that sect read this blog and I want them to know that some of their founding fathers did not deny prevenient grace or preparatory works of God that come before a sinner is born again. One such person was Elder (Dr.) John M. Watson, author of "The Old Baptist Test" (1858 first edition). In that book he wrote (emphasis mine):

"Means admit of a similar exposition. The Lord has gone out before us also in them. He not only gave us His Gospel, but ordained means by which it would become savingly efficacious to all His chosen. Isa. 55: 11...So we may say of Gospel means, without the power of God they never prevail over the hearts of sinners; but means in His power, whether great or small, in our estimation, are always efficacious. He derives no strength or advantage from them as adjuncts to His work. He employs them because it is His will to do so. Eph. 1: 11." (page 357)

At the time Watson wrote these words he was fighting the Two Seed Baptists who were part of the anti-mission movement and who also called themselves "Primitive" or "Old School" or "Hardshell" Baptists. One of the errors that those Two Seeders taught was that God did not use the "means" of his word or of preaching the gospel to save sinners. That was not the original view of Baptists nor of the majority of the "Primitive Baptists" in their beginning. However, as time went on, the "no means" view became more and more popular.

Notice that Watson, in the above citation, said that "the Lord has gone out before us"? What did he mean by that? He meant that the Lord by his prevenient grace prepared sinners for the reception of the gospel. Or, to use a biblical expression, "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord," which is what John the Baptist did by his preaching. (Luke 1: 17) This going out of the Lord before conversion is an allusion to what God does in his providence in preparing sinners for salvation. Not only that, but Elder Watson also rightly recognized that the means themselves, such as the word of God or gospel, were instances of prevenient grace, as the Puritans taught, for the means of salvation precede salvation. If a sinner hears the word of God before he is saved by it, then that is an example of prevenient grace. That is what the apostle Paul meant when he said: "for the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us..." (Titus 2:11) By "the grace of God" Paul means the gospel. So John Gill in his famous commentary wrote (emphasis mine):

"by the grace of God is intended the doctrine of grace, the Gospel of the grace of God; called so, because it is a declaration of the grace of God, and of salvation by it: and is the means, in the hand of the Spirit, of conveying grace to the heart, and implanting it in it..."

To deny that there is any grace given before salvation, as do some Calvinists, especially the Hyper Calvinists and those who say regeneration precedes faith, is to deny that the word of God is a means of grace in saving sinners, which a lot of Hyper Calvinists do, such as the Hardshells and Paedo Baptists, such as theologian W.G.T. Shedd (1820-1894). In this post (here) I cited from his Dogmatic Theology, chapter 38 on "Regeneration" (available to read here), where he wrote:

"Seventh, regeneration is not effected by the use of means, in the strict signification of the term means. The Holy Spirit employs means in conviction, in conversion, and in sanctification, but not in regeneration." 

Watson wrote further, commenting upon Judges 4: 14, from which he obtained his belief about the Lord going out before the preacher. That text says -- "Is not the Lord gone out before thee? Judges iv, 14." Watson then says (emphasis mine):

"During twenty years Jabin mightily oppressed the children of Israel, and in their distress they cried unto the Lord, whom in their prosperity they had forgotten. Adversities awakened in them a sense of their dependence on God, and brought out from their hearts a strong cry unto Him for deliverance from the oppression of their enemies." (page 343)

Notice that God used "adversities" as means to "awaken" the people to their dependence on God and bring them to "cry unto him for deliverance." The old Puritans and Calvinists, and many Arminians too, taught that sinners being "awakened" to their lost and condemned condition and the danger their souls were in, their coming under "conviction of sin," their seeing that they were sick and in need of a physician such as Christ, preceded being healed or saved or regenerated by Christ. I wrote a series on this subject of "awakening." This third article (here) in the series gives you links to the others. It also gives links to the chapters I wrote on "Conviction of Sin" in my long series "The Hardshell Baptist Cult." 

Those Calvinists who deny any kind of prevenient grace are forced to push the experience of regeneration as far back as possible in God's dealings with a sinner. Thus, conviction of sin and awakening are seen as evidences of regeneration rather than steps to it. Thus they say the drawing and teaching of the Father is regeneration, rather than steps leading to it, and thus also must say that the "coming" to Christ that follows that drawing is not regeneration. However, it is clear that regeneration does not occur until a sinner has come to Christ and received him in believing in him. 

