In
his "Twice-Born Men," Mr. Harold Begbie gives us a series of
instanceswherein
men of the lowest grade, or the most perverse nature, becamesuddenly
changed in thought, purpose, will and life. Without intentionallyignoring
the word "regeneration," or the fact of regeneration, heemphasises
the act of conversion in which be includes regeneration which,in
our conception, is the origin of conversion and a true reformation as apermanent
fact. A weakness in much of the teaching of modern times is inthat
conversion and reformation are thrust to the front, while regenerationis
either ignored, or minimized to nothingness.
Jesus
Christ did not say much about regeneration, using the equivalentword
in the Greek (paliggenesis) only once, and then (Matthew 19:28)having
reference to created things, a new order in the physical universe,rather
than to a new condition of the individual soul. But He taught thegreat
truth in other words, the needful fact by which He made it evidentthat
a regeneration is what the human soul needs and must have to fit it forthe
kingdom of God.
In
the other Gospels, Jesus is represented as teaching things which involvea
new birth, without which it is impossible to meet Divine requirements;but
in John’s Gospel it is
distinctly set forth in the very first chapter, andthe
idea is carried through to the end. When (in John 1:12,13) it is saidthat
those who received the Word of God received also "power," or right,to
become God’s children, it is
expressly declared that this power, or right,is not inherent in
human nature, is not found in the natural birth, butinvolves
a new birth — "who are born
not of blood, nor of the will of theflesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God." It is this new or second birthwhich produces children of God. The
declaration of John (John 3:3)puts to confusion the very common claim that God
is the Father ofuniversal humanity, and makes it absurd to talk of "the
Fatherhood ofGod,"
"the Heavenly Father," "the Divine Fatherhood," and other
suchphrases
with which we are surfeited in these modern days. Nothing isfarther
from truth, and nothing is more dangerous and seductive than theclaim
that the children of Adam are, by nature, God’s
children. It is thebasis of much false reasoning with regard to the
future state and thecontinuity of future punishment. It is said, in
words, that, though a fathermay chastise his son, "for his
profit," yet the relation of fatherhood andsonship forbids the
thought that the father can thrust his son into theburning
and keep him there forever. No matter what the offense, it can beexpiated
by suffering, the father heart will certainly relent and the prodigalwill
turn again and will be received with joy and gladness by the yearningfather.
Of
course, the fallacy of the argument is in the assumption that all men are,by
nature, the children of God a thing expressly denied by the Lord Jesus(John
8:42) who declared to certain ones that they were of their fatherthe
devil. The conversation with Nicodemus gives us the condition uponwhich
once-born men may see the kingdom
of God, namely, by beingtwice-born,
once of the flesh, and a second time of the Spirit. "Except aman
be born again [anothen, from above] he cannot see the kingdom ofGod."
There must be a birth from heaven before there can be a heavenlyinheritance.
Nicodemus, though a teacher of Israel,
did not understand it.
He
had read in vain the word through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 33:31)relative
to the "new covenant" which involves a new heart. He had failed todiscern
between the natural man and the spiritual man. He had noconception
of a changed condition as the basis of genuine reformation. ButNicodemus
was not alone in his misconception. After all these centuries,many
students of the New Testament, accepting the Gospel of John ascanonical
and genuine, stumble over the same great truth and. "pervert theright
ways of the Lord." Taking the fifth verse of John 3, they accept thedoctrine
of regeneration, but couple it with an external act without which,in
their view, the regeneration is not and cannot be completed. In theirrituals
they distinctly declare that water baptism is essential to and isproductive
of the regeneration which Jesus declares must be from heaven.They
stumble over, or pervert the words used, and make "born of water"to
be baptism, of which nothing is said in the verse or in the chapter, andwhich
the whole tenor of Scripture denies.
