Leaves of Gold

A Call To Return To The Teaching Of The Bible

A ministry of Evangelist James A. Nelson   jan23@cox.net\

Year III, No. 1                                                                         January  2008

Master Outline Number Twenty-Four

Taken from  "The Christian Life Bible", Porter L. Barrington

 

What Is Faith?

"Now faith is the substance [assurance, title-deed] of things [seen and unseen].hoped for, the evi­dence [proof, conviction] of things not seen" (Heb. 11 :1. cf. 2 Cor. 4:18). This is the only definition of faith found in the Bible, and it is not complete. Faith reaches beyond the nat­ural realm of man's ability to possess. For example, "that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith ... to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:17-20). The love of Christ in its fullness is beyond all human comprehension; it is unknown and unknowable by the greatest minds of mankind. Yet, by faith, the most humble believer can begin to know the love of Christ, which cannot intellectually be understood.

(1) "For by it [faith] the elders obtained a good testimony" (Heb. 11:2). The biblical he­roes of faith pleased God by means of their faith (Heb. 11 :5, 6).

(2) "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Heb. 11 :3). Without faith you will fail to see the plan and purpose of God in His creation-"For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they [the disobedient] are without excuse" (Rom. 1 :20). To reject the revelation of God in the creation of the heavens and the earth is to be without excuse in the Day of Judgment. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork" (Ps. 19:1-3).

(3) "By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent [acceptable] sacrifice than Cain" (Heb. 11 :4). Abel's blood sacrifice was acceptable to God because it was a type of the shed blood of Jesus "that speaks better things than that of Abel" (Heb. 12:24; cf. Gen. 4:3-13. . Abel, by faith, looked ahead to the day that Jesus Christ, our High Priest, would enter the holy place and sprinkle His blood upon the eternal mercy seat, and obtain everlasting salvation for all believers (Heb. 9:11, 15; cf. 1 Pet. 1:18, 19).

(4) "By faith Enoch" accomplished three things (Heb. 11 :5, 6):

(a) He walked with God (see Master Outline Number Forty-Four: "Enoch, a Man Who Walked With God".

(b) He pleased God.

(c) He was translated, taken up to heaven in his body of flesh and bones. Therefore, he did not experience physical death. He is thus a type of all born-again believers who will be living when Jesus comes again (1 Thess. 4: 13-18)

(5) "By faith Noah" built the ark (Heb. 11 :7). Noah did not have a dead faith (James 2:20). Had Noah's faith been "dead;' there would not be a human being upon the face of the earth today. For the seven elements that embodied Noah's perfect faith, see Hebrews 11:7  and Point 45-E, "Noah: A Man of Faith" 

(6) "By faith Abraham" obeyed (Heb. 11 :8). He sought a country whose location was unknown to him, but God led him. He looked for an eternal city, built by Almighty God (Heb. 11 :8, 10). "By faith Abraham, when he was tested [God tested his faith], offered up Isaac" (Heb. 11 :17-19; see also Point 20cC: "The Offering of Isaac").

(7) By faith Sarah conceived after she had passed the age of childbearing (Heb. 11:11, 12 cf. Gen. 17:15-19; 21:1-8).         .

(8) "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau" (Heb. 11 :20).

(9) "By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph" (Heb. 11 :21).

(10) "By faith Joseph" prophesied the return of the children of Israel to the Promised Land and commanded them to take his bones with them (Heb. 11 :22; Gen. 50:22-26; Ex. 13:19; Josh. 24:32).

(11) By faith Moses' parents were not afraid of the ruler of Egypt who had commanded that all male children be put to death (Ex. 2: 1-10). By faith Moses refused an Egyptian heritage, choosing to suffer affliction with his own people, esteeming the reproach of Christ to be of greater value than all the riches of Egypt. "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king:' For forty years he was a shepherd in the desert. By faith he returned to Egypt and kept the Passover. "By faith they [Moses and Israel] passed through the Red Sea as by dry land" (Heb. 11 :23-29).

(12) "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days" (Heb. 11 :30).    .

(13) Between verses 29 and 30 there are nearly forty years when the nation of Israel wandered in the wilderness in punishment for their unbelief. Moses and others had faith during that period, but the nation of Israel murmured against God and against Moses (Heb. 3:7-19; cf. Num. 14:34). This is a condition which is repeated when any congregation no longer believes the promises of God.

(14) "By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe" (Heb. 11 :31).