In the third article in that sub-series on "conviction of sin" I cited from Elder Wilson Thompson and his book "Simple Truth" (1821). Thompson is regarded by the Hardshell Baptists as one of their foremost leaders at the time of their formation, and yet he also taught preparatory acts of God that occur before salvation. I cited these words of Thompson:

"We shall now proceed to show what men may experience and not be under the work of the spirit of grace. He may feel all that weight of guilt which the law of God charges upon him; and yet not be a subject of the spirits operation, for the law is the ministration of condemnation and death."

He wrote further:

"When the law was given, the people of Israel were awfully alarmed, with the terrific sight, the mountain covered with fire and smoke, the shafts of death flying, so that if so much as a beast touched the mountain it was stoned, or thrust through with a dart, and the people were sore afraid, yet not under the work of the spirit, for they could unite in making a golden calf to worship. Men may experience very severe and bitter sensations under the sentence of the law, and mourn with aching and heavy hearts, under the ministration of condemnation and death, and all be like the mourning of the murderer that is condemned to be hanged for his crime; he mourns for the miseries that he is exposed to, and not for the heinous nature of his crime; this sort of mourning has self-love for its parent, the thundering of the law has affrighted it; the fears of hell terrify it; and the thoughts of death and judgment fill it with dismay; so when Paul reasoned of righteousness, temperance and judgment, Felix trembled. This sort of conviction leads men to act like Esau, who has sold his birth right; but when he saw that he was cut off thereby, he sought for a place of repentance in Isaac, but found none though he sought it carefully with tears; so men under this kind of conviction set about to seek for some place of repentance in God, by which the law of condemnation may be repealed, and its sentence revoked, and if they can imagine that they have prevailed on God to love them, and revoke the sentence of the law, upon conditions of what they have done, and what they now promise faithfully to do, they may conclude that they are christians, and upon their faithfully performing those conditions, all will be well with them; and thus they may have as much zeal for God as Israel had and no more according to knowledge than was theirs; in a word, if the fears of hell bears the greatest weight on the mind, we do not believe it to be the work of the spirit, or if our comforts are conditional, and depend on any thing done by us, or any of our faithful performances in future life, we do not believe it to be the work of the spirit; neither have we any right to believe, any thing to be the work of the spirit, but that which teacheth in the truth, and as we cannot pretend to show all the impressions that men may pass through, and not be under the work of the spirit; we shall in the third place proceed to speak of the impressions of those who are under the work of the spirit positively." (Simple Truth: Chapter 6)

As I have shown in previous chapters, if conviction of sin precedes regeneration, and is a preparation or step for it, then it is a case of prevenient grace. Jesus taught that people must first realize that they are sick and in need of a physician, or a condemned sinner in need of salvation, before they will avail themselves of the remedy which is Christ. That is what he meant when he said -- "they that are whole need not a physician but they who are sick." (Matt. 9:12; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31) It is also what he meant when he again spoke of the self-righteous Pharisees who thought not only that they were not spiritually sick but that they were such as "need no repentance." (Luke 15: 7) 

Thompson admits that people who are never saved, and thus never were of the elect, do come under conviction of sin, do come to realize that they are lost and justly condemned, and yet who never come to repentance nor come to Christ by faith and receive his salvation. So, the question is, was this conviction of sin an instance of the grace and mercy of God, even though it did not bring them to salvation?

Watson wrote further:

"Means admit of a similar exposition. The Lord has gone out; before us also in them. He not only gave us His Gospel, but ordained means by which it would become savingly efficacious to all His chosen. Isa. 55, 11. No sinner, so to speak, can even travel along here, only as the Lord goes before him." (page 357)

That is correct. The Gospel must be reported to a sinner before he can be saved. Further, providing such means of salvation is an act of grace, and a grace that precedes salvation, and so prevenient grace in this sense is scriptural. As I have stated in preceding chapters, I do not think the Arminian or Wesleyan or Catholic idea of prevenient grace is right for this reason: they think preceding grace enables a sinner to believe that gospel because it liberates the depraved sinner from the bondage of sin enough to free his will. Those Calvinists who say that regeneration precedes faith are operating from the same difficulty. Both think that a sinner must be given ability to believe before he can believe. The Arminian view says this ability is given before regeneration via prevenient grace via the gospel, the Hyper Calvinist says it is regeneration that gives the ability to believe and therefore occurs prior to faith.

