[The editor {of Helps by the Way, i.e., F. W. Grant} prints the following paper, (upon the same subject as a previous one) not as implying agreement on this point with the beloved brother who writes it, but as feeling that the temperate expression of individual belief, upon points where fundamental truth is not in question, will only aid those desirous of knowing for themselves what is truth. A spirit of controversy is to be dreaded; but a comparison of what those taught in the Word have gathered (as they believe) from it, is never unprofitable to one for whom there is no authority but the word itself. The editor would take this opportunity of stating that, for the same reason, the writers whose initials are attached to different articles are alone to be considered responsible for all the details of them, he himself only fully for those without signature, and for the general purport of the rest, where his dissent is not expressly intimated. The subject of this paper he hopes to take up to express his own view at another time.]
MR. EDITOR.—I believe Scripture plainly teaches not only a distinction between new birth and sealing with the Spirit, but also an interval of time between the two things. It may be long or short; but the interval of time is there, in the same way as when a man first builds his house, and afterwards dwells in it.
Before a man is born again he is looked at by God as dead in trespasses and sins. He has no more movement towards Him than a corpse has. You may speak to him about God; but he neither hears, responds nor sees. He has neither faith nor repentance, nor anything else, till by the Spirit’s action he is quickened or born again. That he is a responsible creature I have no doubt, and that the Spirit strives with man also I have no doubt; and that man has the power of resisting these strivings, also is true. If he goes to hell he will go there by his own will, not by the will of God. But the quickening action of the Spirit is another thing, and produced through the Word of God. A man is born of water. Cp. John 15:33Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (John 15:3); Eph. 5:2626That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26); 1 Pet. 1:2323Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23); James 1:1818Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18); and of the Spirit, John 3:55Jesus answered, 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). The Word acts on the faculties of the man, i.e., his mind, conscience and heart, like water; they are cleansed morally; besides new life from the Son of God is communicated, so that there is a new beginning in the man, just as really as when a new babe is born. There was never before in the world such a being. His natural life counts for nothing up to that time, it is all moral death before God.
I believe a heathen man who had never heard of Christ might be quickened, by the light of creation, the Spirit of God using the light of it to convince him of the reality of God as Creator, so that, forsaking idolatry and working righteousness up to the light of his conscience, he would be accepted, though only saved by the work of Christ, as a child is saved. A Jew was quickened by the reality of Jehovah being brought before him, and the promises of Messiah, etc. A professing Christian, by the Person of the Son being brought before him by the Word, as we see in John 1:1-131In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. 6There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. 8He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:1‑13). John 5:2525Verily, 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) says: 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! So also Eph. 1:1313In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13):
In whom, ye [Gentiles] also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
Mark, there is neither prayer, faith, repentance, or any other fruit of the Spirit’s work mentioned. The man is morally dead, at one moment. The Son of God through the medium of the Word, speaks to him; he hears, he lives. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Rom. 10:1717So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (Romans 10:17).
The first fruit is a truth, a hope, as we see in Eph. 1:1313In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, (Ephesians 1:13); but at the same time repentance. The mind is now turned to God. In the light of God’s presence the man sees himself, and the sins he has committed. His conscience is aroused, and by the light of the law, and much more by the cross, and glory of Christ it may be, he finds himself a condemned criminal under sentence of death. Perhaps, if the full light of a glorified Christ has been brought to bear upon him, he sees himself an enemy of God, and born in sin. The struggle of Rom. 7 begins. This may go on more or less after he is saved, where the full truth has not been set forth, but at all events it begins when he is born again; he finds himself carnal, a slave of sin when measuring himself by the law; for the good he would he does not, but the evil he would not that he does. Then he argues that, the will being right, it is no more he that does it, but sin that dwells in him. He sees sin as a distinct evil principle in him, but he born of God distinct from it. Then a third discovery comes out, that he has no power over sin, though longing to do right, for the good he would he does not, but the evil he would not that he does. The struggle goes on, till he gives up his state as thoroughly wretched! Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
But what press upon him most perhaps are his sins, and his rejection of Christ. He is a criminal under sentence of death for the one, an enemy of God for the other. I am supposing all this time that the truth of what he is has been pressed upon him in the light of the full truth of Christ.