Other heroes in God's gallery of faith are mentioned in verses 32-40. Many of them died violent deaths-persecuted, imprisoned, and stoned. Some were slain by the sword and others torn apart by wild beasts. Many of them died, not yet having received by faith the promises of God. Four times the people were told that "the just shall live by faith" (Heb. 10:38). In this elev­enth chapter of Hebrews we see a great host who were justified by faith and learned the secret of how to live by faith. like the Tribulation saints, "they did not love their lives to the death" (Rev. 12:11).

 

24-A. Faith Is a Mystery (1 Timothy 3:8, 9)  Likewise deacons must be reverent (having spiritual dignity)...holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience", v. 8, 9.  A biblical mystery is a truth of God heretofore unrevealed to all, even though it has been known by some and preached for hundreds of years.  Salvation by faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was such a "mystery" until it was revealed to the world at the first coming of God the Son (1 Cor. 15:1-4), an remains a mystery to those who have never heard or received the gospel of the grace of God (Eph. 2;8, 9). You are not born with saving faith. It is a mystery until it is perceived in the Scriptures or heard from one who has received the mystery of saving faith. Some believers, becoming so involved in church work and "the deeper Christian life," forget that the Good News of salvation is a mystery to the unsaved and will remain so until it is shared with the unsaved.

"

(1) "If our gospel [the mystery of saving faith) is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing",(2 Co 4:3), and they shall remain lost until they call upon Christ for salvation. "So then faith [saving faith) comes by hearing [the mystery of the faith), and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). The greatest mystery of all is the mystery of the gospel of grace. "In the beginning was the Word, [God's only begotten Son), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God .... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1, 14). In the womb of the virgin Mary, God the Son was made flesh. Thirty-three years later the Son was made "to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness, of God  in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). This is the mystery of the faith that we must share with the world (Matt. 28:19).

(2) "Now faith is the substance [assurance, confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence [proof) of \ things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). We can be saved by grace through faith, that is, trust in Christ's saving work (Eph. 2:8) and we can have the assurance of eternal life with Christ. Paul said, "I \ know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what [my body, soul, and spirit) I have committed [as an act of faith) to Him until that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12).

(3) The Christian's assurance of eternal salvation is a twofold witness.

(a) God's Word witnesses to you. "He who believes in the Son has [present tense) everlasting life" (John 3:36; cf. 6:35-40). "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [by faith), he is a .new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). "This is the witness of God which He has testified of His Son" (1 John 5:9). God's eternal, inerrant Word is our assurance of salvation by grace through faith in God the Son (Eph. 1:13, 14).

(b) God the Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit, assuring you that you are a child of God. "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16).

These two: God's inerrant Word, and God the indwelling Holy Spirit, witness as one-"that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:11,13). The Holy Spirit witnesses with your spirit in conjunction with the testimony of God's Word. The more you mix the Word of God with your faith, the deeper your relationship with Christ will become (Rom. 10:17). The depth of such faith will also determine the extent of your spiritual effectiveness (Heb. 11 :7, 33).

 

Point 24-B: The Just Shall live by Faith.  Galatians 3_11-24-8. The Just Shall Live by Faith (Galatians 3:11)- The just, those who have been "justified by faith," are to live by faith (Rom. 5:1; cf. Heb. 10:38). justification by faith in God the Son is more than acquittal; it is the judicial act of our Holy God, declaring the repentant sinner righteous with the righteousness of God in Christ (Rom. 10:3, 4, 9, 10), because "he who believes in Him [Christ] is not condemned; but he who does not believe [in Christ] is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18). Therefore, by faith the just are eternally free from the guilt and penalty of sin; they are also declaratively invested with the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).

Because Christians are justified by faith, they are to live their whole life by faith; "for whatever is not from faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23; cf. Col. 3:17). As a child of God:

(1) Pray by faith. When you ask anything from God in prayer, it must be by faith. There can be no doubting, for if you waver you will not receive anything from the Lord (James 1:5-7).

(2) Walk by faith. "For we walk [live every day] by faith, not by sight" (2 Cor. 5:7). In the Old Testament we are told that "Enoch walked with God" (Gen. 5:21-23). In the New Testament we are told that "by faith Enoch ... pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Heb. 11:5, 6). Therefore, his walk with God had to be by faith (John 8:12). You can walk with God only by faith.

(3) Understand by faith. "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible" (Heb. 11:3). If you believe God's Word, you will not question any part of it from Genesis to Revelation. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). You will have no problem with the theory of evolution when you believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. But "he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son" (1 John 5:10). Here is a part of the record that God the Father gave of God the Son. "For by Him [Christ] all things [not just some things] were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him" (Col. 1:16). Jesus Christ, God's Son, is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe (Heb. 1:2, 3).     .