John Owen, the great Calvinist theologian of the Puritan era, in his work titled "The Nature, Causes and Means of Regeneration" (available to read here), rejected the idea that power to believe must first be given before a sinner can believe. He said (emphasis mine):

"The Scripture says not that God gives us ability or power to believe only,—namely, such a power as we may make use of if we will, or do otherwise; but faith, repentance, and conversion themselves are said to be the work and effect of God. Indeed, there is nothing mentioned in the Scriptures concerning the communicating of power, remote or next unto the mind of man, to enable him to believe antecedently unto actual believing. A “remote power,” if it may be so called, in the capacities of the faculties of the soul, the reason of the mind, and liberty of the will, we have given an account concerning; but for that which some call a “next power,” or an ability to believe in order of nature antecedent unto believing itself, wrought in us by the grace of God, the Scripture is silent." 

I cited this in chapter eight of this series. How will theologians answer this question: "does a sinner believe in Christ and repent of sins because he has the ability to do so previously given to him?" The Arminian says yes, some saying sinners have this ability naturally, others, such as the classical Arminians such as John Wesley, say this ability is given to those who hear the gospel and experience some operations of the Spirit. Calvinists and Hyper Calvinists who teach the "born again or regenerated before faith" view likewise say that ability to believe and repent is given before believing and repenting. Both are wrong, as Owen and other Calvinists have stated. 

The power to believe and repent comes from without the sinner, not from within, coming from God himself, and is exerted when the Spirit and the word are in operation upon a sinner. So Paul says that the Thessalonians believed when the gospel came unto them in power and in demonstration of the Spirit. (I Thess. 1: 5) He also told the Ephesian believers that they were made believers by the working of God's mighty power. (Eph. 1: 19) 

In my series on Awakened Sinners I cited from Thomas Boston and his famous work "Human Nature In Its Fourfold State" where he said the following on "Regeneration" (which you can read here):

"Some have sharp convictions for a while: but these go off, and they become as careless about their salvation, and as profane as ever, and usually worse than ever; "their last state is worse than their first," Matt. 12:45. They get awakening grace—but not converting grace; and that goes off by degrees, as the light of the declining day, until it issues in midnight darkness."

He also wrote:

"There may be a wonderful moving of the affections in souls that are not at all touched with regenerating grace. When there is no grace, there may, notwithstanding, be a flood of tears, as in Esau, who "found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears," Heb. 12:17. There may be great flashes of joy; as in the hearers of the word, represented in the parable of the stony ground, who "with joy receive it," Matt. 13:20. There may be also great desires after good things, and great delight in them too; as in those hypocrites described in Isa. 58:2, "Yet they seek me daily, and delight to know my ways – they take delight in approaching to God."

"Awakening Grace" is prevenient or preceding grace; And, not all who are awakened or convicted of sin come to be saved. Thomas Boston was a Calvinist and yet he seems to have affirmed that regeneration precedes faith. I find that bewildering since he clearly put conviction of sin before regeneration and believed that many are convicted and obtain awakening grace but who are never regenerated. 

Elder J.R. Respass (1831-1895), a leader of the "Primitive Baptists" and editor of the periodical "The Gospel Messenger" (which was later edited and owned by Elder Sylvester Hassell), wrote the following about the parable of the sower and seed or of the four soils:

"Brother B.B. Stallings, of Humbolt, Tenn., writes us that some people in his section use this parable to teach the doctrine of "falling from grace;" but to our mind it teaches the opposite doctrine, or rather the absolute necessity of grace in the salvation of sinners. The Jews were well acquainted with sowing wheat and barley. They knew from experience that it was necessary to have the ground broken by the plowshare to raise it; and that, therefore, the Saviour was telling the truth when he taught them that grain sown by the way or road-side would be unfruitful, because men would walk on and tread it down, and the fowls would devour it; and that seed sown on stony, hard and unbroken land would yield nothing; because, though it sprang up quickly, it could take no root, and that when the hot sun necessary to its maturity should shine upon it, that it would be scorched, and soon wither away. They knew, also, that seed sown among thorns, in a briar patch, for instance, would make nothing, because the thorns would choke it. All these things they knew from natural experience as farmers or husbandmen. They knew that the land must be enclosed or fenced, cleared of thorns, bushes and briars, and be broken up before the seed was sown; enclosed from the fowls and the tread of men; cleared of thorns and briars that would choke it; and broken up so as to absorb and retain moisture, and the roots have depth of earth to strike down into the moisture when the hot sun poured down upon it. But, like people now, they did not perceive the truth when applied spiritually. No sensible Jewish farmer would have undertaken to make a crop of wheat otherwise than as taught by the Saviour in this parable. Nor would he have undertaken to break his land until the first or "former rain" was sent by the Lord upon it; because the land, especially in that country, by the dry, hot summer sun grew, like the sinner's heart, very hard, so that it could not be broken until softened by the first rain. But land softened by the rain, broken by the plow, enclosed from the fowls and cleared of thorns, and sown, will be unharmed by the fowls, the feet of men, the cares of the world or the heat of the sun, and will yield thirty, sixty and one hundred fold. Any thing short of this thorough preparation will be fruitless. So in the way-side, stony and thorny ground hearers the Saviour shows the lack of grace, rather than the falling from it. And another thing perhaps he taught, and that is, that the fault was not in the seed sown, or the word preached, but in the sinner's heart. "Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life."--John v. There were many of these kind or hearers in the Saviour's day as well as in this; and doubtless the Saviour spoke the parable for the comfort of his people then and his people now; that they should not be discouraged when they should see many, who had received the word with a temporary joy, turn back for love of the world, its honors or riches, or to escape persecution; that they should know that such professors had not received the word in a contrite and broken heart, and hence they neither understood it nor kept it. He asked his true disciples when many so-called disciples went back and walked no more with him on account of his hard and unpopular doctrine, "Will ye also go away?" but they answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."--John vi. Thus the hot sun of trials and persecution that withered up the shallow letter hearers, only caused his good-ground hearers to take deeper root in Christ, making them feel more and more the necessity of Christ in their salvation; and thus they brought forth an hundred fold, whilst the others brought nothing to perfection. This briefly, Brother Stallings, is our understanding of Christ's teaching in the parable of the sower." (Written by John R. Respess in the GOSPEL MESSENGER, May 1885)

Notice the words "thorough preparation." He also sees the breaking of the soil to be the work of the law and which must precede the receiving of the seed before it can produce fruit. He does say that this law work, this conviction of sin, shows a lack of grace, but I assume he means a lack of saving grace, not a lack of common or prevenient grace. "Preparation" of the soil to receive the seed of the word must be seen as an instance of grace. He speaks of things that must be done to the soil "before the seed was sown" and these things must be good or bad. If good, if a means to a reception of the word and salvation, then an instance of preceding grace.

In the next chapter we will give a more thorough look at what the Puritan Calvinists had to say about divine preparations that precede actual salvation and are instances of common or prevenient grace.

Thank You Lord for Pruning & Chastening (4) Trials

"The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, 

But the Lord tests the hearts" 

(Proverbs 17: 3

In this fourth and concluding article of this short series we will look at how God-sent trials are likewise things we, as children of God, ought to thank him for. That also is something that I am certain is not generally what most Christians thank God for. Of course, we must distinguish between trials that God brings about and trials we bring upon ourselves as a result of our sins and lack of wisdom. Even trials that come from Satan or the evil world, however, are suffered by God for the trying and improving of the faith and holiness of his people. We see that truth in the story of the prophet Job. With these introductory comments let us begin by giving attention to what James the Lord's brother wrote on the subject. Said he:

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." (James 1: 2-4 nkjv)

For "trials" the KJV has "temptations." All temptations to sin are trials but not all trials are temptations to sin. So, why did James exhort Christians to be happy when they experience trials of various kinds? Do not Christians pray to the Father -- "lead us not into temptation"? (Matt. 6:13) If trials and temptations are things to be thankful for, why not rather pray -- "Father, lead us into trials and temptations"? 

Surely it is because God in his providence makes the trials of his people to bring forth good in them. That is certainly what Paul intended to say when he wrote -- "and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to his purpose." (Rom. 8:28 nkjv) Though this is true, yet it oftentimes is hard to believe when a believer is under great stress or afflictions, for he cannot see what possible good will come from them. This is very trying. It was for Job in his great sufferings and trials. But, though he could not perceive the reason God was bringing many evils upon him, yet he refused to "charge God foolishly" (Job 1:22), saying "though he slay me, yet will I trust him." (Job 13:15) He also believed that his trials were intended to purify him and make him more holy. He said: "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10 kjv) 

This makes me think of the old Christian hymn "God Moves In A Mysterious Way" and these stanzas:

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

So, though we may not know why God is causing or permitting our trials and afflictions, yet we "lean not upon our own understanding" but "trust the Lord." (Prov. 3:5) In his own time he will make known the why and the wherefore of all our sufferings, "will make it plain," or as another song says, "We will understand it better bye and bye." That was the case with Abraham when he was tried and tested, when LORD God told him to take his only begotten son to the mountain and offer him up for a burnt sacrifice.