The
lexicographers, the grammarians and evangelical theologians are allpronounced
against the interpretation put upon the words of Jesus whenHe
said: "Except a man (anyone) be born of water kai spirit, he cannotenter
into the kingdom
of God." The
lexicographers tell us that the Greekconjunction kai may have an
epexegetical meaning and may be (as itfrequently is) used to amplify what has
gone before; that it may have thesense of "even," or
"namely." And thus they justify the reading: "Except aman
be born of water, even (or namely) spirit, he cannot enter into thekingdom of God." The
grammarians tell us the same thing, andinnumerable instances of such usage can
be cited from both classic andNew Testament Greek. The theologians are
explicit in their denial thatregeneration can be effected by baptism. They
hold to a purely spiritualexperience, either before baptism, or after it,
and deny that the spiritualbirth is effected by the water, no matter how
applied. And yet some whotake this position in discussions of the
"new birth" fall away to theritualistic idea when they come to treat
of baptism, its significance andplace in the Christian system. (It would
be easy to justify all thesestatements by reference to authors and books,
but space forbids thequotations here. So patent are they that we can
hardly doubt theacceptance of the assertion by the intelligent reader,
without citations inproof).
PAUL
AS AN INTERPRETER OF JESUS
The
best interpreter of Jesus who ever undertook to represent Him was theman
who was made a "chosen vessel," to bear the Gospel of the kingdomto
the pagan nations of his own time, and to transmit his interpretations tous
of the twentieth century, He could say: "The Gospel which waspreached
of me is not after man, neither was I taught it, but by revelationof
Jesus Christ." And Paul speaks of this work wrought in the human soulas
a "new creation" — something that was
not there before. "If any man bein Christ, he is a new creature"
(creation). "Neither circumcision availethanything, nor
uncircumcision, but a new creature" (creation). Never once,in
all his discussions of the way of salvation, does Paul intimate that thenew
creation is effected by a ritual observance. It is always and everywhereregarded
and treated as a spiritual experience wrought by the Spirit of God, the subject
of it knowing only, as the healed man said of himself,"Whereas
I, was blind now I see."
THE
TESTIMONY OF EXPERIENCE
The
prayers of the Bible, especially those of the New Testament, do notindicate
that the suppliant asks for a regeneration —
a new heart. He mayhave been taught the need of it, and may be
brought face to face with thegreat and decisive fact; but his thought is not
so much of a new heart as itis of his sins and his condemnation. What he
wants is deliverance from thefact and the consequences of sin. He finds
himself a condemned sinner,under the frown of a God of justice, and he
despairs. But he is told of Jesusand the forgiving grace of God, and he
asks that the gracious provision beapplied to his own soul. "Mercy, and
not sacrifice," is the argument, themercy secured by the work of Him whom God
hath appointed to be thepropitiation for our sins. But when the
supplicating and believing sinnerawakes to a consciousness that his prayer
has been heard, he finds that heis a new creature. The work has been
wrought without his consciousnessof it at the moment. All he knows is that
something has taken place withinhim a great "change." He is a
new creature. He dares to hope and tobelieve that he is a son of God; and he
cries in the ecstacy of a new life:"Abba, Father" (Dear Father)!
"The Spirit Himself beareth witness withour spirit that we are
the children of God," and subsequently we learn thatwe
are heirs of a rich Father — "heirs of God
and joint-heirs with JesusChrist," with whom we are to both suffer
and reign.Conversion
(which really means only "change"), we have said, is includedin
the idea of regeneration; but the words do not mean the same thing.
Regeneration
implies conversion; but there may be conversion withoutregeneration.
The danger is that the distinction may not be observed andthat,
because there is a visible conversion, it may be Supposed that theremust
be a prevenient regeneration. Conversion may be a mere mentalprocess;
the understanding convinced, but the heart unchanged. It may beeffected
as education and refinement are effected. The schools areconstantly
doing it. It is what they are for. Regeneration involves a changeof
mind; but conversion may be effected while the moral condition remainsunchanged.
Regeneration can occur but once in the experience of the samesoul;
but conversion can occur many times. Regeneration implies a newlife,
eternal life, Divine life, the life of God in the soul of man, a Divinesonship,
the continuous indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Conversion may belike
that of King Saul, when he took a place among the prophets ofJehovah,
or like that of Simon the sorcerer, who said: "Pray ye the Lordfor
me, that none of these things which ye have spoken come upon me."
Conversion
may be the result of a conviction that, after all, a change of lifemay
be profitable for the life that is to come, as well as for the life that nowis;
that in the future world a man gets what he earns in this life. It does notimply
a heart in love with God and the things of God. Men of the world areconverted
many times. They change their minds, and often change theirmode
of living, for the better; not because they have been regenerated andbrought
into sacred relations with God in Christ, being renewed by thepower
of the Holy Spirit.