(4) "Be filled with the Spirit" by faith. This is a command-" And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18)-and it is the only source of spiritual power for service. "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1 :8). On the Day of Pentecost the Upper Room congregation (about 120) was filled with the Holy Spirit   and began to serve the Lord immediately; the results were that approximately three thousand believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, repented, were baptized and added to the Jerusalem church.

Paul asked the Galatians if they had received the Holy Spirit by the works of the law, or by faith (Gal. 3:3). Again he asked those who did miracles if they did it by the works of the law, or by faith (v. 5). Then Paul said to them, " 'The just shall live by faith.' Yet the law is not of faith. [for] Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us ... that we might receive the promise of the [Holy] Spirit through faith" (w. 11-14). The just, who live by faith, are filled by faith with the Holy Spirit for service.

(5) Be healed by faith. The believer is warned, "Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines" (Heb. 13:9). The doctrine of divine healing is being attacked as never before. It is exploited by many and denied by others. It is abused by some for filthy lucre and worldly fame, while others declare that God no longer heals our. sick bodies. It is time for those of us who are justified by faith to start I living by faith. We must take our stand upon the Word of God and believe with all our heart, soul, and mind.  By faith we resist the teachings of the cults and occult movements, who profess to perform miracles in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord warns us that many will deceitfully claim His power. But He will say to them, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matt. 7:21-23)

The Lord Jesus still heals today because "Jesus Christ is the, same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb., 13:8). If this verse is true, then Jesus Christ still heals. You can trust Him. When you ask Him to heal you, don't tell Him when or how to heal. He may choose to heal you instantly, or slowly over a period of time. He may use a human instrument, such as a doctor. All healing is from the Lord. A doctor can treat, but only God can heal. The psalmist said, "He sent His word and healed them" (Ps. 107:20). Again we read, 'When evening had come, they brought to Him [Christ] many who were demon-possessed, And He cast out the Spirits, with a word, and healed all, who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: 'He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses'" (Matt. 8:16, 17; cf. Is. 53:4, 5). The Lord Jesus Christ is Jehovah-Ropheka, "the LORD who heals you" (Ex.' 15:26). He is "the same yesterday, today, and forever."

  

Point 24-C: Faith Is Joyful in Tribulation.  2 Corinthians 7:4, 5.  "I am exceedingly joyful in all our tribulation", v. 4.  The apostle Paul could truly say that his joy was overflowing, even in his afflictions.  He did not merely submit to persecutions, neither did he overflow with joy because he was experiencing great tribulations; but he rejoiced while in afflictions, knowing by faith that this was part of God´s perfect will for his life and ministry.  This is commitment that remains strong, even in t he f ace of overwhelming adversity, Romans 8:28. (Point 24-C continued from previous page)

When Paul and Silas were at Troas, the Holy Spirit told Paul in a vision at night to go to Maceaonia. In the vision" A man of Macedonia stood and pleaded with him, saying, 'Come over to Macedonia and help us'" (Acts 16:8, 9). Believing that the Lord had called them to preach the gospel in Macedonia, they set a straight course for Philippi, which was its chief city and a colony of Rome. There they were welcomed with a beating from the people, then cast into the Philippians prison where their feet were placed in stocks. "But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them" (Acts 16:16-25). They sang because they were in the will of God; their faith produced overflowing joy in tribulation.

Paul never referred to himself as a prisoner of the Jews, or a prisoner of Rome. In every prison he spoke of himself as a "prisoner of Christ Jesus" (Eph. 3:1). While in a Roman prison, he wrote to his friend and fellow laborer, Philemon, and referred to himself as "being such a one as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ" (Philem. 9).

Paul did not allow outward circumstances to control his ministry for the Lord. To the Philippians believers he said, "I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content" (Phil. 4:11). This is spiritual maturity. Paul had reached the place where he was content to be abased, humbled, or to abound (Phil. 4:12). In plenty or poverty he had learned how to rejoice. By faith he could "glory in tribulations" (Rom. 5:1--5). Having learned to be content in any external circumstance, he could shout, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13). He believed that everything that happened to him was "for the furtherance of the gospel" (Phil. 1:12).

(1) He said, "A thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me ... I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He [the Lord] said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' "

When Paul learned this, he said, "Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities ... Therefore

I take pleasure

(a) "In infirmities, (b) "In reproaches, (c) "In needs,

(d) "In persecutions,

(e) "In distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Cor. 12:7-10).

(2) Again he wrote:

(a) "we are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed

 (b) "we are perplexed, but not in despair;

(c) "persecuted, but not forsaken;

(d) "struck down, but not destroyed" (2 Cor. 4:8, 9).