Sufferings For Christ

Both James and Peter speak of "various trials" and not strictly about trials that come from persecution of Christians. However, if there was ever a reason to rejoice from a sore trial or affliction, it is those trials that come from being persecuted for the Christian faith. Further, Christians should not be surprised when such persecution comes, for as Paul said "all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (II Tim. 3:12). Peter also agrees, writing as follows:

"Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." (I Peter 4:12-14a nkjv)

Peter gives additional reasons why Christians are to rejoice and be thankful for their trials and sufferings. He says they show that they are partakers of Christ's sufferings, and like Christ, will experience glory and exceeding joy and gladness, divine blessedness, as reward for enduring such trials. They will experience having "the Spirit of glory and of God resting upon" them. Earlier in his letter he also mentioned another great benefit that comes from God's sanctification of his people's trials, writing as follows:

"In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ." (I Peter 1:6-7 nkjv) 

Here Peter sees trials, whatever kind they are, as being crucibles, means of refining or purifying believers. In purifying metals foreign inferior elements in the metals are separated from the metals, like separating wheat from tares. As we cited from Job earlier, Job said "when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." His trials were a refining or purifying of him.

There are in the history of the Christian church many examples of martyrs who rejoiced when they were being tortured or put to death in the most gruesome manners. How could they do this? Is it not because they knew that they would be immensely rewarded for it by Christ? So we read:

"And they agreed with him, and when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. So they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name." Acts 5: 40-41 nkjv)

Notice the persecuted one's state of mind when being threatened and violently attacked. They rejoiced! Why? Because they "were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name." This is what Jesus said they should do. Notice it:

"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.  Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matt. 5: 10-12 nkjv)

Nearly all of the first Christians suffered severe persecutions and martyrdoms. Notice what Paul said to the Jewish Christians:

"But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings: partly while you were made a spectacle both by reproaches and tribulations, and partly while you became companions of those who were so treated; for you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven." (Heb. 10: 32-34 nkjv)

And Paul wrote of his own trials and persecutions in this manner:

"We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day." (I Cor. 4: 10-13 kjv)

How did the apostle respond to these evils? Did he whine and complain? Did he curse God, as Job's wife asked him to do? Did he not rather do as James said and counted it all joy to experience his trials? Did he not say himself -- "we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope" (Rom. 5:3-4 nkjv)? In his second letter to the Corinthians he said:

"Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (II Cor. 12: )

We should as Christians imitate or think like Paul and see our trials, infirmities, persecutions, distresses, etc., as being opportunities to make known the power of Christ to others and to make us stronger soldiers for Christ, veterans in the army of the Lord. We should remember that our trials are ordained by God for our good, for our growth and maturity, to make us more like himself, well trained soldiers of Christ. So Paul wrote:

"...no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this. For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know." (I Thess. 3: 3-4 nkjv)

The Good That Comes From Trials

We have already seen where James said that Christians should esteem it the highest joy to experience trials of all kinds, not restricting his exhortation to trials resulting from persecution of Christians. We also saw where he gave the reason for rejoicing in trials, which was because it produced a highly valuable good, i.e patience or perseverance, refinement in holiness, and developing good character. Paul also added that trials teach a Christian to rely more on Christ and less on self or others. This makes me think of another well-known Christian song titled "Learning To Lean on Jesus" which is what we learn as Christians through our trials. We learn how dependent we are on the Lord, how poor and needy we are in ourselves. God sanctifies the "school of hard knocks" to teach his people valuable lessons and to bring them to spiritual maturity. To be "good soldiers of Jesus Christ" they must learn how to "endure hardness." (II Tim. 2:3) Boot camp is difficult.

So, every Christian should say as David, and definitely will say when they have finished their pilgrimage, "It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes." (Psa. 119:71 nkjv)

The Confidence Needed To Endure

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (I Cor. 10: 13 nkjv)

"Then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials" (II Peter 2:9).

"When he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

Keeping these things in mind and trusting these words will fortify the faith of every believer and give him strength to endure every trial and even to rejoice in them. This is due in part because "the joy of the Lord" is their "strength." (Neh. 8:10) Notice how Paul looked at his sufferings, which is an example for us.