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.
The soul though conscious of a change wrought in it, is sensible that this will not meet the question of sin. The righteousness of God requires death from the sinner, and new birth is not death but life! How sweetly then the Gospel comes in: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Cor. 15:1-41Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:1‑4)). This good news meets, on the one side, God’s righteous claims, and on the other side the sinner’s need. The original question of sin is once and forever settled. Besides the Man who stood as my substitute and representative is buried; I see my sepulcher; Christ rises the third day cleared from all my guilt, a risen accepted man, raised again for my justification. This is the Gospel of my salvation; salvation is brought to me in the good news of the Son of God. I receive it, have peace, am reconciled, and delivered.
The blood of Christ is now applied to the conscience. The heart is sprinkled from an evil conscience, besides the body washed with pure water, and immediately God puts his seal on the reception of the Gospel with the Spirit. The love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost, Rom. 5:55And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:5). The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets the soul free from the law of sin and death, Rom. 8:22For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2). In the present ruined condition of things, the knowledge of deliverance maybe delayed for some time in souls, but the actual thing is there in every soul that is sealed by the Holy Ghost. The Gospel of my salvation has brought salvation and the knowledge of it at the same time.
This to me, seems the only clear explanation of the doctrine of new birth, salvation, and sealing, as the Word of God teaches it; and answering to the true experiences of a soul coming to the Lord Jesus Christ for the first time.
We have seen that before the new birth takes place the man is morally dead. The voice of the Son of God speaks, as to dead Lazarus; the soul hears and lives; faith is now produced in the form of trust and hope, without certainty. The mind is turned to God; there is a repentance, issuing in judging self, realizing its criminal state and lost condition; there is also prayer for salvation and the Spirit, which is not yet received. The Gospel is preached to such a soul, it believes unto salvation; the finished work of Christ is now rested on, and Christ risen again for our justification, and in glory. The blood of Christ is applied to the conscience, and the immediate sealing of the Spirit follows!
I now give instances from Scripture. First, in the type of the consecration of the priests, Aaron and his sons are first washed with water, Lev. 8:66And Moses brought Aaron and his sons, and washed them with water. (Leviticus 8:6), answering to the water of the word of regeneration. Then Aaron is robed and anointed alone, before he is sprinkled with blood, as the Lord was anointed with the Holy Ghost before he died. His sons are anointed not till after the sacrifice has been killed and the blood has been sprinkled upon them. But the sprinkling of blood and the anointing with oil go together with the sons of Aaron. Thus the application of the blood and consequent sealing of the Spirit come consequent on the Gospel being preached and the finished work of Christ rested on. John 1 agrees with this. New birth, 1:13, is connected with the Person of the Son, specially his divinity, the baptism of the Holy Ghost, 1:33, with his work, 1:9.
In John 3, new birth was a thing a Jew ought to have known about. Ezek. 36:24-2624For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. 26A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:24‑26), prophesied of Jehovah causing Israel in the latter day to be born of water and of the Spirit in order to enter the kingdom of God. The Lord said to Nicodemus, Art thou a master in Israel and knowest not these things? . . . But what follows, John 3:1212If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? (John 3:12), is the introduction of the heavenly revelation of Christianity in contrast to this, and the Gospel is introduced. The Son of man must be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life! This is salvation! and connected with it is the knowledge of it brought to the soul, in John 3:1818He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:18), He that believeth on Him is not condemned.
In John 4, The gift of the Holy Ghost follows in beautiful order. He is the living water, the power of communion and worship, who comes consequent on the soul knowing God in the character of Giver, and Jesus in the character of the Son of God His gift. John 4:1010Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (John 4:10), He gives the Holy Ghost, consequent on redemption and His glorification. But I must hasten on.