Paul's faith lifted him above outward circumstances (2 Cor. 11 :21-33), inward conflicts (Col. 2:1), and fears. "And I, brethren, when I came to you ... I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling .... that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God" (1 Cor. 2:1-5). Paul wanted the church of Corinth to anchor its faith in God rather than in any servant of God, including himself.

 

24-D. Faith Without Works Is Dead (James 2:14-26)- There are those who wrongly believe that James and Paul had a doctrinal disagreement regarding justification by faith or by works. Are people saved by works, or by faith? James is exposing dead faith (v. 17), while Paul uncovers dead works (Heb. 6:1; see also Point 22-C, "Repentance from Dead Works,"). They both agree that dead faith always produces dead works, and neither can justify sinners. Faith that does not work is not the faith of the Bible, and therefore is not valid faith. "But do you want to know, 0 foolish man, that faith without works is dead?" (v. 20).

James asked, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?" (v. 21). The faith of Abraham resulted in his works. Offering Isaac on the altar was an act of works by faith that, in turn, perfected his faith (v. 22). "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God [he believed God with faith that resulted in deeds], and it [his faith] was accounted to him for righteousness'" (v. 23). James is saying that Abraham was saved by a living faith that brought forth living fruit.

What is dead faith? First, everyone has faith of some kind. There are hundreds of religions in this world, and they all require faith; but they do not all require the faith that justifies. How can I know that my faith is the faith that justifies the sinner? There is only one faith that saves, that is, faith in the saving life and work of Christ, the God-Man (Gal. 2:20,). All other faith is empty and dead.

Paul taught "that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28).

       Again he said, "By the works of the law no flesh shall be justified For I through the law [by faith] died

to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ [therefore] the life which I now live

in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God [by adding the works of the law to God's grace]; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain" (Gal. 2:15-21,).

Furthermore, Paul taught that saving faith is also serving faith, faith that produces works----not in order to be saved, but because the doer is saved. Every sinner who is justified by faith will stand before the Lord Jesus at the judgment seat of Christ: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also· trust are well known in your consciences" (2 Cor. 5:10, 11). He said, "We make it our aim" (2 Cor. 5:9).

Paul labored for Christ more than most believers. Why? Because he knew that he, along with all who are justified or will be justified by faith, will stand before Christ where our works will be judged; not our sins, for they were judged on Calvary in the body of Christ, our Savior (Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:21). For details of this judgment, where only our works will be judged, see 1 Corinthians 3:8-15  and the introduction to Master Outline 48, "Crowns for Christians" .

Paul wrote of a living faith, given by God. We do not live by faith that we ourselves generate; that is always dead, empty faith. The faith that justifies is the gift of God. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it [faith] is the gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8, 9). This faith, God's gift, can only be found through the infallible Word of God (Rom. 10:17).

"The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20). Paul had religious faith and zeal before he came to know Christ as his Savior. His life was filled with dead, religious works which were the fruits of his dead, religious faith (Acts 9:1, 2; 26:9-11).

Saving faith results in a changed life, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ [by faith], he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new"-new faith, new life, new hope, new love (2 Cor. 5:17). For example, in Philippians 3:3-9  Paul says, "We ... have no confidence in the flesh, though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so:

(1) "Circumcised the eighth day" (Lev. 12:3);

(2) "Of the stock [nation] of Israel" (Ex. 4:22, 23);

(3) "Of the tribe of Benjamin" (the youngest son of Jacob-Gen. 35:16-19);

(4) "A Hebrew of the Hebrews" (2 Cor. 11:22);

(5) "Concerning the law, a Pharisee" (they were separatists);

(6) "Concerning zeal, persecuting the church" (Acts 7:54--8:4);

(7) "Concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless" (Rom. 10:1-4). The righteousness of the law had blinded him to the righteousness of God in Christ; under that law Paul was blind.

"But what things were gain to me [under the law], these I have counted loss for Christ ... and count them as rubbish ... not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith." This is the great change that came into the life of Paul when he came to know Christ as his Savior, through "faith in the Son of God."

James and Paul are looking at the same truth-justification. Like a coin it has two sides: one side is faith, the other side is works.

Paul teaches that faith justifies the sinner before God, entirely apart from works. "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3). This is faith as God sees it, one side of the truth.

James sees works as evidence of the faith that justifies; if there are no works, there is no evidence of saving faith. He said, "Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" (v. 18). James concludes that faith without works is dead, and cannot justify the sinner. This is faith as man sees it, the other side of the truth.