"For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us." (II Cor. 1:8-10 nkjv) 

This is the kind of trust that Abraham had when he was told to sacrifice his only begotten son to the Lord. He trusted in the Lord even when he did not understand why God would command such a thing. God was testing Abraham. (See Genesis chapter twenty two) Abraham believed that God would resurrect Isaac once he had been slain, because he knew that God had said that Isaac was the promised child and that of him would come a great chosen nation. 

Thank You Lord for Pruning & Chastening (3) (humbling)

As I stated in the opening article in this short series, I wanted to name four things which the children of God should be thankful to their Father in heaven for, things that many of them fail to to thank him for. After all, why would any child thank his parents for spanking them? Or correcting them? Why would Christians thank the Father for being pruned or chastised? Why thank him for humbling or debasing them? Or for bringing them into sore trials and afflictions? Having considered pruning and chastening I now move to consider God's humbling of his children when they become haughty and proud and why that is a good thing.

"And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. Your garments did not wear out on you, nor did your foot swell these forty years. You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, so the Lord your God chastens you." (Deut. 8: 2-5 nkjv)

"11 “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12 lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13 and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15 who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16 who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— 17 then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18 “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth..." (11: 11-18 nkjv)

I was doing some Internet research on Bible verses which speak of God humbling a person(s) or how humility is a gift of God and I was taken aback by the search engines only referring me to people who are said to have humbled themselves, or texts about God and his prophets and apostles admonishing people to humble themselves, but not to how God is the one who makes humble, or who gives humility. There was also very little reference to humility as it relates to being what accompanies or precedes salvation, how God first humbles a sinner by producing conviction of sin and an awareness of guilt, wherein they experience what it means to be humbled or brought down. 

Very few spoke of the subject of humility from the perspective of God humbling, wherein he is the doer of the action and the ones humbled are passive in being humbled. Both are true, people humble themselves, and God humbles them. But people are generally only a second or instrumental cause in producing a humble spirit, for God is the one who brought about the humbling of themselves and so it is a gift and work of God and a step in the process of being converted to Christ and a means of their preservation after they are saved. I have many times in my life prayed for God to keep me humble and from the sin of pride. So should all the Lord's people. Why? Because "pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Prov. 16: 18 kjv) And, because God "hates a proud look" and a proud walk. (Prov. 6:17)

Pride characterizes depraved sinners. (Psa. 119: 21) They are many times identified simply as "the proud," while born again believers are called "the humble." They are called "children of pride" in Job 41:34. The destiny of the proud is announced in these words of the prophet:

“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the LORD of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch." (Mal. 4: 1 nkjv)

All proud sinners will be brought down, humbled and abased in the day of judgment. It would have been better had they willingly humbled themselves or been humbled by God in deep conviction of sin and repentance, for that would have saved them. "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God," said the Psalmist (Psa. 10:4 nkjv), so he must be first humbled before he will seek the Lord. The great king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, when he was brought down by the Lord for his pride, hubris, or hamartia, having been sufficiently humbled, confessed this of LORD God -- "those who walk in pride he is able to humble" (Dan. 4:37 kjv).

Hannah, the mother of Samuel the prophet, prayed saying: "The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up." (I Sam. 2: 7 nkjv) Salvation is making rich, lifting up. But, the means unto salvation, what precedes it, is making poor and bringing down. God has several ways in his providence to humble a man. So the two texts above from Deuteronomy tell us. God used the hardships of the desert wilderness to humble the people and to remove pride from their hearts. God knows how to take the swelling out of a person's head, to deflate the inflated ego. 

In the Bible we see that verses on humility nearly always say that people humble themselves and/or are exhorted to do so. It is no wonder therefore that Internet search engines about God humbling sinners nearly always reference verses that speak of people humbling themselves. However, the verses at the top of this article from Deuteronomy show how God does the humbling. 

Those verses mention chastising, sending trials or times of testing, along with humbling. Also, though the word "pruning" is not used, we see how chastising, trying, and humbling were designed to prune, to perfect, to refine, as gold and silver is refined, "to do you good in the end." So, believers in the Lord should be thankful for God doing these things. Pride is a hindrance to salvation and communion with God. Notice these texts:

"Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud." (Prov. 16: 19 kjv)

"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." (Prov. 29: 23 kjv)

"For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isa. 57: 15 nkjv)

"Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews." (Acts 20: 19 kjv)

"Though the LORD is on high, Yet He regards the lowly; But the proud He knows from afar." (Psa. 138: 6 nkjv)

"But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." (James 4: 6 nkjv)

"Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” (I Peter 5: 5 nkjv) (Both reference Proverbs 3: 34) 

When the Lord's children become proud, they are walking after the flesh. God their Father will correct for this. He works to ensure that they maintain a "contrite and humble spirit" and "humility of mind." He will use trials and afflictions, chastenings, rebukes, mental anguish, withdrawals of his favors, and other means, to rid his children of pride and boasting and to keep them humble. In the LORD's dealing with his covenant people when they became proud he is said to have "brought down their heart with labor." (Psa, 107:11–12 nkjv) We must confess that the humble and contrite spirit and humility of mind are gifts of God, things we must thank him for. We cannot boast in our humility as if it were our own doing. Wrote the apostle Paul:

"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." (Phil. 2:3 kjv) 

"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness..." (Eph. 4:1 kjv) 

We need to pray for this state of spirit and mind and work hard to keep ourselves from pride. As the above text in Isaiah says, it is with the humble that God desires to indwell, and there is no greater good than having God's presence in you and with you. Likewise, enjoyment of God is the greatest of all joys.

Boasters

"Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the Lord." (Jer. 9: 23-24 nkjv)

"But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil." (James 4: 16 nkjv)

"But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— that, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” (I Cor. 1: 30-31 nkjv)

Proud people boast or brag on themselves. They love to talk about themselves. Egotism is recognizable in excessive talk about oneself and in the overuse of the pronoun "I." A humble Christian rather boasts or glories in the Lord. They say as did John the Baptist -- "he must increase but I must decrease." (John 3:30) A Christian is one who realizes that all the good he has is from the Lord. (James 1:17; John 3:37) He realizes that if he is different from others in a positive way, that it is God who makes him to differ from another because what good is in him is of the Lord. (I Cor. 4:7) A true born again Christian confesses the following: "But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." (Gal. 6: 14 nkjv) 

The Case of Paul

"5 Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not boast, except in my infirmities. 6 For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me. 7 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." (II Cor. 12: 5-10 nkjv)

In order to keep Paul from pride or boasting, from being "exalted above measure" in his own estimation of himself, and in order to keep him humble and contrite, the Lord gave Paul "infirmities," a "thorn in the flesh," what he also denominates as "a messenger of Satan" to "buffet" him. The word "buffet" (Greek kolaphizō) is used in the new testament to describe Christ being "buffeted" (Matt. 26:67; Mark 14:65). Paul uses it two times, once in the above text and once in his first letter to the Corinthians when he said "Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace" (4:11). Peter also used it when speaking of people who are "buffeted for" their "faults" (sins). (I Peter 2:20) The word means to strike with the fist violently. 

I think, along with others, that the thorn in the flesh was a terribly embarrassing eye disease. I will not give the reasons why I take that view in this article but I believe it seems to be supported by other things said in other texts, such as when Paul says "See with what large letters I have written to you with my own hand!" (Gal. 6:11) Some think this denotes the length of his letters while others think he means how large are the characters of the words he wrote, which if true would seem to imply he did this due to his impaired vision. 

So, in conclusion, my Christian brothers and sisters, be thankful not only for God pruning and chastening you but also for his humbling you when you get cocky and proud.

Thank You Lord for Pruning & Chastening (2)

"You should know in your heart that as a man chastens his son, 

so the Lord your God chastens you." 

(Deut. 8: 5 nkjv)

"5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? 8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. 11 Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Heb. 12: 5-11 nkjv)

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent." (Rev. 3:19 nkjv)

In the previous chapter we spoke of how we need to thank God the Father daily for his work of continually pruning us who are branches in Christ the true Vine. In this chapter we will now focus on how we should also daily thank him for his chastening of us as his children. 

The text in the picture above is from the man God gifted with superior wisdom, king Solomon, about God's fatherly chastening of his children, his sons and daughters, and how they should not despise it but should rather appreciate it. The writer of Hebrews elaborates on what Solomon said. Obviously both Solomon and Paul (who I believe wrote Hebrews) understood the discouragement, the hating and the dread, that the children of God often experience from being chastened (whipped, disciplined, punished) by their heavenly Father for their disobedience. So, they both exhort the children to not be discouraged nor despise the Father's chastening. They not only tell them not to be discouraged but give them strong reasons why they should not be discouraged or dread his corrections. 

