It is perhaps the most distinctive doctrine held by the Primitive Baptist faith: Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man, and they that hear the voice of the Son of God shall live. In this message Elder Gus Harter explores the biblical proofs for immediate Holy Spirit regeneration and answers some common objections.
Regeneration is not often mentioned in scripture by name, but is frequently taught. Regeneration is also known as the effectual call, or the new birth. Elder Harter here presents three metaphors used in the Bible to convey its essence: resurrection, birth, and creation.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25). These are Christ’s words, and they speak of two occasions when the dead shall hear God. One of those occasions is yet to come; the other was ongoing even as Christ walked the earth, and continues to this day. The future resurrection is the restoration of natural life to the physically dead, when all of mankind will rise from death and stand before God for the day of judgment. The ongoing resurrection is a figurative picture of regeneration, when a man dead to spiritual things is given spiritual life by the voice of God. As when God raised Lazarus in a vivid object lesson, the dead have nothing to contribute to their own resurrection–whether the natural resurrection of physical life, or the spiritual resurrection of the eternal life lost once in Adam.
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). Jesus in this passage is clarifying his teaching to Nicodemus that man must be “born again” to see the kingdom of God. Who among us chooses when to be born, and to whom? As in nature, so in the spirit: those born of the Spirit do not so choose, nor are they chosen by any but God. God has no need to be carried to the distant islands of the Philippines, or behind any barriers erected by hostile governments or vestiges of Babel. Where the wind is free to blow, God is free to work, and need not be carried hither or yonder by men.
The final metaphor for regeneration is creation. Only God can create something where nothing was before. The scriptures often refer to the regenerate man as a “new creation.” Just as the potter has power over the clay, God works salvation upon the objects of His love without need of outside agency or third parties.
When Mary carried the unborn Christ into the room, John the Baptist leaped for joy in his mother’s womb. Was he a Calvinist or an Arminian, Elder Harter asks with a chuckle? And what of David, made to hope on his mother’s breast? Not old enough for solid foods, was David old enough to be accountable for a choice affecting his eternal destiny? “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise,” Christ said, quoting the Psalms. Could it be that the joy of infants visited by God’s Holy Spirit is more perfect praise in the sight of God than any of man’s devices? This belief is the only comfort we have when we consider the millions of unborn children whose lives have been taken in accordance with the law of the land and against the law of God.
Elder Harter also addresses the role of faith in eternal salvation: a mark, not a precondition. Those who believe man’s faith is a requirement of regeneration will often quote John 1:12, “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name….” However, verse 12 is not a complete sentence. Verse 13 concludes the thought: “Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” Exactly!
What, then, of the gospel? Should we fold our arms and watch God work? Far from it! As 2 Timothy 1:10 declares, Christ has “brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” Almost at every mention of the marvelous truth of immediate, sovereign regeneration by God’s Holy Spirit, Paul records a refrain of praise or prayer. Though it does not appeal to man’s pride, this doctrine goes beyond the intellect to touch the heart of God’s children, motivating them to lives of godliness. We delight to declare the true, liberating, intoxicating message of the gospel: Christ has accomplished salvation, and those who believe His words show evidence that they are heaven-bound.
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