As we look at both sides of the truth, we see that the faith that justifies is the faith that produces works. There is no doctrinal disagreement between James and Paul. James said, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness" (v. 23). Paul said, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3, page 1132). Both James and Paul believed in a living faith that bears living fruit; all other faith is dead, useless faith (1 Cor. 15:1-4, page 1161). Faith in Christ's victorious death on Calvary, His physical burial for three days and nights, and His bodily resurrection from the dead is the only faith that will justify sinners in the sight of God. "For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7).

 

 Point 24-E: Saving Faith Is in Christ. Hebrews 12:1, 2.   That Person in whom we have saving faith is the God Man, Jesus, the promised Messiah.  As His followers, we are to "...run with endurance the race that is set before us...", v. 1.  We are to be conscious of that great cloud, the host of heavenly witnesses, the Old and New Testament saints as represented in Hebrews 11, knowing that they are our heavenly spectators.  We are to run the race by faith, looking to Jesus who is:

(1) The Author of our faith, v. 2.  Jesus is the leader of our faith.  We are the sheep of His pasture, and (            !

we hear and know His voice as He speaks to us out of tne written Word (Rom. 10:17). To know our spiritual Leader by faith is to take up our cross and follow Him (Mark 8:34-38).

. (2) The finisher of our faith (v. 2). Christ is the perfecter of our faith. On the cross, He said, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). These words were a shout of victory, a triumph of His faith. Paul said, "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God" (Gal. 2:20). Paul did not live by faith in any patriarch or prophet. He learned and profited by their lives of faith, but he lived only by the faith he found in God the Son.

(3) The object of our faith. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). His faith, like His human and divine nature, .is immutable. He is the worthy object of our faith (Mal. 3:6).

(4) The embodiment of our faith. Our faith is certified as effective because He is the resurrected God ­Man, who is seated at the right hand of the Father (v. 2).

(5) The way of saving faith. Jesus is our "way" of faith, our "truth" of faith, and our "life" of faith. "No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6; cf. Acts 4:12).

(6) The forerunner of our faith. The word "forerunner" means to scout, to go before us and experience every inch of the way. As we run the believer's race, looking unto Jesus who ran the course before us, understanding the race He ran, there should be no surprises; for He "was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:14-16).

Saving faith is in a Person. That Person is God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This saving faith is not your faith until you accept Him as your personal Savior, for He alone is your saving faith (Acts 4:J2). (End of this study)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XXI Regeneration and Baptism  Clarence Larkins "Righty Dividing t he Word"

 

Regeneration and Baptism

                                       

There is more or less confusion as to the relation of Baptism to Regeneration. Some teach that Baptism is a saving ordinance, and that in the administration of the rite the candidate is regenerated or "born again," and for this reason it is called a "Sacrament." Because of this belief many parents hasten to have their infants baptized for fear that they will be eternally lost. For a proper understanding of the subject it is necessary that we ascertain the Scriptural meaning of the words "Re­generation" and "Baptism," and we shall find that one is an "Inner Experience," and the other is an "Outward Act."

I. REGENERATION

In the third chapter of John's Gospel we find two "Divine Necessities." First, "Ye must be BORN AGAIN," (John 3: 3, 5), second, "The Son of Man must be LIFTED UP." To whom did Jesus utter these words? Not to a gambler, a drunkard, a thief, a libertine, a heathen, a non-church goer, but to a Church Member. To Nicodemus, a Ruler of the Jews, a Pharisee, a Rabbi, a member of the Great Sanhedrin, learned in the "Law" and "Holy Scriptures," one of the Religious Leaders of his day and a "Master in Israe1." As a Jew he was entitled to all the "Birthright Privileges" of a son of Abraham, and to be told by Christ that all his boasted "Birthright Privileges" did not entitle him to a place in the "Kingdom of God" was startling. "How," said Nicodemus, "can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?" Surely not! And if he could there would nothing be gained by a second NATURAL birth more than by the first. If a natural man could re-enter 10,0 times into his mother's womb and be born he would b naught but a NATURAL man after all, for "That which is born of flesh is FLESH."

Why must men be born again? Because-"That which is born of flesh is FLESH, and that which is born of the 'Spirit' (Holy Spirit) is SPIRIT." John 3: 6. Men are not by nature the "Sons of God," they are the "Children of the Devil," (1 John 3: 10), and Jesus so in­formed the Jews. John 8: 37-44. There is a restricted "Fatherhood of God" and "Brotherhood of Man." It is only those who receive Christ as their personal Saviour that can become the "Sons of God." John 1: 12. There is much being said in these days about "Building Char­acter," which is only another phrase for the "Moral Evo­lution" of human nature, and by selection, or the inter­marriage of the "Physically, Morally and Intellectually Fit," to produce a race of Supermen and Women. But this is impossible, being contrary to the history of the race and to Scripture.