The chastening of the above texts is described as being fatherly "rebukes," "scourgings," "corrections," and some translations give the word "disciplines" instead of "chastens." We are also told that every child of God experiences this divine chastening. We are told that if we are not experiencing such chastening then we are not real children of the Father, but are "bastards" (kjv), or "illegitimate" children. It might be said to false professors as LORD God said to his covenant people: "Then God said: “Call his name Lo-Ammi, For you are not My people, And I will not be your God." (Hosea 1: 9 nkjv) 

Further, we are not simply told not to despise our Father's chastening but to be glad of it and given several good reasons why. The first is that it is proof of God's love for us, of his care for us, and shows that he is a good Father. The second reason is because his chastening yields such good results. Another reason for divine chastening is to prevent us from failing to persevere and to be condemned with the wicked.

With this introduction to our subject, let me ask the reader (who I assume is a child of God) this question: what experiences in your life do you believe were God sent chastisements? Recently I spent a lot of time in meditation on this question concerning my own life as a child of God (now for over fifty five years). Of course I first think of all the times in my life when I was suffering trials and afflictions. But, how do I know if these were chastenings, afflictions, or trials sent or suffered by God to test or try my faith and not as chastisements for sin? After all, they are not the same. About thanking God for our trials I will have more to say in a separate chapter in this series. We might say that every chastening is a trial but not every trial is a chastening. 

Are chastenings associated with times when I feel God is showing me a frowning face rather than a smiling face? With times when I sense that he is displeased with me rather than pleased? With times when I feel like he is ignoring me and not answering my prayers? Can I trust my feelings or inner sense of things (intuition) in this matter? How do I know that God is "rebuking" me? Or "scourging" me? What do the scriptures say?

The Case of David

We should look at the case of king David, who is said to be "a man after God's own heart." (I Sam. 14: 13; Acts 13: 22) He committed some awful sins when he lusted after Bathsheba, committed adultery with her, and had her husband killed so that he could have her as one of his wives. Notice the punishment David received from the Lord for these sins:

“Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.'" (2 Sam. 12:10-12 nkjv)

However, these sins did not mean that David lost his salvation, or fell out of the love of God, or came back under condemnation. For David not only received the above denunciation of his acts, but also received this message along with it:

"David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the LORD, the child who is born to you shall die."” (vss. 13-14)

This is what happens when the Lord's children sin. Notice too that God's chastening of David did profit him and produce the "peaceable fruit of righteousness." This is what the Lord said:

"30 “If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments, 31 If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments, 32 Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes. 33 Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail. 34 My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." (Psa. 89: 30-34 nkjv)

God does not cast off his erring children but he will "punish" or chastise them with his "rod" of correction. In other words, he will give them a whipping, which is what godly fathers were instructed to do in the scriptures, though in today's society this is often viewed as child abuse.

Some of the losses David suffered for his sins were restored, and these were the chiefest blessings restored. In Psalm 51 David is experiencing "godly sorrow" for his sins and prays thusly:

"Make me to hear joy and gladness; That the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, And blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; And take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free spirit." (Psa. 51: 8-12 kjv)

In addition to the punishments mentioned, David lost joy and gladness, suffering internal pains as a result of his deep remorse, and a load of guilt, and a sense of lost communion with God and his presence, and a loss of the abiding influences of the Holy Spirit. These are often experienced by the Lord's people when they sin against their Father and come under his chastening rod and his punishments. These are restored by genuine repentance produced by godly sorrow. But, other consequences for some sins may not be restored. 

God's chastening of his children does not ruin them, but only improves them, so Paul could say: "as chastened, and yet not killed" (II Cor. 6: 9 nkjv). He also said:

"For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world." (I Cor. 11: 31-32 kjv)

It is interesting how nearly all English translations use the word "judged" in these verses in describing the self-judgments of Christians and of the judgments of the Lord upon them, but they use the word "condemned" when speaking of the "condemnation" of the world, yet judge and condemned are from the same Greek word. Believers should not only judge themselves (by the word of God) but condemn themselves when they sin. They should do this rather than doing as many do, i.e. excuse their sins. 

We see that God's chastening of his people is not only for temporal profit or to bring about repentance and reformation, or the "peaceable fruit of righteousness," but for salvation and to prevent being condemned with the world. So Barnes says in his commentary:

"That the purpose which God had in view in inflicting these judgments on them was, that they might be purified, and enlightened, and recovered from their errors, and saved. This is the design of God in the calamities and judgments which he brings on his own children..." 

So, dear child of God, be thankful that God is correcting and training you and fatherly disciplines you. Do not sass back to God nor think less of him for such chastening. Rather, rejoice that he cares for you.