One
of the most imminent dangers of the religious life of today is theputting
of conversion in the place of regeneration, and counting convertedmen
as Christian men, counting "converts" in revival meetings asregenerated
and saved, because they have mentally, and, for the moment,changed.
Men are converted, politically, from one party to another; fromone
set of principles to another. Christians, after regeneration, may changetheir
religious views and pass from one denomination to another. FewChristians
pass through many years without a need of conversion. Theygrow
cold of heart, blind to the things of God, and wander from thestraight
path to which they once committed themselves; and they needconversion.
Most revivals of religion begin with the conversion of saints.
Rarely
are souls, in considerable numbers, regenerated while regeneratedmen
and women are unconscious of their high calling and are in need ofconversion,
in order to their hearty engagement in efforts for those aroundthem.
First, a converted church, then regenerated and converted souls.Reformation
implies conversion, but it does not imply regeneration.
Regeneration
insures reformation, but reformation does not implyregeneration.
Reformers have been abroad in all ages, and are known topaganism
as well as to Christianity. The Buddha was a reformer. Confuciuswas
a reformer. Zoroaster was a reformer. Mahomet was a reformer. Kingsand
priests have been reformers, while knowing nothing of the life of Godin
the human soul. A Christian man is a reformed man, though hisreformation
may be far from complete and may need a great manyreforming
impulses. The most glaring and fatal mistake in the religiousworld
today is the effort to reform men and reform society by making thereformation
a substitute for regeneration.
The
social life of today is full of devices and expedients for bettering thephysical
condition of individuals, families and communities, while yet thesoul-life
is untouched. Human devices are taking the place of the Divineideal,
and those who cannot reach the inner life are contenting themselves,if
they can reach and better the outer life, the mere incident of being. Wehave
civic organizations without number, each of which has for its highestobject
the betterment not simply of worldly conditions, but of the characterof
the brotherhood. An argument for the existence of many of theseorganizations
is that they may make better men by reason of the confidenceand
fraternity secured by the contact effected, by the oaths and vows taken,and
by the cultivation of the social life. A willingness to learn and toreceive
instruction is a condition of initiation into the order.
That
reformatory agencies are good and accomplish good is not denied.Each
has its good points and helps to elevate the tone of society in theaggregate.
But a fatal mistake is in the notion that the elevation of society,the
eliminating of its miseries, is conducive to a religious life and promotiveof
Christianity. Perhaps the greatest hindrances to the conquest sought byChristianity
today, in civilized and nominally Christian countries, are thevarious
agencies intended to reform society. They are improving theexterior,
veneering and polishing the outside, while the inside is no betterthan
before because the heart remains wicked and sinful. "Now do yePharisees
make clean the outside of the cup and the platter, but yourinward
part is full of ravening and wickedness."
The
Pharisees were the best people of their day; and yet they were thegreatest
failures. Against no others did Jesus hurl so fierce denunciations.Why?
Because they put reformation in the place of repentance and faith;because
they were employing human means for accomplishing what onlythe
Holy Spirit could accomplish. And so, today, every device for thebetterment
of society which does not strike at the root of the disease andapply
the remedy to the seat of life, the human soul, is Pharisaical and isdoing
a Pharisee’s work. It is
polishing the outside, while indifferent to theinside. The road to
hell from a church door is as short as is that from ahangman’s
noose, or an electric chair. More church members thanmurderers
have gone to the hell of the unbeliever. "The good is always theenemy
of the best"; and so reformation is always an enemy of the cross ofChrist.
Mr.
Begbie’s "twice-born
men" were reformed, and they made proof of itin
their subsequent lives because they were regenerated, twice born; butthere
were beside them, a great multitude of "reformed" men, who were noless
heirs of hell than before their "reformation." He tells us of only a
fewof
the great multitude of those reformed —
a few of thousands.
Fundamental
to the Christian system is a conviction of sin which compels acry
for mercy, responded to by the Holy Spirit, who regenerates the soul,converts
it, reforms it and fits it for the blessedness of heaven.By
reference to Mr. Begbie’s book, the writer
means no criticism,for he is in full accord with the facts and
purposes of the book. Heuses it only as a striking illustration of the
point he wishes to make.