The "New Birth" is not a change of the "Old Nature" into a "New Nature" by either a gradual or sud­den transformation, called development or reformation. Religious reformation may very much improve the flesh, but after all it is only religious FLESH. To use a Scriptural illustration, if we were to take a "nettle" from the roadside and bring it into a garden or hothouse, and watch over it, dress and water and warm it, we might be able to produce beautiful and different varieties of "nettles," but they would only be "NETTLES," we could never get "FIGS" from them. "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or 'FIGS' of 'THISTLES'?" Matt. 7: 16. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots?" J er. 13: 23.

What then is the "New Birth?" "It is the COM­MUNICATION OF A NEW LIFE, the IMPLANTA­TION OF A NEW NATURE by the 'SPIRIT OF GOD.' "

There is no such thing as "Spontaneous Generation of Life." All life must come from PRE-EXISTING LIFE. We speak of the "Inorganic" and "Organic" Kingdoms. The Kingdoms of "No-Life" and of "Life." A dead stone cannot pass of itself from the "Inorganic" into the "Organic" Kingdom. There is a door between the two Kingdoms, but it opens on the Organic Kingdom side. While the stone cannot open that door the plant can, and by thrusting its rootlets into the soil can disintegrate the stone and take of its chemical constituents and give them of its own life. Likewise there is a door between the "Vegetable Kingdom" and the "Animal Kingdom," but it opens on the "Animal Kingdom" side. The plant cannot turn itself into flesh, but the animal by eating the plant can change it from "vegetable life" to "animal life." So there is a door between the "Natural" and "Spiritual" worlds, but it cannot be opened from the "Natural" side. Therefore a man to have "Spiritual Life" must be born from above. A sculptor may take a piece of marble and carve from it a lifelike figure, but it is still MARBLE and LIFELESS.

In the "Human Kingdom" there can be no life without parentage. There must be a father and a mother. The same is true of the "Spiritual Kingdom." In the "Spirit­ual Kingdom" the Holy Spirit is the FATHER, and the 'Human Heart" is the WOMB (Mother) into which the "SEED" of the "Word of God" is dropped. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the "WORD OF GOD." 1 Pet. 1: 23. If seed in the Natural World, either of plant, animal, or man, is lifeless, there wi!! be no new life, and if the "Seed of the Word of God" is :l0t VITALIZED by the Holy Spirit when it falls into the human heart there will be no "New Birth." This ex­plains how men and women can read and study the Scrip­tures :and not be converted. To illustrate, a man may have heard or read a thousand times the words-"Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." John 5: 40. But one day on the street he is handed a card on which those words are printed in large letters. Angered by the publicity of the act, and offended at the intimation that he needs to be saved, he tears the card into pieces and throwing it into the gutter with an oath he passes on. But he cannot dismiss the incident from his memory. Do what he will it persists in returning. He finds him­self unfitted for business. The evening is spent in a place of amusement, but the words on the card haunt him, and he leaves the theatre to go home and spend a sleepless night. What is the matter? Why that "text" was no longer "lifeless," it had been "vitalized" by the Holy Spirit, it had fallen into the womb of the man's heart and was in the process of generating a "New Life" in the man. Leave it alone and it will do its office work and the man will become a "New Creature" in Christ Jesus. If in our experience we can remember or recall the verse of Scripture that was the means of our conversion then we can point to it as the Holy Spirit vitalized seed of the Word that caused the generation of the "New Life" in our heart.

HOW TO BE BORN AGAIN

If I must be "born again," I may be born again, for God never commands an impossible thing. We have considered the manner and the means of the communication of the New Birth, It now remains to show how it may be secured. In the night interview of Nicodemus and Jesus, Jesus used three illustrations. (1) That of a BIRTH. (2) That of the "BRAZEN SERPENT." (3) That of the WIND. We have explained the first, let us now consider the second. "AS Moses lifted up the 'Ser­pent' in the Wilderness, even SO must the 'Son of Man' be lifted up." Nicodemus being a "Master" in Israel knew well the incident of the "Brazen Serpent." Num. 21: 4-9. He knew how that when the Children of Israel essayed to compass the land of Edom and became dis­couraged, that they murmured against Moses, and the Lord sent "Fiery Serpents," and they bit the people and many died, and Moses was commanded to make a "Brazen Serpent" and put it on a pole, that whosoever looked upon it should be healed of the poisonous bite. The "Fiery Serpents" were a type of the Devil, and the "Brazen Serpent" was a type of Jesus lifted up upon the Cross to counteract and destroy the work of the Devil From this we see that it is not Jesus as an example, but Jesus "lifted up" and CRUCIFIED that saves. The "Brazen Serpent" was "lifted up" that all Israel might see it, and Jesus was "lifted up" that all men might see HIM. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. This He said, signifying what death he should die." John 12: 32-33. How forcibly that night interview must have been recalled to Nicodemus' memory as he and Joseph of Arimathea bent over the body of  Jesus preparing it for burial. I think I can hear Nico­demus say to Joseph, "Joseph, He told me it would be this way that night I visited Him at John's house in Jerusalem and He explained to me how I might be born again. He said as Moses lifted up the 'Brazen Serpent' in the Wilderness so He must be lifted up, and now He has been 'lifted up.' Handle Him tenderly Joseph, for He is our Lord and Saviour."