Acts 2 gives us the wonderful work that took place consequent on the descent of the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost. Peter preached that God had made Jesus, whom the Jews had crucified, Lord and Christ. He was God’s Anointed owned by heaven, raised up to sit on David’s throne, but in the meantime as Lord sitting at the right hand of God till His enemies are made His footstool. Convicted that Jesus was the Anointed, they were born of God. Cp. 1 John 5:11Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. (1 John 5:1). Immediately they said, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Peter said, Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, unto the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Thus, here again, comes the new birth first through hearing, then repentance and remission of sins, and the immediate consequent sealing of the Holy Ghost. It was a short interval between their new birth and sealing, but still an interval, in the middle of which they repented and were baptized.
In Acts 8, we have in the account of the conversion of the Samaritans, a decided interval between their new-birth and sealing. Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached the Anointed unto them. They believed, and were baptized, yet 8:16 tells us that the Holy Ghost had as yet fallen on none of them. No doubt there was a longer interval, on account of there being a need that manifested unity should be maintained through the apostles Peter and John coming down from Jerusalem to lay their hands on them, so that Jerusalem should own the work of God at Samaria. Still the fact remains that first they were born again through believing that Jesus was the Anointed, and after an interval were sealed.
Acts 10 gives the account of the conversion of the first Gentile; vv. 2, 3 give clearly the godly character of the man; there was every mark of his being born of God, yet Peter had to tell him words whereby he and all his house should be saved, ch. 11:14. Accordingly he went down, preached the gospel to him, which he received, and was immediately sealed with the Holy Ghost.
In Paul’s own case there seems to have been three days interval between his being born again through meeting the Lord on his way to Damascus, and his sealing by the Spirit. Could it be said that he was saved and sealed, when he was three days without sight and neither ate nor drank? Born again he was, and Ananias was given a sign whereby he should know it.
Behold he prayeth (Acts 9:11, 17, 1811And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, (Acts 9:11)
17And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. (Acts 9:17‑18)).
In Lydia’s case, Acts 16, she was evidently a godly proselyte before Paul met her. Her heart the Lord opened that she attended to the things spoken by Paul, and she consequently embraced Christianity.
The Philippian jailor’s case was more sudden. But even here the earthquake first sent the terrors of God through his soul, before the peace, giving message came:
In the Epistle to the Romans, conviction as to the guilt of sin is argued out in chapters 1-3:20, and there repentance and circumcision of heart are alluded to. In Romans 7, conviction as to the flesh being all bad is argued out, and there the new mind and will is clearly formed. Rom. 3:2020Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20), to ch. 4, end, shows God as Justifier meeting the state of guilt, and Romans 8, God the Deliverer meeting the state of man as a slave of sin and born in it. They are two parts of the same salvation, the first part of which is generally apprehended in the soul first, in the present ruined condition of things, but where the truth is fully preached the latter would be learned at the same time, with deeper conviction preceding it. The explanation of so many souls who have been apparently sealed by the Spirit, and yet remain in or get back to the experience of the 7th of Romans, is in the many law teachers of the day bringing the people of God into bondage like the case of the Galatians, the type of which we have in the children of Israel in the wilderness, accepting the law to walk by, instead of abiding in the faith of the God of Abraham.
The teaching of no interval between new birth and sealing, would seem to me to lead to very fatal doctrine. Repentance and prayer, etc., must either then come in before a man is born again and sealed by the Spirit, which would be the denial that man is dead in trespasses and sins, or else they must come in after the sealing of the Spirit, which would be a denial of sinner-repentance, which no one who knows Scripture could hold for one moment in the case of a sinner coming to Christ. Besides it is contrary to the experience of all true hearted Christians. I would appeal to every one of my readers, whether the truth of the reality of God and of the Person of His Son did not come to their souls, first; then repentance and prayer for salvation as a consequence, then the reception of the gospel and immediate sealing of the Spirit; yet it was not repentance or prayer that saved them, but faith in the gospel.
From Helps By The Way – New Series 1880, pp. 175-182.