Let us study that Wilderness scene, for if we can grasp its lessons we will know the steps we must take to be saved.

1. The first thing necessary for an Israelite to, know

was that he was BII'TEN.                                             . .

Not until he felt the sting of the serpent's bite would an Israelite feel concerned about his health. So the sinner has no concern about his spiritual heath until he realizes that the "poison of sin" will destroy his soul.

2. The second thing for an Israelite to know was that there was a GOD-PROVIDED REMEDY.

Now an Israelite might have been bitten and not have known about the "Brazen Serpent" and have perished for want of knowledge. So there are many who know that sin is destroying their lives but do not know of the way of deliverance. It is necessary that they learn in some way of God's "provided remedy" for sin-JESUS.

3. The third thing for an Israelite to know was that the God-provided remedy was of no account UNTIL APPLIED.

If a bitten Israelite, knowing of the "Brazen Serpent," refused to look at it he died. So the sinner, who, Conscious of his sinful state, refuses to accept Christ as his Saviour will die in his sins.

We can imagine a bitten Israelite when asked to look at the "Brazen Serpent," saying-"Oh! I have got no faith in that piece of brass. I will just try a poultice or drink this medicine that I have in the house." So men and women today instead of looking to Christ, resort to man-made remedies to soothe the pangs of conscience, such as good works, penances, music. worldly entertain­ments, and religious fads.

 

We can imagine another bitten Israelite saying-"I will not have anything to do with the 'Brazen Serpent' until I know how it cures. I want to know the philosophy of the thing. If God had told us to rub the bitten place with a piece of brass in the form of a serpent, or to take a piece of brass and boil it with some herbs and make a medicine that we were to take, then I could understand the philosophy of the thing, but to simply look at a 'Brazen Serpent' on a pole that is all foolishness and I will perish before I do it." So men and women argue today. They say, "I cannot understand the philosophy of the Atonement, and I will not accept the work of the Cross until you make it plain to my reason."

Again we can imagine a bitten Israelite saying-I will wait until tomorrow to see if I am not better, and if I am no better then I will go and have a look at the 'Brazen Serpent' to see whether there is anything in it." So men and women today live in the hope that tomorrow there will be an improvement in their spiritual condition, and if not, they say they will have a "try" at religion.

Another bitten Israelite comparing his wound with that of his neighbor may have said, "My wound is not half as bad as my neighbor's, so I will not do anything as long as he lives." So men and women compare their spiritual condition with that of their neighbors and say, 'I am not as bad as they are and if they are saved I will be." But comparing ourselves with others, or looking at the wound wil1not do, we must look to the REMEDY. It was not the "Brazen Serpent" that healed, it was the "LOOK OF FAITH." It was because the bitten Israelites believed the "Promise of God" that a "LOOK" would save them, that they were saved. So it is not necessary for us to understand the philosophy of the "Plan of Salvation," but simply believe what God has said that if we accept the "Crucified Christ" as our Saviour we shall be saved. Let us then take our eyes off of our neighbor, off of ourself, off of the Church, off of the ordinances, off of the Priest, and fix them on the "Cross of Calvary," and accept the finished work of Christ.

The Israelites were shut up to the "Brazen Serpent," so we are shut up to Christ. He is God's only remedy for sin. There is no salvation in any other. Acts 4: 12. As every bitten Israelite who refused to look at the "Brazen Serpent" died, so all who refuse to look to Christ for salvation-"shall be punished with everlasting de­struction from the Presence of the Lord, and from the Glory of His Power." 2 Thess. 1: 7-10.

HOW MAY I KNOW I HAVE BEEN BORN AGAIN?

This leads us to the consideration of Jesus' third illustration, that of the WIND. "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 everyone that is born of the Spirit." John 3: 8. You cannot see the wind, it is in itself invisible. The only way you can tell that it is in motion is by its effects, as seen in the swaying trees and the clouds of dust. So it is with the Holy Spirit, He is invisible and the only way you can tell that He is at work is by His influence on the hearts of men. When we see a vile and wicked sinner changed into a new creature in Christ Jesus, then we know that the Holy Spirit has been at work. Here are some of the "BIRTH-MARKS" of the "New Born" child of God.

1. He that is "Born of God" hath the witness IN HIMSELF. 1 John 5: 10. Rom. 8: 16.

2. He that is "Born of God" ABIDETH IN HIM. 1 John 3: 24.

3. He that is "Born of God" LOVETH THE BRETHREN. 1 John 3:14.

4. He that is "Born of God" OVERCOMETH THE WORLD. 1 John 5:4.

5. He that is "Born of God" is LED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT. Rom. 8: 14.

He that  is "born of God" will have a new nature and disposition.  He will have a "New Tongue".  He will speak the language of Cannaan and love to talk about heavenly things.  He will feed on "New Food".  It will no longer be the novel and light literature, but the Word o God.  He will have a "New Song".  No longer operatic airs and minstrel melodies, but sacred music. He will seek "New Society." Old companionships will be broken off and he will seek the society of God's people.

II. BAPTISM

Having seen the meaning of Regeneration and that it is an "Inner Experience," let us now examine the

meaning and purpose of Baptism that we may see that it is but an "Outward Act" that symbolizes the "New Birth," and is to be observed not as a means to our sal­vation, but because we have been saved. Right here someone may ask, "Did not Jesus say to Nicodemus­' Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of WATER and of the SPIRIT, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God' (John 3: 5), and does not WATER mean Baptism, and does it not therefore require both the 'New Birth' and 'Water Baptism' to save a soul?" No. The word "Water" does not mean "Water Baptism." Water stands in the Scriptures for the "Word 0 God." "Of His own will 'begat' He us with the WORD OF TRUTH." James 1 : 18. "Being 'born again,' not of cor­ruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the WORD OF GOD." 1 Pet. 1 : 23. It must not be forgotten that Bap­tism is only for BELIEVERS. Acts 8: 36-37. There­fore a person must be saved, or "New Born," before they should be baptized. This forbids the Baptism of infants, but not of children who have reached the age of account­ability and are old enough to believe and exercise saving faith.

What is the purpose of Baptism? First it is to sym­bolize the "Death" and "Resurrection" of Christ.

"Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His DEATH? Therefore we are BURIED with Him by Baptism into DEATH; that like as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His DEATH, we shall be also in the likeness of His RESURREC­TION." Rom. 6: 3-5.

Writing to the Corinthians Paul said-"I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you. . how that Christ DIED for our sins .. that He was BURIED, and that He ROSE AGAIN the third day." 1 Cor. 15: 1-4. Here we have the Gospel in a nutshell. It is the proclamation that Jesus DIED, was BURIED, and ROSE AGAIN for our sins according to the Scrip­tures. So we see that Baptism symbolizes the "Death," "Burial" and "Resurrection" of Christ, and that only one mode of Baptism can symbolize them, and that is com­plete

IMMERSION IN WATER.

In the second place Baptism is a public confession that the "Believer" has died to the "old life" and risen to a "New Life," and what can better symbolize this than the Believer being buried in the watery grave of the Baptistry and rising again from that liquid tomb to walk in resurrection life. And this symbolism can only be expressed by baptizing the candidate backward in the water but once. For we do not bury people face down­ward, nor three times.

In the third place Baptism symbolizes our death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. That is, it expresses our union with Him. See the Chapter on "The Recip­rocal Indwelling of Christ and the Believer."

From what has been said we see that the "New Birth" and "Baptism" are not the same. That the "New Birth" is supernatural and can only be brought about by the Holy Spirit, while Baptism is an "Outward Act" performed for us by a properly qualified administrator, and that it simply symbolizes what has already taken effect in us by the "New Birth." Therefore there is no regenerating or saving power in Baptism. Why then should I be Baptized you ask? First, because your Saviour has commanded you to be. Mark 16: 15-16. Secondly, because it is the mode prescribed for a public confession of your faith in Christ. Acts 8: 36-37; 16: 14,­15, 27-33. Thirdly, because as a Believer you should connect yourself with some body of Believers, and the door to such a connection is Baptism. Acts 2: 41-42.  (These studies will continue each month)

 

 

Evangelist James A. Nelson and his wife of 57 years, Janet, are members of the Village Bible Church, Salina, Kansas.  This page is sponsored by David R. Pickett (dr_pickett@hotmail.com) and our Webmaster is Martin Gutzmer (mrgutzmer@gmail.com).